Rest Affects on Accuracy

O

OldPPC

Guest
I had been using medium front bag (sand filled) with pretty good success. Recently, hoping to reduce the recovery time between shots, I decided to try a bipod. Using the bipod, my groups opened up considerably and would not be competitive in our local shoots. I am guessing that the reason is that the free recoil against the bag is less radical than the recoil against the firmer base of the bipod and that the bipod's resistance to the recoil is not consistently linear. Am I on the right track with this analysis. :confused:
 
If you're talking about a Harris style bipod, then about everybody finds it less precise than a rest & undoubtedly for the last reason you give at the very least.

However, here in Australia, a style of bipod designed by Ken Larkin is extremely popular, to the extent that it is used more by F Open shooters than full front rests. http://images.google.com/imgres?img...t:en-au:IE-SearchBox&rlz=1I7GFRE_en&sa=N&um=1

You can see that the bipod has inbuilt recoil capability without the feet moving. In use you "load" it forward back to battery & it recoils thru the delrin univeral bushes.

We have three or four manufacturers of various styles of this bipod. As you'd expect, once a revolutionary design occurs, it doesn't take long for evolutionary changes to occur. Ken's original design was CNC cut in an I beam form out of solid billets - a far cry from this version.
 
Thanks, John; appreciate the links too. Back to the bench with my shooting bags and better scores.
 
When forced...

OldPPC said:
I had been using medium front bag (sand filled) with pretty good success. Recently, hoping to reduce the recovery time between shots, I decided to try a bipod. Using the bipod, my groups opened up considerably and would not be competitive in our local shoots. I am guessing that the reason is that the free recoil against the bag is less radical than the recoil against the firmer base of the bipod and that the bipod's resistance to the recoil is not consistently linear. Am I on the right track with this analysis. :confused:
Click to expand...

When forced to use a Harris type bipod for rifle support on a bench, make sure the bipod legs rest on a smooth surface for a linear recoil. A smooth metal or wood platform or even a smooth plastic table place mat with no dimples or rough surface will work fine. Remember, that bullet is still in the barrel for about the first tenth of an inch of recoil. If one or both legs hit a surface imperfection on the bench, the shot will be off and there goes your group or ten ring hit.:confused:

Happy Thanksgiving,
virg
 
Even if a bipod were superior to a pedestal rest, I don't think bipods are legal for the "bag" classes. From the IBS rule book:

1) A front rest shall support the front part of a rifle: a rear rest shall support the rear part of a rifle; neither rest may be attached to the bench, the rifle, or to the other (exception - Heavy Bench rests may be one piece for front and rear).

Toby Bradshaw
baywingdb@comcast.net
 
Place a medicine bottle caps under the rubber feet on the bi-pod, that will let them slide on the smooth wood or plastic board on the bench. The backing off a clipboard works good. In our club we let everyone shoot, HBR ,VFS, F-CLASS,Factory guns. Sort of run what ya brung. Only the HBR & VFS shooters win the wood in the registered matches. RANDY
 
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