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Bipod for the RFB

14K views 25 replies 11 participants last post by  ronmar 
#1 ·
Hey :)

I'm in the process of searching for a durable, lightweight bipod for my RFB. I've recently gotten it back from the factory with the 24" barrel upgrade.

Perusing the forums as I have (and please forgive me if this topic has already been addressed and I've failed to find it), it seems that mounting an accessory rail and/or a bipod to the barrel of the RFB throws off the barrel harmonics and trashes the firearm's accuracy. I'm considering outfitting my platform with a bipod (or rather, tripod as the package would include a butt stock monopod).

So with that said I've a couple questions:

1) Is that truly the case?
2) If that's not as big an issue as it sounds, does anyone have any input on what might be the best bipod(s) to consider for this application and where they might be found for further research?

Thanx!
 
#3 · (Edited)
I went for the $13 knockoff. It's pretty pricey but I said whut tha' hail.
It's a little wobbly but with the 30 round mag you don't much need a 3rd leg:D.


It's a perfect distance forward for an adult but a bit of a stretch for a 14 year-old:).



Foghorn Leghorn: "...that's a joke, son".
 
#4 ·
I think the bipod's effect on "harmonics" is insignificant. It may seem to some that it has an effect, but IMO, that is entirely due to the short nature of the bullpup. On a traditional 24" barrel rifle, the bipod will be farther from the rifle's CG. You also have a long buttstock(lever) on the conventional rifle that extends well behind the CG. A longer moment/distance from the CG for the bipod means it takes a larger movement at that point for a given rotation. Tha larger moment/distance of the buttstock from the CG means you have more control to counter any rotation. You shorten these lengths to the CG as you have in the bullpup, and any movement/displacement has more rotational effect on the rifle. A monopod on the buttstock should mostly counter any effects of the bipod.
 
#5 ·
Excellent. :)

Thanx for the incites and examples! I'll keep digging through the forums - lots to sort through!
 
#6 · (Edited)
Oops, I forgot I had a bipod suggestion:) I put one of these DM1 bipods on my boltgun last year and really like it. It's main attraction to me was it is relatively small and very simple. The legs are not length adjustable, they lock at straight ahead or straight back, 45 degrees forward or back of vertical and the vertical position(5 positions total). 20 degrees of roll freedom with a tension knob to lock it in place. With the 20 degrees of roll and mixing and matching leg positions(one at 90 and one at 45), you can get 3 heights. 4 actually as folded fully forward it can rest on a fence or barricade or a car hood. The ball feet on the end are rubber. The rest is aluminum. The unit connects directly to a picatinny rail. US made lifetime waranty. I like KISS and this bipod meets that nicely.
http://alliedprecisionarms.com/products.html

The photogallery on their website shows it in a few different positions. and there is a Youtube video of it also.
[ame]http://youtube.com/watch?v=lWtldZUZ20Y[/ame]
 
#7 ·
Nice, thanx! :)

I'll add it to my research list.

Still compiling my furniture list for several firearms. I focused on acquiring the ones I wanted - now I have to outfit them all. :rolleyes:
 
#8 ·
I received a pretty generic one as a gift from a friend and mounted it on my kel-tec quad rail on the barrel. Haven't shot any huge long distances with it, but it works well for me in the short position with the legs collapsed, and folded backwards with the legs collapsed they rest just in front of the hand guard so they aren't really in the way.
 
#9 ·
I was considering trying to connect a Harris #5 bipod adapter through one of the holes on the handguard. I only plan to use a bipod for zeroing and target shooting, and probably won't mind the swivle stud protruding through the handguard while in the field. What are your thoughts?
 
#10 · (Edited)
The Harris #5 looks workable to me. An alternative to consider might be the HB2 or HB2A. You may need an extra washer though - depending on how it works with the somewhat large holes in the forend. Let us know how it works out and if you needed anything extra to make it work. Pics would be goo too :)
 
#14 · (Edited)
I went ahead and added an Uncle Mike's sling swivel stud to my RFB forend so that I can attach a Harris bipod.

I used the following items:

1ea - Uncle Mike's 3/8" sling swivel stud
1ea - 10-32 hex nut
2ea - 1"OD x 1/8"ID zinc plated steel fender washers (ID opened up to fit swivel stud)
3ea - #10S flat washers (0.433" OD x 0.040" thick)
Blue Locktite
Cold Blue Solution.

1) Drill or ream the ID of the fender washers so that they fit over the threads of the sling swivel stud.

2) Using tin snips or a grinder, trim off about 3/16" from the edge of one of the fender washers. This is required to properly fit inside the RFB forearm.

3) Remove the polymer lower from your RFB and using a pair of allen wrenches remove the three screws holding the forearm together. It doesn't matter which side the screws come out or if all three don't come out of the same side. Spread the forearm, either completely separating the halves or just far enough to be able to drop the trimmed fender washer into the area where the three middle underside holes are. Then put the forearm back together and reinstall the three allen screws.

4) If desired, cold blue and oil the unmodified fender washer. You can also very slightly bend the washer so that it better fits the contour of the underside of the forearm.

5) Install the sling swivel stud to the unmodified fender washer. Then add three of the #10S flat washers.

6) Hold the forearm upright and position the trimmed flat edge of the fender washer inside it so that it faces forward.

7) Insert the sling swivel stud with the fender and three flat washer stack upward into the next to last forward most hole in the forearm so that it passes thru the hole in the trimmed internal fender washer.

8) Insert the hex nut up into the forearm thru one of the holes and using a punch, small screw driver, toothpick, etc. position the nut onto the sling swivel stud. While using the punch to keep the nut positioned, spin the sling swivel stud onto the nut. Before the nut is completely run onto the stud, use a toothpick to apply a small drop of Locktite into the nut. Position the outside fender washer so that the bend in it is aligned with the curve in the forearm.

9) Fully tighten the nut by holding it with needle nose pliers while using a punch, nail, etc to tighten the stud.

You may find it easier to loosely assemble the stud, washers, and nut outside the forearm and install it once you have separated the forearm halves.


10) Reassemble your RFB and attach the Harris bipod.
 

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#15 ·
Thanks gderf! I did pretty much the same thing, but used a Harris #5 bipod adapter. I will also attach pictures of my experiment. The big piece of the Harris #5 fit in between the handguards nicely.

There was a little bit of play, but everything was nice and tight when I installed the bipod. I'm going to the range next week, and I'll report if I have any issues.
 

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#19 ·
Well, I had a spare Magpul MOE rail laying around and performed an experiment. Would the MOE rail fit the RFB handguard? The short answer is yes it will. I separated the handguards and put the hardware for the MOE handguard in between the handguard slot much like I used the #5 Harris bipod adapter. I'm not sure if I'll keep it installed or use a longer rail.
 

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#20 ·
#23 · (Edited)
The keymod mount is 2.36" center-to-center, and the fore-end grip spacers are 2.495" center-to-center. I removed the keymod mounting hardware, slightly elongated the mounting slots and carefully milled new countersinks to match the grip spacers. I used 1/4" aluminum #10 spacers, SS #10 washers, and new 10-32 countersunk fasteners to attach the bi-pod legs directly to the grip spacers. No mods to the firearm at all, and only minimal machining to the keymod mounts. took me about 1/2 hour. Take a close look at the attached photo in full size, and you'll see a slight space on the inside edges of the mounting screws from the original keymod countersinks. Enjoy
 
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