Shooting Sticks: Help or Hindrance?

We test several gadgets designed to help you shoot better; Harris Bipods and Stoney Point’s Steady Stix get our votes.

We tested eight rifle supports, including five that attached to the gun like the Harris Model S-L, $93.45.

Field-shooting skills are hard to acquire, mainly because the shooter has to train for so many diverse situations. Ideally, most shots in the field should be made from the prone position, where the rifle is supported by a backpack, rock, dirt mound, or anything else that makes it possible for the shooter to hold the gun stable. In reality, those good shots can be hard to come by. High grass, snow, mud, or any number of other impediments can interfere with the prone shooter, or he often can’t find any supports on which to lay his rifle. Also, the field shooter must fire while sitting, kneeling, or standing on uneven terrain, which means he must find outcroppings at suitable heights—such as tree limbs—to steady his rifle.

However, there is a class of products, generically called rifle supports, that purports to solve the many problems the varmint or big-game hunter has with unsteady shooting positions in the field. Items in this class can be called bipods, monopods, or shooting sticks, and they may attach to, or simply support, the rifle in myriad ways. Irrespective of their individual designs, they all serve to make a hunter’s field hold steadier by placing something under the front of a rifle—how they accomplish this, and how well they accomplish this feat, were the subjects of a recent Performance Shooter comparison test.

We recently acquired items from several manufacturers that serve as rifle supports. Attaching to the gun, usually by means of the front sling swivel, were three units from Harris Engineering: The Model 1A2-BRM, a short-legged bench or prone product, retails for $64.45; the Model S-L, a medium-length swivel-head unit, goes for $93.45, and the $108.65 Model S-25, another swivel-head bipod whose legs extend out to 25 inches. We also tested two Versa-Pod units, which also attach to the front sling swivel. The Model 2 is intended for prone or benchrest shooting; it sells for $89.95. The Model 3 works best when the shooter is sitting. It costs $94.95. We also examined several products that support the forend without attaching to the gun. These products included the Stoney Point Telescoping Bipod, $42.50 for the bipod and $4.75 for a belt clip to carry the bipod in; the Stoney Point Steady Stix, a cross-stick shooting rest, $31.50 plus extensions for $13.50; and the $39.99 Steady Arm, an aluminum rod support that fits into a slot in a belt. Of these products, we preferred the Harris bipods and the Stoney Point Telescoping Bipod, for reasons we detail below.

How We Tested
We attached the products to a Ruger Model 77/22H .22 Hornet and a Ruger 10/22T and shot them from a variety of positions. If the products came with directions, we followed the packaging instructions about how to use the products. We had four testers of various body heights and weights comb through the details of the items, using them in prone, sitting, kneeling and standing situations. We also evaluated how easily the products attached to the guns, or how easily field shooters could implement the products in situations where time was critical. In sum, we tried to answer this question: Could an excited, hurried hunter put the product in use quickly? Here’s what we found.

Harris Engineering, Inc.
Ultralight Bipods
The Ultralight Bipods are made in Barlow, Kentucky, by Harris Engineering, Inc. The company manufactures more than a dozen models of bipods and several adapters for mounting the products on a wide selection of firearms. We looked at three Harris bipods: Model BRM ($64.45) is suited to benchrest or prone use; the Model S-L ($93.45) series has legs that extend from 9 to 13 inches and incorporates a swivel head, and the $108.65 Model S-25, which like the S-L has a swivel head, but whose legs extends from 12 to 25 inches.

Physical Description. All of the Harris bipod bodies were made of heat-treated steel and hard alloys and covered with a black-anodized finish. The frames of the bipods were made of stamped metal, and the legs were made of steel tubing. All three models had 1.25-inch-wide rubber feet to prevent slippage. The rubber feet were pinned on with a roll pin to prevent them from coming off in soft ground. The legs are attached by a bolt. Stout springs hold the legs in a up or down position. When the leg snaps down, a metal stop prevents it from overrotating and collapsing. The stock rests in a 1.75-inch by 2.75-inch cradle top, which is lined with leather to protect the stock from damage. In the Model BRM, the cradle is stationary. The S models allow the gun to swing about 30 degrees to either side, which allows the shooter to quickly adjust to uneven ground conditions. The BRM weighed in at 8 ounces; the S-L was 12 ounces- and the S-25 went 18 ounces. Another feature of the Harris bipods were their multi-adjustable legs and extensions. The BRM has leg adjustments ranging from 6 to 9 inches, and its legs have five notches cut in them in approximately 1/2-inch increments.

