Bipod sampling spree results summary

[Fatcamp]

Tall Harris here as well.

Shooting sticks are the most worthless piece of equipment I've ever used. What a pain in the neck to carry and leaving them in a pack defeats the purpose. I just pay the weight penalty and drag the Harris around.

 

[wind gypsy]

I remember why i poo pooed the ckyepod, the arca mount and price. I dont need another mount system.

You can order with pic rail attachment now but yeah, the price is pretty hard to deal with. I've been running good ole harris since day 1 and javelin on some hunts. Have a tall CAL2 en route. Borrowed a TBAC for a while and really dug it but the tall CAL seems like a better hunting bipod.

 

[Reburn]

You can order with pic rail attachment now but yeah, the price is pretty hard to deal with. I've been running good ole harris since day 1 and javelin on some hunts. Have a tall CAL2 en route. Borrowed a TBAC for a while and really dug it but the tall CAL seems like a better hunting bipod.

Thanks for the heads up. If i decide I hate my wallet I'll try one out. I haven't tried the TBAC bipod. Just kinda seemed the same speed as my atlas and accutac really.

 

[hereinaz]

I liked the TBAC better than Atlas and others. Quick deploy legs, best cant lock, solid construction. But, other features are missing for me. For lots of range, prone, and PRS type of work its awesome. Hunting, for me, not so much.

I got the Cykepod for versatility, straight up. And, I like it better than the Atlas for what it can do. But, it still doesn't go hunting much.

I hear of guys that love rhe double pull for getting up higher, and I think they made the triple pull because of demand in the sitting bipod space, without a good option. Haven't heard much though. Probably have some wiggle with three sections.

 

[wind gypsy]

I liked the TBAC better than Atlas and others. Quick deploy legs, best cant lock, solid construction. But, other features are missing for me. For lots of range, prone, and PRS type of work its awesome. Hunting, for me, not so much.

If TBAC had the same height range as the tall CAL i would have ordered that instead. Primarily for the quick deploy legs.

 

[SDHNTR]

Apparently Cykepods are not currently available for purchase, according to their website. Gen 2 coming out, yet it’s not available yet either? Guess they don’t like money.

 

[willfrye027]

UPDATE: Per Hatch's suggestion, I tightened the legs on their bipod and it took out a lot of the slop. Much improved, but I can't help but think from an engineering standpoint, there has to be a better way. Like a pushbutton system, similar to Atlas, to change the front to back leg angle. That way you can easily achieve the same functionality, yet with much tighter clearance and less tolerance. It doesn't seem very practical that increased bolt tension is what is required to remove slop, but at the same time that also increases tension so much that it can also prevent actuation of the legs. Slop and leg functionality should not be mutually exclusive.

Hatch was very kind and responsive via email offering suggestions, but I think the ultimate answer lies simply in different engineering. They did say to lean into the slop to "preload." OK. No to be a jerk, but to that I would say, come up with a different design that doesn't have slop to begin with. Doesn't seem that hard to devise an improved leg joint system. If they did, I'd confidently say, they've created the perfect hunter's bipod!

I agree with your thoughts on the hatch. Mine has a little bit of slop; I’m going to try tightening the legs a little.

however I still think it’s the best overall option for my hunting. It’s quiet, quick to deploy, and gets me stable enough for my skill level from flat prone to sitting on a side hill. it’s not the most stable possible but I will take the trade off personally.

 

[Reburn]

I liked the TBAC better than Atlas and others. Quick deploy legs, best cant lock, solid construction. But, other features are missing for me. For lots of range, prone, and PRS type of work its awesome. Hunting, for me, not so much.

I got the Cykepod for versatility, straight up. And, I like it better than the Atlas for what it can do. But, it still doesn't go hunting much.

I hear of guys that love rhe double pull for getting up higher, and I think they made the triple pull because of demand in the sitting bipod space, without a good option. Haven't heard much though. Probably have some wiggle with three sections.

