Re: Help me choose a bipod
Good Day
While Groper was partly correct in regards to recoil characteristics, Kasey you are also correct in regards to theres a lot more to it.
I will attempt to explain in writing (It is much easier in talking lol)...
It all begins with knowing, understanding and realizes that "big bore" weapon systems have their own shooting techniques and their own line of issues in regards to the actual rifle equipment. Anyone that says you use the same shooting techniques for big bore systems as you do the normal systems have not shot enough big bore systems to understand the difference and/or have never been taught big bore shooting techniques and just brought over what they knew from normal systems into the big systems.
Hence that all the support equipment from normal systems are always brought over to the big systems and generally never works and reason manufactures typically just build larger versions of their products and deem them suitable for big systems which they are actually not.
Technique Differences
First: In big bore systems you do NOT preload the bipod..the preferred and taught technique is actually just the opposite, you unload that bipod. This is done for several different reasons to include: 1)The recoil is going to move the rifle and shooter so no point in shooter taking all the recoil while the rifle takes up the "slack" on the bipod due to rifle being muscled all the way forward. 2)It is also done to reduce the muzzle brake induced error (This occurs when using a venting muzzle brake..I will explain what MBIE is below). 3)It is done because big bore systems prefer to be shot using a semi free recoil hold and not muscled into position.
Second: In big bore systems they perform better (and shooter will feel better lol) if you allow the system to semi free recoil) No matter how hard you think you gonna hold the rifle it IS going to move you so no point in shooter taking the abuse, thats what the support equipment is for. Following the first step above allows the bipod to take the initial brunt of the recoil before the shooter shoulder does and that happens because shooter isn't preloading the bipod and jamming his shoulder into the gun.
Third: Concept of as long as you are straight behind the rifle then it will not torque upwards does not transfer over to the big systems. You can be as straight as possible behind it and the rifle can be perfect horizontal alignment with the ground BUT it is still going to come upward unless you have muzzle brake that vents the gas slightly up that pushes the barrel towards the ground. They are out there and they work but depending on what rifle they own it causes a completely different set of issues to worry about.
Line of Issues
First: Muzzle brake induced error..This effect occurs when one is shooting a large bore (50BMG) rifle that is equipped with a venting-type muzzle brake. A shooter that is muscling his gun onto the desired point impact on target will experience this effect. As the bullet begins to travel down the bore, the cold air (precursor) in from of the bullet enters the muzzle brake and the brake starts to pull the rifle from the shooter's shoulder. This causes the gun to be further pulled in the direction the shooter is muscling the rifle. The MBIE effect is one of the biggest causes of misses on target of errant fliers in a group of shots. SIDENOTE: This is one of reasons why the NSWC teaches to pull the Tac50 into the shooter and basically “unload” the bipod.
Second: Unlike normal systems where a 300WM in a couple different builds will have pretty much the same recoil characteristics as long as gun is approximate same weight and same muzzle brake or no brake..that does not hold true in the big bore systems. In the big bore systems it is all dependent on each and every component of that rifle (stock, barrel, action, brake, bipod). You take a Tac50 style build with muzzle brake the vents the gas up in order to keep the barrel down..well that recoil then punches the shooter in the face with the buttstock due to short pivot angle of that stock system. That in itself reaks havoc on bipods due to the manufactures just made bigger versions of their existing product but done nothing to the bipod that helps in handle recoil DOWN onto the top of it.
That should be enough to get people either thinking or wanting to debate techniques
Thanks
PS: Kasey..good luck on the 45deg leg patent because I am looking at bipods with 45deg leg locks on the following:
Steyr 15.2mm rifle
Daisy M600Standard
Daisy M600 14.5x114m
Becker Bipod from around 2000-2001 era