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  1. #1
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    Bobro Type 2 Bipod Review

    The Bobro Type 2 Bipod


    Overview and general construction:
    The Bobro Type 2 bipod I received for evaluation is a very well thought out and assembled item. My initial impression is that while the bipod is very lightweight, it is also actually very sturdy and stable. The pod is finished in a matte black anodizing and phosphating. The parts are well fitted and arranged so that the overall size is kept down. Potential for snagging is minimized by keeping the bipod trim and compact.



    A detailed inspection of the components shows how much thought and innovation went into the design and manufacture of the Bobro Type 2. As stated, the assembly minimizes the potential for snags by using small and efficient parts and recessing hardware so that there are no large screw heads, collars, buttons, and springs protruding from the bipod. The edges of the components are all nicely rounded so that there are not any exposed sharp edges. Of course, some accommodations have to be made to allow for adjustment of the bipod and the locking mechanism itself but because of the unique construction and the effective use of small yet sturdy adjusters the Bobro bipod is able to keep its small size without losing any utility.



    During this review, I will be using the bipod on an SDM-type AR with a 12" freefloat rail and an M24. The bipod on the SDM will be mounted at the end of the rail in the last slot. The bipod on the M24 will be mounted on the adapter rail supplied by Bobro that replaces the two forward sling points.






    The Collapsing Triangle Mechanism:
    The central feature of the bipod is the Collapsing Triangle Mechanism. The CTM refers to the arrangement of the yoke, locking clawbox, and legs of the bipod.



    Basically when stowed the spring, yoke, locking clawbox, and pod legs are all arranged parallel to each other in line under the barrel or foreend. As the pod legs are pulled down into the deployed position the legs pivot at the aft end of the yoke. The clawbox is anchored to the yoke at the forward end. A cam mounted on the pod leg slides within the clawbox until it engages the bearing surface of the locking claw as the leg is fully deployed.



    When it reaches this fully deployed position the yoke, locking clawbox, and the pod legs form a triangle. When the user desires to stow the legs, the locking claw is depressed which frees the cam. The triangle formed by the above described components then collapses on itself, again returning the arrangement to a very compact package. Thus, the Collapsing Triangle Mechanism.




    The leg assembly:
    There is no locking feature when the legs are stowed. Because of this the legs of the bipod can be deployed with minimal effort, and the springs have sufficient resistance to prevent them from being accidentally deployed without at least some amount of force. These springs are significantly smaller than those of the Harris bipod, but retain enough useful force to resist inadvertent movement and assist in deploying or stowing the pod legs. They are mounted close in to the legs, and retain a low profile throughout the movement of the legs.



    A common habit among bipod users is the attachment of paracord to the legs so that the user simply pulls the cord to the rear, pulling down the bipod legs together. This allows the legs to be deployed quicker and in a single movement as opposed to the user pulling the legs down one at a time. To make this practice easier, the bipod already has holes for paracord in the base of each leg. These holes provide for a more secure attachment of cord than on bipods such as the Harris. On my sample, I used some extra 550 cord I had to make a pull lanyard for the bipod legs and added a nylon D-ring to the middle to make it a little easier to pull.



    When deployed, the locking clawbox prevents the legs from folding without the user actually disengaging the lock. This allows some lateral movement when using the bipod without having one or both of the legs collapsing as would be the case with other bipods. The lock release button is large and serrated, and is a simple lever arrangement at the far end of the locking claw. Disengaging the lock is done by simply pressing inward on the button which will allow the legs to be returned to the stowed position.



    The legs themselves consist of the larger outer leg tubes and the smaller inner legs that telescope out to provide additional height. The leg adjustments are made by loosening the locking thumbnuts, which are attached to the inner legs. The inner leg slides down a channel in the outer leg to the desired length and the thumbnut is then tightened back. There are no springs or notches in the leg pieces, so the adjustment is infinite and does not automatically fly to full extension when released in a loud clatter. There is also no need to adjust the tension on the release/locking mechanism that is independent from the actual release button because the Bobro combines these features into one mechanism.



    Another nice feature of the Type 2's construction is the placement of the adjustment thumbnuts. Because they are attached to the inner legs and move with them, the user is able to extend the leg as desired and lock them in position at the same time with only one hand, rather than extending the leg with one hand and locking it with another.



    The legs have a minimal length of approximately 7 1/2” collapsed and a maximum length of 10 1/8” extended. This allows the bipod to have a vertical height of 7” to 9 1/4” respectively. The minimal spread of the bipod feet is 8 1/2” and the maximum is 10 3/4”. The "footprint" of the bipod gives a relatively wide base that provides for a good deal of stability.



