In my short time on this forum I have read through a number of threads about bipods in order to help me choose the best one to use on a .308 5R in place of my current imitation Harris. There seemed to be the most support for getting an Atlas, followed by a Harris (either modified or not). Others like GG&G and Versapod had some strong supporters but nowhere near as many.
One that I saw asked about several times was the Tangodown ACB-4 but for some reason no one ever seemed to post a reply recommending it. Based on what I did find about the Tangodown, I thought maybe it was an overlooked equal to the Atlas. Even though it seems to be designed for an AR, I thought it had a good group of features - no external components, adjustable legs, swivel/pan and tilt/cant capabilities - that would make it suitable for my bolt gun. I ordered one for $190 shipped on botachtactical.com
It arrived yesterday and I found out that I was very over-optimistic. I immediately noticed the following problems:
The swivel and tilt range is extremely limited.
The size is much longer and than I expected (probably three inches longer than the Atlas when fully retracted).
The space between the legs when they are up doesn't fit well on a stock with significant palmswell.
The feet are hard plastic, so the checkered bottoms don't really provide any grip on hard, flat surfaces.
I have inspected a friend's Atlas a couple times and don't believe it has any of the same problems. Since I can get an Atlas for ~205 shipped from Midway using their coupon codes, I have decided that the extra $25 will be money well-spent. The quality metal construction AND lighter weight with "grippier" feet and greater range of motion have won another Atlas fan. Maybe I was just foolish trying to use the Tangodown for a bolt gun but I think I would still prefer the Atlas for an AR. I hope this information helps any others that may have been looking at the Tangodown. If you really want an alternative, I think I would check out the GG&G but the Atlas looks so much cleaner and more refined that I'm not even going to keep searching.
One that I saw asked about several times was the Tangodown ACB-4 but for some reason no one ever seemed to post a reply recommending it. Based on what I did find about the Tangodown, I thought maybe it was an overlooked equal to the Atlas. Even though it seems to be designed for an AR, I thought it had a good group of features - no external components, adjustable legs, swivel/pan and tilt/cant capabilities - that would make it suitable for my bolt gun. I ordered one for $190 shipped on botachtactical.com
It arrived yesterday and I found out that I was very over-optimistic. I immediately noticed the following problems:
The swivel and tilt range is extremely limited.
The size is much longer and than I expected (probably three inches longer than the Atlas when fully retracted).
The space between the legs when they are up doesn't fit well on a stock with significant palmswell.
The feet are hard plastic, so the checkered bottoms don't really provide any grip on hard, flat surfaces.
I have inspected a friend's Atlas a couple times and don't believe it has any of the same problems. Since I can get an Atlas for ~205 shipped from Midway using their coupon codes, I have decided that the extra $25 will be money well-spent. The quality metal construction AND lighter weight with "grippier" feet and greater range of motion have won another Atlas fan. Maybe I was just foolish trying to use the Tangodown for a bolt gun but I think I would still prefer the Atlas for an AR. I hope this information helps any others that may have been looking at the Tangodown. If you really want an alternative, I think I would check out the GG&G but the Atlas looks so much cleaner and more refined that I'm not even going to keep searching.
