Magpul’s Bipod Offers Exquisite Design at Half the Price
By David Lake
If at least some of a rifle’s inherent value is commensurate with its ability to hit a target then it may be said that a bipod is among the most important accessories for that rifle. The bipod offers better stability than shooting sticks or monopods, and the fact that it is small enough and light enough to be hard-mounted to a rifle makes it more practical and useful than a free-standing rifle rest or sandbag.
Magpul has just released their long-awaited entry into the bipod market. Like all things Magpul, it is crafted of high-impact, reinforced polymer. The particular “plastic” used in all Magpul products exhibits strength very near that of aluminum. Resilience and resistance to impact and deformation are greater than that of aluminum. And this miracle polymer also weighs about 60% less than aluminum.
Stable Design
The overall design is well thought-out. It’s very streamlined to resist snagging and interfering with the shooter’s movement or manipulation of the weapon. There are no exposed springs, hooks or protrusions to speak of. The legs can be deployed from their upright folded position very quickly with one hand just by pulling them down and away from the weapon. The legs are extended simply by depressing the lock button and sliding the leg out to its desired position. A shooter can choose to deploy and extend silently if he carefully maintains pressure on the lock buttons throughout these motions. Some more established bipod brands featuring spring-loaded or self-extending legs cannot make this claim. It’s an important consideration for a hunter who prefers to not startle his quarry. The only design feature that might prove a detriment to some shooters is that the legs do not lock in the folded upright position—it’s foreseeable that a random encounter with a tree branch could cause a leg to deploy. This event would be accompanied by a loud “crack” while the locking button snaps into position.
The pan and tilt feature of the Magpul Bipod is excellent. A single (and easily accessible) knurled locking knob is located between the legs...
This article first appeared in Small Arms Review V23N4 (April 2019) |
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