Floppy rip-off from a quality company
I have Sinclairs f-class bipod. I have their press. I have other tools from Sinclair that are quality parts. THIS IS NOT ONE OF THEM. I was just underwhelmed when I opened the box and started playing with this bipod prior to mounting on my competition rifle. Its loose and wobbly. I couldnt understand why the pins for adjusting leg position have to be so much smaller than the holes they go into. Why is the leg attachment so loose? Why is there no way to tighten this up? If his bipod were priced at $40.00, it would be acceptable as a beginner part. At $200, its a ripoff. Buy something else!
Does the job well, but has issues.
I've had this bipod for a few months now, I have two major complaints about it. First is the locking mechanism is garbage. If you "lock it up" by hand it just wont get tight enough and it will loosen if you try to cant your rifle counter clockwise just a little to level the rifle, this is extremely frustrating since it has massive levers that are already annoying. You can cant the rifle over all the way to the left, tighten the lever, and then cant the rifle back upright for a pretty solid lock up but that shouldn't be nessesary, and you have to reverse that process to unlock it or you will break the screw on the tension handle. The second major complaint is that the legs can come off far too easily. I've found myself trying to adjust the bipod and failing to get the pin all the way in which holds the legs on, thus causing it to move or fall off when shooting. Removable legs from the base never should have been an option, a simple fastener holding them to the base should have been included. My last complaint isnt major but relevant, the knobs for securing the (much too large base) to the rifle are too large they are bulky and could get in the way if you used this tripod on a mountain gun or bush gun. The base itself is wider than most gun stocks, even my chassis gun with picatinny rails on both sides is barely wider than the tripod base. That said it's not all bad. I like the adjustability in the legs a lot, if you can get the swivel to lock up it makes a nice stable platform horizontally, because the legs arent attached with a fastener they have some slop forward and back, that isnt such a big deal for me because loading the bipod forward or backward is still possible. It does do a better job than a Harris type. For the cost this design should have closer tolerances and a smaller profile.
Weirdest Bipod I've ever seen...
This thing being called a "Tactical/Varmint" bipod is 50% incorrect, yes I could see this being used for varmints if you're out in an open field and don't have to carry your rifle or worry about setting it up in a hurry. As far as the "tactical" side goes all I can say is I was laughed at by all the military vets I go to gunsmith school with, loudest of all being a former Marine scout sniper. It seems well made and sturdy while also feeling like cheap overly-complicated junk at the same time as you look at all the levers sticking 2 or 3 inches off the base that will get caught on every tree branch you go by or piece of gear you carry. It seems like it could handle the recoil of a 300WM easily but the legs wobble like crazy whether they're folded or unfolded with no way to prevent this and the way they unfold makes it extremely easy to accidentally pop the leg off. This happened to everyone I showed the bipod to, once they figured out how exactly to unfold the thing they accidentally ripped the leg off and held it in their hand laughing at how ridiculous it was. In the end I can't begin to describe all the weirdness and problems that make up this set up, all I can say is spend the few extra bucks to get an Atlas or save a little bit and buy a Harris.
