A steady shooting position will always produce an accurate rifle shot as long as the shooter does their part. A high-quality bipod can create that steady shooting position and be an asset during your hunt.
The saying that you get what you pay for holds true to bipods as well. You don’t necessarily have to pay for a top-of-the-line bipod, but the bipod you do select must have some key features, be made of good quality materials, and be robust.
When looking to purchase rifle accessories such as a bipod, there are three key features to be aware of.
3 Key Features Quality Bipods MUST Have
Height Adjustment
The best bipods also allow for the legs to be adjusted individually, not just in length, but in direction. You may be shooting from an awkward position that could be made more stable if the legs could be adjusted for height individually.
In some instances, loading the bipod is easier and can be more consistent if the bipod legs are not vertical but are angled slightly forward and down, toward the supporting surface.
There are certain techniques you can use to ‘load" a bipod, but for the sake of this article, we’re more concerned with the bipods having the ability to be adjusted height-wise to accommodate your shooting position.
Bipod Cant
The next thing a high-quality rifle bipod will offer is cant, which is the ability to slightly tilt your rifle from one side to the other without adjusting the bipod legs.
Your shooting position may be on a slope that requires you to make one bipod leg longer than the other, but for the precise leveling of the rifle before the shot, it’s much easier if the bipod has a cant feature built-in.
Optimally, once the correct cant/balance is achieved, the bipod should offer the option of being locked into position until you’re done shooting.
Attachment System
Bipod attachment deserves some thought as well, especially if you want to run the same style bipod on different platforms. For traditional bolt action rifles, the standard method has been to secure it to the sling swivel stud.
For higher-end long-range precision guns and AR-15 style rifles, some type of rail system attachment is best. Some rifles will have M-Lok, Key-Mod, or Picatinny rails, to facilitate bipod attachment. Caldwell offers a Pic Rail Adaptor Plate so you can run either the traditional sling swivel stud attachment or pic rail attachment.
A Caldwell bipod, especially the XLA bipod, is stable, has protective padding to keep the upper receiver safe from marring and scratches. The rubberized feet provide an incredibly stable and secure footing to ensure your shots won’t be affected by your bipod slipping out from under your rifle.
The legs deploy very fast and fold forward when not in use. For example, if you’re hiking in the mountains and want to keep a low profile, these legs will stay out of the way until you’re ready to set up for a shot. One of the most overlooked features is the easy-to-see notches on your bipod legs. The notches are like micro-adjustments and are a good way to remember exactly where your sweet spot is for shooting from various positions.
Don’t just take our word, listen to customers who use, rely on, and recommend using a Caldwell Bipod.
Which Model Should I Buy, the Fixed or Pivot Bipod?
This is a tough question to answer for every hunter, but some things to keep in mind are the purpose of using a bipod and the environment that you’re shooting in. For example, if you’re hunting, I’d always go with a bipod that can pivot/cant because animals never stay in one spot.
A pivot bracket allows you to slightly move your rifle from side to side without lifting or exposing yourself to the prey. As we all know, deer have incredible survival instincts and the slightest movements can cause a deer to bug out or hit their infamous " I see you" bark.
If you’re shooting for marksmanship, a fixed bipod will do great for you, since your target is stationary. Some people feel more comfortable with the fixed model because there are fewer moving parts and less of a chance your rifle will move during your shot.
There are definitely times when a bipod isn’t needed and you can just lay your rifle across a backpack, log, or a tree. I’ve done that plenty of times, but I’d rather have a bipod and not need it than need it and not have it.
If you’re going to use a bipod on your hunting rifle, I can’t stress enough how important it is to practice shooting from different positions and even tossing in some hunting-type scenarios in your practice.
Learning how to use all the functions of a bipod and practicing with it will definitely increase your accuracy while hunting this season.
Stay Tuned to the RE Factor Tactical Blog and be part of this all VETERAN-run website. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn for exclusive content and deals.
Leave a Reply
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *