This will be the last article in our series on gun accessories.  It’s been a great journey up to this point, so we’ll finish it with a bang (pun intended).

Bipods are gun accessories that are not necessarily common among civilian sportsmen.  However, U.S. soldiers have many uses for bipods, especially those in the special forces.  A bipod, and less commonly a tripod, more than anything else gives the shooter stability.  Bipods are used when the shooter is close to the ground.  But if you’ve ever fired a gun from the ground, you know how tough it is to keep it stable and still be accurate.

Bipods are usually used with rifles or other long firearms.  They can have adjustable height, and allow a free range of motion for the firearm.  The attachment mechanism is simple for these gun accessories: a mount is attached to the firearm, and the bipod is attached to the mount.

A variety of designs for the bottom of the bipod’s “feet” are available, such as rounded rubber bottoms or flat bottoms.  The feet bottom style to use depends on the surface on which the bipod will be used.  The rounded rubber bottoms will give grip on surfaces that are not completely flat (dirt, rocks, grass, etc) , whereas the flat bottoms will allow the bipod to hold its position better on structural surfaces (buildings, walls, fences, etc).  These gun accessories can be made with different materials, such as aluminum or steel — a bipod made from steel, which is stronger than aluminum, will be more expensive.

A high-quality bipod can cost as much as $200, like this heavy duty one made by GG&G for the AR30.  Besides GG&G, Harris is another great company that makes bipods.  But if you’re looking for a low-cost bipod that just clips on just about any rifle, this is the one to get.

A tripod performs the same function as a bipod, but it is usually used for heavier firearms like machine guns.  Tripods often hold the gun higher off the ground than a bipod which allows the shooter to kneel or stand.  Here’s a military surplus tripod made by Armalite that can be used with an AR50 rifle.

This concludes our series on gun accessories.  Be sure to tell us what you thought of it by commenting below.  Check out any of the previous articles here.

Written by Craig Kent, member of the Best Military Surplus team.