    In terms of practical clearance with the SDM, the legs at minimal height will clear a 20 round mag but not a 30 round. A 30 round mag will allow for only three points of contact and will elevate the toe of the stock clear. At maximum extension the bottom of a 30 round mag will just touch the deck, but will not raise the toe of the stock, so there are in effect 4 points of contact.





    The feet themselves are approximately 1” by 1” plastic with a waffled surface. There is a clearance cut removing one corner on the feet to allow them to nest together when stowed. The feet are secured through a Phillips head screw in the bottom. The feet will be interchangeable with future releases from Bobro.





    The Master Coupling Unit:
    The contact point between the CTM bipod legs and the weapon is called the Master Coupling Unit or MCU. It is in effect a Picatinny rail interface which contains an index bar that locks the bipod onto a railed foreend or mount and the pivoting strut for the apex of the bipod legs and CTM. The MCU allows the bipod to be placed on any Picatinny rail equipped weapon without any further mount or adapter. For weapons that don’t have an integral rail Bobro offers rail mount adapters.







    The index bar uses a thumbnut driver that allows the bar to be raised from its retracted position to the fully engaged locked position in about two revolutions. The use of the thumbnut means that no tools are required to place or remove the bipod, and no further quick detach adapter is needed. The index bar is also spring assisted so that as it is retracted it will clear the rails without having to be pulled down in a separate motion.



    As mentioned, I mounted the Bobro 2 on an M24. Because this rifle does not have a rail, Bobro provides an adapter mount for use with the M24. This is a small section of rail that screws into the two holes that are used for the sling studs on the M24. The sling studs are removed, and the rail is placed over the now empty holes. The rear screw hole is lined up and the new (included) hex head machine screw is put in using the included hex driver. The forward section of the mount has a slot cut with a recessed step-down that will line up with the forward sling stud hole. Insert the front screw and tighten. For slings, the mount includes a sling stud attached to the rear. For ease of mounting the bipod, there is a small ledge that acts as a stop when the bipod is slid to the rear.



    The pivoting strut allows for some pivoting of the CTM and bipod legs. The strut has travel stops to prevent the bipod from having a full 360 degree pivot which might allow a top heavy weapon (such as one with a large NOD or other top-mounted hardware) to completely roll over.






    The pivot is able to be adjusted to allow for more freely pivoting of the weapon on the bipod. So far I have not felt the need to adjust the swivel, as I like the degree of force needed to pivot the weapon. I don’t like a freely-swinging bipod, and I prefer more stability.



    In terms of the construction of the Bobro Type 2, I am very impressed. The Bobro offers a bipod that is small and lightweight while at the same time very sturdy. The mechanisms and arrangement of the bipod allow for a good degree of economy of motion and easy to use features. The fact that it is readily able to be installed on any rail is a big bonus that is further magnified by the fact that no tools are needed to install, adjust, or remove the bipod. This simply is not the case with some other popular bipods.
    Last edited by m24shooter; 29 December 2007 at 14:36.

  2. #2
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    When I received the Bobro Type 2 Bipod for review, I was surprised how lightweight the unit was. While I didn’t have a scale handy, it felt lighter that the Harris unit that I’m used to. The finish was an even matte black and the machining was clean, with no visible tool marks.

    I installed the bipod on a 16 inch carbine with a Daniel Defense M4 9.5FSP rail. Using the extended rail allowed the bipod to be mounted further forward than a standard carbine rail. Installation took all of about five seconds. Once the bipod was slid onto the rail and the knob cinched down, it was on there solid. No movement as all was present and no parts rattled when I gave it the jump test. I tried the bipod on two other rail systems with the same results.

    The legs easily deployed and solidly locked into place. A few drops of lube smoothed out the opening action even more. Instead of using round knobs for the leg release, Bobro uses an oblong knob that is easy to grasp. I was unable to get the legs to collapse when locked in place, despite putting a lot of force on the mechanism. Retracting the legs was easily done after the lock release button was depressed.

    The legs were not spring loaded, but dropped free when the adjustment knob was turned. An unusual feature on the locking knob for the legs; lockup is achieved by their rotating the knobs either fully clockwise or counterclockwise. Height adjustment on the legs is not preset by notches, so the user is responsible for ensuring the legs are adjusted equally.

    I was initially concerned that the plastic waffle patterned feet would come unscrewed. Upon disassembling the feet, I found that they were secured in place with a red thread-locking compound. They were still removable with a screwdriver, but I doubt they’ll back out on their own. Should the user manage to grind the feet down due to heavy use, they should be easy enough to replace.

    The bipod has the ability to cant left and right. I found the factory adjustment was rather tight. After backing off the tension screw a tiny bit it moved more readily. The amount of tension used would be a matter of personal preference.

    The bipod didn’t come with any directions and it’s not exactly rock science using it, but a brief instruction sheet might be helpful. It took me a moment to realize there was a way to adjust the tension on the swivel.

