What effect would putting a bipod on a 308 montana have on bullet impact compared with shooting from a bench rest and then shooting with a bipod off the ground or table. Would there be any difference. Any body have experience with this particular combination (Kimber montana with a bipod). I some times deer hunt from the ground at the edge of a large beanfield and have considered adding a bipod for those 200 yard + shots. I'm just concerned that the gun may not shoot the same.??? what say you?
What effect would putting a bipod on a 308 montana have on bullet impact compared with shooting from a bench rest and then shooting with a bipod off the ground or table.
It would make it impact somewhere in Hell....
Putting a bi-pod on a Kimber is straight up Blasphemy
I shoot better prone with a sling than I do a bi-pod. One huge advantage to a sling over a bi-pod is follow up shots if they become needed. If you learn how to use a sling, the crosshairs will come back to damn near where you held when the loud noise happened.
Oh, and back to your origional question... Since the Montana is free floated, it will not affect your zero any perceptible amount. Any shifts in zero you see will more likely be caused by paralax and a different cheek weld on the stock. But no matter WHAT you do to whack Whitetails at 200, practice it...
I've never found that a bipod hurts accuracy at the range. What I did find, however, was that gripping one leg of the bipod during the shot did affect consistency. Think it's from reflex in anticipation of recoil. Putting my left hand at the back under the stock, and allowing barrel jump however it wanted, improved consistency of groups.
I believe using a sling, if the barrel is not amply freefloated so that the forearm doesn't twist into contact, can torque the barrel enough to affect long range accuracy. Indeed, I've read one article that pretty much proved this. A sling attached directly to the barrel can have even greater consequence.
I can think of at least half a dozen kills, all one shot, that a bipod made much more doable. For me, a clean one shot kill is the ultimate culmination of a hunt. (I don't subscribe to that old saying, "Where there's lead, there's hope!", eh?) If I can't get that clean shot, I just don't shoot. A bipod, for me, is just way to handy in making such opportunities possible.
The bi-pod is a very useful long range shooting tool. It takes time to learn how to shoot with one and how to handle it quickly in hunting situations. Plenty of varmint shooting will help.
Here is a great article on how to use one called Bugholes from Bipod:
Make no mistake about it, a good bipod is a trade off - accuracy and opportunity for weight and hooking the odd branch. A 300 yd shot on a nice mulie or bull otherwise problematic, after many days and miles hiked, is worth the tad bit of inconvenience.
I use the 9" to 13" version, with a swivel...although it's heavier and bulkier than those without the tilt feature. That said, I've made a number of shots balancing on one leg of the bipod on uneven ground, stability is still good enough, at least for me.
I've taken to extending the legs right off the get-go, one less thing to think about, and one less source of possible noise. I prefer the models in which the legs pop out rather than springloaded to retract. Both are available in Harris models.
Not every situation is solvable with a bipod, so one still must be prepared to quickly adapt...as opposed to stumbling around, or flopping around on the ground, looking for just the right set up (while Mr. Big Hog is getting impatient with you, a lesson learned the hard way, eh?).
Always check it regularly to make sure it's tight to the stock. I've noticed that a cheaper offshore made version on a friend's rifle has a nasty habit of working itself loose.
I find shooting sticks such as the Stoney Point Polecat or the Bog Pod to be more versatile than a bipod attached to your rifle. Even here in the Chihuahuan Desert grasslands, it's hard to place the bipod somewhere that will give you a clear shot.
I guided guest hunters on the ranch that I managed down here for ten years and cannot remember anyone with a bipod getting a classic prone shot with the bipod legs on the ground, even hunting antelope. We usually had to find a rock big enough to accommodate the bipod in order to get the muzzle and line of sight above the surrounding vegetation. More than one mule deer or whitetail was shot with me lying prone on the ground and the hunter's bipod resting on my back or my butt.
I hunt Coues whitetails with a light mountain rifle and carry a Polecat which also serves as a hiking staff in the rough stuff. For me, it works a lot better than an attached bipod.
Ben
Some days it takes most of the day for me to do practically nothing...
One of the things I learned with mine is that your shooting position and how you hold the rifle can make quite a difference. The lighter the rifle, the more difference this makes. So, practice consistancy once you find what works well for you. To each his own, but I've killed lots of stuff, even little ground squirrels, from a sitting position with a good shooting sling at ranges up to 300 yds. On large animals, up to 500 plus yards. Again, the heavier the rifle, the better it works. Where this doesn't work well is with muzzle light rifles. On the other hand, with the balance point out on the front guard screw, even light rifles can work pretty well at distances. E
Good point about clearance. All my hunting is in BC, hills, grazed pastureland, and mountains. Ground cover here is not the same as prairie grasslands, so a prone shot off a bipod usually isn't that hard to find in a pinch. Out in Alberta I can well remember the experience of hitting the dirt and finding nothing but grass to look at...and one of the bigger mulie bucks I've ever seen finally bolted for the nearest far away place.
Dan: Good post....but really...a sling? How archaic!
I can see a bipod for some varmint fun....but I would not have a beserk erector set hanging off my rifle.....the sling is far better for fast, flexible shooting when diverse and varied terrain conditions,and circumstances must be dealt with...and the Latigo is likely the best of the bunch for that purpose.
But people don't like a sling today because it requires some effort,and makes them have to practice.
