A rifle bipod is a common weapon accessory. Their use has been fairly common for more than 100 years. Most bipods can usually be folded and then quickly extended for use. Many are also easy to detach or fold up relatively quickly for carry purposes. The use of bipods is also fairly common in urban combat settings. They can also be found on small and large caliber rifles and in some instances even on certain pistols. Many also come with a swivel capacity which gives them even more versatility. There are also stock mounted and barrel mounted bipods.
Harris bipods are the standard by which most bipods are measured but are costly at $80 to $100 or even more. I’ve been considering a bipod for my Ruger 10/22 Rifle as an additional upgrade. The Muzzle Brake I added to my Ruger 10/22 works great, but for an old guy whose hands aren’t quite as steady as they were in my younger days, I was considering the additional stability of a bipod for my rifle. This might help some on my accuracy. My local Walmart has some bipods on sale for around $40 and was considering the use of one these. It is a stock mounted type and I think this would be the preferred type instead of a barrel mounted version. Since I don’t plan on any “urban combat”, I thought that these cheaper models would be sufficient for my purposes. This would also allow me to possibly upgrade in the near future to a better bipod while still having the benefits of a bipod.
Anybody with any thoughts on this? Your comments or suggestions would be most appreciated!
Got bipod?
Staying above the water line!
Riverwalker
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Even a set of shooting sticks would help immensely.
The only objection I would have to "cheap" bipods, is that if they aren't that good, you just wasted good money.
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Albert A Rasch
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles
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The Harris bipod is like a portable bench-rest. That said, you'd best make use of it if you get it, or it won't be worth the money!
The plus side is that you can mount it to any rifle with a sling swivel stud, of course.
It also makes any rifle you have sound like an AR-15. "Sproing!" (For the record, I don't consider that a good thing.)
I like the shooting sticks suggestion Mr. Rasch gave. Inexpensive, easy to use and effective.
Use the money you saved on ammo ;^)
To: Brass
Hadn't considered the "sproing" factor...thanks! Good to know this.
RW
To: Mo
Been looking at a shooting stick. They are a lot cheaper. This may be a better option. Thanks.
RW
To: Albert
Shooting sticks sound like a decent alternative. Hate to waste money...especially when it's in short supply around my place. Thanks.
RW
I've got a Ram-Line barrel mount bi-pod, and from the little use I got out of it, my recommendation is stay away - no RUN AWAY! Bullet impact is different from shooting offhand or stock support - your 'Spidey Senses' working just fine RiverWalker!
One rest I have had good luck with is the MTM walking stick (iirc) a cane-like instrument with adjustable height sliding shelf. Light, tough and can be used to poke into possibly snakey looking brush. Can also be used to support a dingle stick for cooking, if that strikes your fancy.
I question what you really need a bipod for, especially on a 10/22.
My experience is that they get in your way when you move, especially with the rifle slung, and they add some weight to the rifle. At least the weight is below the boreline instead of above like it is with a massive overpowered scope.
If I'm going to carry extra stuff around like that I usually use am old birdshot bag filled with styrofoam packing peanuts. It is light and quiet. Shooting sticks are ok and can be made from old used arrow shafts. The disadvantage of both of those is that you now have another piece of gear to keep up with.
Skip the barrel mounted bipod. Your targets with a .22 will probably be small and a small change in POI can make a difference.
Practice your braced kneeling, squatting, sitting, prone, various improvised rests.
The real advantage of a bipod is when you are going to be waiting for a shot from a fixed position. A 3/60 drill would not be any fun without some kind of rest, although a bag will work for that as well. The other advantage is that you always have a convenient way to set your rifle down where it hopefully won't fall over and get in the dust. A swivel (leveling) bipod can topple over if the rifle is heavy enough.
To: anonymous 7:37
Barrel mounts are definitely out. Like you say they are a big factor in accuracy versus offhand or a stock support of some kind.Thanks.
RW
To: Bitmap
I was curious as to their value for accuracy and they are probably OK for target practice but as you say a styrofoam filled bag would be better and quieter.
Sound advice on all counts and you have never steered me wrong. I think the main reason a lot of people advocate bipods may be the "cool" factor. I'm looking for the "accuracy" factor.
The accuracy of my first and second shots are pretty fair but I'm not going to win any competitions.
Thanks my friend!
