AR-15 Bipod mounting

[SemperWFi]

This goes out to all of the guys out there who no WAY more than me... pretty basic question I'm thinking.

5.56 Med weight 16" barrel on and AR-15
Has free floating quad-rail hand guard and quad-rail gas block

I have a bipod to mount and I’m trying to decide if I can mount it to the gas block or not. It fits; but will it hamper the rifle’s accuracy??

So, bipod mounting – free floating hand guard or gas block? What do you suggest and why?

Thanks guys!

Semper

[Lemmon]

Welcome to The Firing Line. I have learned a lot in the past few months from this group. I would like to see some of the answers myself. Lemmon

[shanzlik]

I would go with the handguard. Is something else mounted there you don't want to move?

A bipod could transfer enough force to affect accuracy. For example, bipods on Hogue stocks wind up pushing the stock into contact with the barrel affecting shot to shot consistency. Obviously slightly different situation here, but the point of a free float rail is lost if you attach something applying force elsewhere to the barrel.

[SemperWFi]

Hey guys!

See that is what I was thinking as well.

It's not that there is currently something in that area I would need to move - it's more that it takes up a chunk of space on the hand guard which restricts hand placement options a good bit.

I agree with the point of pressure which is why I asked the question. I was just wondering if we're talking enough to make a difference. My understanding of the free float barrel is that keeping it from having a restriction point allows it to maintain correct harmonics (if I'm saying that correctly) and keeps it from creating a flex point at the hand guard mount when under firing pressure.

Since the bipod is just a rest and isn’t strong mounted between the barrel and something else (like the hand guard between the barrel and the upper) I wasn’t sure it create inaccuracy to any noticeable degree under let’s say 300 yards.

You think it would?

[Technosavant]

My first question- are we really talking about a rifle that can dot an "i" at 300 yards? There's precious few of those in the AR platform, so before we really talk about how much it might affect accuracy, I wonder just how accurate the thing is to begin with. A 16" barrel is not usually the one chosen for long range shooting- they can indeed be accurate, but they aren't often the first pick for that.

If your rifle is sub-MOA and you want to keep it that way, mount it to the handguard; it's the only way to be sure you don't affect anything. If it's a 2-3 MOA rifle, then the bipod on the gas block won't affect anything. If you want the best of both worlds, get a quick detach handguard mount for the bipod (http://stores.homestead.com/Laruetactical/Categories.bok?category=Misc.+LT+AR+Parts%3AHarris+Bipods) and put it on when you want to use it.

[SemperWFi]

Ok, that is exactly what I was thinking so I'm going to stick with what I've done. It's been mounted on the hand guard so all is good enough. It's a 3k AR and it shoots like a 3k AR should, just wanted to make sure I'm keeping it that way (checking to see if I could have my cake and eat it too).

Thanks a ton for the confirmation!