Heathen Bipod

[Grayman]

The heathen bipod system.
To understand the heathen bipod system you have to open your mind to the idea of weight (Or lack thereof) as a design feature. If you buy the heathen expecting a replacement for a standard folding bipod system you will be disappointed. The heathen is specifically designed to offer the stability of a standard bipod without the weight penalty. It's a truly beautiful thing once you understand it's use.

To use the heathen you insert the two detachable legs into the corresponding perpendicular holes in the rail-mounted base. The legs are held in place with integral plastic detents. This works great until it doesn't. (More on this later) The legs store in two additional holes in the rail-mounted base that keep the legs tucked up tight to the rail. Also included are several rubber bands that you can use to keep the foot end of the legs tight to the rail. The feet have hollow protrusions that allow the feet to be attached to each other if you plan to store them as a single unit. (They can be thrown into a pocket or stuffed into a column of mole webbing and will stay together) The protrusions have the added benefit of giving the rubber band something to grab onto. The rail-mounted base also serves as a hand stop and barricade stop with some gnarly teeth on the front that bite well into barricades.

The whole process of freeing the legs and getting them set is anything but quick even with practice. It's not complicated by any stretch of the imagination but it does take some dexterity and clear access to the muzzle end of the gun. I found the easiest way to accomplish the task was to put the gun in high port and roll it inboard to see the bottom of the mount. Pull the legs out of their stowed position and insert them into the bottom holes. Once the legs are in place the bipod functions just like any other bipod you're used to.

After you're done with it you pull the legs out of their holes and you'reback to square one. You can either stow the legs back in their storage holes or pop them together and throw them in a pocket or pouch. However if you plan to use the bipod again I strongly suggest keeping the legs in their deployed position. Save yourself some trouble and just move with it that way.

Now for the downside... I recently used the Heathen for a 3 day DMR class. By the end of day 2 the legs were no longer retained in their deployed position holes. It started slowly but eventually got to a point where the legs would fall out every time the weight of the rifle wasn't holding them in. On the third day, after putting tape on the legs, I actually lost one of the bipod legs during a movement course.

After the course I contacted Heathen and they immediately asked if I had been loading the bipod. I informed them that I always load the bipod and that I am not particularly gentle about it. I was informed that the nature of the retention system doesn't hold up well to being heavily loaded. (The forward force of pushing into the rifle with your shoulder to help control recoil and bipod bounce) The tension created seems to tweak the internal plastic detents causing them to loosen over time. Heathen was not shy about the issue and stated it has been documented. Their suggestion was to limit the amount of force used when loading the bipod and let the weight of the rifle keep the bipod planted. Heathen had a whole new bipod system in my hands within two days. I was very impressed with the way the situation was handled especially given the damage being my fault.

This leads into the other issue, stability. The Heathen bipod does not feel particularly stable when compared to traditional bipods. At first I found this very disconcerting and was constantly worried I was going to bend one of the legs or have the whole thing pop off the rail. The legs are very wide at the base so I wasn't worried about it tipping over but I did notice a lot of flex and twist in the legs. After a short time using the bipod I actually came to appreciate this bit of flex. There is no tilt or swivel to the Heathen but I found that by flexing the legs slightly I was able to get a decent amount of swivel while maintaining stability.

Aside from the retention issue I had no other failures despite a very abusive training environment.

Now for the summary. If you are looking for the perfect patrol rifle bipod your search is over. I can very confidently say that the Heathen bipod has struck that perfect balance of versatility, weight and cost. Sure it isn't as stable as an accu-tac and no it's not as bombproof as one either but it's also only a few ounces and $60 (Their good guy pricing is worth getting signed up for cats). In the days of variable magnification optics, 1,500 lumen weapon lights and MFAL's on every dudes rifle you will appreciate the versatility and respect the weight savings. We are asking more from our weapon systems now then ever before and the Heathen delivers the performance you've been looking for. Plus it doesn't look as stupid as a grip-pod....

 

[user12358]

I definitely have experienced the same things you describe but I feel that the Heathen could certainly use a gen 2 update. I think the legs are perfect for the purpose in terms of strength to weight as they provide a good amount of stability while being able provide a usable amount of side to side swivel due to inherit bend. However, I have found the retention of the legs to be absolutely awful in actual use when using it for anything other than administrative zeroing on a range.

When using the the Heathen to setup in a position, firing a moderate amount, and then standing up, it is almost uncommon to not leave one or both legs behind. As such I believe I have lost 5 of these legs so far, but I do believe that extras may be purchased from Heathen. In a Gen 2 version I would hope to see some sort of locking functionality to the legs such as a push button lock like on a pop up tent, preferably with the weight of the mechanism in the legs, not always static on the end of your gun. As noted in the above review, it is certainly not a quick task to deploy the bipod and being able to stand up or readjust the gun without losing a bipod leg or legs is a critical function.

Another change I would like to see is a small amount of tilt functionality so that you can properly align your scope with the drop of gravity if pushing an LPVO out to 300m-600m. It doesn't need to have adjustable tension or any great amount of cant but their is no flat surface when you really need one and I found myself going onto one bipod leg at times because the lack of stability was less burdensome than a severely canted reticle at distance. I know that I personally would trade a little extra weight and bulk for this feature but others might disagree.