RW
River,
I won't say you won't shoot better with a bipod than without it. I do question the practicality of it in general use. The local terrain and vegitation dictate how well it works and it may work well in the winter but not in the summer. Most bipods are so short that they will only work off a bench or from prone. How often do you shoot from prone with a .22? Most of the time when I'm hunting or just out looking around with a .22 the ranges are fairly short and the grass and brush are higher than I can shoot over from prone. Squatting, braced kneeling, sitting, or resting over a fencepost or on the side of a tree usually work. If you get the long bipod that you can use from sitting then you are good to go but that model may weigh more.
A walking staff may be another answer. My dad has one that was made for use as a shooting rest. It has a sort of hook on one side that can be moved up and down for different shooting positions and to get over brush, etc. He uses it for hunting with a handgun. You don't really need the hook, just grip the staff with your ring and little fingers and make a shelf with your thumb at whatever height you need. Using a tree as a rest can be bad news in poison ivy country.
Good luck with it.
To: Bitmap
I have a collapsible walking stick that would probably work as you suggest. My hands aren't as steady as they once were and anything that will help to steady my aim is something I will consider. My first shot is usually pretty well on target and in most cases it is the one that counts. Thanks.
RW
BTW, I know you don't want to hear this but I'm part of that group of people that aren't allergic to poison ivy or poison oak. It's just another weed to me! Don't really know why but it doesn't affect me. I sincerely sympathize with those who do suffer from its affects.
As has been said, a bipod does not seem very practical. It only helps from prone and you can use your knapsack or an improvised rest in that position. The bipod would restrict your mobility in a situation where mobility was vital. A walking stick can be used as a steady from standing, kneeling, and sitting positions. With the rifle slung the stick can help you on rough terrain and serve as a probe or snake stick, as was mentioned. The situation you seem to be envisioning would mean if you are out and about you are scouting, foraging, hunting or scavenging. In those circumstances I would want a .22 rifle and a defensive caliber pistol. The pistol needs stopping power for use at short range but the rifle does not. A man alone is not well situated to fight against a group of bad guys. His best course is evasion and avoiding detection in the first place. A .22 rifle gives the ability to kill food without drawing much attention and could inflict crippling wounds to slow down pursuers without revealing the shooters position from proper cover. The small size of .22 ammo is well suited to this as an ample quantity can be carried in a small space. If scouting, you want to carry water, food , and shelter and still be able to move fast and far. If hunting, foraging or scavenging then you want to travel light to be able to carry what you find or kill. In any case you want to be mobile and keep moving and a bipod just seems antithetical to this goal.
To: Machinist
WOW! Great way to put it into perspective. Excellent points on all counts. Sounds like you've been there and done that! Thanks.
RW
If things are stable and safe enough than a centerfire rifle could sure be useful, but that doesn't seem likely in a longer term crisis. You would want to keep trouble away from your camp and "family" so you would hunt away from them and try to avoid detection. Shooting a large animal would make much more noise and tie you to one place for a longer time than I would be comfortable staying. If you could not avoid trouble than a better combat rifle would certainly be welcome but it would seem your first concern would be that you MUST break contact and shake off pursuit before you dare start home. I light .22 with ample ammo seems better suited to this. If your party is strong enough to work in groups this might change things. A very isolated location would also effect this, but that does not seem to be what you anticipate.
A short term emergency like a storm or earthquake might be different as civil authority would still have influence to some degree and you would anticipate the return of order soon. You still might not want to draw too much attention to yourself if within travel distance of urban areas.
Just my personal choices, Sir. You know I have plenty of opinions. They're cheap!
Your posts are all thoughtful and interesting. Thank you!
A great idea from a article in Woodsman using a stick, thread spool, bolt and thumb screw washer. Cut a slot in the middle of stick verically.
Put the bolt through the spool, then the stick and cap off with the washer.
Just plant the stick in the ground, adjust height of spool and tighten bolt. Then rest gun on spool.
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I also like the suggestion given by Mr. Rasch concerning shooting sticks,my only regret is my shooting hand, it seems my hand had a bit problems,it sometimes "shakes". I love this site as same as other Ruger 10/22 Accessories site like http://www.mountsplus.com
Thanks a lot for everything i got from your article "Stealth Survival"
No walmart! That is cheap crap. Go to your local ffl dealer and they will have good suggestions. And stick with a bipod... its just easier to shoot from. And i love the ruger 10/22 by the way! Its a great little gun.
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