Which bipod? Harris, Champion etc.

[grey]

Hi, just wondering which bipod to get ,Harris / Champion ect .... in 9/13 inch configuration don't know a lot about them ,for off hand ,how much front end heavier do they make the weapon.

Dumb question : do the come in stainless...........

[Westy]

My Favorite is the atlas !!!Yep they are going to put weight on the front end alright!!!!

[Baldrick314]

+1 for Atlas. Absolute best bipod I've ever used, well worth the money

[Chronos]

Harris is the pick of the bunch for quality but more expensive than the Chinese knock offs. a 9-13" harris won't add a lot of weight to your rifle for carrying but may be noticeable when shooting off hand (standing without a support)

Altas is an option but at double the price of a Harris most leave them to the tacticool crowd

None of them come in stainless as far as i know but i reckon there a place in the market for an aluminium unit for a carry bunny or fox rifle.

What kind of shooting will you be doing with your rifle? (Remember weapons are for shooting people, rifles are for hunting)

Chronos

[Warrigul]

(Remember weapons are for shooting people, rifles are for hunting)

Chronos

[bigfellascott]

+1 for Atlas. Absolute best bipod I've ever used, well worth the money

How do they go in long grass - any good then?

[bigfellascott]

Hi, just wondering which bipod to get ,Harris / Champion ect .... in 9/13 inch configuration don't know a lot about them ,for off hand ,how much front end heavier do they make the weapon.
Dumb question : do the come in stainless...........

What are you going to use the bipod for? Hunting, shooting targets, gongs what? that will determine what you get.

[North East]

I put a 27" Harris bipod on my T3 Varmint 204 Ruger. You can sit back and just snipe over the long grass. A short Atlas type thing would be useless.

[Bennybigbores]

Vote for Harris, I have two and two Harris knock offs all great from 9" to 36" just pick the one for the terrain I'll be hunting, all mine anti cant/ swivel type too, good option to have and can be tightened up if benching anyway

[brett1868]

I've got, Harris, Atlas and a Vipertek. I picked up the Vipertek at the shot show last year though you can pick them up on eBay as well. Near impossible to tell the Harris and Vipertek apart besides the price tag. I like the atlas on the big guns as I can use the cleats for better grip on the ground and I have some leg extensions for it just in case I need more height. Much will come down to the type of shooting you'll be doing and how much you want to spend.

[Baldrick314]

How do they go in long grass - any good then?

I must admit I've never used one in long grass and being that they are a shorter bipod they probably wouldn't be effective but for my application they work well

[deye243]

The Harris is half the price but twice as fast to deploy...........9-13" swivel notched

[bigfellascott]

To be honest you'll need more than 1 bipod to cover all the different types of shooting situations, 6-9" are good of the bench for poking paper, 9-13" is good for shooting prone off the ground (short grass etc) and a 13-27" is perfect for sitting upright and taking shots, try and get something that can pan/cant etc and pod locks come in handy but not completely necessary but would put them on just incase you need them.

I have all those lengths in Harris and also have the cheaper knock-offs and they all work fine too, also have a Versapod which works fine also, but for my type of shooting these days (from a vehicle mostly) I use a cheap homemade set of sandbags (made from jean legs and some calico) as I often shoot from the bonnet of the vehicle or from a piece of timber setup across the dash and seat (shooting out the passenger side window).

[Noisydad]

(Remember weapons are for shooting people, rifles are for hunting)

Chronos

LOL, Lady Noisy has military background and I'm forever correcting her about this too.

[Westy]

I have a 4wd and use the bonnet as a bench so the long grass isn't normally a issue but in a lot of cases I shoot off hand out to 200-300 m anyways depending on the size of the target!!!!!!

[bigfellascott]

:thumbsup: I have a 4wd and use the bonnet as a bench so the long grass isn't normally a issue but in a lot of cases I shoot off hand out to 200-300 m anyways depending on the size of the target!!!!!!

Yes the bonnet does overcome all long grass obstacles although after going out the other night and seeing the grass up around 6ft in places I'd have to stand on the roof to have a shot! I've never seen the grass so long.

[Lorgar]

Harris is the pick of the bunch for quality but more expensive than the Chinese knock offs. a 9-13" harris won't add a lot of weight to your rifle for carrying but may be noticeable when shooting off hand (standing without a support)

Vote for Harris, I have two and two Harris knock offs all great from 9" to 36" just pick the one for the terrain I'll be hunting, all mine anti cant/ swivel type too, good option to have and can be tightened up if benching anyway

Another vote for 9"-13" Harris.

Most versatile length for all purpose hunting IMO.

Light and quality is decent.

[Gwion]

Not to hijack but i am also needing a bipod.

So, for casual Fclass i'll need a 9" jobbie and for shooting from a sitting/kneeing position after vermin i'll need the 27" jobbie??

Are the knock off harris style ones any good for starters? Where can i get them online?

Cash is tight right now but i want to head down for some casual Fclass and don't have anything to use for a steady prone shot.

