Let’s Talk Bipods, Tall Tales Welcome

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Skylerbone

Skylerbone

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I’ve owned a number of modestly priced bipods over the years, all of them designed for bench or prone range duty. What I’ve wanted for the past several years is a longer version for sitting, particularly while hunting. Has anyone tried a longer (15”-30” or so) adjustable bipod they would recommend? Looking at Harris, VersaPod, and a few new comers and I could use a little hand holding on this one.

Positive and negative experiences welcome, price range is flexible; I’m thinking $150 or below, but up to $300ish? This will be for 50cal. muzzleloader shooting off tall grass or dirt to a maximum range of 250 yards. I can generally make that shot with a supported knee position, but don’t always have the option. Still have till fall to decide, just looking ahead for once.
 
I started shooting from “sitting height” bipod almost 30yrs ago. I never have grown to like it. When prone, or on the bench, a guy needs that pod mounted since we can’t reach it otherwise. But if you’re seated, moving the bipod around yourself kinda sucks.

I never have loved sticks either, but they ARE more versatile than a mounted pod. I typically use a triggerstick monopod over all of it.
 
I use Trigger Stix shooting sticks. They’re nice because you can quickly adjust the height by pulling the trigger lever. They fall to the ground by gravity and lock in place when u release the trigger

I had some longer Harris bipod ones on my muzzle loader. Too cumbersome and slow to adjust
 
I installed a rest to my adjustable-height camera tripod adapter and I've used it on my short, desktop tripod. Good option. You get all the features of the adapter as you would with a camera such as up / down, pan, etc. The rests come in assorted styles. Here's my rest. I also have a tripod picatinny rail adapter which allows me, for example, to use a high power scope for spotting, etc.

Not a great pic but you'll get the idea. This is a typical v-shaped, padded type.

2piRjkb.jpg
​
 
We're in the exact same boat. I have very nice Caldwell and others plus custom shooting rests made by Targetshooting.Com https://www.targetshooting.com/. These are great for the range on a bench for obvious tasks like sighting-in.

Hunting is an entirely different matter. I first hunted with sticks when I was forced to learn how to use them prior to a hunting trip to Africa. The guide said he insisted on the use of a bipod/sticks depending on circumstances. We had no choice but to acquire bipods of varying design and practice with them for shots & quick follow up shots. Along the way we learned what positions and techniques worked best for us. Also, my wife and I often hunt together and we find it advantageous to have the bipods separate from the rifles as we can interchange them and assist each other for speedier shots. This particular scenario would apply to the Vanguard & Levellok. Where we have a picatinny rail we use the Levellok and the Atlas's. Each is QD but I have a few Atlas'; one for each rail equipped rifle I own.

BTW, I think the advice to carry sticks over permanent bipods is good when hunting - but it's why we use QD mounts for the Atlas'. We'll use/add the permanent bipods if the situation is where we're prone, have the right rifle and have a long time to set up. We have used the very light sticks with the stretch cord inside - they're very light, small, pack-able but I break them.

So, here's the set of bipods that we use for hunting that we like L to R:
  • Vanguard Pro B62. It extends high enough for standing, kneeling and sitting. Has snow/mud cups. Very light & sturdy. It does not come with a carrying strap so I made one using webbing and QD fittings. https://www.vanguardworld.us/hunting_us/products/support-systems/l/pro.html
  • Levellok. This one doesn't extend as far as the Vanguard and is great for prone shots. It also comes with a camera mount which I have never used. It's very light and strong. It does have a carrying strap. https://levellok.com/
  • Grip Pod Systems. This one works with any rifle with a picatinny rail. It's fast & strong to deploy; it combines a front grip with a bipod that disappears into the grip. Do not buy the cheap knockoffs. http://grippod.com/
  • Atlas Bipod. Absolutely the cream of the crop for any rifle with picatinny rail mount. You can get them in varying heights. Strong, light and perfect in just about any way I can describe. The ability to twist & cant the rifle is a great feature on any bipod that's attached to a rail. http://www.accu-shot.com/Atlas_Bipods.php

IMG_3298cs.jpg
 
I’ve never liked any shooting sticks as much as the ones I made myself out of a couple carbon fiber arrows. I’ll search for the thread later. Long time ago.


Nothing beats a tripod. Not even close. It’s totally worth the weight if you need to do precision shooting.

For bipods I don’t like tall ones. I get the standard short benchrest lengths. Then I add leg extensions as needed.
If interested I can point you to some very cool carbon fiber leg extensions for atlas.

The atlas bipod is good. 9 out of 10 gurus disagree on whether it’s better than Harris. Especially at twice the price. It’s got pros and cons.

