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Terrain makes a huge difference on loading bipods. Softer ground is easier obviously. Slight inclines or declines work well too.
Some bipods load much easier then others. An Atlas will load with ease on pretty much any surface, where as a stiff Harris will not. That was the one thing I did like about Atlas.
Lay prone behind your rifle like you normally would. Lift up the butt and scoot forward just a hair, drop rifle back down into your shoulder. If the terrain allows this should load your bipod.
I have sometimes put rocks in front of my pod legs to give me something to lean into with bipod.
Laying straight behind the rifle is very important too.
Also, bring your left leg out to the side and up towards your head. It gets the left side of your chest off the ground so you don't have to fight the bump from your heart beat as much.
I know they used to teach this is old military sniper schools, but it's not the norm nowadays. The reason being is it is MUCH tougher to get your natural point of aim (NPA) set directly behind the rifle. If you cock that one leg up, the recoil will oftentimes throw your scope/rifle off after the shot, this making it much harder to spot your own hits. With a proper loaded bipod and good NPA I'm spotting my own hits at 300 yards even with a 300 Norma.
With am adjustable bipod, you can raise it up higher to get your chest off the ground and still maintain a good NPA.
Mike
It's funny you say that, my two "mentors" were old Snipers. This is the way I was taught to shoot but I'm always open to new techniques. So your saying don't bring the leg up? Just get in-line with your target, rifle, and body. Then get prone, shoulder the rifle, and load the rifle?
Makes sense to me.Pretty much. The theory behind laying straight prone behind the rifle is you create a straight line from your shoulder down your back to your hips for the recoil to travel through. Basically think of your body as a starting block for a sprinter. The more square that block is the more consistent that recoil will be and the rifle will return on target more easily after the shot. If that block is twisted, it's going to throw that sprinter off when they push against it.
Your NPA is basically explained like this. Get behind the rifle with your eyes closed and assume your shooting position. You want your body totally relaxed (hence the description NATURAL point of aim). If everything is right, when you open your scope eye, you will be on target. If you have to shift your torso or hips at all this induces a stress into your shooting position that will affect the point where the rifle returns after recoil. Any muscle tension at the point of the shot will throw the recoil off. You want to shift your body to where totally relaxed behind the gun you are on target. From that point slightly pre load the bipod and you're good to go. If after the recoil you're scope returns to off target, adjust your body position one way or the other until you start returning on target.
Imagine a coil spring. With square pressure it will compress and spring back to its original position. If you compress one side or the other it will return to one side or the other after compression. Same theory here.
Make sense?
Mike
Pretty much. The theory behind laying straight prone behind the rifle is you create a straight line from your shoulder down your back to your hips for the recoil to travel through. Basically think of your body as a starting block for a sprinter. The more square that block is the more consistent that recoil will be and the rifle will return on target more easily after the shot. If that block is twisted, it's going to throw that sprinter off when they push against it.
Your NPA is basically explained like this. Get behind the rifle with your eyes closed and assume your shooting position. You want your body totally relaxed (hence the description NATURAL point of aim). If everything is right, when you open your scope eye, you will be on target. If you have to shift your torso or hips at all this induces a stress into your shooting position that will affect the point where the rifle returns after recoil. Any muscle tension at the point of the shot will throw the recoil off. You want to shift your body to where totally relaxed behind the gun you are on target. From that point slightly pre load the bipod and you're good to go. If after the recoil you're scope returns to off target, adjust your body position one way or the other until you start returning on target.
Imagine a coil spring. With square pressure it will compress and spring back to its original position. If you compress one side or the other it will return to one side or the other after compression. Same theory here.
Make sense?
Mike