Shooting with bipod. Accuracy questions

M

mossyoakglock

Inactive
I want to get a bipod for my rifles when playing at the range. I've heard that when shooting with a bipod from the bench or other hard surface, accuracy is greatly reduced due to the vibration and bounce that the recoil causes.

If I were to make a thin shooting bag to set the bipod on, would that help with accuracy? I've read that you should rest the bipod on the ground or other soft surface and figured a thin shooting bag would help. I was thinking something like a 12" x 4" x 1" bag to use under the bipod.
 
Bags do provide for great accuracy

I've heard that when shooting with a bipod from the bench or other hard surface, accuracy is greatly reduced due to the vibration and bounce that the recoil causes.
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Mostly bounce and that has been my experience. That is why I use bags, on the bench. If it's a hunter and I'm using a bipod, I understand and live with the compromise. I also reach under the rifle with my left hand and hold onto to the base of the right leg of the bi-pod. This gives my a little more stability. In the field I use this same hold. I don't need a large radius to kill a Yote. ...... ;)

Be Safe !!!!
 
You should never rest the barrel on anything. A bipod attached to the for end or the hand on the for end is OK
 
I shot a very expensive FBI sniper rifle a while back, and made the mistake of doing so off a bipod.

The maker was not happy with the results & neither was I.
Won't do it again.
I typically shoot rifles for accuracy off a carpet-covered wooden box if I'm at the range, or off a sandbag if I'm on my portable shooting table.

I have shot better with a .357 levergun & iron sights off the carpeted box than I did with that sniper package & expensive scope off the bipod, at 100 yards.

I've shot better with a beat-up Mosin & iron sights off a sandbag at 100 yards than I did with that sniper & a bipod.
Denis
 
My regular coyote bait station is 350 yards from the plastic resin seed hopper I use for a rest. I cut a piece of carpet 30" x 48" that I roll up and place next to where I store the rifle so it's readily available when a shot is presented. The jute back shag carpet is just right to provide a buffer and give the bipod feet some traction.
 
There is an art to shooting off a bi-pod. If you properly load it, it will be accurate. (Assuming the stock is strong enough not to flex) Having said that, I rarely ever use a Bipod.
 
Bipods are fine to shoot from provided you know how to do it to avoid "hop" and stay on target. I shoot off a bench with bipods and (with brakes on the rifles) can spot my own impacts and don't usually need a spotter.

Different for for shooting from a bench vs. loading a bipod prone:

https://youtu.be/S8-zTfStha4
 
I've never noticed any problem with accuracy, from a bipod, but then I don't shoot off a bench with a bipod.

What I have noticed is a change in the point of impact (not the accuracy of the rifle) when using the bipod or not (or removing it from the rifle).

Not every rifle does this, but many I've shot have.

Personally, when shooting from a bench (and I'm not a match shooter) I hold the rifle in my hands. Supported by bags, but in my hands. Might not give the smallest possible groups, but its what I do, and what I CAN do from any rested position.
 
If I'm shooting for accuracy or sighting in a rifle I shoot off bags that I made. If we are shooting just for fun (at pumpkins, bowling pins, clay targets, etc) at the range or our land and don't want to lug around the bags, I would use the bipod. It would be more of a confidence thing.

I don't shoot matches and I wouldn't use it in a hunting situation either.

Rifle is a Savage 11 .308 with Leupold 4-12 x 40.
 
ultimate bipod

The F-T/R game is shot from a bipod, and nearly all serious competitors use the Sinclair model, which resembles something off a LMG. Not really portable, but stable and effective.......and expensive.

The difference between shooting of a Harris, and the Sinclair, score wise for me, was significant.
 
TXAZ said:
The bullet is out of the barrel before the weapon starts to move.
Click to expand...

The bullet is out of the barrel before you notice the weapon moving. ;)

DPris said:
I shot a very expensive FBI sniper rifle a while back, and made the mistake of doing so off a bipod.

The maker was not happy with the results & neither was I.
Click to expand...

Can you expand on this? Was it simply that the grouping was bad...or did you mean the maker wasn't happy because of some kind of potential damage to the rifle? :confused:
 
Groups were larger than we both expected.
As I said, I've shot tighter with iron sights on a levergun & an old Mosin. :)
The gun came with a bipod & I never use 'em, but wanted to go with the package, so I did,
Shoulda just used my normal method. :)
Denis
 
"...would that help with accuracy..." Nope. Bipods, that are not connected to an LMG, tend to be unstable. Isn't really comfortable to shoot any rifle off one of 'em on a bench either. Usually the height isn't quite right and your head is in the wrong place. That is what causes inaccurate shooting moreso than the rifle bouncing. Said bounce being caused by recoil that starts as soon as the bullet starts to move.
"...hold onto to the base..." Should have to do that either. The weight of the rifle should be able to hold the bipod still.
Like reynolds357 says, there's an art to using a bipod. Primarily involves ignoring the thing and concentrating on the front sight, but the thing has to be just the right height and mounted in the right place. Don't like 'em on regular hunting rifles myself. Too heavy to lug around. Putting one on a carbine(SKS, M1, AR/M4) is daft too.
"...a very expensive FBI sniper rifle..." They have anything else? snicker.
 
Point there being it was a high-quality package, essentially hand-built.
Just mentioned to illustrate that I wasn't shooting a Marlin Papoose or a Handi-Rifle. :)
Denis
 
If you have a decent amount of recoil, no comp, long barrel and poor technique, yes, a bi-pod can slightly harm accuracy.
 
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