Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Long Range Hunting Going to try a Bi-pod

I have never used an attached Bi-pod before, for all my hunting the past 35 yrs it has been done out of whitetail stands or if I was "spot & stalking" out West I have used mainly tri-pods over the years going back to the collapsible stoney point sticks up to the Bog Pods I have been using the past 10 years or so...

Not sure where to start...over the years the name brand that always came up was "Haris" but it appears "Atlas" seems to be the brand now. Not sure if what I want is realistic or not but would like an attached Bi-pod that obviously I can lay prone to take hunting shoots at a distance but when vegetation and terrain prevent laying prone I can extend the bi-pod legs to take a sitting shot.. For hunting purposes what is everyone using???

For what you’re describing a Harris swivel 12-25 would be what I’d consider since you mentioned shooting from seated position.

I don't know if any of the newer bipods on the market can handle both prone and sitting, but it's not a realistic goal with a Harris bipod in my experience. I do have one for each (prone and sitting) and they are very different in size. The 6"-9" Harris works well for prone, and I almost always use it in the collapsed 6" position. For sitting on the other hand, a much taller model is needed (if you use a bipod for that); I forget what size mine is, something like 25" comes to mind, but regardless it's much longer than the model that works for prone.

Good luck with your search. Personally I mostly use my short bipod for prone shooting and sticks or some other rest for sitting or other positions. Honestly most of the time for sitting I don't use anything but a sling and solid positioning.

I've got one of the Harris 12-25 swivel. I can use it prone, but just barely, and I'm not petite. It also just barely works for me sitting.

Here's a pic using it sitting,




Same bipod, at it's shortest setting,

That 12-25" may be what I have for a sitting bipod as well. I don't use it much anymore but sorta remember it being a little short, but way too tall for me to use prone with good form.

In comparison, here is the 6-9" model, collapsed at 6". (To be fair, there is a QD adapter and a rail between the handguard and bipod. Directly mounted, this model would be about half way extended to get to that height.)

I grabbed a Thunder Beast Arms Co. bipod this year and there simply is no going back.

Atlas makes great stuff as well and I might try this mod.

https://forum.snipershide.com/threads/cheap-and-easy-diy-atlas-bipod-leg-extensions.6792436/

Harris? Well, the Mazda Miata makes some fellas happy, so.......

Nothing wrong with the Harris. IF you have a 15# rifle, the Atlas makes more sense. There is no model that works for both prone and sitting. I use prone model for longer range and Stoney point shooting sticks for sitting shots. I have several Harris bipods. I would like to get one that pans, too.

There is ABSOLUTELY something wrong with Harris.

Jumpy MFers and the swivel don't stay put!

For hunting, the Snipepod is my top choice. Folded up, it can be used from prone, and fully extended it is great from sitting.

Atlas hands down for all my bipods. Harris is absolute junk....

For “out West” (which includes broken terrain, mountainous W Tx) I’m more apt to shoot of a tripod with a good head. More versatile than a bipod and I’m already packing it to glass off of so it’s not an unnecessary addition. Takes 5 seconds to go from glassing to supporting a rifle and you can shoot off of it from prone to standing. If I don’t need the additional support of the tripod for extended shots, I’m a fan of shooting off the Kifaru pack either laying flat or on end rather than fighting a bipod on uneven ground.

This......

Although I do have a Harris which I prone shoot off of for killing, tripod shooting sitting Indian style, using my pack as an elbow rest or a tree/bush while resting the rifle in a saddle of some sort on a tripod is just as steady long range as is prone over a bipod IME....

Javelin for me. Newer "Pro" model w/long legs for sitting/kneeling shots. Short-legged original for shooting prone. The short one is on my pack's waist-belt. The long one runs on the side of my pack. The pair weighs just under 13oz. They attach in seconds and detach just as fast. No need to have something out on the forend getting in the way and creating an ill-balanced rifle for off-hand shooting. It's also very simple to set up any/all rifles to accept them assuming you have 1 front sling swivel. It's a sub-5min swap to the adapter for the Javelin Bipod that sill allows you to also use your regular sling.

Simple, light, solid, and very unobtrusive. The pair weigh about the same as a 9-13 Harris and less than most of the Atlas products yet give me a lot more options for shooting position than any single other product.

Over the years I've purchased ~10 Harris bipods and have spent more on them than I have one the 2 Javelin's that I can use on 8 different rifles.

My Dad is in his 70s - we used a trigger stick type tripod for him, as a bipod for him to sit behind wasn't practical, and he's not able to go prone any more.

Like my Snipepod!

A tripod with saddle works very well, but the Snipepod is a perfect bipod for backpack type hunts where ounces count. Of course, using a pack or a set of trekking poles looped around each other works great as an improvised front rest, also.

and trek poles with the Wiser connector beats the hell outta looped wrist staps.....

