To attach, or not to attach. That is the question. How much does an attached bi-pod really help with in field shooting, or does it usually take more time and effort than it's worth? Does a set of loose shooting sticks serve just as well ?

If you are set on a stand covering a known area it's good, otherwise it's simply in the way. Carry it detached

Ditto!
G

Depends on the terrain. In open, fairly flat country, with low grass (which describes a lot of pronghorn and even mule deer country) you're likely to be able to use it, so it's handier to leave it attached.

But except for specific purposes I don't use a bipod much for big game hunting. I'm usually carrying a daypack anyway, for cameras, lunch, extra clothes, etc, so use the pack for a forend rest when shooting prone. And I'm also always carrying a set of light, sitting height sticks for when prone isn't practical due to the height of the grass, or whatever other reason. Have shot lots of animals off both.

In a lot of areas, it's useless. I am with the above, shooting sticks are way more useful.

Antelope hunting I have a set on my 6.5. Can't fit a gun in a scabbard with them. I always carry shooting sticks

IMHO and limited experience, attached bipods make a rifle very off-balance and uncomfortable to carry on ones shoulder.

However, there is no substitution for them when it comes to dead nut stability required for long range shooting. If I was making a short walk to a known spot and planned to sit on the ground and hunt, I would definitely opt for a 13-24" adjustable bipod. In my area, prone shots are almost impossible due to rolling terrain and crops.

That being said, I carry a set of lightweight sticks with me almost every hunt and can confidently kill whitetails from a sitting position out to 400 yards or more. A good back rest such as a tree or fence post greatly improves ones stability when using a set of sticks.

The Harris 25s is a great tool for hunting antelope or other open area hunting. Attached to the rifle it is quite useful. It will extend to 25 inches and makes it great for sitting shots above the sage brush. Prone works great as well due to the 3 piece legs that collapse short enough for those shots.

The 25s is a swivel that allows you to level the he rifle in uneven terrain. The 25s is a great tool to assist your steady shooting in open country...

I use a high power style shooting sling, lighter, as stable as, and necessary to pack the rifle when dragging/packing an animal out as well as only 1/4 the weight. JB is right about the day pack, used mine in Augusta, MT last month for gophers.-Muddy

I gave a Harris bipod a go for a while, on the range and in the field, and on a couple of different rifles, and found that I was at least as accurate shooting using my daypack or a similar improvised rest (over a log or stump, for example). The bipod just added weight, spoiled the balance, and got in the road, for no gain at all, and I sold it without a moment's regret.

YMMV

Climbing poles work great for shooting sticks. Put wrist thru loop hold pole and rest rifle on top of wrist. Poles adjust for height also.

This is gonna vary,depending on the shooter and conditions. Only way to tell is to shoot both ways and see.I certainly would not want to get in the habit of not being able to function without one.

I don't care for them myself but understand they can be useful sometimes. I also understand they can be a PITA and get in the way for a lot of hunting.

As stable as a good bipod???

General Field use, without a doubt, IF you know how to properly use one. Muddy

I love the combination of a lightweight rifle and a bipod. Bought my first Harris when I was about 15 years old.

People say, "oh it ruins the point of a lightweight" but I'd rather have a 7.5-8lb all-up rifle with a bipod over a 7.5-8lb rifle without one.

So a sling is as stable as a bipod? Who knew?

Cmon country_boy20 everybody knows that Mississippi folks don't need to shoot anything at 400 yards unless it's out the window of a truck.

I tote the 13-24 on my rifle on my guns unless I'm on a hill overlooking my fields.

I've used Harris off and on for years. For me, the attached bipod is much more stable than using the bungy/tent pole type sticks for sitting shots, but I prefer laying over a back pack for prone shots. The other beefier telescoping shooting sticks are about as stable but unless you are carrying them not as fast to set up. As noted, the attached bi-pod does add weight to the gun. I would say it depends on what you find less annoying the added weight of the gun or transporting the other types of sticks. I use the telescoping leg models a lot these days because I normally hunt with my son and can extend all the way up to his standing height if needed.

Lou

I'm not a fan for my own use but they really help newer hunters stay steady on target. My son in law has used them for 20+ years and is smooth quick and accurate. I've always felt slow and awkward with them attached to my rifle. The coolest thing about them to me is the built in rest off the ground when you aren't holding the rifle.

I bought a tall tripod this year "trigger stick" model that i hope can be walking stick and rest in difficult slope / vegetation or very long range conditions.

that's a schitty choice for a walking stick....

Not sure if it is as stable, but they are pretty darn stable in the right hands. Ted Trueblood once wrote an article about it called "My 6-Ounce Benchrest" where he basically proclaimed it almost indispensable. My attitude is if you are going to carry a rifle, it will likely have a sling. Make it a good shooting sling and learn how to use it and you will be in good shape. It doesn't completely replace a bipod or sticks, but it is better than nothing. I just got a bipod and like it a lot, but it sure makes the rifle feel screwed up balance wise.

In absolute terms a bipod may be steadier...but the issue is something of a red herring for BG hunting,because,for anyone trained in the use of a sling,it will tame those wobbles to a great enough degree that he will kill as much big game out to 400-500 yards as anyone using a bipod.