But... the ckyepod smokes them both by a long shot. I really really like this bipod. Of course it’s friggin $500. But If you use it a lot it’s worth it.
 
Re. the Ckye-pod. I just took a look. WOW. I hadn't heard of them and I always prided myself in having only the finest of everything when it comes to firearms & associated accessories.
 
taliv said:
the ckyepod smokes them both by a long shot. I really really like this bipod.
Click to expand...

I looked them up after reading one of your posts (last week maybe?) and it does look nifty if not a bit spendy. I wasn’t aware that there were extensions for the Atlas, that might be perfect. As for a tripod, I’m not confident I’d have the maneuverability I’d need without alerting the deer.

Two things when it comes to shooting sticks; the bipod style aren’t easy to set up from a seated (on the ground) position, the single leg styles tend to collapse a bit under load, and finally, because they aren’t attached, I need one hand to grab them which leaves me one hand to pick up my rifle at the wrist and set it in the cradle, not impossible but clumsy (for me).

A bit about my setup. I hunt tall grass, sitting on the ground with a pop-up screen (short curtain) covering approx. 180 degrees to the front and sides, and I find a small evergreen to lean my back against. Within the blind’s confines the grass is cut down so picking up a bipod’s legs and moving within that arc should be relatively simple.

The other option I’ve considered is a metal rail (custom job, spiked into the ground) to rest my hand on. While this is public ground, I’ve not ever run into another person there and I prep the area a few days ahead of time.
 
I made some sitting height shooting sticks out of hockey sticks years ago and they worked excellent for the squirrel hunting I did in the past.

For dead on accuracy at long range I’m so sure they would be ideal but for shooting squirrel head sized targets out to about 40yd they worked pretty well.
 
These are the kinds of bipods I'm steering clear of from now on. Both have the bungee cord inside the segmented legs design. The leg segments pull apart for easy fast set-up. Well that's true if you're happy with the one fixed height. If you want to use it at less than that height you subject the inner bungee to fraying and the legs to filling up with mud. I've used these bipods a couple of times without much success. The vendors will no doubt tell me I'm "doing it wrong".
  • L: Stoney Point Pole Cat. It's legs are sturdy enough but I wonder about the rubber base at the top. You twist the bipod apart - how many times and how far apart can you spread the legs before it breaks? How long will that last? Sorry I don't have a website, not sure they're made anymore.
  • R: Bipod Shooting Sticks. These have more sections but they're thinner and fully extended it's REALLY wobbly. It's loop shaped base is interesting as it can be used as a rest or it can slip over the gun. But but doing it as a slip over the gun takes extra time. https://www.bipodshootingstick.com/
3300s-3301s.jpg
 
taliv mentioned that nothing beats a tripod. True I think. My all time favorite field rests aren't bipods at all. They're Forster Products Tripods (Lanark, IL) which sadly aren't made anymore. I should have bought a dozen. :( These things are sturdy and fast to set up. One knob to change the height is way faster for me than fussing with 2 legs of a bipod. I dunno, through years of use I somehow got really good with these.

I carry them by slipping 2 legs under my belt. I would only usually carry the two on the right. The tall one on the left could be used as a rest but was good for setting up a portable target with an optional fold-up 18"x18' metal frame that isn't shown. Note that the tall rest still has the original felt since I didn't use it as a rest very often. :cool:

As the mechanism is a simple metal shaft one could easily custom design any sort of rest or frame imaginable. I've even used a wooden dowel in place of the metal shaft to create quick & dirty target frames.

IMG_3303s.jpg
 
For deer/big game I use a Bogpod sitting/kneeling length tripod (KS...tall grass).

It's reasonably light and reasonably steady. Past 3 years I've killed two 10pts and a 5x4 mulie off it, all at just about 300 yards. I also use it yote hunting. I've got a Bogden (Manfrotto) tripod with a rest head for varmint hunting, but for the style deer hunting I do, it's heavy to carry all day. Not a fan of the attached rests, just in case it requires moving the gun to make a shot.

I have bipods (Atlas & Harris) prone/bench height, but it's actually tough to find a spot to go prone and still see the tgt where I hunt.
 
https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/shooting-stick-project.666989/#post-8264793

this is my home built setup that works fantastic. cost about $10 and weighs under .2 lbs. packs easy. lots more pics in the link above

edit: dang that was 2012. time flies...
index.php
 
Last edited:
I don't compete. I do like to shoot from a variety of field positions. I like a rifle rest on top of an inexpensive camera tripod. Old picture, but I still use the setup.

stmmtn1.jpg
 
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