My favorite for prone is the Harris 9-13 swivel, notched leg. I find the 6-9" too short for my body type.





Bipods have come a long way in the last few years. I don't have any of the newer stuff to compare with the old school Harris. I'd have to say the newer styles with pic-rail attachment, or M-LOK, would be a lot tougher than the sling-stud mount I'm still using. Probably a significant improvement for especially the big boomers.

That said, I haven't broken a Harris. I shoot 223, 308, 30-06. Nothing too fierce. When I started, Harris was really the only game in town for a decent bipod.

I’m a fan of the with spiked feet, but generally don’t use it for hunting. If carrying a pack, I’ll build a position incorporating the pack.

The short Harris makes a good portable gun cleaning cradle.

I have half a dozen Harris bipods in various configurations. The 13-25 Swivel was a favorite for woodchuck hunting, but there are lots of alternatives for shooting from a seated position including a lightweight tripod and saddle, sticks, a monopod with wrist strap, etc.

Wiser connector

I’ve got to look this one up.

Interesting.

https://www.wiserprecision.com/products/quick-

If you’re gonna have trekking poles this looks like a winner.

https://www.wiserprecision.com/

I toss all the stop screws to get the most adjustment range.....

I have made too many crazy shots off my Harrises to discount them. I have a Javelin as well. I am waiting for the Pro hunt long right now. IF you have your studs properly secured, the Harris seems to work just fine. Only complain I have is that I have given myself a few blood blisters over the years letting the legs snap in on my fingers!

I have Harris 13-27 and they are too tall for prone shooting. Fully extended they are almost always tall enough unless sitting on a steep hill. I’ve never had a problem with a sling stud and I’ve been using the same set for 20 plus years so they are built right!

Might try this ..It works for me...Get a piece of plastic cpvc and cut to 16",,2 pieces,,drill a hole about 3'' down on each then tie with wire or cord and ya got "buffalo sticks"...Take the rest of ten foot piece and make longer set for kneeling..Very light to carry and cheap to make....When using lay stock on cross section and hold with support hand .....Other sticks can be used....Clip can attach to belt until
needed..

Thanks Don.

I use

https://www.accu-tac.com

i own a few bi-pods the most useful bi-pod i use is a Harris swivel 13 - 27 inch bi-pod ,killed many big game animals deer,antelope,elk and caribou with this bi-pod over many years maybe 20 - 25 years ?good luck with your choice,Pete53

I love my Swagger. You might want to check them out.

Saw one on outdoor or pursuit channel.
Don't know what it was and have not been able to find any info about it.
It was a molded piece under the forearm into which the two legs retracted.
Not quick to deploy, but a more contoured grip in the stowed configuration..

Anyone else seen this unit?
Thoughts?
Criticism?

I have a Harris 6-9 swivel model with one podlike, Core Adapters and atlas 3” leg extensions and feet. Basically makes it a 10-13”. The atlas feet are quick release so I can just rip them out if I want to stick 1/2” dia wood dowels in the atlas extensions to use it sitting. It’s a pretty expensive setup though.

The one you saw on the Outdoor Channerl was a Swagger. Designed by some Nebraska Coyote Hunters.

tomato garden stakes with a jumbo rubberband, like the ones they put on lobster claws.

Stand, sit, prone. $3

YMMV

I`ve used the Harris bi-pods, swivel, for years, the short for prone, long for sitting. Lot of the choice would depend on the country your hunting in, and only you know that. I`ve also found that if I mount the long, sitting, bi-pod, I can react quickly to shot chances by extending the bottom legs when carrying my rifle. I also found them light, so can pack either or both, with no problem. What ever you buy, practice with setting it up quickly. I dry fire with all mine, in particular the 12 - 27 inch sitting. Longest shot with it has been to 465 yrds.
Good Luck

Yeah me too, thanks Don.


mike r

I have something like 5 or 6 of the Harris from the bench rest model to the tall. For competitive work or ultra long range precision maybe they are not the best. For the average Joe to ranges out to 400 or a tad further they are pretty useful.

I use Harris all the time. No problem banging steel way past 1000 yards.

No they are not as sexy as the newer high-speed, low-drag, ultralight, carbon-coated, titanium-tipped super duper ultra bipods.....(grin)...but they are certainly still a good serviceable bipod.

I find myself more and more preferring to rest over my pack than use a bipod, for multiple reasons.

I have an Atlas on one rifle and a Javeline stud on another but other than that I have moved away from bipods.

We hunt deer and exotics from Oct.1st till March 1st every year, you will only go prone once, and you will learn to never do it again, you will be picking sand burr's and prickly out of your front side and butt for weeks. shooting sticks are a must here, when a hunter shows up with a bi -pod on their rifle I tell them they are just carry'in extra junk around, after a couple of day's they agree. Rio7

I bet you still shoot outdated cartridges too.....