We may say that a bipod shooter MIGHT shoot a tighter group(I'm not even sure of that. It depends on who is doing the shooting),but again, to a BG hunter this matters not at all. Generally BG animals are not killed with "groups".

The sling is more versatile, likely faster,and can be used from any position,including off hand.I've used it to kill animals from all those positions.

If I were given the choice between a bipod and a shooting sling for western BG hunting,I would take the shooting sling.

No "may be" about it.

A rest is a good thing.

In the quakies chasing elk a tree will work. A sling is good. A pack is good if you can shoot prone. You can sometimes stand a pack up and shoot off the top.

In open country for mulies or antelope a bipod is handy. It does alter the balance of a rifle, but it is steady for the shot. Shooting sticks are similarly beneficial, but require you to hand carry them to the shot.

Nothing is perfect. A rest is a good thing.

The majority of my hunting is at moderate to extended ranges. I very much prefer a bipod and sling on LR guns. Of course accurately shooting from a bipod is a skill set, and it takes time to develop.

The vast majority of civilian/recreational shooters I have observed shooting prone from a bipod are all over the map and do not know how to load a bipod for consistent results.

Being able to get as low and as centered as possible behind a rifle to properly control recoil will generally lead to better results than shooting higher up, off sticks. Of course that is terrain dependent, and terrain will dictate the type of supported shooting.

Being able to shoot from various types of support and understanding POA/POI shifts with each is fairly important..

Yeah.....OK.

It depends a great deal on your style of hunting. "Spot and stalk", and "sit and wait" hunting are both great opportunities to put a bipod to work. More active types of hunting may find the bipod more of a hindrance than a help.

I for one loath a bipod. I use a sling or my hiking pole (a ski pole with the basket off) for an aid. I carried one on a few rifles for years and just never found myself using them much at all. It is kind of hilarious to watch one of my friends when we're calling coyotes. He always sets up with the 25 inch bipod down. Rifle tripodded on the legs of the bipod and the butt of the rifle, gun pointed in the general direction of our calling. Invariably the coyote comes smoking in from a hard left or right angle and he's trying to swing that rifle with 25 inches of bipod hanging down. It's hard for me to roll on the ground laughing and still make a running shot on a coyote.

If you like bipods, great. I'll stick to my sling or hiking pole.

mart -

I'm in your camp.

Sling, and I never leave home w/o my sticks. PERIOD.

I'd agree with that and go so far as to say a bipod hanging off the fore-end of a rifle is a hindrance for most hunting. I can't remember the last time I put one on a rifle for a big game hunt.

But there were two question raised. The first question by the OP on the practicality of a bipod and then a second question of whether a sling is as stable as a bipod.

It's not.

If anyone wants to prove that to himself, go to one of the long-range competitions where the shooters move around to different stations with targets at different ranges. If slings or sticks were as stable as bipods you'd see at least some competitors using them, given the choice. You won't, except at the stations where a bipod can't be used.

I do find it interesting that the sling proponents caveat their endorsement by saying "provided the shooter knows how to use one," as if the same thing can't be said about the bipod. Shooters who know how to use both know the answer.

Bob,

Sorry, but that is just not true. I have shot lots of game big and small over a Harris swivel bipod. A sling will steady a shot better than no sling, but a bipod is more stable. I haven't seen you shoot but I am willing to wager $1.00 that I could out-shoot you at 400-500 yards if you use a sling and I use a bipod.

Even if you won that bet, I do know that shooting against myself the bipod will always win. The use of shooting sticks is just a preference and still doesn't give the stability of a bipod...

Shrap, your dollar is safe.....

I had a guy tell me a sling was just as stable as any bipod.

Then he missed a pronghorn @ 80yds. With sling.

Then he tortured one to death from 400. With sling.

He did bring the right ammo though.





Travis

Yup, you guys are right!

I can't kill BG animals at 300-500 yards using a sling,and leaving the bipod at home.

Wonder how the hell I've managed to do it? Thanks for all the great tips.

Another CF mystery.

I've become a more patient shooter as my grumpier years have progressed. I just don't like to miss, or worse yet, wound (hate blood trailing if I don't need to) so I generally take my time to line up a good shot, or simply pass.

I am actually thinking of just using the tripod of my spotting scope(scope tilted out of the way) as an add-hock rest. It's good from 12" to 50". Below that, I have the back pack.

Sticks would probably be quicker and more adjustable, though the thought that an attached bi-pod might be a bit more stable.

Bob if you and Shrapnel get together for a shoot off I'd like to watch. Could be fun. Seriously, an attached bi-pod might have the advantage over a shooting sling, but the difference between shooting sticks and someone schooled in the proper use of a sling could be close, all other things being equal. For ME, I'm much better off using the shooting sticks.

"Schooled" being the operative term here, seems to be forgotten when considering the bipod. Believe me, I have and can use a sling, but the bipod is better...

You're right in that we're right, but wrong in that no one said you can't kill animals with a sling. Reddest of herrings.

In a pinch, the "v" between the truck door and body can work as a rest, somewhat in between a sling and a bipod...

