Has anyone else seen big changes in POI with bipods? Seems like some have, but I haven't seen much discussion about it.

In my experience, bipods seem to bounce more and I have gotten significantly different POIs with them as compared to without them.

My experience has been that if you zero with one, you had better use it in the field - and they cannot always be used in the field.

So much depends on opportunity and terrain - I would hate to be tied to one while hunting.

quote:

Originally posted by Michael Robinson:
Has anyone else seen big changes in POI with bipods? Seems like some have, but I haven't seen much discussion about it.

In my experience, bipods seem to bounce more and I have gotten significantly different POIs with them as compared to without them.

My experience has been that if you zero with one, you had better use it in the field - and they cannot always be used in the field.

So much depends on opportunity and terrain - I would hate to be tied to one while hunting.

Only when the rifle isn't properly bedded.

When using cheap stocks like some of the savage syt. stocks.

One could twist them in the prone position and change point of impact.

The savage stock fix was to full length bed the barrel channel and add wire stiffeners.

On wood stocks making sure the barrel is fully free floated.

When one is prone with bi-pod attached and applying pressure to the rifle.

To check proper free floating I get the rifle in the prone shooting position and have some one else run a piece of paper under the barrel.

Once you have it properly free floated where the barrel is not touching when one is applying pressure to the rifle in the prone position with bi-pod attached.

I haven't seen point of impact shifts.

I have done so with a couple dozen of rifles.

I have seen such changes with rifles having free floated barrels.

It seems to me that the rifle with the bipod bounces off the bench in recoil harder than a rifle rested on a sandbag. In my experience, this results in a higher POI.

That may be the problem - that is, the bench is a very hard surface, harder than most surfaces in nature, other than rocks.

I have not tested POI consistency between the the rifle with the bipod resting on the ground vs. the rifle without the bipod resting on a sandbag or other soft rest.

quote:

Originally posted by Michael Robinson:
I have seen such changes with rifles having free floated barrels.

It seems to me that the rifle with the bipod bounces off the bench in recoil harder than a rifle rested on a sandbag. In my experience, this results in a higher POI.

That may be the problem - that is, the bench is a very hard surface, harder than most surfaces in nature, other than rocks.

I have not tested POI consistency between the the rifle with the bipod resting on the ground vs. the rifle without the bipod resting on a sandbag or other soft rest.

I wondered the same thing and decided to test them for myself (Not much of a conclusive test) so I shot a couple rifles with and without the bipod and couldn't tell the difference between bags and bipod fired at 600 yards. I was happy about that since I sometimes use one or the other (pack or bipod) in the field

I'd suspect there's got to be some POI shift and your results might vary.

Lead sled: That's a whole different kettle of fish!

Zeke

Depends on what you call "long range"...to me that would be 300 to 400 yards these days, and I don't want any rest I have to pack around, never have..

I,m content with a boulder, tree, fence post or whatever mother nature has furnished at the time..Its worked so far...I believe any fairly skilled hunter can usually get within 200 yards of the game most of the time, take a rest and make a kill. If not then he or she needs to take up ping pong or whatever..Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose, but thats called hunting the other is just shooting when not played by my set of rules, soooo just speaking for myself, what others do is fine if its legal...

I don't intend to be a sniper or one of todays long range shooters, at 1000 plus yards and I think it should be illegal, but its not so have at it...Ive seen too many 3 legged deer..

Zeke,
A "hunting rifle" should be sighted in with the hand under the forend on any surface and used that way in the field and a glove is recommended to protect the hand, thats the closet sight in to natural and most likely to maintain the sight in zero, don't you agree with that??

I prefer a glove if possible, and have no use for bi pods or such..a hat or rucksack is fine I guess, but slow sometimes. Off hand, kneeling, rock rest, tree rest, whatever nature has to offer at the time works pretty darn well.

Backpack or if I cant get what low, skipoles/trekking poles.

quote:

Originally posted by Michael Robinson:
Has anyone else seen big changes in POI with bipods?

I have see a difference in elevation between bipod and sticks. It seems to be more of a factor with higher recoil. In my case the 510WSM and 338-300RUM both hit a little higher off sticks. I can't tell a difference with 22's.