I get that there are bipods and then there are bipods. I've generally used Harris. Been aware of Atlas but not some of the other brands, Cyke, for example. Was offered 10% off and free shipping from an excellent seller, but $599.95 list price? (with mount). To justify the price is a Cyke really 9x better than a Harris?

"There's a sucker born every minute."

Their aluminum is free range organic.

Not to mention gluten free.

quote:

Originally posted by ChuckFinley:
To justify the price is a Cyke really 9x better than a Harris?

Is an Atlas bipod 3x better than a Harris?
Is a Ferrari 10x (or whatever) better than a Honda?
Is a Mont Blanc pen hundreds of times better than a Bic stick pen?

The owners must decide for themselves.

Cyke bipods are really nice. I've seen them in action in precision rifle competitions, and they do certain things much better than Atlas and Harris. Some things are comparable in use for all three products. Much depends on the shooter's needs, and desires to hit that additional target or shave that time.

I use Atlas bipods -- I can justify the 3x cost increase from Atlas. So far, I can't justify the investment in Cyke -- maybe someday I will. Some shooters can't justify the 3x cost increase of an Atlas over a Harris. Some people find Harris too expensive.

Highly adjustable bipods and tripods pretty much required to be competitive at the Steel Safari and Team Safari matches at JP's Blue Steel Ranch. Those who haven't had their collective asses handed to them at these matches probably won't understand the potential benefits of the Cyke.

Did the bipod come with a free AR15?

Thanks for the insightful post, Fritz!

Turns out it isn't just a gov't contract price

Harris is a reasonable combination of price and durability. It's a pretty dated design, but has been proven in military use and doesn't seem to be losing popularity.

If price and durability are your only criteria, you will be happy with the Harris. I have some really old ones that are fine. But if your criteria includes some other factors like adjustability and how it loads then you might prefer the Atlas. But in the end all this is really personal preference. For fun stuff I'm happy with a Harris with a few needed aftermarket parts, but for serious stuff I run an Atlas.
All YMMV>

One of those things you just have to be willing to pay for. (obviously lol)

I'm willing at times and others not. I bought some stupid mount last month, two tiny pieces of machined aluminum. After shipping, from two different vendors, because no one had both pieces in stock, it cost $74+. But I was "supporting small firearms related, American made products." So I swallowed hard and bought it. Do the right thing.

The Chinese version was $20 shipped.

I actually bought both because I thought I would end up cutting one up to make it work. If I needed to, I'd cut the cheap one, sell the expensive one at a loss.

As it turns out I didn't need to cut it. Also turns out the $20 Chinese one was better made than the US one. And in the end, neither of them worked out for what I wanted to do.

Sometimes there's a good reason things cost what they do. Sometimes not.
I think sometimes it's just because people are willing to pay it. Why sell three $200 bipods if we can sell one $600 one?

Some people will always pay just to see what all the fuss is about, worth it in the end or not.

Heck I just finally gave in and bought a gun I've been wondering about for years, but never bought because I thought it was over priced. Wanted to finally see what all the fuss was about. So far, I don't see what all the fuss was about.

Never gotten my hands on one of those, but I feel that my Atlas was worth the cost based on quality of construction.

The Magpul bipods are good and not too expensive. Better than Harris IMO.

For what it's worth I like my Magpul one I grabbed for $100. Thought it was a lot nicer than the Atlas. But Same, I couldn't justify the cost of a Atlas or others.

Most PRS shooters use either a Harris or an Atlas, FWIW. I prefer the Atlas PSR.

quote:

Originally posted by davidwiz:
Most PRS shooters use either a Harris or an Atlas, FWIW.

In the videos I’ve watched there seems to be somewhat different percentages of the various makes of bipods based on the competition discipline involved. I haven’t made any attempt to deliberately count the ones I’ve seen, and that might not (probably would not?) be an accurate indication of the percentages anyway, but I have definitely seen more of the hideously expensive Ckye bipods in the National Rifle League series, for example, than in Canadian rimfire matches.

I believe that is understandable if for no other reason alone than that there is probably a difference in how much competitors in different disciplines are generally willing/able to spend on their gear. Also, a rimfire shooter would have less concern about how the bipod handles recoil, to cite one issue. As for what is usable and regarding the percentages, I’ve clearly seen more Harris bipods still being used by military snipers in their competitions. That may be in large part due to because Harris bipods are what are issued, and military personnel are less likely or are perhaps prohibited from supplying their personal gear. And that of course doesn’t mean that Harris bipods are “just as good” as other types for certain applications, but they may be good enough for what they do based on both the size/types of targets and how they are engaged.

quote:

Is an Atlas bipod 3x better than a Harris?
Is a Ferrari 10x (or whatever) better than a Honda?
Is a Mont Blanc pen hundreds of times better than a Bic stick pen?

Yes to all above.

Atlas is all I use but rest assured that MDT makes some first class gear.
Couple over-engineering along with the current inflation which goes back to the original ammo scare days - it is uber-expensive.
Atlas does just fine for me, back when they first came out everybody thought they were over-priced too.

You wonder why the military hasn't replaced Harris with Atlas? I'm sure they could get a smoking deal on a bulk purchase.

quote:

Originally posted by smschulz:
Atlas does just fine for me, back when they first came out everybody thought they were over-priced too.

And I recall that when they were “discovered,” just like the Ckye-Pod they were also difficult to obtain for a time. That sort of thing is another factor that can increase their desirability: “See: I have one and you don’t.”

I drew my line in the sand with the Atlas.

I still have Harris....the features of the Atlas were worth it to me

I have a 400.00 Sako TRG bipod, a 160.00 GG&G bipod and a 350.00 Atlas. The Atlas is by far the best.