08-30-2013, 06:47 PM
Bipods bounce regardless of what I do. I've even watched elite F-Class FTR shooters, videoing from the side, and their bipods bounce, pre-loaded or not. Some of the more expensive bipods bounce less, but they all bounce some.
I use a Sinclair F-Class bipod on my 7mm WSM and 28" Grendel, and it bounces, too. Like all bipods, it bounces much worse on hard surfaces like benches. I'm considering a shock absorbing cushion for mounting between the Bipod and the rifle to see if that helps. But that bounce and the repositioning is the major reason most F-Class Open shooters use bags on rests. However, F Open at the National level has been won by at least one shooter using a bipod.
The only partial solution to bounce is weight. My heavy 28" bounces much less and more predictably than my light 20" Grendel. The 20" bounces enough on a bench that at times we've started laughing watching someone shoot it. However, get that 20" down on the ground, where it belongs, and get the legs positioned correctly, and a stable position behind it, and the bounce either disappears to a great extent, or I don't notice it!
The bipods with spring loaded legs seem worse than the solid legs on the F Class Sinclair, but that may be perception, I haven't thought to film the same rifle on both, guess that's a project for next trip!
The best groups I've shot with the 28" have all been off bipods, but my best groups period, with my F Class or 20" Grendel have been from bags. I have shot some TINY groups with the 7mm WSM and the Sinclair F Class bipod, though, and its what I compete with. (I'm too lazy to haul a heavy base and bags around all day at a match, and I'm not THAT competitive!)
I use a Sinclair F-Class bipod on my 7mm WSM and 28" Grendel, and it bounces, too. Like all bipods, it bounces much worse on hard surfaces like benches. I'm considering a shock absorbing cushion for mounting between the Bipod and the rifle to see if that helps. But that bounce and the repositioning is the major reason most F-Class Open shooters use bags on rests. However, F Open at the National level has been won by at least one shooter using a bipod.
The only partial solution to bounce is weight. My heavy 28" bounces much less and more predictably than my light 20" Grendel. The 20" bounces enough on a bench that at times we've started laughing watching someone shoot it. However, get that 20" down on the ground, where it belongs, and get the legs positioned correctly, and a stable position behind it, and the bounce either disappears to a great extent, or I don't notice it!
The bipods with spring loaded legs seem worse than the solid legs on the F Class Sinclair, but that may be perception, I haven't thought to film the same rifle on both, guess that's a project for next trip!
The best groups I've shot with the 28" have all been off bipods, but my best groups period, with my F Class or 20" Grendel have been from bags. I have shot some TINY groups with the 7mm WSM and the Sinclair F Class bipod, though, and its what I compete with. (I'm too lazy to haul a heavy base and bags around all day at a match, and I'm not THAT competitive!)
You seek escape from pain. We seek the achievement of happiness. You exist for the sake of avoiding punishment. We exist for the sake of earning rewards. Threats will not make us function; fear is not our incentive. It is not death that we wish to avoid, but life that we wish to live. - John Galt