If TBAC had the same height range as the tall CAL i would have ordered that instead. Primarily for the quick deploy legs.

Thanks for that fellas I might have to pick one up to try out. I'm a bipod whore. Always looking for that perfect one. With all the money I have spend I could have bought a RRS tripod......

 

[V-TRAIN]

I use a Atlas BT46-LW 17 with the quick detach, plenty of adjustment, I love it. It is rock solid, and not heavy at all.

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[renagde]

Have you tried Tier One? Expensive but looks to be a very nice piece. (I have no experience with them, just heard rave reviews)

 

[catorres1]

I bought a Hatch to try this year as well after trying some other pods and sticks that allow seated shooting in hunting situations. Mine has just a little movement back and forth, but I really don't mind that as it goes away nicely when I preload the bipod. However, if it increases, I'd like to know how to tighten the legs a bit.

In terms of accuracy, we've been able to at least equal the accuracy achieved off of the other bipods, bags and rests we've used in the past, and I took it out to a mile this year with my son's 300 PRC.

If I get time, I wanted to do a full review on it, but I got a few other things in front of it, but suffice it to say, as a pure accuracy from prone solution, there are obviously better choices. But for us at least, as a hunting solution where being able to shoot seated and do so very quickly is a requisite, I have not found anything better yet. Not that I can't think of some improvements....pulling the cord to spread the legs to their full width is a pain, at least for me, for example, but overall, pretty happy with it so far.

 

[Rock-o]

I carry an Atlas (BT65-LW17 Gen. 2 CAL). If it won't work I can use my backpack, trekking poles, or tripod.

 

[SDHNTR]

I bought a Hatch to try this year as well after trying some other pods and sticks that allow seated shooting in hunting situations. Mine has just a little movement back and forth, but I really don't mind that as it goes away nicely when I preload the bipod. However, if it increases, I'd like to know how to tighten the legs a bit.

In terms of accuracy, we've been able to at least equal the accuracy achieved off of the other bipods, bags and rests we've used in the past, and I took it out to a mile this year with my son's 300 PRC.

If I get time, I wanted to do a full review on it, but I got a few other things in front of it, but suffice it to say, as a pure accuracy from prone solution, there are obviously better choices. But for us at least, as a hunting solution where being able to shoot seated and do so very quickly is a requisite, I have not found anything better yet. Not that I can't think of some improvements....pulling the cord to spread the legs to their full width is a pain, at least for me, for example, but overall, pretty happy with it so far.

My thoughts exactly. It’s the most versatile and practical solution for hunting out there at this time. But the little design flaws are definitely frustrating as they just aren’t necessary. Even as someone without an engineering background, I can think of several ways to accomplish the same functionality with better options than bolt tension or a pull cord.

 

[Reburn]

So bumping this. The hatch has that slip on design. I have never been a fan and struggled with finding pic rails that are the correct size. Goldilocks if you will. To small and it wobbles, to tight and it doesnt fit. To low and it scratches my stock. Found out they made a revised axle block that works with a ADM quick release head like what is on the atlas and others. I ordered one for $95. WIll update when I get it in.

 

[catorres1]

So bumping this. The hatch has that slip on design. I have never been a fan and struggled with finding pic rails that are the correct size. Goldilocks if you will. To small and it wobbles, to tight and it doesnt fit. To low and it scratches my stock. Found out they made a revised axle block that works with a ADM quick release head like what is on the atlas and others. I ordered one for $95. WIll update when I get it in.

When I ordered my hatch, an ADM mount was an option straight from them. That's what I ordered based on their recommendation for just the reason you mentioned, there are too many varying widths for pic rails. They told me, if you are only using our rail or one of the manufacturers they had checked, it will work with the slip on, but if you have various manufacturers, get the ADM. It's worked great for us so far, and I am glad I did get the ADM, as the rails from various manufacturers that I have all seem to vary in width alot.

