Remember the old Samsonite commercial with the gorilla tossing around the suitcase? Well, that’s me with my guns and shooting gear. I’m tough on my kit, but I know I’m not alone in that. So when I first laid eyes on the Elite Iron Revolution bipod, my first question was: Is this a match made in heaven, or has this bipod met its match?
I’ve used this bipod nearly exclusively on my long-range GA Precision 6mm Creedmoor since it was introduced about four years ago. I’ve beat on it, pounded on it, and otherwise treated it terribly, and other than the wear on its finish, it’s as good as new. The only legitimate knocks on it are that it is heavy and it isn’t cheap. But now, Dale Poling, the owner of Elite Iron, has done something about the first issue with the next-generation Revolution you see here.
By switching from aluminum to steel, he shaved off a good chunk of weight. This newer version of the bipod weighs tk.tk ounces, which is tk ounces less than the original. That didn’t come at the expense of strength, however. I’ve been abusing this new bipod with the same reckless disregard as I always have, and it is just as tough.
One feature that Poling has added to this bipod is a panning option, which lets the shooter traverse through an arc of about tk degrees for shooting movers or for quick target transitions. Not everyone likes a bipod that pans, though. If the feet of a bipod tend to hop around, the bipod can get twisted into funny positions where the feet are askew, making it more difficult to control recoil.
The answer to that problem is having aggressive feet on the bipod that stay in place, and the feet that come with the Revolution are just nasty.
Let me put it this way: Don’t rest the bipod on anything you’re not willing to damage, because the claws on its feet dig in and hold. When…