Our Judgments. To attach a Harris bipod to our test guns, which were fitted with quick-detachable standard swivel studs, we opened the pinch claws on the Harris bipod and snapped the claws on the swivel stud and then tightened the set screw with a standard screwdriver. The entire operation took less than a minute. This bipod is mounted with the legs folded in the forward position, under the barrel. A sling can be attached to the bottom of the pinch claws or to the auxiliary stud on the S models for field carry.

The shooter who worries about making noise in the field shouldn’t yank the legs out on the BRM model because notches in its legs make a clicking noise. Pressing a button to release a spring in the leg when opening will eliminate the noise. A helpful feature found on the BRM are spring clips attached to the upper legs that can be moved up or down to hold the legs away from the stock or barrel when the legs are in the up position. This will keep the legs from scratching the stock surface. On the S-L and S-25, a friction-lock screw allows the legs to be set at the desired height. The legs on these models are spring loaded to help them retract quickly and easily. On the S-25 there are three sections of the leg which allow adjustments from 12.5 to 27.5 inches. The bottom section is spring loaded as on the S-L, with the middle section being spring loaded and also able to lock in place.

In our testing, the Harris products didn’t rattle when we shook the guns—a prime consideration for the field shooter who doesn’t want to spook game. The legs snapped up out of the way for easy carry, and the sling hooks allowed the gun to ride on the back comfortably. The swivel-head adjustment allowed the shooter some latitude in aligning the gun and eye, which made the S-L and S-25 models more comfortable to use, in our estimation. When we shot rifles with the units, we found they improved accuracy over unsupported positions.

The only substantial downsides to the units were their weight. The heaviest unit, the S-25, adds a pound-and-a-half to the front of the rifle, which may be more than what some hunters want to carry.

Versa-Pod
Models 2 and 3
The Versa-Pod Model 2 and Model 3 units are both imported from China by KFS Inc. of Atlanta. They are built identically save for the length of their legs. The $89.95 Model 2 should be used for prone or benchrest shooting. The $94.95 Model 3 works best when the shooter is sitting or kneeling. The Model 1, which we didn’t test, has grooved metal feet, but otherwise is the same size as the Model 2 unit.

Physical Description. The bipods are made of aluminum and steel. The Versa-Pods come with a universal mounting adapter, which incorporates an integrated handrest. This integrated handrest mounts onto your existing sling swivel stud, allowing you to interchange the different sized rests according to your specific shooting needs. Also included is a quick-detachable sling loop, which allows you to connect the sling to the swivel for field carry.

The smaller bipod has legs that extend from 9 to 12 inches with six different increments. The larger one’s legs measure from 16 to 251/2 inches and have 11 increments. The legs extend by pushing a release button at the base of the outer leg, letting the inner leg fall or be pulled the distance to which you want to adjust it. The drawback here is that if you forget to push the lever down when adjusting the length, a loud “ratcheting” noise will be made, which could spook game in a hunting situation. The smaller bipod and handrest together weigh 20 ounces; the larger one weighed in at 23 ounces.

To attach the Versa-Pod, you fit the included mounting block over your swing-swivel stud and tighten the hex screw through the mounting block using the supplied Allen wrench. Then you place the Universal Mounting Adapter over the block and secure it with the knurled locking nut. The mounting adapter has a curved base to allow it to fit most sporter stocks. To install the bipod legs, the hunter slips a fitting over the adapter stud until it snaps in place. The legs then stay in the up position until the bipod is ready to use. The legs simultaneously flip down to form a secure shooting position. The products did improve our shooting, which is their raison d’être.

Our Judgment: We think the Versa-Pod was flawed in several ways. The mounting block had two raised rings leftover from the molding process. Once we removed the adapter, these spots left noticeable indentations on the stock of our test gun. We took a pocket knife and fine sandpaper and removed the raised areas from the mold to prevent any further damage to the stock. Also, we found the bipod was loose on the gun, which created unwanted shifting and rattling. This problem could be eliminated with a thumb screw to tighten the bipod firmly against the mounting stud. Also, detents in the leg worked well, but they were noisy when the shooter extended the leg quickly.

Stoney Point Telescoping Bipod and Steady Stix
The New Ulm, Minnesota–based Stoney Point company makes several bipod and monopod shooting products. Two we tested were the TBS1 Telescoping Bipod, $42.50, and the $31.50 Steady Stix (number SS-36-B). Also available are the standing-model TBH2 Telescoping Bipod, $55.50, and the TMH3 Telescoping Monopod, $34.95. A helpful accessory, which we used during this test, is the BBC1 Belt Clip, $4.75.