 

[Reburn]

When I ordered my hatch, an ADM mount was an option straight from them. That's what I ordered based on their recommendation for just the reason you mentioned, there are too many varying widths for pic rails. They told me, if you are only using our rail or one of the manufacturers they had checked, it will work with the slip on, but if you have various manufacturers, get the ADM. It's worked great for us so far, and I am glad I did get the ADM, as the rails from various manufacturers that I have all seem to vary in width alot.

Yea when I first bought the adm head wasn't an option.

 

[Wood2sawdust]

I've recently tried several bipods in search for one that is perfect for my needs. Long story, short... The search continues. There is no perfect.

Spartan Javelin. Best option if you NEED featherlight. But it's also the least stable of the 3 I've recently tried. The carbon makes it light, but then it also has some flex to it. The joints also have some slop/wiggle to them. Also, if you need to shoot sitting/kneeling, there is no fast way to depoly longer legs. You have to screw them in separately. Nonetheless, if on a backpack hunt, this is still the one I'd want. I shot a buck this year at 508yards off of it and it obviously worked.

Atlas Somethingorother. I can't keep their confusing model names straight. It has the pic rail q/d mount, the longer legs that are non rotating. By far the most well made of the group. The machining is incredibly precise and there is no slop or wiggle at all. It's vault tight and the quality is evident. The most stable option by far, but that stability comes with a price, it's bulky and heavy. Not a backpack option, IMO. But man, it sure is nice. My only other complaint is the leg height. Even the longer legs are not long enough to sit with, so I'm not sure why they offer this version. It's a strange size, not long enough to offer any functional advantage over the shorter legs, so seemingly not very useful. Stick with the short legs and save yourself the weight. If they could figure out a way to trim this thing down in weight and bulk, and offer sitting height legs (I realize that's a tall order) they'd have hands down winner.

Hatch. The most functional of the group for a hunter. Sitting height legs that are quickly deployed. Folds up trim and not terribly heavy. The weight is an acceptable tradeoff for the functionality. Well made overall, but not compared to the Atlas. The machining and joints are just not as precise. Even in the non-extended form, there is an unacceptable amount of slop/wiggle to the legs. Reminds me of a cheapo Harris. It's better than nothing, sure, but at high power and long range, those wiggles are going to be a problem. The leg joints have a good 1/8" slop to them. Frankly, for the price, which is comparable to Atlas, I expected better. I really want to like this model as it's so practical, but that excess slop is unforgivable. If they could figure this out and tighten up the clearances to reduce the slop, it would be the hands down winner. Frustrating, as it's close.

So back to the drawing board. The search continues for a hunting bipod that is not oppressively heavy and bulky. That can be used seated and/or kneeling, and that is well made with tight machining clearance and low tolerances.

Which type of mount did you have on the Hatch? Was the 1/8 slop in the mount or the legs?Thanks for the info

 

[Wood2sawdust]

and like you I have and like the spartan but the mounting system really turns me off. I feel a little bit better that they now have the pictinny + spartan mount option but at the price they are asking I only have 2. At this point in my guns life it really just needs to be a pictinny rail mount.

Has anyone tried primos X Spartan trigger sticks bipod?

 

[Wood2sawdust]

I agree with your thoughts on the hatch. Mine has a little bit of slop; I’m going to try tightening the legs a little.

however I still think it’s the best overall option for my hunting. It’s quiet, quick to deploy, and gets me stable enough for my skill level from flat prone to sitting on a side hill. it’s not the most stable possible but I will take the trade off personally.

thanks for the update , that is the info I needed

 

[Wood2sawdust]

So bumping this. The hatch has that slip on design. I have never been a fan and struggled with finding pic rails that are the correct size. Goldilocks if you will. To small and it wobbles, to tight and it doesnt fit. To low and it scratches my stock. Found out they made a revised axle block that works with a ADM quick release head like what is on the atlas and others. I ordered one for $95. WIll update when I get it in.

Did it take out any of the slop?