BigJon

Quote: from John Dunn on 8:37 am on Dec. 21, 2002 Where the rifle pivots is essentially where the bipod attaches to the rifle and is independent of the footprint. Hmmm. Perhaps if the mounting point is very flexible. Otherwise, I don't think it would be the pivot point, even with a low Harris. I'm talking about vertical pivot here.

Did they say it was unstable because it's pod was mounted there?

Good responses, guys. Let's take it a step further - what is the fulcrum point? Seems like we're assuming that it's where the pod meets the rifle, and seems to me (I'm certainly no physics expert) that it's actually where the pod meets the ground. With a standard bipod, these two points are pretty much equidistant from the shooter, but ... ... (this is the kind of odd stuff I think about while I'm driving) ... what if one were to come up with a bipod that angled away from the shooter? Here's what I'm getting at: Come up with a bipod that when fully extended angles down from the rifle at, oh, say 45 degrees so that the feet contact the ground just under the front of the stock. Mount the bipod just forward of the recoil lug, or even behind it if the action, stock, and bedding system are stiff enough to take it. Then, you'd be just as stable as with a regular Harris bipod, but any stresses induced by the bipod would be transferred into the rifle behind the barrel rather than just under its middle. Now with a good, stiff stock such as an HS Precision unit that has a bedding block, bipod stress may not even be enough of a factor to worry about - might just be an answer in search of a problem, but hey ... ... the fun is in yappin' about it, right? Regards, Jon

Hmmm. I'll have to digest that for a bit. Seems to me that if one were going to us it prone, it could be equally stable as long as the butt of the rifle was also properly supported. Would the situation you described be any different if the bipod were attached at the lug, but the legs angled forward so that the feet touched the ground farther out?

Every bolt rifle I've ever seen has had its forward sling swivel mounted at the muzzle end of the stock. Some, like my "tactical" .308, have two out there. Most bench shooting is done with the supporting sandbags as far back toward the guard as possible. Why wouldn't a bipod be afixed in the same spot, say just in front of the trigger guard, or maybe just forward of the recoil lug in a 700-based rifle? Seems to me that would keep things more consistent.

Some are of the opinion that 1 in 8 may be a good all-around choice for the reasons stated above, and due to recent trends toward heavier bullets. 1 in 8 ought to do okay at short range for the 55 grainers and do quite well with bullets into the 70s. Wonder what twist will go into the CARs if the gov't goes with a 100 grain bullet?