Another note for people using thinner hand guards, such as a MK16 or Wedgelock, I found that stowing the legs in the barricade stop parallel to the barrel was annoying and compromised my grip. This is easily fixed by stowing them just below the 12 O'Clock rail on the left side of the upper reciever, as far back as possible, with the supplied ranger bands.

 

[PatMcG]

My only complaint is leg retention. I’d imagine a metal insert could be added fairly easy if a “gen 2” were to be made


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[Ash Hess]

I have been using the System for awhile now. I never load so didn't have that issue.
Understanding the role it was designed to fill is important. It's for an Assaulter to be able to gain some stability during defense stuff with minimal weight cost.
For that it does its job better than anything on the market. Add in a usable barricade stop for the rest of the time and it's very hard to beat.

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[Justthetip]

I received a Heathen bipod for T&E last February and loaned it to students in two classes, as well as using it in several two-gun matches.

I echo what everyone here has said. The concerns over long-term leg durability are valid but I think easily understandable considering the weight and cost of the bipod. It is not an Atlas and the two should not be confused. The niche of this piece of equipment may be narrow but the Heathen bipod fills it nicely.

I have been extensively involved in T&E, as well as research and development, and was impressed with their attention to detail and communication with end-users. We bounced ideas around concerning updated versions that would incorporate a low profile grip stop and the possibility of a minimalist on-board storage solution for cleaning gear (eyelet, borebrush, etc). Based on our conversations, I am sure that changes or modifications in reference to durability and weight will be with juice/squeeze in mind.

 

[user12358]

Understanding the role it was designed to fill is important. It's for an Assaulter to be able to gain some stability during defense stuff with minimal weight cost.
For that it does its job better than anything on the market.

I don't think that anyone is confusing what role it is supposed to fill. It certainly does its job better than anything on the market but that doesn't mean that it does that job well or that it is ready for prime time. When you can't change your position, make a gross adjustment to the direction you are aiming at or even change your magazine without losing one or both of your bipod legs then it is no longer providing stability and is just a heavy plastic barricade stop.

The idea behind the assulter bipod is sound and I hope Heathen continues developing it as there is real potential in the product but for as long as the legs have as many retention problems as they do it is just the zero check bipod. Proper retention of the bipod legs should not alter the product's weight in any significant way and is a fundamental part of its core goal.

 

[Grayman]

I don't think that anyone is confusing what role it is supposed to fill. It certainly does its job better than anything on the market but that doesn't mean that it does that job well or that it is ready for prime time. When you can't change your position, make a gross adjustment to the direction you are aiming at or even change your magazine without losing one or both of your bipod legs then it is no longer providing stability and is just a heavy plastic barricade stop.

The idea behind the assulter bipod is sound and I hope Heathen continues developing it as there is real potential in the product but for as long as the legs have as many retention problems as they do it is just the zero check bipod. Proper retention of the bipod legs should not alter the product's weight in any significant way and is a fundamental part of its core goal.

The problem is that we live in the here and now not the what ifs and maybe's. I get where you are coming from but the reality is that a better mousetrap doesn't currently exist. I found that when I had a leg fall out there was a pretty simple solution... pick it up and stick it back in. If I'm in a position where I have the distance and time to prone out and setup a bipod then that shit really isn't the end of the damn world and I'll be awful grateful for the ability to stabilize my gun on a bipod instead of a rock or something

 

[user12358]

The problem is that we live in the here and now not the what ifs and maybe's. I get where you are coming from but the reality is that a better mousetrap doesn't currently exist.

I totally get this and we piss with the dick we got and all that. There is a reason I am still using them but we absolutely should keep striving to improve our gear and I truly believe in the concept which is why I would like to see it improved with a Gen 2, whether by Heathen or someone else.

My main problem with losing legs is when I move to another position and find that I only brought one leg with me and there is no reason to have to keep picking them up and putting them back in when the design can be improved.

 

[Mike_IA]

It seems this bipod is getting painted into an ever smaller usage box though “when it’s applicable” and “it’s limitations.” At what point does the weight, cost, complexity entailed versus window/opportunity of use get to the point we wait for a better mouse trap regardless of the here and now and all that?

 

[Matt Landfair]

For my cop application where I never know what will be occurring during the course of the day to include holding on a perimeter at arrival or after moving - it is providing value. Light weight, minimal snag, simple - and compatible with my gun rack - I see it as a great patrol officer option.

 

[Mike_IA]

I addressed the patrol rifle use context in the Modern Patrol rifle thread, but in short for slightly more weight a non-swivel harris bipod does bipod stuff better for about $10 less, $20-30 more gets you a Magpul bipod and ADM QD. And in the cop context I could have benefitted from a bipod maybe 2-5% of the time and the inability to handle uneven terrain or take loading would have precluded the heathen from being useful.

I really like the concept of an ultralight bipod (and watch what European hunters are doing with magnets, polymer, and carbon fiber) and wanted to like the heathen, but the use versus cost versus limitations balance didn’t come out favorably for it in my book.

 

[3rdplatoondoc]

I’ve never laid eyes on one of these but could they possibly be rigged with shock cord inside the legs (tent pole style)? That could help with retention of the legs and speed deployment. I’m thinking you could slide the rubber band off, the shock cord pulls the legs into rough alignment, click the legs in and you’re good.


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[krax]

I want to like it, but I'll stick with the assaulter's monopod for now.