    No issues were experience shooting prone in the dirt, or from the bench.

    Overall I’m very impressed with the Bobro Type 2 bipod. It’s right at home on AR15/M16/M4 or similar system with a railed handguard or other rail section in place.




  3. #3
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    Bobro bipod

    Bobro gen-2 bipod review 011408

    I had the opportunity to field test the Bobro gen-2 bipod. What I first noticed was the weight of the bipod and the overall quality of the finish. I would surmise the weight of the bipod a bit more than a fully loaded 20 rd magazine (Bobro bipod weight-.8036 grams vs loaded 20 rd magazine-.7126 grams). The anodized black paint finish is well executed and all metal parts are rounded or recessed with no exposed sharp edges to cut or snag onto.

    I attached the bipod to a Colt AR 6920 with a Surefire M73 rail system. Another feature that I found very useful was the bipod was built in mind to be attached to the M1913 rail system or Picatinny rail system; this feature eliminates the need for an additional mount/adaptor to hold the bipod. Once attached to the rail system, you merely tighten down the retention screw.

    From a street cop’s perspective, I appreciate the well thought out design and attention to detail, for instance, the aluminum legs are capped and the shaft is enclosed. The retention screws on the bipod legs and adaptor for M1913 rail are designed so that if you were to loosen the screws all the way, they would remain attached without the fear of losing them--cop proof. The bipod springs are designed to retract/tuck out of the way when the bipod is not in use. Even with the bipod legs extended out, the springs are not exposed where they can snag onto an object.

    To use the bipod from the closed position, you merely pull one bipod leg in a downward motion without depressing any buttons or controls. The action was very smooth and quick. To close the bipod leg, you push the spring-loaded pad/button. All you have to do is press on the pad and push the bipod leg upward. Again, the action is very smooth and quick. At the end of each leg was a foot pad held into place by a Phillips screw. The foot pad has a “waffle surface” to it. The “waffle surface” provides a good hold on the various surfaces I shot from. An interesting feature one might take for granted is that the inward corner of each “waffle surface” foot pad is cut in a 45 degree angle; this allowed the bipod legs to fold closer together.

    As a test from a prone position I got up and ran with the bipod legs extended opened to a position 25 yards away. While on the run, I had no difficulty closing the bipod quickly. The bipod did not hook or snag onto any of my other gears. I also liked how quiet it was to operate, whether setting up or folding away.

    At the range with some of my fellow SWAT operators. The officers, all police snipers, were impressed and felt the Bobro had more to offer then the department issued Harris bipod used on their Remington 700. Some of the officers felt the Bobro would give their department issued Colt M4 a significant tactical advantage. Our department’s police snipers deploy with both rifles and in many situations, deploy the Colt M4 with their Leupold CQT scopes more often. The Bobro bipod setup offers a more stable platform to work from.

    At the range, I ran and shot with the bipod attached to the rifle. I acted in typical SWAT scenarios ranging from sniper support, support/arrest, containment and entry. I found several unique features that added to the well though out design of the Bobro bipod. The first feature was the ability of the bipod to swivel/cant left or right in either the opened or closed position. While swiveling/canting the bipod, there was some resistance offered in the movement. If the rifle was swiveled/canted off from center, it would hold in that swiveled/canted position without flopping loosely around.

    The bipod legs can be extended from approximately 7 inches to 9 ½ inches. The Bobro leg adjustments are made by loosing the retention screws on the legs. The adjustments are made without preset notches; rather the user makes adjustments to his desire. Once tightened, I did not feel either of legs loosening up, even while falling to the prone position with the bipod open and legs extended.

    As a left-handed shooter, my Surefire light was attached at the 9:00 position. When I swiveled/canted the bipod to the right side, it did not interfere or block the light. Because of this ability, I was quickly able to move from being in a containment position to an entry position without pausing to remove the bipod and storing it--a nice feature when moving to cover your buddy. If one really wanted to, the leg of the bipod can also act as a VFG.

    Lastly, although small in size, the 1” X 1” plastic foot pad with the “waffled surface” provided a solid base whether positioned on a roof top, lying on the cold wet sidewalk behind a park car or sitting comfortably in a chair with the rifle/bipod on a “concerned citizen’s” dinning table. I had no trouble adapting the bipod to any surface or angle. My only concern for the plastic foot pad would be the Phillip’s screw holding it in place. When I had the bipod’s foot pad lying in the muddy ground, I notice the screw heads were covered with mud.

    In short, I would tell my boss this is a great tool for any patrol rifle and SWAT team. This is a must have gear whether attached on your rifle ready to go or stored in your kit bag. I will attached some pics later.
    Last edited by tac40; 19 January 2008 at 10:31.

  4. #4
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    Some 1st pics of the Bobro bipod at work







    Eberlestock Gunslinger backpack, no problem fitting in

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