Well holy crap color me HAPPY! I wasn't sure what I was going to think of the Atlas Bipod. I've been pretty happy with my Harris bipods and I thought that the slow deployment on the legs compared to Harris was going to kill it for me. I found that the slower leg deployment was aided by the fact that the length setting was more precise and a bit easier to carry out to the exact height that you want. I also felt that the lower center of gravity of the spigot mount and/or combined with the Atlas has given me a more stable platform from which to shoot.
I also bought the 3" leg extensions as i much prefer the 9"-13" Harris model when not shooting from the bench (I only use the 6" to 9" when bench shooting). Considering that the Atlas heights are 4.75"-9" I felt like I was going to really prefer having the setup be at 7.75"-12" as it more closely resembled the 9"-13" I preferred. I was wrong. Turned out to get to the closest target toward the bottom of the hill I had to tilt the legs forward 45 degrees to get low enough and then didn't ever use the full extension to get to the target at the top of the hill at 780 yards. After taking the extensions off I was able to get onto all of the targets with the legs at 90 degrees.
The B&T mono-pod for the AICS platform is also much improved over that of the swivel mount version. The push button to lock it into the stowed and use positions was very welcomed! I also found that clicking the monopod into its free swiveling position and using it as a hand hold in intermediate positions allowed me very fast acquisition on targets at varying distances on the timed events.
I spent about 11 hours today with this platform with a little time taken out to clean the rifle and to eat lunch. Not a whole lot of time was spent standing up away from the rifle. I was so comfortable with the platform I never really felt the want or need to get up and take a break. Bout the only time I got up was when we were in timed sequences and had to start back from the rifles and race to the firing line and load before shooting.
In the timed portions the AICS platform worked very well for me! I found that when we were supposed to just run to the firing position and be the first one to put a bullet on a single target that single loading was the way to go. However once we had to engage multiple targets the magazine was the way to go because it made for much faster follow up shots. I believe with a bit more practice and more muscle memory on where the magazine slot is that this difference could be diminished.
The AICS platform while very good as is it was made great by the Victor Company products. The grippy cheek rest was WAY cooler than it had any right to be. I honestly didn't expect a whole lot of difference from it. I'm not too sure that it made a ton of difference in the accuracy of my shots but it did mean that my face was still welded to the rifle and I KNOW that it saved me time on follow up shots. Even if it hadn't saved me time the additional comfort that it provides is way more than you'd think. The soft palm swell and soft cheek rest make the Viper Skinned AICS feel like returning to your home bed after a long trip away. I also highly recommend the accustack spacers. Not so much for the reason that Victor Company sells them. I wasn't having issues with the cheek rest falling upon recoil... However being able to quickly and easily snap that cheek rest to exactly where it was before after cleaning was very handy! I watched quite a few guys fiddle with their setups as they worked to readjust their comb height again after cleaning the rifle.
The additional grip provided by the rubber palm swell gives me the same grip that I get when wearing leather shooting gloves without the missing tactile feedback from them covering your fingertips. I've since cut the finger tips off but hey... you get the picture. I also felt that the pistol grip FORCED me to get a perfect straight back pull on the trigger. The size of the standard palm swell was just right for me out of the box and my finger falls on the trigger with a nice 90 degree bend at the knuckle and it just makes you shoot with proper fundamentals because that is what feels right.
I didn't get my QD sling conversion in time for this class but I'm sure that I'll be happy with the peace of mind knowing that I have a solid sling connection. It will raise my barrel up a bit more but with my 20" tube I think it will still fall below head level which is my main goal at the moment. I pretty much want the rifle to fall within my body so that if I walk through some brush or a door way I know that the rifle is going to clear.
The TAB gear Biathlon sling was great for schlepping my 17 pound gun up and down the steep incline to the shooting line. I didn't get much chance to use the shooters sling portion of it but I have tried it out at my range. While I believe I'll much prefer the Rapid Adjust Sling that I've also bought for positional shooting I'm a huge fan of the Biathlon for making a heavier rifle feel very comfortable when packed for a distance especially on steeper terrain. Made it much more bearable for this fat guy (5'11" 205lbs and in terrible shape).
This setup has felt very comfortable to me during the first day of class! I owe that to the fantastic products as well as the time spent dry firing and getting used to them. That time is where I really fell in love with the Viper Skins! I thought that I'd go back and forth and hem and haw about which one I liked better. I kinda assumed that it would be a toss up in my mind and that I'd like elements of each and that it would be hard to make a decision. I honestly felt that I was going to end up selling the Viper Skins because I've very much been a fan of thumb hole stocks in the past. However once the Viper Skins went onto my rifle there was no question this was what I wanted my rifle to feel like. I was quickly ready to break out the dremel and make these babies permanently mine! Now if you want to take them from me you're going to have to be ducking lead as you try!
Well if you've made it this far reading my words I thank you for spending the time to hear my thoughts and only hope that they were informative and/or help you with a decision that you're trying to make.
Good shooting!
~Brett