The best shooter and the most accurate rifle in the world are useless without a stable rest. The last 3 hunting camps we were in, my husband and I were the only hunters using bipods affixed to our rifles; less than half of the rest of the hunters carried shooting sticks, monopods, or any other device to increase stability when placing a shot. We find this a mystery: accurately-placed off-hand shots seldom extend past 200 yards. Shooting prone or sitting, without any other aid, is fairly stable, but you can't shoot this way if you're in any brush at all. So why would a hunter voluntarily handicap himself/herself this way? We chose Harris 3-tier bipods with axial rotation for our rifles. For less than $100, you can set your rifle up any way you want it.

· GOOD: shooting sticks, monopod, bipod, anything quickly deployable under forestock of rifle to aid stability.
· BETTER: non-adjustable, retractable, rigid bipods attached to sling post on forestock of rifle.
· BEST: 3-tier adjustable, retractable bipods attached to sling post on forestock of rifle, with axial rotation to allow rifle to be level even on a side slope