Bipods on a hard surface...

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5whiskey

New member
Probably shouldn't take up the electrons with this but I thought I would do a public service anouncement.

I just built a rifle, pretty darn proud of it too, except it was shooting more in the 1.25 MOA range and I was getting kinda disappointed with that. Sure factory ammo, not shooting from a bench, so on and so forth but STILL. I put a lot of time into this thing and I wasn't getting in return what I put into it.

Well today I remembered something I learned a while ago with belt fed weapons. My genious self just couldn't put two and two together with this rifle. See I shoot in a hay field out in bum ffff egypt, and when the coastal gets tall sometimes I shoot out of the back of my truck. Well today I braved the tall grass as I remembered the old teachings, and did the single most important thing of all time to improve accuracy. SHOOT ON THE GROUND OR A SOFT SURFACE AS BIPODS BOUNCE AND MOVE THE POINT OF IMPACT WHEN USED ON A HARD SURFACE.

Yeah I know, I need a good swift kick. Rifle shot 1.74 and 2.103 inches at 300 yds today.
 
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Redneckrepairs

New member
IMHO bipods are fantastic tools , and in many cases can make the difference between " meat " and " miss " . They are not however sandbags for a bench . If your shooting for a group then bag it off a bench. If your hunting a " pod " is a great aid to shooting well .
 
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5whiskey

New member
This is an everything rifle, from slapping coyotes to deer and more if I ever get off my butt and go out west or up north. PLUS I want to be able to hit the chinese at 1000 yds when they invade:D

Na, I'm shooting off of pods cause I'm not really interested in benchrest shooting. It's more of a walking varmint/deer rifle with a little bit o effort put into her, plus I like to be able to shoot smaller groups than my friends:D

I do measure in thousands only because I have a mic, only reason. Well, that and I'm very happy to be in the sub-moa group with a rifle I built and I'm flaunting it. Just getting my little moment of joy.

Again seriously though, pods are a wonderful tool and most of my shoots will be from them. Hence why I shoot for groups with them. As wonderful as they are, let me remind the rest of the free world that using pods on a hard surface will widen your group considerably.

Joey
 
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rugerdude

New member
Wow, good to know! I think I'll be tightening my SKS-1A's groupings up a bit over the weekend with that handy bit of knowledge!

You can always learn something new on here....:)
 
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mrawesome22

New member
My best groups come from shooting prone with a bipod. For some reason this is my most accurate position. Sitting in a chair with a bench and bags doesn't even come close. I feel much more stable and confident with my belly in the dirt. I'm weird:D
 
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5whiskey

New member
Just for a comparison note. Shooting out of the bed of my truck I was hovering right at about 2.1" shoot groups at 150 yds.

This morning at 150 yds I shoot 2 groups. 1st group .872 and 2nd 1.054.

SO.... I cut my groups in half by getting a little dirty:D
 
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srtrax

New member
I'd like to hear more about the rifle that you built. What is it / in what cal. and maybe a picture of it would be nice! I like that sort of thing and get intrested when someone else does one. Thanks for the info on the bipod, i'll remember that if and when i go back to using one. Back when myself and a couple of friends use to shoot prairie dogs we used them, but have not used one since. Nice that your project turned into a shooter!
 
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Lavid2002

New member
YEP YEP YEP yeah we all make that mistake......I make it more than you when i set up for a shot and FORGET TO CLOSE THE ACTION after 40 seconds of calming my breathign and setting up the shot, pull.....WOW 8looks left, looks right* closes action and sets up :eek:
 
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Zak Smith

New member
Harris bipods hop because they have no play in the legs and are spring-loaded in the open position. The Sako TRG and AI / Parker Hale style bipods do not exhibit the problem to the same degree.
 
6

629 shooter

New member
Wheeler , saw the rifle in the other thread , looks like a nice job! I like the Savage ease of upgrading the barrels. I have a 12BVSS varmint in .223 , may eventually upgrade to a match barrel.

So coyotes in Onslow Co! I moved out of there in 1988. Were they released by the State or just made their way to the area? We have plenty of them up here!

For my range use I went ahead and ditched the bi-pod on the centerfires. For field use they are great. On the rimfires though ,since the bipod does not move after every shot I get probably as good accuracy as I do with the rifle rest.
 
