How To Shoot A Rifle Using A Bipod

AZ Vince

WKR
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Jul 10, 2012
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495
Like the title says, how does one shot a rifle using a bipod?

I'm not grasping the loading the bipod set up. My rifle is hopping all over the place when I fire.

Vince
 
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.
 
Whisky,

OK, so I don't have to push like I'm trying to push a Volkswagon up a step incline?
And, thank you!
 
No it doesn't take much at all to load a bipod...again Dependant on terrain. I like to be relaxed behind the rifle. Much better then trying to "push a Volkswagen up steep incline".
 
Try this. Mount or shoulder your rifle with you prone right behind it. Basically you and the rifle are inline with each other. Put the tips of your feet into the dirt and then push forward just a touch. Then use the weight of your body to hold that position.

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.
 
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.

Good info!
To reiterate, you don't want any muscled 'push' forward thru the stock to load the bipod. That will lead to inconsistency. Building a position, as Whisky described above, using only the weight of your body against the butt of the stock, is the more repeatable way to go.

With good practice, the "feel" of achieving a straight, relaxed position behind the rifle will become easier to replicate, on a variety of terrain.
 
Thank you.
I've been shooting of my pack because bipods have been giving me fits.
 
I always teach what I do myself. "Just enough forward preload that I can feel the rifle recoil pad on my shoulder" This does two things, one: insures all forward slack is removed. Two: that the butt of the rifle is in the place I want it and I am repeating the form I want each time. Much like the so important anchor point of proper bow form at full draw. Also when learning to get proper form prone, realize practice will make it easier to get comfortable. Muscle memory is a big part of a relaxed, comfortable, position behind the rifle. It can be practiced with an empty chamber or removed bolt from the living room floor or back yard. It can be practiced at the range or field from different locations even if you just dry fire. Many people I have trained have noticed it becoming more comfortable and repeatable in a pretty short time frame with practice.

Jeff

PS: Don't be afraid to raise the bipod a notch or two if you feel you need to get lower on the rifle. We are all built different and this setting is something that may differ between shooters and body type.
 
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
 
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?
 
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?

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
Makes sense to me.
I'm going to give the bipod another go.
 
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

Yup. Will be interesting to see how this changes things. The way I shoot now my rifle jumps to the left after the shot. Even when I feel like I squeezed of a good shot, and everything felt right with my body. With my left leg up, I can see how I can have a little Body English with my shooting shoulder to push the stock out and have the barrel jumping left.

Thanks for the tip.
Garett
 
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