bipod or front rest ?

[rebs]

when bench resting a 22 cal rifle is there any difference in accuracy if you are using a bipod or front rest ?

 

[Ernie Bishop]

Part of it depends upon the rifle, part of it depends on the shooter, and part of it depends on the Bi-Pod or Front Rest.
Not trying to be difficult, but not all front rests or bi-pods are created equal.
Same can be said of rear bags.
What kind of shooting are you wanting to do? Fun shooting or comps?
Distances?
Rifle and optic in question?

 

[rebs]

Rifle is a Savage MK II 22 cal with stainless bull barrel. Shooting is informal matches at local club at 100 yds. I have a caldwell front rest with the leather protector bag and a protector rear bag. How hard should the rear bag and the front rest bag be ?

 

[Ernie Bishop]

Rifle is a Savage MK II 22 cal with stainless bull barrel. Shooting is informal matches at local club at 100 yds. I have a caldwell front rest with the leather protector bag and a protector rear bag. How hard should the rear bag and the front rest bag be ?

Is your forend flat or rounded?
Width of your forend?
Probably front rest.
Front and rear bags should not be hard.
What kind of sand are you using?
Is the spacing on the rear bag properly spaced for the bottom of the buttstock?
Is the very bottom of your buttstock flat on the bottom or rounded?
If flat, what is the width of the very bottom of your buttstock?

 

[Ernie Bishop]

Make sure you have removed any sling swivel studs from the forend or buttstock when using a front rest.
An upgrade in front and rear bags may be beneficial

 

[Pahoo]

I prefer the rest, on the bench

when bench resting a 22 cal rifle is there any difference in accuracy if you are using a bipod or front rest ?

I have found it to be so and that is why, on the bench, I always use a rest/bags. I mostly use a BiPod, in the field. …..

Be Safe !!!

 

[rebs]

Is your forend flat or rounded?
Width of your forend?
Probably front rest.
Front and rear bags should not be hard.
What kind of sand are you using?
Is the spacing on the rear bag properly spaced for the bottom of the buttstock?
Is the very bottom of your buttstock flat on the bottom or rounded?
If flat, what is the width of the very bottom of your buttstock?

forearm is flat about 2" wide
The sand that came in the rests
bottom of butt stock does not go all the way to the bottom of the bag
bottom of butt stock is round
sling swivels have been removed

 

[jmr40]

No need to remove swivel studs. At most they may wear out the bags a little sooner, but they don't have an effect on accuracy.

The difference isn't huge, but I seem to get tighter groups with a bipod. I don't think it is accuracy so much as that you may, or may not, see some difference in point of impact. But since I don't carry a bipod in the field when hunting I tend to use bags when shooting hunting rifles, bipods when shooting target rifles. In the field bags more closely replicate how I might use a pack for a rest.

 

[emcon5]

No need to remove swivel studs.

Yeah, definitely not required for a rimfire.

 

[Ernie Bishop]

forearm is flat about 2" wide
The sand that came in the rests
bottom of butt stock does not go all the way to the bottom of the bag
bottom of butt stock is round
sling swivels have been removed

Two typical competition forend widths is 2.25" and 3".
Is there a lot or a little slop width wise with your forend and front bag?
Does the bottom of your buttstock ride close to the bottom of the "V" of your ears or halfway down or close to the top of the ears?
Is there a little give in the body of the bag and in the ears of the rear bag or is it real tight/hard?
Same with your front bag. Does it have some give or rock hard or real tight?
Do you squeeze the rear bag or the ears of the rear bag for fine adjustment?

 

[rebs]

Two typical competition forend widths is 2.25" and 3".
Is there a lot or a little slop width wise with your forend and front bag?
Does the bottom of your buttstock ride close to the bottom of the "V" of your ears or halfway down or close to the top of the ears?
Is there a little give in the body of the bag and in the ears of the rear bag or is it real tight/hard?
Same with your front bag. Does it have some give or rock hard or real tight?
Do you squeeze the rear bag or the ears of the rear bag for fine adjustment?

There is very little slop in the front bag and the butt stock sits about half way in the rear bag Both bags are fairly hard
I do squeeze the rear ears to fine tune my sight

 

[T. O'Heir]

It's not an accuracy thing. It's a stability thing. There is no bipod that will ever be as stable as a great, big, bag of sand. Ok, it doesn't need to be a great, big, bag.

 

[Ernie Bishop]

It's not an accuracy thing. It's a stability thing. There is no bipod that will ever be as stable as a great, big, bag of sand. Ok, it doesn't need to be a great, big, bag.

There are some really good/stable with a very wide footprint bi-pods (combined with a properly fit rear bag) out there: Used in F-TR (100-1k) and in the King of the 2Mile type comps. Stable and easily adjustable, and they track (Not a huge deal with rimfire, but important).

 

[Ernie Bishop]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAXqwz996mg&list=FLfEoqqK-q7iARmKwk742NZg&index=9&t=0s
Context to what I was saying:
Back in early February, Dan Ekstrom was doing load development for my F-Class TR rifle (308 Winchester) for the Berger SW Nationals at the Ben Avery range in AZ, that Sebastian Lambang would be using. We decided to use the Berger 200.20X Hybrid/Varget/Lapua Palma Brass, and CCI-BR4 primers. Also shot the 180 grain JLK Long-Tail. The group on steel is a 10 shot group at 500 yards is with the JLK’s.

The group on paper we shot today with the Berger 200.20X, but it was only 18° below zero, not counting the windchill at 600 yards. On the third shot, Dan called a flyer. He was shooting at paper blind, with no camera or pit. This rifle that Chuck McIntosh built shoots great with all 4 bullets tried.

The four shot group measures horizontally (.477), vertical is .957. The 5-shot group (including the called flyer) is 2.853 at 600 yards. Bartlein 10T barrel, Kelbly rings, and the Vortex Golden Eagle scope.
The video was to show the conditions, and the way it tracks