Harris Bi-pod: to swivel or not?

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ForneyRider

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Those using Harris bi-pod. Are you using the swivel model?
If so, did you modify it anyway?
 
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Harris bipods

Those using Harris i-pod. Are you using the swivel model?
If so, did you modify it anyway?

I use both the swivel with the notch legs and the non-swivel with the standard legs. I added the pod lock on the swivel bipods. I think the non-swivel is a little more rigid and I level with the standard legs. The feet are are too small and the rubber is grabby so I have a piece of waxed formica counter top I use on the bench so the bipod can track. I am still planning (procrastinating) about adding skids or runners, probably hard plastic, to the feet for the ground. If I can get the feet on a tight poly tarp that helps. nhk
 
Thought the concept to shoot well with a Harris bipod was to push into it to preload the legs, not allow it to slide around... Different stokes for different folks I guess. :D

Swivel model with a pod lock used here.
 
Concept

Thought the concept to shoot well with a Harris bipod was to push into it to preload the legs, not allow it to slide around... Different stokes for different folks I guess.

Could be. Nobody was around to set me straight when I started using a bipod. I was using it on a concrete bench and getting average results and then I shot off my portable bench, which has a varnished plywood top and I was dead on and tight... hmmm. I had a piece of counter top cut out from a sink installation so I shaped that to the concrete bench profile and it worked, so I've been stroking ever since.

I've shot the Barrett M99 .50 BMG prone with a bipod and noticed that the feet have a larger surface and rounded edges, which I assumed was to allow it slide on recoil. Same thing I've noticed on many pictures of F Class rifles with bipods. (http://www.sinclairintl.com/product/5364/s) nhk
 
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The Intent

of Sinclair's bipod and it's many clones is to have it slide in recoil. That's why the "feet" are like skis. Some competitors have installed claw feet or spikes at the bottom of Harris bipod legs to keep em in-place durring recoil. Two different styles of shooting are used, some folks do better with the ski type while others have mastered the Harris bipod.
 
bipod

I have used both swivel and non-swivel bipod. I like the non-swiveling bipod the best, because it's one less thing to worry about. There is a locking nut on the swiveling bipod that you can tighten to make it non-swiveling.

I went from a bench rest to a bipod this year, and I like the bipod better.

Julian
 
Those using Harris i-pod. Are you using the swivel model?
If so, did you modify it anyway?

Harris doesn't make an i-pod -- Apple does. ;)

Harris does make a bipod, and to answer your questions in the order you've asked them: yes, no.
 
Push forward young man...push forward

Harris bipods are made to push forward for stability. It works fine for me.
However everyone has different strokes. The feet seem to do OK in gripping
smooth [kinda glassy] concrete range benches same with wood ones. Not too bad on rough grass.
 
I have both models, fixed and swivel. I like the swivel model for lining up the horizontal cross hair on uneven surfaces and I rarely tighten it to lock it in place unless I'm folding it up for transport. I use the fixed on the bench and the swivel on the ground. It did take me a while to accustom myself to using the bipod in place of the sand bags but I really like the Harris bipod(s) - wouldn't want to be without 'em.
 
Hey all you'se "lean into it" guys........ I saw this on Teevee the one time I watched one of those "hunting shows".... dude was leaning into it through out the show, everything he shot at he missed or hit high, "good spine shots..."

He leaned into his 'pod

He leaned into his stix, one time bracing his shooting sticks against his foot!

He shot off a silly rope-N-stick apparatus that angled back and hooked on his belt.....

DUHH!

He stared right at the camera and babbled about elevation and humidity and "ballistics" while alla'time the stupid rifle was attempting to go airborne because he was LEVERING IT into the sky. Galileo woulda' giggled, "yup, give me a lever!!"


Point is...... IF you decide to lean in, make sure you don't fold the supports back past 90 degrees because if you do the rifle has nowhere to go but UP on recoil, simple geometry.

al
 
Al....

What the heck are ya ramblin about now???

