What length by-pod is everyone using on there XP-100 and Strikers?. I would think 9" and up would be to high. How well do they work in the field? Any input would be appriciated.

I have the standard becnchrest and the high benchrest. The standard one works better for bench and the higher one works great for the field. I also have the model 25 and it works pretty well for sitting.

Well I don't know if you could really call it a bi-pod. I use a Stoney Point Polecat. It is a lot like their Shooting Stix except they close at a pivot point on the yoke which is the rest part. They only close to 23" but different models are adjustable up to 65" in height. The twist locks on the leg work great being so strong that it makes an excellent walking stick. Anything shorter I would use my backpack and hat as a rest because I can't go very far with out my supplies--coffee and food Slim

Good day
I'm using mine on a T/C Contender. It's an old Harris bi-pod and it is 7" and extends to 12". It has served me well. I've used it on my 7mm TCU for many years and only a few times on my 375JDJ as JD told me I risk pulling the studs out of my barrel using it. Over all I think it has been one of my better investments.
Mike

I use Harris' 25C and the model that is the next step up from the BR. I also use shooting sticks. It all depends on terrain what I carry in the field, but I have been known to carry extra weight just to ensure a rock solid rest if the conditions are right.
xphunter

I use one that no one ever heard of, but it really does work. It is called the "Snipe-Pod". It is made by some company in Montena and you can see pictures and diagrams at www.snipepod.com

This thing is made of pieces of small tent pole material with sockets on each end and has a shock cord through the middle to hold it together. It folds up to be 7" long and mine flips out and locks in place at 34" long. Yeah, 34". They have shorter ones, and they tried to talk me into getting a shorter one, but this 34" is really the ticket.

The way I use it is to mount it on the front of the forepiece of my Contender. and carry the Contender with a shoulder strap with the bipod in place - folded. When I am ready to shoot, I flip the two legs out, drop to my knees, extend the legs forward at about a 45 deg angle, take a two-handed grip on the butstock, pull my elbows into my ribs and push forward to get the right height.

By mounting the bipod on the front of the forepiece it gives a long base and from a kneeling position, it is very steady.

Don Shearer

I like mine 6 to 9"


[ 05-20-2003, 07:16: Message edited by: Pokerplayer ]

Don, I have considered buying the Snip Pod for a couple of years. I just haven't broke down and spent the money yet. Some folks I have spoken with gave me the impression that it was more flimsy than the Harris Bi-Pod. Sounds like your way works well. I will continue to consider it.

Ernie

[ 05-20-2003, 07:32: Message edited by: xphunter ]

I have a # of Harris pods now, and seem like i always grab the tallest one for varminting purposes. They're certainly not a cure-all, but it's easier to improvise a shorter shot (shorter than the lowest setting of the pod) than it is to try and improvise a higher shot. I do not use a pod for backpack hunting (I can usually adapt the pack for a rest). I have seen XP use his Snipe-Stix (i think that's what they're called) on big game shots very successfully. I've used (and seen used) a modified creedmore position in the field, where i place the gun in the natural V that is formed by placing the knees together with a comfortable back rest. It's actually quite steady.

Oh one last thing, I'm beginning to do a lot fo coyote hunting with my XP's now, and have found that the combination of a tall Harris, and a closed cell foam stadium seat, with an adjustable back rest is very steady also.

[ 05-20-2003, 20:00: Message edited by: sscoyote ]

XP,
The reason I decided to go to the Snipe Pod is that while I was hunting mule deer, I jumped a big buck while carrying my 308 Bellm Contender. I was in oak brush about 2 feet tall and couldn't take a prone position, so I rested one elbow on one knee and shot. By the time I got on him, he was more than 200 yds away and my goofy stance was not steady at all. By the time I had nailed him he was a full 250 yds away and I had shot him, and at him, more times than I wanted to. At that point I decided a better way had to be found.

Well, the better way turned out to be the Snipe Pod. And as I mentioned above, I had mounted the pod on the front of the Contender forepiece - well, actually I fastened a steel strap extending forward from the under side of the forepiece and mounted the Snipe Pod to the end of it. That places the mount about 4" from the muzzle end of the 14" barrel. This long base is also a key to it being stable, as if you mount it at the forepiece tie-down screw, it will have a definite tendency to "teeter" on the bipod no matter how you hold it. Get a long base, and then use your body for the other end of the mount and it will be MUCH more steady.

I haven't shot a deer with it since installing the Snipe Pod, but I did shoot a coyote who was sitting watching me at a full 200 yds. When I spotted him, I went down on my knees and with that steady stance, nailed him dead center with one shot. It was every bit as steady as shooting from a bench. I now use it for all my field shooting.

One of my hunting partners, Ted, had similar experiences trying to get onto an antelope. He then went to the Snipe Pod on his Contender and pulled off the neatest one-shot kill on a big-big mulie I've ever seen. Another partner, Greg, now shoots his rifle with longer version of the same pod. Successfully too, I might add.

Don Shearer

Thanks, for the info everyone

Don,
Could you get someone to take a picture of you with your TC using the snipe pod in the way you described it on this post? Also a close-up of how you attached it. I don't have a Contender or an Encore (but I will have a G-2 in the future) at the moment, but it sounds like this is a real practical field rest and we need to get the word out when something really works in the field.

Ernie

Ernie,

Sure, in fact I just went modern and bought a digital camera. I'll take a couple of pictures, then see if I can figure out how to get them on the forum here.

Don

I know some of you are going to think I'm nuts, but this year I have started to use a 13.5"-27" harris bipod with my contender in 22k hornet for coyotes.
This works great when calling dogs or bear. Just set up like you would with a rifle,set down with your back against a tree or rock, put your right foot under your left leg, your left elbow on top of your left knee and your left hand under your grip and you have one of the best rest I have found.
The only thing I'm going to change is I'm going to get one that pans and tilts.
Try it and let me know if I'm the only one that likes it.

TonyK, the system i described above using a closed cell foam stadium seat works very much like yours. This last season i was presented with a VERY long-range coyote sitting on his haunches watching me. I laser-ranged him (he was alerted, and wouldn't respond to my calling), so i cranked in the comeup calculations on my scopes target turret, already had the bipod adjusted for sitting position, tightened the seats side straps, leaned back, and set the grip on the V between both legs acting as a rear bipod. There was no wind, and i touched it off. You may not believe this but i killed that dog at 906 yds. I couldn't believe how much that seat helped steady me, to help me make one of the luckiest (although calculated) shots of my life. I'm a firm believer that some kind of back support helps immensely for sitting shots. I'm going to bring some to Don Bower's clinic this year.

Don, i'm also eagerly anticipating a good look at your Snipe Pod setup.

[ 05-22-2003, 20:34: Message edited by: sscoyote ]

Hey Guys,

It looks like I need some help. I have taken some pictures of my Snipe Pod set up on my Contender and have tried to post them here. I can't seem to get through the maze and get them here though. I searched for a "How to" to get them here and found one on "South African Hunt, Namibia" from 10/23/02, post #8 (T. Carr).

As specified by Carr, I have opened an account with www.imagestation.com and have uploaded two pictures there. From that point, it doesn't seem to work for me. Can anyone bail me out? I'd like to post the two pictures here along with a description of how I make it work for field shooting.

Thanks,

Don Shearer