Caldwell bipod?
- Thread starter ChrisBCS
- Start date
Buy Once, Cry Once.....
You will only be saving money until the thing shits the bed.
https://www.triadtactical.com/Bipods-etc./
You will only be saving money until the thing shits the bed.
https://www.triadtactical.com/Bipods-etc./
No. Don't waste your money on Caldwell bipod. Buy a Harris or Atlas. I prefer Harris. But it is also the most I'm willing to spend on a bipod at the moment. I'd like to try an Atlas though.
I completely agree with the buy once cry once principle. That being said, I ran a Caldwell for about 6 months while I was saving up for an atlas and honestly, it was fine. Was it as well made as the Harris bipods? It's close enough that my honest answer is I'm not sure. It was significantly better made than the blackhawk and other cheap harris copies I looked at. I used it hard for those 6 months and nothing on it ever broke. It is currently on a 10/22 trainer and still going strong a year or so later. Once I went atlas though, everything else sort of paled in comparison. The atlas is legit.
-Tuesday
-Tuesday
harris/atlas Could have better features(base on your feature need) than the cheaper one, and better QA control. the cheap one run fine for most case, you wont break it. I mean its metal bipod nothing hi-tech about it. you are not gonna break it run around with it. I use the UTG on 223/308 and it held up well. i got the harris because certain features, better QA, made in US, not because its 2x time better than UTG, because its not.
you have to remember caldwell, UTG are Mass produce in asia, they can make penny on a dollar profit and take lost etc, but harris/atalas is made here and due to smaller company size they can't just make penny on dollar for its profit.
you have to remember caldwell, UTG are Mass produce in asia, they can make penny on a dollar profit and take lost etc, but harris/atalas is made here and due to smaller company size they can't just make penny on dollar for its profit.
I have one of the caldwell bipods.
The quality difference between that and a Harris is VERY apparent.
I have it on a range gun and haven't had any trouble with it, but I don't use it much and when I do i don't use it hard.
Harris is the most reasonable as far as quality vs price.
However, if you want one now and don't plan on using it hard, one of the caldwell/winchester ones should suffice.
The quality difference between that and a Harris is VERY apparent.
I have it on a range gun and haven't had any trouble with it, but I don't use it much and when I do i don't use it hard.
Harris is the most reasonable as far as quality vs price.
However, if you want one now and don't plan on using it hard, one of the caldwell/winchester ones should suffice.
Really, it depends on your application.
I have a Harris on my Rem 700.
I have a Caldwell on my Savage .22WMR.
The Harris is definitely miles ahead of the Caldwell.
But my Savage is used 95% off of the bench at 100-150m and the Caldwell has worked flawlessly for over 2 years.
At less than 1/3 the price.
Not to discourage buying the best you can if you can afford it...but do you really need a Ferrari to run to the grocery store?
I have a Harris on my Rem 700.
I have a Caldwell on my Savage .22WMR.
The Harris is definitely miles ahead of the Caldwell.
But my Savage is used 95% off of the bench at 100-150m and the Caldwell has worked flawlessly for over 2 years.
At less than 1/3 the price.
Not to discourage buying the best you can if you can afford it...but do you really need a Ferrari to run to the grocery store?
Harris is better no doubt, in fact trying to use the UTG under a 308 has caused the legs to bow and occasionally goes all eye of the tiger and try to pull an atlas move by rotating past the the stop. However under my savage 17hmr, I have a caldwell that is the BRM model I think I paid 30 for and it works well. Under any hard use, i'm sure the caldwell would also fail in short order and I would never go buy another for a non light use. if this is for a 22 or plinking gun that you spent less then 300 total setting up? Go for it. For use with a heavy centerfire? It will break.
Dont do it....save and buy harris....caldwell lasted 1 month before it went deep in a parts bin. No where near as stable even for my .22.
damn i had a good thread going a while back comparing harris, caldwell, blackhawk, "rock mount", and the champion branded stuff. got lost in the site switchover. i did not use the utg version
the harris is definately more upscale with the finish, the quality of the hardware used, the spring and it's tension, and the mechanisms for deploying the legs. of the "harris styled stuff" the original is still the most solid, and if you can spend the extra on it, it's worth it.
i'd put the caldwell over the other "knockoffs" i've tried. it's not as upscale as the harris, but IMO not as far off as the others.
the blackhawk, champion, and rock mount brands a bit more flimsy, less spring tension, flexy legs. they work, and will do the job at the range, but would depend on a more solid bipod with the caldwell or harris over them.
then comes height - if prone i like the 9"-13" range for prone, for bench the 6-9", and in the field the tall 13-27" pivoting for odd positions and for sitting on uneven terrain. in the field, i usually have the tall one mounted, and keep the 9-13" in the pack and switch them if the set up calls for it.
then the next consideration is legs - notched or smooth - for hunting i like the idea of getting in the general area quicker via leg notches, but prefer the smooth to adjust to the sweet spot when at the range.
some of the versions have legs that spring out and you have to push in, some have the pull out, hit the button, and they collapse. harris has pull out collapse with button, i think caldwell has the spring out style. i forget how the blackhawk and the rock mount ones operate. i prefer the pull out for if you are setting up and have to make an adjustment, the whole rig doesn't fall down if you lose your grip on the mechanism, or having too much weight on that type of leg.
the harris is definately more upscale with the finish, the quality of the hardware used, the spring and it's tension, and the mechanisms for deploying the legs. of the "harris styled stuff" the original is still the most solid, and if you can spend the extra on it, it's worth it.
i'd put the caldwell over the other "knockoffs" i've tried. it's not as upscale as the harris, but IMO not as far off as the others.
the blackhawk, champion, and rock mount brands a bit more flimsy, less spring tension, flexy legs. they work, and will do the job at the range, but would depend on a more solid bipod with the caldwell or harris over them.
then comes height - if prone i like the 9"-13" range for prone, for bench the 6-9", and in the field the tall 13-27" pivoting for odd positions and for sitting on uneven terrain. in the field, i usually have the tall one mounted, and keep the 9-13" in the pack and switch them if the set up calls for it.
then the next consideration is legs - notched or smooth - for hunting i like the idea of getting in the general area quicker via leg notches, but prefer the smooth to adjust to the sweet spot when at the range.
some of the versions have legs that spring out and you have to push in, some have the pull out, hit the button, and they collapse. harris has pull out collapse with button, i think caldwell has the spring out style. i forget how the blackhawk and the rock mount ones operate. i prefer the pull out for if you are setting up and have to make an adjustment, the whole rig doesn't fall down if you lose your grip on the mechanism, or having too much weight on that type of leg.
I've got one and its been fine. I mean, I might not take it to a war zone but for anything I do, range, target, hog hunting, "ranch gun", it's been more than adequate and have never regretted saving the ~$75 by not buying a harris. I've got two actually, one swivel and one non-swivel, one on a 10/22 the other on an ar, and an Atlas on the 700. I might get a Harris for the 700 tho.. it's pretty heavy and the Atlas is cool but I might prefer the simple spring loaded style more.
