Dt219 Wrote:Another question, why do so many use bipods up front vs a sandbag or other supporting device you can screw up and down ? I have noticed that a lot reading on the forums. Is it personal preference or is there some advantage. And why do people load the bipods Im just wanting to learn these things Been shooting and loading for bolt guns for years and years hardly ever shot off of bipods at target papers
My two cents...
Bipods are portable rests that are often attached to the rifle during the carry and quickly deployed. They are superior to the alternative, unsupported, especially when you have to hold the gun on the aim, or scope for any length of time.
Rests and bags are superior to bipods because they absorb recoil better and enable the gun to track parallel to the bore axis; i.e. there is less jump. But, bags and rests are less portable in the field.
Loading the bipod is a way of lessening the jump that occurs while the bullet is still in the barrel. If you don't load the bipod the isometrics on the gun is unequal when it goes off. Typically guns are too light to absorb all the recoil so if no other forces are acting on it it will jump around. By loading it you are adding a force that will oppose recoil when it happens. The gun jumps less and that means tighter groups.
The difference is stark and you only have to shoot a few loaded and unloaded to quickly realize how much more stable loading makes it. Easiest is to push up against a parapet or push the legs into the soil like tent pegs - if you have time. You can even load against yourself if you carry a long enough piece of climbing tape (wrap it around yourself and forward to the legs, like a prone version of a two-point sling). Or tape for the legs attached to the front of your shooting mat.
You can carry rests and bags but they need to be light so you are not getting the max value, but it is a compromise. In my day we carried small socks filled with sand and lightweight tripods that came with the H&K PSG1 marksman rifle. It could not be attached to the rifle so it went in your backpack. Could not be used for fleeting shots but it was never designed to be deployed like that. By compromise bags I mean small bean bags filled with filling lighter than sand. Even the synthetic filling from manufacturers is often too heavy. Unstich the seam and pour out the synthetic beads. Refill with the featherlight stuff they put in those horseshoe pillows passengers use on planes. The bag is then heavier than the filling and you can sling it all over your shoulder or clip it to yourself and forget it is there. Sometimes the precision doesn't mandate a bipod but they are convenient. Leaving them on the gun or having a quick release mechanism will also change the weight of carry and ability to shoot off the handguard. For short range AR's, foregrip bipods are a popular compromise between having a foregrip for unsupported, and the ability to shoot supported.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]17565[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]17566[/ATTACH]