Physical Description. The 10-ounce Stoney Point Model TBS1 Telescoping Bipod measures 17 inches in the collapsed or carry position. With the legs extended, the unit’s full length is 38 inches, making it useful for the sitting or kneeling positions. The bipod is designed to be used with both long guns and handguns. The leg tubes are made of tempered aluminum. A thermoplastic hinge joins the two legs. The legs open to a 60-degree spread, at which point two panels on top of the hinge meet to form a foam-padded V-notch. The shooter rests the firearm in this V. The bottom of the legs are covered with rubber cups, which are firmly attached and should prevent slippage and protect the rubber cups from coming off in the soft ground. Unlike some the other steadying devices reviewed above, this bipod will not attach to your sling swivel. If you don’t use the belt clip, you can run a piece of leather or string in one of the two holes located under the V-notch and carry it over your shoulder.

To deploy the bipod, the shooter locks the legs in place with a short clockwise turn of a leg section. Each of two sections can be adjusted to alter the overall length.

The Stoney Point Steady Stix is called a cross-stick shooting rest. This unique rest adjusts from 6 inches to 38 inches, allowing you to shoot from prone, sitting, kneeling, or standing positions. It also can be used in a monopod or bipod format by adjusting the cross-sticks arrangement to fit your needs. The stick can be used with any firearm since it does not attach to the gun. The unit consists of four sticks, which are connected to form the rest. Two of the sticks are connected by a dual-rotating hinge that has a turning knob used to tighten the hinges. Two foam 4-inch pads are wrapped around these sticks to help cushion the gun when the device is spread into the V position. Other 18-inch extensions are available with the rest, to help take it to its maximum height of 38 inches. These SS-E18-B extenders are not included with the regular rest. They cost $13.50 the pair. They connect simply by pushing on the primary legs. This allows for compact carry of the rest. The ends of the main rods are covered with rubber tips, which give the rest good traction in slick or uneven terrain. These tips are removable so they can be placed on the end of the extensions.

The 10-ounce Steady Stix is constructed from solid 3/8-inch fiberglass rods, with thermoplastic fittings for strength and durability. The fittings are of the same type used on the Telescoping Bipod. One feature included with the rest is a 2-ounce belt pouch made from rugged black webbing material that is used to carry the unit. This pouch comes with the Steady Stix which is nice—but it isn’t available with the Telescoping Bipod and cannot be bought separately. However, the Telescoping rest fits nicely in the pouch.

Our Judgments. Both Stoney Point units have substantial advantages and disadvantages, in our view. On the upside, the Model TBS1 Telescoping Bipod’s adjustable legs are a great asset in uneven terrain. Also, it is extremely quiet when the shooter is making adjustments, and its 10-ounce weight is easy to pack, especially when the unit is carried in the Steady Stix pouch. (However, because you can’t buy the pouch with the Telescoping Bipod, that endorsement is suspect.)

However, the Telescoping Bipod was slow to set up (see accompanying sidebar), mostly because the shooter has to unsling the rifle, retrieve the bipod from the belt unit or pouch, sit down with the rifle, set up the bipod, place the rifle on the V-shaped rest, and get ready to shoot. Also, the unit’s promotional materials show a right-handed shooter grasping the bipod with his left hand to lock the upper body, the rest, and the rifle together. We didn’t think this was the most comfortable position from which to shoot. Moreover, the unit can’t be used in the prone position.

Similarly, the Steady Stix product is also lightweight, quiet, and compact. The sticks, extensions, and bag total 1 pound in weight, making the Stix easy to carry in the field. Also, like the Telescoping Bipod, the Stix can be used in the sitting and kneeling positions; unlike the bipod, the Stix can also be used in the prone position. Because the unit can be preset for prone (the extensions aren’t needed), set up is as fast or faster than a sling-only prone position. Additionally, optional extenders allow the unit to be used as a monopod in the standing position. One drawback to the unit has to do with the feet. If the rest is placed in mud or another thick substance, the rubber tips could be pulled off since they are not glued on. Also, though the unit’s design is very simple, it can be slow to set up in the kneeling and sitting positions. The shooter must remove the end caps from the unit, fasten the longer legs on, and set the piece to the right height. In our time trials, this took between 35 and 45 seconds. Also, with both units, the hunter can be annoyed by the slapping of carrying bag on the leg or rear.

