I have been hunting everything from squirrels to big game for well over 40 years but I didn’t start using a Harris bipod until I was in my mid 20s. I had become a sniper on the police SWAT team and the rifles they issued us were equipped with Harris bipods. I quickly saw what an amazing piece of gear this was and knew I had to start using one on my hunting rifles.
If you aren’t familiar with the Harris bipod, it is a folding bipod with telescoping legs allowing you to set it at various heights. It mounts via the sling stud on the front of the rifle and folds up forward under the barrel. Don’t worry, the bipod has a location for hooking up your sling. Harris makes many different models of bipods each with different heights and features. Initially, I first starting using the standard 9-13″ model on my hunting rifles. This works ok if you can get prone or rest it on something, but if you are in tall grass or deep snow, it won’t help you.
After trying several models in the field, I have found my favorite to be the model S25C. This model extends from 13.5″-27″ and swivels and tilts to allow quick leveling of your sight picture on uneven terrain. My favorite way to use this bipod is to get into a seated position, preferably with my back against a tree or rock. I then extend the legs to their full length and am able to get into an extremely stable shooting position. This works great when shooting prairie dogs or hunting big open country where you need to sit and glass for a while. As much as I prefer this position, sometimes you have to go prone. I can do this even with the 13.5″ height of the lowest position. If it is too high, I just pull back on the rifle, causing the legs to start to fold upward. They are on spring tension so the gun remains rigid and I can get as stable as needed. I have shot many animals using this technique, including a moose at 405 yards in deep snow in Alberta, Canada as well as the cow elk pictured above at 675 yards.
If you don’t own a Harris bipod, remedy this situation quickly, you will thank me for it. I use them when shooting from a bench while sighting in rifles as well as while in the field. I like to have three of them on hand when I’m in the field. I use the 6-9″ for bench work, the 9-13″ for all around use including on ARs, and the aforementioned 13.5-27″ for hunting. They come in black and camo and even though they work the same, the camo ones just plain look cool! Give them a look see.