Bipod or no, what’s your experience?

for backpacking mountains do you carry a bipod


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Lot of bears not make it out of here
338 chute.jpg
 
I carry a shooting stick (doubles as walking stick) and can shoot off my pack if going prone and shooting further. Don't carry a bipod on the rifle if going in deep and packing light. Adding a bipod would defeat the purpose of a lightweight rifle/scope combo...
 
I carry a shooting stick (doubles as walking stick) and can shoot off my pack if going prone and shooting further. Don't carry a bipod on the rifle if going in deep and packing light. Adding a bipod would defeat the purpose of a lightweight rifle/scope combo...

Kind of - unless you are dead set on having a bipod, like myself. Then the additional weight of a bipod is a sunk cost because it is automatically added to the weight of a 9lb scoped rifle (10lbs with a bipod) or a 6lb scoped rifle (7lbs with a a bipod). You still save 3lbs by cutting other areas of the rifle.
 
Always use a bipod unless it is something within 150 yards or so. Switched all my rifles to the Javelin Pro Hunt bipod a while back because I don't like having a bulky bipod attached to my rifle while hiking. Just need one bipod and install a magnetic mount into each rifle. The mount is set into the stock with epoxy so is level with the stock, will not catch on anything and never comes loose. The carbon bipod only weighs 6 oz so you don't notice it in your pack. It attaches in a second and is ready to go. Really nice for a pack hunt. Fairly expensive but you only need one.
 
I have killed elk using a bipod, and was with a friend that had a great prone opportunity and missed at 300 yards using my gun with bipod. I prefer to use the bipod and rest the butt of the gun on my backpack when the opportunity exists. I originally hunted without a bipod for weight reduction, but found that I shoot much better with one and decided the weight was worth it for the accuracy I gain. I also hunt antelope, and have taken one antelope with a bipod prone, and killed one this week using a Primos Shockey tripod with 2 point rifle rest. I really like this setup and am going to investigate a better tripod like the RRS. I very much dislike the weight penalty and added complexity of more gear, but I can't argue with my accuracy improvement using a bipod/tripod. I've also learned that you never know what the terrain of CO is going to throw at you and having these tools in your toolbox helps swing the odds in the hunter's favor.
 
I use a bipod for competition but never, ever for hunting. Too much weight.

Recently I bought Quick stickX for my hiking poles. They are 2 moulded high impact polymer discs that clamp just below your hiking pole handles and when you mate and twist them VOILE', you have adjustable shooting sticks for $45. and very little added weight.

Quick stiX are the best solution if you use hiking poles, especially for backpack hunting or hunting steep terrain where you need them to save your knees on long downhills.

Eric B.
 
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Always a bipod if I can. A lot of shots in the wild won't let you get that low (skip the 6"-9" sizes). Bog pod has seemed to work best and doubles as a walking stick. In Africa EVERYONE gets the tripod treatment. The only caveat is that you need to learn the quirks of bipods. Some lighter duty stocks flex too much and a bipod causes inaccuracies and flyers. Hard feet can cause bounce as well. The pressure you exert on the rifle when using a bipod needs to be consistent as well. Practice a lot with it. Try shooting with it as a rest and loading the legs and from different positions. It's a useful addition but it adds a different dimension to your rifle.
 
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