Thanks NEBHUNTER.

Seems pretty versatile..
I haven't figured how the flex leg thing works but maybe it is more apparent from the videos than the stills with the gray squiggly arrows..

Me too

That's right....in outdated actions (Rem700), using outdated stocks (fiberglass), and outdated fixed-power scopes.

I've slipped into being a dinosaur, with no effort at all......grin

Been using the Harris bipods for a very long time and don't see the need to change. The 6-9" unit works great for sage rats, rock chucks, and other places where prone is called for and the I have a couple of the 12-25 and 13-27 units and they work great for sitting shots when there are obstacles in the way like blowdowns, grass, sagebrush, etc... longest shot I ever made on an elk was 600 yards across a canyon and you could cover three shots with a coffee cup when we skinned it.

In a lot of the areas we hunt, you are sitting on a sidehill watching the heads of canyons and it is nice to be able to adjust each leg separately so you can have your rifle level when you are sitting on the side of a steep hill. The swivel feature on a couple of mine has become my favorite and I use them almost exclusively now...

Everyone posting is giving good advice for the hunting they do. You have to decide which design and style you would use for the areas you hunt to narrow it down and go from there... IMO....

Bob

Hunting in uneven and sometimes steep rocky terrain, high sage brush etc. Took too long to get bi pod adjusted.

Me too. I throw a rolled up towel in my pack for butt rest. and carry bungee for hiking poles, or collapsable shooting sticks in taller brush.

Been successful

I have an Atlas 6-9” bipod I swap between my hunting rig and match gun. During matches it’s absolutely essential but for hunting, for me, not so much. Though there have been a couple of bipod shot opportunities capitalized on, in most circumstances, I usually run into line of sight issues which hinder shooting prone, and in the areas I hunt, don’t often come across a makeshift rest that allows making good use of a rifle mounted bipod. I’m finding my Bog Pod to be much more useful. Works from sitting and taller positions I find more common while hunting. From now on, I might keep a bipod in my pack, but doubt I’ll be keeping it mounted in my rifle. Haven’t used one hunting yet, but for non time constrained long range precision shots, a tripod might be the best bet.

Here’s a boar I shot just yesterday using the bog pod from a kneeling position. That was the lowest position I could use and still have line of sight. 300 yard kneeling shot with 18 mph winds and pig was DRT. I was pretty happy with that.

John

,

I have 3 or 4 dozen bipods. I started out with Harris in 1984 and there is nothing wrong with them.

In 2019 I used one of these Magpul bipods on a Rem700 Kiwi carbon stock 6.5-06 rifle 26" Bartlein 2B barrel
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DMBTFDC

I just use a Harris swivel 6-9 on my rifles when I'm shooting with a bi-bod. Nothing wrong with the harris swivel. I'm sure there are much better designs out there now, but the Harris works well enough. Was shooting my CTR yesterday and nailing the 2" steel plate at 400 yards with regularity, even in the wind. Was shooting with my boss and a couple guys from work. Boss said I could't shoot from my bench, had to give them a chance... Little does he know he'd be doing a lot better if he chit canned the 300wm and Leupold set-up and buy a creed...

Broke the seam on the pipe on 2 of my steel targets, so I had to take them to the shop and weld them up:

Those are my 2, 4 and 6" plates...



Now after she's fixed:


When I'm shooting my ar's off the bench, I actually prefer my Harris 6-9 swivel bi-pod. It works just as well as a good set of sandbags...:

Tag

As usual Don's advice is solid. I ordered these and they work even better than advertised. If you carry poles while hunting, which I often do, these are perfect.


mike r

This. I need the 25 inch triple section for sitting shots in the prairie at antelope. Grass is too tall for prone. Plus, I like the way the rifle sits by itself while I glass, until ready to shoot. Also, like the way it folds up quickly if I have to move in a hurry. It may be old fashioned, but it always works. Ouch!

I'm not a fan of any bipod that is to rigid, the standard Harris has to much hop for me, particularly off of a hard surface. I documented a full 1moa POI change between shooting off the dirt and shooting off concrete.

I use the 6-9", notched with tilt and pivot. I find that if I am behind the rifle correctly the rifle will rock and basically reset on target. I can typically call my own impacts once I get past 300yds. if that bipod is not tall enough I transition to my trekking poles since they are always with me.

There are still guys out there that think they have to shoot a cartridge that holds enough powder to fill a thermos jug to kill a whitetail or mule deer!!

Grin,

A lot of targets have met their demise due to the 30-06 propped up by a Harris.

I have one or two old Harris bipods that were going to get ditched. One resides on my .300 that I use as a longer range elk gun

How can anyone kill anything with a fixed power scope, that is old fashioned, and outdated as hell: