general recommendations

[Bezoar]

its easy to be told not to use an ar with a standard NON FREE FLOAT tube

by slinging it up usmc style circa 1970. or by applying "lots" of pressure to the barrel itself, or even to the front stock. bending that barrel and shifting impact.
and the suggestion of installing a bayonet lug mounted bipod drives people nuts for some reason. thats like commiting the worst sins possible for accuracy.

But yet perusing bipods the most common ones directly attach to your ar bipod. and for the bipods that need a picatinnay rail, everyone seems to make a picatinnay rail adapter SPECIFICALLY for mounting to a bayonet lug.

And i see so many companys showing the picatinnay railed gas block being used to mount bipods.

and several companies make bipods that mount directly to standard two piece ar hand guards via the vent hole in the bottom.
and tapco for one makes special adapters that let you put a pic rail onto your standard two piece hand guards.

and several companies make bipods that clamp directly to the barrel.

but ironically perusing reviews, the most common issue with bipods is "ideally dont get more then a 10" long one, or it can get unusable for practical work"

 

[The_Next_Generation]

Yeah, a lot of people don't know those things though. They look at the cost of a FF hand-guard (and having to install it, or pay somebody to do so) vs the cost of just clamping it to the barrel, and choose the latter. Eventually they might figure it out, but realize a LOT of casual shooters out there don't really care about squeezing the best possible accuracy out of a rifle. They just want something cool to take out on the weekends, and barrel/bayo mount bipods are cheap "cool" points.

Here on the internet where we have access to mountains of real-world data, it doesn't take much digging to realize that clamping anything to any barrel is a bad idea where accuracy is concerned. Like I said earlier, a lot of people look at the cost of FF tubes and a "proper" bipod and don't see the difference.

 

[Jackal]

nd i see so many companys showing the picatinnay railed gas block being used to mount bipods.

and several companies make bipods that mount directly to standard two piece ar hand guards via the vent hole in the bottom.
and tapco for one makes special adapters that let you put a pic rail onto your standard two piece hand guards.

and several companies make bipods that clamp directly to the barrel.

Yes and companies make bayonets for handguns, $15 lazors, fake optics, tactical underwear... It doesnt mean you have to buy them or buy into their philosophy of use.

 

[Davek1977]

I guess, if anyting, this thread is proof that marketing works, to the point of sometimes being given more credit than other people's real-world experiences. AS Jackal pointed out, just because its for sale doesn't mean its a good thing to buy. In reality, the vast majority of people selling accessories aren't concerned with what you NEED, they'd rather sell you what you WANT, which typically winds up being a bigger purchase in the end. Take the advice of shooters, not from people whose main goal is separating you from your money.

 

[Bezoar]

"sarcastic"

but you mean the most vaunted ar manufacturers and manufacturers of accessories would dare to sell me and make me want to buy inferior accessories to put on their 1200 dollar "match' grade ars?

 

[Willie Sutton]

"They look at the cost of a FF hand-guard (and having to install it, or pay somebody to do so) vs the cost of just clamping it to the barrel, and choose the latter"

Duly noting that only a small fraction of people can shoot the accuracy difference between a free float and a normal handguard when slung up and shooting "like a man": Almost any nimrod can shoot the worlds worst AR from the worlds worst bipod setup far better than he can shoot the worlds best AR while slung up prone or (God forbid) *standing* with a free float handguard. I *really* doubt that there's any practical difference in accuracy to be noted by the OP no matter what he's shooting, how tightly he's slung, or with what cheap bipod he shoots. All bets are that laying down with the cheapest bipod on the cheapest rifle will produce better accuracy than the best rifle shot otherwise, and that no matter what rifle is used and what bipod is used that the "precision" will be about the same.

Generally I note that the guys posting these questions don't have the experience needed to shoot anywhere near the inherant potential accuracy of their rifles to begin with, and as such it really doesn't make a hill of beans what crap they bolt on. Using the "quick and dirty" solution gives the best bang for the buck, no pun intended. And that's why clip-on bipods sell like hotcakes.


Willie

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[taliv]

bez, you're looking at pictures from a bunch of people who don't even shoot their ARs.

it's not really worth debating, because it is so easily demonstrated. go buy whatever makes you happy and go shoot it. it won't take you long to figure out what works and what doesn't.
if you're on a budget and want to save money and do things right the first time, listen to all the people who are telling you it's a bad idea.

very few ARs need a bipod anyway. using the mag as a monopod is almost as good and when you're at a bench, bags are way better. putting a bipod on an AR turns a wonderfully ergonomic carbine into a front-heavy kludge.

if you're not going to shoot your AR and you just think it looks better with a bipod, then do whatever you like