I learned to shoot with a sling from over the course match shooters back in the 70's. My club has lots of them.Still does.

I killed my first mule deer in the Missouri River Breaks of Montana. I was walking along the bottom of a big coulee. He jumped from his bed near the top and went diagonally away. i dropped to a sit, slung up,and followed him.When he stopped, I killed him at about 200 yards.

You could have twisted yourself into knots deploying a bipod, but between the uneven terrain,the upward angle, and the sage brush the bipod would not have been of much use. I'd have branded anybody trying to use the bipod under those circumstances as a dawdler and a rookie game shot. And a bipod would not have been "always" more steady than a sling....which is why I qualified my answer. Under some hunting circumstances a sling is more versatile.


I killed a pronghorn, also my first, at about 400 yards, slung up again with left hand over a back pack. The shot was pretty easy,because at the time i was also doing a lot of woodchuck hunting and used the sling there,too.

I've shot quite a few animals with the use of a sling. They all died.

I have shot some "KEO" matches at my club, in practice, against the target shooters.20 shots in 25 minutes or something like that at 300 yards, slung up. They use target rifles; I use a 7.5 pound 270 because that's what i have. I have finish pretty good...middle of the pack to top half.

With a 270....and a sling. Imagine that.I really can't help it if most of you never learned how to use one. But then again the bipod does work really well moving from the truck to a nice flat spot where you can lay down....doesn't it?

Schrapnel you may beat me with the bipod for "groups" but not by much...and i will still kill as many BG animals as you out to 500 yards not because i'm betting, but because I've done it.

Besides i thought you were one of the adults on here....I'm not coming to Montana to shoot groups against you and you aren't coming here...so why even bother trying to make stupid bets?

You better stop reading your own press....you might start to believe it.

If you want to know whether i can shoot...with or without a sling, I have some people you can call. They've watched me shoot and hunt for years and some live in your neck of the woods.



Smokepole you didn't like my answer...GFY.

Let us know when you finally do something besides copy everyone else on here,and nit pick everyone's posts to shreds. What a jerk-off.

Bob,

You may want to read this again. I didn't call names or make fun, I just pointed out the usefulness of a bipod. I don't care about groups either, I am just talking shooting. $1.00 wouldn't break either of us and certainly isn't worth getting all huffy about.

As far as adults go, I am and I thought you were too. I didn't call you out, you feel crowded because I don't agree and that doesn't matter. But you really don't want to sling up and shoot against me over a bipod at 500 yards...

I've done a fair amount of loop-sling shooting along the way. Was always a high Expert on the USMC range. I shoot tighter off a bipod, sitting or prone.

In field positions it's often a matter of improvising a good supported position. All of your tools and skills can come into play.

I usually have a bipod and a sling mounted.

No truck for miles,

I've found shooting off of something always improves steadiness.

I've shot slinged up, but never "off" a sling....the sling is at its best when shooting off of bones.

Couldn't get the truck up here either,






I still like to stay in touch with the sling though,






Just another tool in your toolkit.

I am another sling shooter. Just don't prefer to hump the extra weight of a bipod on the front of my rifle. I've shot enough bipods and slings to know how they work for me, but a good loop sling over my ruck is pretty steady and from the sit I feel pretty good out to 300-350 most years.

I learned to really shoot with a sling in the MC. Ever since I have been trying to make the tool work for me. Figure the rifle is going to have a sling on it, might as well make it worth the effort..

LOL, bob, you may want to go read my post again. The one where I said I don't remember the last time I put a bipod on a rifle for a big game hunt. I'm not sure who you're arguing with, no one has questioned the utility of a sling.

As far as copying people, I'm at a loss, why don't you elaborate on who/what I'm copying.

And it's not that I don't like your answer; I love reading stories of your prowess, even if they are irrelevant. It's just that saying a sling is as stable as a bipod is incorrect.

If you can't deal with that, my suggestion is to find some new panties, because the ones you're wearing are obviously too tight.

And if your posts are in "shreds," don't blame it on me. You call it nitpicking, I call it providing accurate information to a guy who asked a question about bipods.

I keep mine attached at all times. I use it more for keeping the rifle upright while I have eyes behind the binoculars.

I carry sticks as well and both have their places but if I have a bipod for a rifle it will be attached and balance has never been an issue.

My favorite bipod pic. Average 4x4 mule deer laying dead on the other side of the coulee.



Camp was over the sky line.

Consensus would support the bipod being a worthwhile addition to a rifle for making a steady support to shoot from. It also allows the shooter a tripod to mount a lightweight scope for spotting...

Wow, this one twisted up quick.
I've got bipod provisions on most of my rifles but use hiking poles as shooting sticks when on walkabouts -- with a good old wide military loop sling if I have time to rig up.
It can be amazingly relaxed and steady, just the tiniest bit of heart blip.

For those quick looks when you're just too lazy to setup up a tripod....

I always have a bi pod on my rifles.. They are quick to get into action and provide a great rest for difficult shots.. I keep a sling in my pack.. If I get a buck, then I replace the bi pod with the sling for the trip out.. I would never be without one..