Normally the closer to ground you can get, the more stable you will be. A bipod will be more stable than no bipod. A good bipod, attached properly, will be both quick and stable to a point, but may not be high enough. A tripod has a definite advantage in higher positions that are more stationary. Lately military snipers are using two tripods in tandem, one in the front and one in the rear where the situation permits. This is a very stable shooting technique. The longer the range, or the smaller the target, the more stability is required. A recommendation on bipod / tripod mounting and use of rests. Mounting the bipod / tripod farther forward reduces muzzle movement induced by you at the butt. In other words, you can move farther with less angular misalignment to add to your instability. Angular misalignment is far worse than instability by itself. If the target is 10" in diameter, an aligned gun can move 5" in any direction from center and still hit the target with half of the bullet!
By the way, loading a bipod does work.
It helps control recoil so you can get back on target quicker. Just be consistent.
Free recoil works too, especially with low recoil weapons like the current PRS game guns.
Not so much with my 338 LM.
I can shoot fairly well off-hand, but I do much better with a rest. And better than that with a good rest. And best of all with a great rest! I have been trained to build shooting positions out of whatever is available on the spot, and to carry the necessary equipment for the mission with me. Usually this equipment is carried in a pack, which can be used as a rest if and when it is necessary.
If you are spending all the money most of us do on your rifle, ammunition, and hunting trips, get great rests that work for your application!
I don't want to offend anyone, and not saying they can't be made to work, but most rifles today cost a lot of money, much more than ever before. With the great bipods we have to choose from, don't put a spring loaded rat trap on your favorite long range rifle!
Just my thoughts!