Ya don't "lean" into a bipod. Your shooting prone. Myself, I dig the toe of my right foot into the ground and push my body foward which forces the rifle foward loading the bipod. Done correctly the rifle doesn't go up in recoil. I've seen the sighter disc go flying when I've hit a spindle (@ 600 yards)...

It's called PRACTICE I believe. ;)
 
What the heck are ya ramblin about now??

Hard tellin', ain't it sometimes? :D

One guy I know (pretty successfully) pre-loads the snot out of his (made it on the US F/TR team). I don't push *that* hard, but I do put some pretty firm pressure on the buttplate with mine. Personally I think that getting a non-swivel model with the regular (un-notched) legs is a waste of time on the firing line that could be better spent tuning other aspects of your setup and/or position. Notched legs, swivel with Pod-Loc, and a level is what I'd recommend. If you don't like the stock feet, get something like the Pod-Paws feet (assuming someone still makes them) or either the claw or ski feet from Phoenix Tactical (i.e. Pod-Claws).

Some people like the Sinclair type pods, and I say more power to 'em. Personally I can't run one consistently enough to be comfortable with it, as I have a hard time with the very 'neutral' grip required since they tend to slide forward and back pretty easily, and the legs flex a bit while doing so. Doesn't seem to slow Danny Biggs down at all, but it drives me to distraction. Oddly enough I seem to be getting pretty good results from the Center-Shot bipod, which also has ski-type feet and slides around a bit. Even so... I still keep a Harris BRMS 6-9" bipod with swivel, pod-loc, notched legs, and pod-paws in the side pouch of my rifle case as a back-up. It just works.
 
Bipod technique (or lack of)

I found what works for me with a bipod through trial & error and since I'm a varmint hunter and not a competitive shooter it probably doesn't really matter. After reading the posts I can see the 'error of my ways'. The more I thought about what I actually do will probably make everyone cringe; the pressure I apply is between my hand and my shoulder and is pretty equal and I'm nuetral on a rest or bag. As the caliber (recoil) increases I pull the stock into my shoulder more. I've been shooting about 50 years now and am satisfied with about an 80% kill rate on prairie dogs. I've been fortunate to have shot many different rifles and calibers over the years from service rifles to benchrest rifles on many different rests and triggers. I'm probably not going to change, but I do make subtle changes as I go to suit the situation. What's a wind flag? ;) nhk
 
nhk,

Fair enough. I accounted for a fair number of those furry little commie SOB's back when I lived in western Nebraska using a regular Harris bipod myself. Over the hood of a truck or off a lite-weight shooting bench in the field they worked fine. A dead 'dog is dead no matter how ya do it, no extra points for style ;)

For competition... I quickly got fed up with trying to adjust the leg height on the 'regular' model from position (sucks out loud compared to the notched models), and the concept of 'level' became a bit more critical. Given that the question was asked in a forum focused on competition... thats how I framed my response.

Monte
 
Was able to get some nice testing in this weekend with the bi-pod. My groups are about the same with the bipod as with the machine rest. Thanks, guys.
 
Sinclair Bipod?

Does anybody here have any experience with the Sinlair F-Class bipod?
Just wanted some opinions on them before i decide to spend the money on one.
 
Harris Type S with Pod Locks

I use a Harris BR S type with the notched legs that only extends about 9 or 13" and a Harris S type that extends enough you can shoot from the sitting position. The smaller notched type is shot from the prone position. They both have Pod Locks and oversize lock screws from Tanks (Brownells carry them). The oversize lock screw allows you to tighten down more on the sling stud than the standard screw. One note of caution if you decide to go with the Tank oversize screw; peen the ends of the threads down once it is installed on the bipod. I had one back out several years ago hunting whistle pigs in a PA soybean field. I have used this combo. for years varmint hunting and it really works well. I also complement the above with a wedge bag and a smaller square bag from Dog Gone Good bags. Groundhogs, crows, coyotes, etc. are not safe.

Lou Baccino
 
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