Thanks!

[bigfellascott]

Both of those lengths should do the job mate, I've got cheapies and they work fine also.

[Jessie]

Dumb question : do the come in stainless...........

Haven't seen any. Too expensive to make in stainless I expect.

[RoginaJack]

Here's a bit more to think about...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L77Xbrbpwes

Cheers.

[melanie]

Makes a good case for the shooting sticks quickly adjusting the stance width to change your height.

[KWhorenet]

I have a SnipePod 30" sitting model. https://snipepod.com/V2SnipePod.html

VERY lightweight and although it may look 'flimsy' it is not at all once rifle weight is on it. Has great pan-ability and levelling the rifle is easy via a nice and tight ball joint. It has a good Quick Disconnect Mount (QDMT) system supplied. I bought an extra QDMT for another rifle so switching out is effortless in secs.
Sling connects at the rear of the QDMT.

Due to undulations and grassy terrain I rarely get to lay down on the job, so the 25" - 30" is good for sitting or kneeling, for me.

*Note: The legs have 5 segments and are easily folded to reconfigure. I've set it up from between 6" - 8", 10" - 13", 16" - 19" and 25" - 30"

If I don't need it I either simply fold it up and stow under the barrel or remove by simply pulling a recessed pin that attaches to the QDMT.

For purchase in Australia contact Steve Sayer at SJS Trading Co.
PO Box 226
Yarraville VIC 3013
Ph: 0408 644 655
[email protected]

[bigfellascott]

That looks interesting KH

There are so many diff options out there these days, we are spoilt for choice, the old days it was find a tree or some other rest to use, now we have so many varieties and options at our disposal - find what you think will suit you and buy it, worst comes to worst you can always sell it and buy something else.

[KWhorenet]

Scott,

The only thing I am reconsidering now, is since I have tried it and realise/read it is designed to also be folded and used at heights well below its nominal height fully extended; maybe the 72" standing model would have suited me even more since my back aches (too ) and my arms wouldn't look out of place on Kermit the frog these days. Being able to fold the leg segments down for lower height increments is a great feature. i.e. my sitting model is useful from 6" up to ~ 30"

* Going to enquire about either getting extra OEM tent pole leg segments or other and a piece of tent pole elastic cord to extend mine.

[bigfellascott]

Scott,

The only thing I am reconsidering now, is since I have tried it and realise/read it is designed to also be folded and used at heights well below its nominal height fully extended; maybe the 72" standing model would have suited me even more since my back aches (too ) and my arms wouldn't look out of place on Kermit the frog these days. Being able to fold the leg segments down for lower height increments is a great feature. i.e. my sitting model is useful from 6" up to ~ 30"

* Going to enquire about either getting extra OEM tent pole leg segments or other and a piece of tent pole elastic cord to extend mine.

I guess give it a run and see how it goes mate, then do the mods you are thinking about. Let us know how it turns out

[wade06]

I decided to get a Vanguard Equalizer 2 bipod (13-27") which will end up on my 243 for hunting.
The price on eBay was $120 and the build quality is first rate. It is aluminium so it only weighs about 430g, the Harris is about 540g.
On the shortest length it is usable for shooting prone but you need to lift your head.
1 extension is good for sitting and 2 extensions for kneeling.

It doesn't have the usual springs on the legs like the Harris and Champion which looks better imho.
Unlike normal bipods the mount sits on a medium spring so it allows a really good range of movement without shifting the legs (they say pivot tilt of 0 to 5 degrees and a -30 to +30-degree swing angle bit it is more than this). This should make it good for use on moving targets or uneven ground. Even with the spring it is still really steady on full extension looking at objects 300m away.

On the downside it takes a touch longer to deploy but it's only a 1/3 twist to loosen and tighten each leg (there are 2 extensions).
The attachment to the sling stud is a bit tricky if you are just using your fingers... using a small screw driver its fine.
If your sling stud was to far forward it might hang off the end too far.It just hangs off the front of the Lithgow stock.
If you had a Schnabel forearm on your rifle it may not fit real well unless you shift the sling stud back.
When retracted the legs still stick out past the end of the barrel, they probably wont on the Tikka.

Even with those minor issues I'd highly recommended a Vanguard Equalizer 2

Shown below with 1 section extended (approx 20 inches)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUY78_LFcV8 review by some South African

[bigfellascott]

Very nice mate, the rifle looks sweat too!

[Oldbloke]

"Going to enquire about either getting extra OEM tent pole leg segments or other and a piece of tent pole elastic cord to extend mine."

I made a set of shooting stix with a fibreglass tent pole with elastic down the centre. Use o rings instead of screws to join them. Seem to work OK and fold up to about 12 inches long.

[RoginaJack]

I've been using the shooting sticks for about 12 months now and have found them to be heaps better suited to my type of shooting - sitting (on a stool) calling feral dogs, foxes, cats etc or standing shooting and specially in hilly country.
Anyway, just my 2cents worth.
Cheers