Bipod

A bipod ( Engl. Bipod ) is a two-legged support for various applications.

Weapons technology

A bipod is a weapon component that is mostly used in heavy and / or long firearms (e.g. machine guns or sniper rifles ) to rest the weapon and improve the attack.

The bipod enables the shooter to aim at the target without having to hold most of the weight of the weapon, as it is supported by the bipod. The main advantage of this is that the shooter's movements (breathing, tremors when it's cold, heartbeat, etc.) are no longer transmitted so strongly to the weapon or that the shooter can stay calm for longer. The disadvantage of the bipod is that it makes the weapon bulky and heavier, which limits the flexibility of handling. Bipods are usually detachable, with the MG3 it can also be attached to the center of the weapon to increase the swivel range. The length of the legs can be fixed or adjustable. Some assault grips have an integrated foregrip bipod . The Galil's bipod has an integrated wire cutter and bottle opener. A cleaning rod is housed in the right leg of the PK .

If a third "leg" ( earth spur ) is used in addition to the bipod , this is called a three-point support (for example with the G22 )

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  PK with bipod

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  Storm grip of an AR-15 with an integrated foregrip bipod mounted on a Picatinny rail

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  Bipod of an LM-60D mortar

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  THOR M408 sniper rifle with bipod and ground spur

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  RPG-7 V2 with bipod

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  Bipod of a SIG 552 with support feet with ball- and- socket joints

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  IWI Negev bipod is used as an assault grip

Bipod as a rescue device

Another type of bipod is used for mountain rescuers as a support for a pulley to pull someone up into a crevasse, or as a brace from a rock face to gain distance from the wall when an injured person is abseiling or roping up. The typically 3 m long legs are put together from carbon fiber tube elements and are designed to absorb axial pressure.

A bipod is usually guyed in two directions in order to prevent it from tipping over around the axis of the two support points. A tripod, which can alternatively be constructed from the same elements, is stable even without bracing, provided that the resultant of the rope forces (and half its own gravity) runs through the triangle of the contact points.

See also

• Tripod

literature

• Chris Bishop: The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II , Sterling Publishing Company, Inc., 2002, ISBN 978-1-58663-762-0 .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Chris Bishop: The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II
2. ↑ http://tirol.orf.at/news/stories/2742338/ 30 meters into a crevasse, orf.at, November 15, 2015, accessed November 15, 2015.
3. ↑ http://tyromont.com/produkte/categories/zwei-dreibeine.html Tyromont - Alpine Recue Equipment, accessed November 16, 2015.
4. ↑ http : //www.mein Bezirk.at/schwaz/chronik/die-bergrettung-kaltenbach-beim-aufbau-vom-zweibein-m7110977,1076208.html Stefan Schwaiger: The Kaltenbach mountain rescue service when building up the bipod, www.mein Bezirk.at , accessed November 16, 2015.