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F T/R Competition F/TR bipod makers

scissorhands

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Jan 23, 2013
159
6
49
Houston, Texas
I will be in the market for a new bipod. I currently have a Harris. Does anyone have a link to all the bipods made? Or just list them off one by one and I will do my research, trying to make an informed decision.
 
All of the F/TR-dedicated bipods work the same, a wide profile for stability and skid-style feet.

The Sinclair 3rd Gen has an elevation adjustment so you can use a benchrest style rear bag vs a squeeze-bag if your stock has a flat bottom.

Whichever one you pick, it will take a little time to learn to drive it. Any shortcoming in your shooting position will show up - after firing you won't be lined up on your target. They don't take pre-loading like a Harris or Atlas. But once you figure them out they're well worth the time and money.
 
The centershot is probably the best one I have seen. BTW I have a Sinclair gen 2 I believe that I could make you a deal on.
 
I have the Phoenix. As to driving the rifle, when one gets the position right, it tracks straight back so one only has to push it forward to be back on target. No torque to left. Position is key. The Phoenix really brought out what my rifle is capable of. Went to that from a Sinclair Gen 2 which didn't have enough elevation for little end at Raton. The Phoenix, being all under the rifle rather than cradling it like the Sinclair has MUCH more usable elevation. AG
 
I recently acquired this nice piece of UK manufacturing: http://www.tacfiresystems.co.uk/store/rifle-accessories/bipods/2482-2/ and it already helped me to two medal positions this year :) Highly recommended. Versatile attachment for both a sling stud and an Anschutz rail without any modification.

Stalingrad_2013_001_zps5abb7b31.jpg
 
I always figured I'd get a Sinclair when I move away from Open and using a front rest, but when I stumbled on the M. Werks a couple months ago I have been giving that a bit of consideration.
And that UK "Third Eye Tactical" (*groan* what a name) looks nice, any US importers?
 
I have a Gen2 Sincliar, two Centershots (1 new and 1 used) and a Duplin. Currently using the Duplin, and may offer up some of the others for sale soon. Doing my best NOT to try a Phoenix, as I don't want to start fluting barrels ;>).
 
i'm in the same boat been shooting a harris for years and want to move up been leaning heavily on the sinclair f class but there are so many good ones to choose from it can give you a headache.
i'm gonna have to look at duplin but i was thinking about dropping the coin this weekend.
 
Those are nice bipods, but you misidentified the Sinclair as a Gen1; it is in fact a gen2 and no longer available at Sinclair since they started selling their gen3. You should also point out that the Sinclairs are about half the cost of the Canadian bipods. I believe the Star Shooter is something like $425 plus shipping and the Rempel is about the same price.
 
Those are nice bipods, but you misidentified the Sinclair as a Gen1; it is in fact a gen2 and no longer available at Sinclair since they started selling their gen3. You should also point out that the Sinclairs are about half the cost of the Canadian bipods. I believe the Star Shooter is something like $425 plus shipping and the Rempel is about the same price.

Denys your right on that one in Picture is a Gen 1 The Gen 2 with fine elevation adjustment wheel is be nice to use, but is not as solid as Gen 1 and neither one of Sinclairs
can match the Star and the Remple in workmanship or friendly usability
.
manitou
 
Manitou210 is either a French-Canadian or a Newfie.

His picture showed a Sinclair 2nd generation bipod. The current Sinclair is their 3rd generation and comes with an elevation adjustment for an extra $50. I have a gen2 and gen3 w/ elevation. I wrote a small range report on my experiences with the gen3 awhile back on this forum.

After about a dozen matches, I will say that I am quite happy with the gen3 Sinclair. I don't seem to use the elevation adjustment knob as much as one would think, I'm getting pretty good at adjusting the legs at the beginning of a match; the notches on the legs actually help me do that.

As I see it there are really two types of F-TR bipods; I will call them the pedestal model and the cradle model, everything else is construction, material weight and adjustment controls. The pedestal model have the rifle at the highest point on the bipod, whereas the cradle types have the rifle, well, like in a cradle. I happen to favor the cradle type for torque control and hop, but others like the pedestal type just as much.

Sinclair's first generation was a pedestal type, but the subsequent versions are cradle types, so far.

That's about the only functional difference I see between the various bipods, the rest is marketing and features.
 
Still in R&D but getting closer to production is SEB's Joy-Pod Coaxial (joystick) FTR Bi-Pod.
You will see a few of these at the F-Class Nationals and World in Raton, NM come August for sure.
There should be a handful of prototypes in the US in a couple of months.
J-Pod2_zps49cfb3aa.jpg

J-pod1_zpscb2bdcf7.jpg
 
At the 2012 Nationals I was squadded with a Ukranian (I think) on the first day. He didn't speak a word of English, or French, or German, or Spanish, or Italian, so we could not communicate at all. It made for a difficult day. However, all that aside, he had a bipod with a stick that extended back to him so that he could adjust elevation by moving the legs further apart or closer together. He spent a LOT of time twiddling that stick, during prep time and between each shot. I've never shot F-Open but I certainly have watched a few people do so, and I simply do not remember seeing that much twiddling of the front rest adjustment between shots. In fact the F-Openers are usually the fastest shooters on the line. This guy was spending far more time twirling his stick than shooting.

So, I can't help but think that these sticky :) things for H-TR had better be used with subtantial (by that I mean large and heavy) rear rests and flat bottom stocks or else I predict a lot of carpal tunnel issue for stick twirling. Maybe the adjustment could be power driven.

However, that said, I think it's great that people come up with ideas and try things out. After all we are in the infancy of the discipline and yet we have already come a long way from the Harris (yuck) bipod.
 
Dont forget about the the Dolphin Trakker .

Oh man, those look awesome! I don't know why that one seems to appeal to me so.

bipods.jpg


Doing some Google-Fu for references or American importers, all I can find is this from Accurate Shooter's Bulletin of May 3rd, 2012:
"Americans can order direct from Dolphin at this time and Dolphin will ship to the states. (Dolphin is currently in discussions with a US-based company that would produce the Trakker bipod for the North American market, under license)."

That was 10 months ago. Hmmm. I wonder how you change the cant if not on perfectly level ground? Maybe that is the weakness of this design?
 
Wow, that looks a lot like the Sinclair first generation bipod.
 
Anyone fabricate/make their own? Seems with the right nuts, bolts, and materials it could make a great diy.

Rob

would spend the time dry firing or sending them down range before I spent the time to build one. Most all of these are made by very accomplished shooters and as such have a pretty good idea of what works and why.
 
For some it is the journey not the destination (or score/X count) Hugh.

Now shuffle off to the Home Depot, or better yet the scrap yard, for some angle iron, nuts, washers, and stove bolts.
 
I bought the Sinclair Gen 3 for F/TR and found out it does not fit an AICS. The response I got back from Sinclair is that I will either have to modify the sling swivel stud on the rifle or replace it with a standard size version to get the bipod on your rifle. Has anyone replaced the stud on this type of chassis to give me some pointers, thanks.