Buell’s Baby: First-Ever Counter-Balanced JoyStick Bipod
Here’s something you’ve never seen before, a joy-stick (coaxial) bipod with a front counter-weight. This one-of-a-kind “JoyPod” was produced by Seb Lambang for our friend Darrell Buell. With a very porky ultra-long-range rifle to support, Darrell needed a JoyPod that wouldn’t sink under a heavy load.
Seb explains: “This is the world’s first Joypod equipped w/ an adjustable counterweight, to balance his 75-lb gun. I did some experiments and put some weights ranging up to 60+ lbs on the top, and I found that the joystick action works like a regular one….it’s smooth, light, and precise. In addition, the counterweight can be bent down to not interfere with the bottom of the barrel. I would guess Darrell would only need one ‘ring’ for his 75-lb gun. He can move the ring back and forth to find the best balance. Once the gun is on the bipod, it would only take a few minutes to tune or find the balance. The counterweight is secured into the front center shaft by a thumb screw, and there is a tightly fitted pivotal joint on the counterweight to allow angle adjustment.”
Darrell is happy with his new toy: “In addition to the adjustable counterweight system on the front, this JoyPod comes with a longer, solid joystick. These additions will make for extremely smooth, precise adjustments, even if the rifle weighs in at 75 pounds or more. Not including the counterweight, the actual structure of this bipod weighs in at a mere 1.09 pounds — exactly what the standard JoyPod weighs. It is extremely strong, however. Seb has pictures of himself standing on the pod … and he weighs 150 pounds! The custom Pod-Pad with insets for the skis is just another one of Seb’s [products].”
Speaking of Pod-Pads, look carefully at the photo again. There’s a special new feature you might have missed. Seb explains: “I also created a “groove” on the Pod-Pad, where the feet of the bipod will ride. I was informed that was OK for the ELR match/discipline. That will help the rifle and bipod combo to track better under recoil.”
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Tags: Bipod, F-Class, F-TR, JoyPod, Joystick, PodPad, Sebastian Lambang
After a certain point you F-Class guys should just evolve from your belly and hop on a bench..
I have one of Seb’s joy pods, but didn’t care much for the pod pad. I’m not sure the pad as shown conforms to the following rule:
3.4.1 (b)
F-Class Target Rifle (F-TR) Rests – A bipod and/or sling are the only allowed front supports for the F-TR rifle. The rifle may be supported by a bipod and/or sling and a rear support which provide no positive mechanical method for returning it to its precise point of aim for the prior shot.
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Then again, I think the benefits of this pad would be lost when getting the rifle setup during prep period. It takes much longer to get the Joy pod set up than a scissor-jack style. I use a piece of carpet for my front mat and rarely come off the target. Either way, I’m glad to see someone pushing the bar.
Adding weight to the bipod is a bold strategy Cotton…
Wonder if the groove will be seen as a challenge to the rules?
Editor: This particular PodPad is to be used for Extreme Long-Range Shooting by Darrell. It is not for F-Class Competition.
My current, standard Joypod and pad work just fine for F-Class. This particular pod, and pad will never see an F-Class match, it is purely intended for 2-mile, and 4000 yard ‘ELR’ competitions and shooting. The additions Seb has made will be extremely useful in keeping a 75# rifle adjusted precisely, and smoothly at 4000+ yards.