Re: best bipod choice? frustrated
@ Ivan - no doubt the LRA's are an investment and trust me - I get it. Wasn't sure whether to recommend it to you based on your OP, but thought I would post my experience, anyway. As above, the build quality and design make it worth every penny, IMO.
@ YOL - I have emailed Dave on a number of occasions and talked to him on the phone a few times. Great guy, BTW. I have never had any trouble reaching him right away. But.....keep in mind this is a side business for him and he is a one man operation. I was able to get my bipod in about 5 days, but I caught him at an opportune time. He had just received a shipment of fresh parts! I say email him again...it's possible your original could have wound up in a spam folder...happens to me a lot. It probably can't hurt to mention you are from the Hide in your correspondence.
I got the F-class with the longer legs for my first one.
@ Hereo...full disclosure...I have 6 Atlas's, so you can color me a huge fan.
The two are tough to compare, because they really are built/designed for different uses. The Atlas is great for my light-weight rifles, the LRA is built to provide great stability for the big boys. Having said that, I just ordered an LRA for one of my 308's. For this rifle, every bit of robustness was paramount for me.
The LRA derives it's stability by placing the CG of the rifle below the pivot point (see the middle plate), spreading the legs a bit and thru exceptional build quality. While my LRA does have a much wider footprint than other pods, it is incredibly lightweight and not really any heavier than any other I own. I really appreciate the design genius behind both the Atlas and LRA, but much prefer the cant adjustment on the LRA.
I would put it this way, if I were outfitting a .223 for tactical use and needed a "quiet" profile, I would go with the Atlas. If I'm building a 338 for long range precision, then LRA is the way to go. If you are in the middle, this is where you have a bit of a dilema.
. It really comes down to profile and cost vs stability and robustness.
Other notes...the LRA is a modular design and you can swap plates and parts between models. The cant release is adjustable and placed to the rear for easy access. The leg releases are spring loaded buttons which is a nice feature. (spring is not exposed to snagging, btw). You can run over it with a panzer and the panzer would lose. Did I mention build quality?
I hope this helps, and I'm happy to answer any more questions you may have. PM is fine too as I do not wish to hijack Ivan's thread from him.
Jeff