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Wildalaska

Moderator
Dont know about that Zack, shooting off the bench with a Parker Hale still gets me "hop". Doesnt affect my point of impact, my poor shooting does :)

WildcantseeAlaska
 
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5whiskey

New member
I don't know about onslow anymore, I finally came home to Johnston a couple of months ago. Seems they were released by the state to curb the deer population. The problem with that is, well, deer fawns aren't really easy prey except that 1st 6 weeks. So what are the yotes to do for the rest of the year??? KILL CALVES, and it's not a horrible problem yet but a man I used to work for lost 3 so far this year. Soooo... looks like there's some coyote killing in order.

Thanks for the compliments on the rifle guys, I put a lot of work into it and am pretty proud as it's my first work over. I think I'm gonna buy a used stevens or just an action and start on another rifle in a couple of months. After that maybe a remmy...
 
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slabsides

Member In Memoriam
Respectfully Disagree...

My old Remington .308VS shoots into .5 MOA off a bare bench out to 220m, with an early version (non-swivel, springs open legs) Harris Bipod. Good load with 165gr Nosler BT and a moderate target load of IMR 3031.
It's probably important that you 'load' the 'pod the same for every shot...I set the rifle on the bench and tension it back against the legs of the 'pod. Works.
 
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629 shooter

New member
I have used the bi-pod and shot some good groups with a 700P in .308 and my current rifle a 700LTR in .223. But ever since switching to the front rest the consistency of targets has improved considerably and the "weird" fliers are no longer a common occurence. With a bi-pod it is far more difficult to get the same drag on the bench with each shot , at least for me. In the end what ever works for the individual shooter.
 
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p99guy

New member
I have seen discussions about it also making a difference if you give a Harris a soft surface to sit on while using it on a hard surface..that it changed the harmonics less. Something like two old mouse pads with the typical fabric covered 1/8th inch closed cell foam can insulate the pod from the bench.
(much more like using them on dirt)

The same problems also apply to folks that use those fold down rear monopods along with the bipod...the mono pod also needs to sit on padding( adjust monopod to where its making the rifle point a smidge low, so when you get in position it compresses the padding till it stops ,and brings the crosshair back up into the bullseye. (if you dont, when you bear down on the rifle the pad will compress and your crosshairs will raise to a point ABOVE
the intended point of aim.)

what gets me about some bipod arrangments, is all the vendors that sell bipods that attach directly to the barrel...talk about screwing with barrel harmonics! The old Viet Nam era "clothes pin" bipod for the AR15 that clamps on the barrel at the front sight tower, changes the point of impact 11 inches @ 100 yards! But then again the same bad effect with the AR15 was achieved by placing the sling swivel on the barrel, then using the tensioned sling as a shooting aid.
 
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5whiskey

New member
hey 629, that sounds like what my deal was. Usually would be a 3 or 4 rounds cloverleafing, and then 1 or 2 off. Sometimes 3 shot groups would hold the sub moa, sometimes not. Wasn't happy with the consistancy but I do know it was definatly the bipods. I've shot quiet a few groups since and only on has been outside of 3/4 moa, and it was still under 1 moa. I've shot some that almost broke 1/2 but not quiet. All fired with bipods off the ground.

Maybe it's me and the way I'm loading the pods, but I think most are just better to go with bipods off the ground and bags on the bench. I don't have a bench nor do I care to shoot with one much. I prefer field conditions just to practice as I play, and a shot off a bipod is as good as it gets for field.

Joey
 
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Groundhog

New member
Just for clarification for this shooting noob, when you guys say the 'pods "bounce", do you mean they disrupt each shot? Or are you saying they screw up your aim point on the next shot? I'm not sure I'm following what the issue is here.
 
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Ry-guy

New member
I have to agree, a bi-pid off of a concrete table does not shoot as good as in a softer surface or off of soft bags. That has always been the case for me. When I shoot with a buddy of mine I always out shoot him on bags when he shoots from his bi-pod. I always knew why my groups were tighter and I will never tell him because he is soooo competitive and it just grinds him when we go to the range...my little trick.
 
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