JLB Innovations Steady Arm
This $39.99 product was created and manufactured by JLB Innovations Inc. of Pinckney, Michigan. The patented design carries the entire weight of the gun at the hunter’s waist, allowing him, in theory, to concentrate on aim and balance of the gun, instead of supporting its weight.

Physical Description. The rest operates with a 2-inch nylon belt, adjustable up to 70 inches. A small pouch is attached to the front of the belt and holds an adjustable aluminum bar, which attaches to the sling swivel of your gun. The length of the arm is locked in at your choice so that the distance between your waist and your chest never changes in any shooting position. The manufacturer claims the device works sitting or standing.

The 6061 0.75-inch aluminum outer rod with a 0.625-inch inner rod measures 32 inches in its fully extended position, and 21 inches in its down position. The rod weighs 8 ounces. The specs say that it adjusts to fit any person from 4.5 to 6.5 feet tall. Along with the belt and rod, a gun support base is included for use with guns that do not have a sling swivel or with handguns. This base is a 6-inch, hard-plastic cradle with a foam lining, and two 1-inch, adjustable, nylon attaching straps. This gun-support base attaches easily to most any gun once the firearm’s point of balance is found. Once this is done, you bring both strap ends around the top of the gun and through cam lock buckles. A sling swivel is attached to the bottom of the base and connects to the bar.

Our Judgment. We believe the Steady Arm is a flawed and useless concept for several reasons. We don’t like the idea of carrying around the gun in front of the shooter. Perhaps we’re just too dumb to see the value of this arrangement, but with the gun always occupying a hand, we don’t think hunters can glass properly or thoroughly. Also, with the gun in front of the hunter, it could be difficult to protect the firearm if the hunter stumbles. A sling puts the gun in back of a hunter, who will usually fall face first if he trips. This protects the firearm, which most of us are trained to do for safety reasons. The Steady Arm makes this difficult, in our estimation.

Besides these objections, we also didn’t think the unit worked well mechanically. After finding the balance point of our test gun, we attached the support base but had to move it further forward so that we could remove the clip from the firearm. The flat area on the bottom of our Ruger stock did not fit the curved support base well, and it tended to slip left or right. Even though the directions say not to use the existing swivel stud to connect the Steady Arm, we found the product worked better with this hook up. When we did this, however, the Steady Arm dented the stock of our test gun. This happened when the buttstock of our test gun was held in the down waiting position, as it would be in most hunting situations. To make this work better, JLB Innovations should innovate a longer extension on the quick, detachable sling swivel mounted in the end of the Steady Arm. This would eliminate the need for the bulky foam support base on our bolt-action test guns. Another problem was the noise created when adjusting the length of the Steady Arm.

Despite these problems, when we used the device in the standing position, most shooters did realize improved accuracy with it over an unsupported standing position. However, we didn’t see gains that supported Steady Arm’s packaging claim that the device can “improve accuracy up to 90%.”

Performance Shooter Recommends
All the rests have set-up issues that must be addressed. In our opinion, all of these products add weight to rifles that hunters might not want to carry. The trade-off, of course, is improved shooting in the field. So if you often hunt in situations where you have the luxury of time, then these bipods could help your shooting performance.

Overall, we believe the mechanical execution of the Harris products improves field-shooting results the most. They are stable, easy to set up and use, and solid. We were less impressed with the $64.45 1A2-BRM model, since it required on-the-ground adjustment for our shooters. We believe benchrest, varmint, or big-game shooters will get better use from the S-L swivel-head unit, $93.45, and the $108.65 Model S-25. The former product works well in the prone position, and the S-25 is a comfortable sitting-position choice.

As with the Harris bipods, the two Versa-Pod units attached to the gun’s front sling swivel. Though the units worked well once they were deployed, we didn’t like the way they rattled and shook when we carried them. We would buy the Harris products rather than the Versa-Pod Model 2, $89.95, or Model 3, $94.95.

Of the items that didn’t attach directly to the gun, we liked the lightweight Stoney Point Steady Stix product the best. For $31.50 plus extensions, which cost $13.50, the Steady Stix offered the field shooter a range of adjustment options, some of which were fast (prone), and some which weren’t (when the leg extensions were needed).

We liked the other Stoney Point product less. The Telescoping Bipod, $42.50, couldn’t be used in prone, and it required adjustment for it to work in sitting. Also, it wasn’t suitable for standing.

We also don’t recommend the $39.99 Steady Arm, the aluminum rod support that fits into a belt.

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-By Performance Shooter Staff