Which Bipod ?

Which bipod do you use and why? Pros and cons would be helpful. Having never owned one before, I'm fishing for suggestions. The bipod will be used mainly for target/competition and in conjuction with a quality rear bag. I want to buy only once, so am willing to spend more to get top quality. Not rich, just hate trying to work with low quality junk. Thanks for you help! :)

I don't know if this helps, but I think you'll find that you'll need more than one bipod. Based on what you asked for, I'd guess that you want a bipod for F/TR?

If so, I believe that you'll want a Harris in either the 6-9" or 9-13". With (pr without) leg notching, and/or the swivel front end (which can be locked down with the front locking/adjustment screw). Bipod choice and selection are personal and you should probab;y try some out before buying. Otherwise be prepared to buy and resell a few before you land one that you find perfect for you.

Just a suggestion... look in the used market. I find that to yield some good values. I personally have 3 Harris bipods of slightly differeing attributes which work in different situations.

+1 for Harris

If you want the Cadillac of reasonable bipods get the harris 6-9" with leg notches and swivel front end. Then put a pod lock on it and you'll be g2g. I currently own 5 bipods.

1- harris discribed above
2- same as above but 9-13 without leg notches
3- 9-13 shooters ridge (junk)
4- 13 1/2 to 27 harris with swivel
5- same as 4 without swivel

The shooters ridge is the 1st bipod I owned. Me and a couple friends bought them at the same time and mine is the only one thats yet to fall apart. Stay clear it your not a fan of your barrel diving into the dirt after a shot. #1 I bought for my long range setup and love it and 4 I got for $50 so I couldnt pass it up.

I am interested in this as well. I bought a versapod (while it is ok, not as tight as I want it to be.)

The Harris has a lot of different options, and I can not figure out which one I want. Plus what is this Pod Lock you speak of?

I would order one if I knew what the right part numbers are.

If you're picking a Harris for pure target/competition work, I'd highly recommend the 6-9" swivel model w/ notched legs - I think the designation is something like 'BRMS'.

The Pod-Loc replaces the knurled nut for tightening the swivel mechanism - basically you can lock the pod down tight at any cant angle - or after leveling your gun.

If you are pursuing something like F/TR competition, you might look at some of the more 'exotic' bipods such as the ones from Sinclair Int'l and Centershot Engineering, etc. More adjustments, wider foot print, less 'hop'.

I have looked at the Sinclair F Class, Gen. 2 I believe, on their website. I saw a used one for sale on another forum. It seems that the seller said something like he preloaded aginst the bipod when shooting and was going back to a previous style bipod that he shot with. Has anyone used the Sinclair? If so, what did you like or dislike? The gun that I currently plan to try the bipod with is a benchrest style stock rifle. I am not set on my style for now, but am guessing that I want to allow the rifle to recoil rearward some, as if on a front rest. That may not turn out to be the case. Sounds like from the previous replies that I indeed will be making multiple purchases in order to find what works.

Sinclair should be on the Gen 3 model by now - there is one version with a fine-adjust head, and one without. Basically the 'ski' type bipods like the Sinclair, Centershot, Remple, etc. tend to work better with a light(er) hold and not much shoulder pressure. Trying to run 'free recoil' will get you in trouble with the rules in NRA F-Class, but its possible to have such a light hold that the difference is somewhat moot.

More 'traditional' bipods like the Harris, GG&G, Atlas, etc. seem to work better for a lot of people if they can put more shoulder pressure against them, sometimes even digging in the feet and going with a 'hard' hold.

I have a couple of the Centershot bipods, a Sinclair Gen 2 and a Gen 3, a couple Harris BRMS bipods with Pod-Locs, and a GG&G. The Sinclair pods work great for some folks - but I have a hard time shooting consistently with them, not sure why. The GG&G is about the lightest one out there (10 oz) but doesn't have notched legs and is hard to get locked down hard. The Center Shot pods are fairly light (1 lb 4 oz) and work slick, but can be somewhat delicate due to the carbon fiber pieces and a lot of joints/connections/moving parts.

When its all said and done... I keep a Harris BRMS with Pod-Loc (and Pod-Paws) in the side pouch of my gun case and a spare bipod stud installed on the fore-end rail of my 12 F/TR. The other models have some nicer features, but I can shoot just fine off the Harris when need be.

You are correct, the Sinclair is gen. 3. At this point, I do not see myself shooting NRA Comp. Mainly I want to shoot at informal shoots and practice on my range. I want this to be fun, not a rigid by the book deal. May change my mind later. Anyway, you have provided me with the type of info that I need. I looked at the Centershot website and the picture is not real clear. For starters, I will probably try both the Harris HBRMS and the Sinclair.

I used to run 2 Harris swivel notched legs. Now I use Atlas. They are way more versitile. The ability to place the legs at a 45 and panning was why i went with them.

Dino

Atlas is my vote, little more sturdy then a harris

The Sinclair is a really good rest, we have a 3 RD Gen. it is abit pricey, but nothing comes close as far as a solid, light weight, sturdy rest, it will shrink your group size. Here are a couple of pix of ours on the wife's FLCP-K .223

[IMG]http://i1325.photobucket.com/albums/...pse375b8da.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i1325.photobucket.com/albums/...ps9ac9bdda.jpg[/IMG][IMG

after using a harris for a number of years i just swapped to the sinclair f class gen 3 i looked at others but the ones i thought look good were either 4-500 or i would have had to send my stocks out to have a rail cut into the forends (i shoot 3 fclass f t/r rifles).as sooon as my leg gets healed i plan on seeing if its what i hope it is.

At the recommendation of a friend, and having tried his out, I went with the Sinclair 3rd gen also. It's a bit pricey, but I love the thing. My rifle recoils straight back on the rear bag, exactly the same way, every time. All I do is gently push the rifle back forward after the shot and my crosshairs are right back to where they were. I've discovered that your bipod is a critical ingredient to consistent long range shooting.

if the doctor release's me (knee surgery) i'm hoping to make a 600yd match the last saturday in the this month.if not then i will be at our team match end of april.

I prefer a taller bipod than most people, so I've been using the Harris S-LM with KMW Pod-Loc for years. Most people tend to prefer the shorter BR-series, but for me to shoot comfortably I need it adjusted all the way out which then causes it to be less stable than just using the L-series without the legs extended.

Technically, there are "better" choices out there, but I'm one of those people who is resistant to change once I've found something that works well for me.

shot a 600 yard f class today love the sinclair gen3 it still jumped alittle but not that bad at all for the most part it would come staight back some times i could see my vapor trail when it hit. and it was steady as a rock first relay 185 2 x 2nd relay 195 5 x( mirage went away and i nailed it) ended up taking 2nd relay and tied for first for overall f t/r .

I am also interested in a bipod..Would anyone happen to have a model number for one of those good ones from Harris...Been shooting from the bench and thought I would try a pod in the prone if my back will allow me to..Might improve my scores a couple of points..Thanks for any advice..John

I see there is a ton of them on e bay...