SUPPORT

Abstract

This invention relates to the field of firearms, and in particular to a bipod for supporting a firearm, particularly high-calibre weapons. A bipod for supporting a bipod for supporting a firearm having a barrel, the bipod comprising: two legs rotatably mounted at respective opposing ends of a yoke and moveable between folded, intermediate, and firing positions, an elongate support member extending rearwardly of the yoke, and attachment means for attaching the bipod to the firearm in which the elongate support member is fixed to the yoke, and the attachment means is pivotally mounted on the elongate support number to permit canting of the firearm about a longitudinal axis.

Description

FIELD OF INVENTION

This invention relates to the field of firearms, and in particular to a bipod for supporting a firearm.

BACKGROUND

Bipods are often used by shooters to stably support the front-end of firearms, such as rifles, machine guns and air weapons to improve accuracy. Early bipods were formed from wire. Subsequent bipod designs usually comprise tubular legs depending from a body fixed to the underside of a firearm by a clamp typically clamping on a sling swivel. The Harris (trade mark) bipod originally disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,327,422, which includes spring-loaded telescopic legs depending from a narrow base body clamped to a quick detach stud fixed to the firearm and which can be deployed from a horizontal folded position to extend downwardly in a firing position, has been commercially successful for many years. Subsequent bipod designs, including those disclosed in US patent publications U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,614,174; 4,625,620; and 9,581,403 have included various refinements including means for absorbing the recoil of a rifle; means to allow for pivoting the firearm about vertical (panning) and/or horizontal (canting) axes to adjust the aiming point; and means for facilitating deployment of the bipod legs from a folded position.

U.S. Pat. No. 9,255,751 discloses a detachable bipod having a two part body, including an upper rifle engaging portion and a rotatably-connected lower portion which pivots about a vertical axis running through the point of attachment to a rifle, in the plane of the legs, permitting limited panning of the rifle. Panning of the rifle is inhibited by the design of the lower portion to about 15 degrees to the left or right.

Certain current bipod designs permit legs to be rotated, or folded, into a horizontal folded position either extending forwardly or rearwardly of the firearm. In the bipods of the Harris design, the legs are folded forwardly. Bipod legs may be fixed in different downward positions typically about 45°, or about 90° from the horizontal, allowing the firearm to be raised or lowered without having to extend telescopic legs. A problem with some bipod designs is that a leg may be inadvertently folded, for example if it accidentally contacts vegetation or the ground around the firing position, requiring resetting which can lose a shooting opportunity.

Some bipods are fitted as standard to firearms i.e fitted to the firearm as sold. Other bipods may be clamped e.g. to a quick release swivel stud or to an accessory rail (such as a Picatinny, Weaver or other rail) or magnetically attached as described in GB2504680.

Bipod requirements vary. A bipod for a relatively recoil-free pre-charged air weapon can be of relatively light construction. On the other hand, military shooters, especially snipers, use high calibre weapons (typically, .308-.50 calibres) often using a more sturdy bipod for support and long range accuracy. Such military shooters have particular requirements for robust, stable and functional bipod supports.

It is an object of the invention to provide an improved biped.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a bipod for supporting a biped for supporting a firearm having a barrel, the bipod comprising: two legs rotatably mounted at respective opposing ends of a yoke and moveable between folded, intermediate, and firing positions, an elongate support member extending rearwardly of the yoke, and attachment means for attaching the bipod to the firearm in which the elongate support member is fixed to the yoke, and the attachment means is pivotally mounted on the elongate support number to permit canting of the firearm about a longitudinal axis.

In a preferred embodiment, the legs are independently movable between folded, intermediate, and firing positions. Each leg may be retained in any of a forward-extending or rearward-extending horizontal position or an upright, downward or intermediate position.

The elongate support member may include a shaft.

The yoke may have a curved, preferably upwardly curved, profile. The yoke may be of unitary construction.

The bipod may include retaining means at either end of the yoke for retaining a leg in a horizontal, intermediate, upright, or downward position. This is especially advantageous in the tactical type environment, for example, being able to position the legs forward at around 45 degrees, to provide better support, when a user is shooting downwards (such as from the high window of a building to the ground below). By rotating and locking the legs forwards or rearwards, the user may be able to get lower, such as when shooting through floor level ‘loop holes’, air holes, drainage gaps etc.

The retaining means may be operated by a user to release a leg from a particular position allowing it to rotate. One suitable retaining means includes a slidable plate, which in a retained condition, engages indexing means mounted to or integral with the yoke, and in a released condition disengages the indexing means allowing leg rotation. The slidable plate may include one portion shaped to engage the indexing means in a retained condition, which portion is disengaged from the indexing means when the retaining means is in a released condition. For example, the portion may include at least one regular side shaped to engage a corresponding side provided by the indexing means. In one embodiment, the portion has six or more, preferably eight, regular sides. For example the portion may be hexagonal or octagonal. This means that the leg sections may rotate, indexing at for example eight positions, and can be positively locked into each of these positions. The leg sections may rotate through 360° indexing at eight positions.

Preferably the retaining means is operated into a retained condition by rearward (i.e towards the rear of the firearm or towards the shooter) movement of an element—such as the above slidable plate. Alternatively, the element may move forwardly. As the slidable plate extends rearwardly, accidental contact of a bipod with deployed legs (for example with vegetation in front of the firearm) when moving to a shooting position leaves the legs retained in a firing position rather than causing them to rotate and fold inadvertently lowering the firearm.

The bipod may attach by virtue of the attachment means to an accessory mounting rail integral with or attached to the firearm. The accessory rail may, for example, be one of the Picatinny (or MIL-STD-1913), Weaver, or NATO Accessory Rail types. The accessory mounting rail may be on a lower portion of the firearm. Alternatively, or additionally, the accessory mounting rail is on an upper portion of the firearm. Accordingly, the bipod of the invention may attach above or below the barrel of the firearm. In one embodiment, the attachment means is able to fix the bipod below or above the firearm. When the bipod is attached above the barrel, the firearm can be suspended below the yoke and between the legs of the bipod, to provide a stable shooting platform suitable for certain shooting situations where it is advantageous to have the weight of the rifle as low as possible.

The attachment means may comprise an upper and lower accessory rail/adapter component/other component-engaging element. For example an upper element may be arranged to engage an accessory rail (e.g. Picatinny or other standard rail) and a lower element may be arranged to engage an adapter component which can be used to connect the bipod to another device such as a tripod. The upper and lower elements may be the same or different. In a preferred embodiment, the attachment means may be rotated or otherwise translated so that the upper element becomes a lower element, and the lower element becomes an upper element.

The advantages to the user for under-hanging the firearm from the bipod include creating a lower profile for the rifle and user behind the firearm. In the tactical environment this helps to reduce the possibility of detection by hostile observers. It also aids stability of firearms by lowering the centre of gravity. This can be relevant when the rifle is ‘top heavy’ with accessories typically used in the tactical arena (such as scopes, night vision devices, laser range finders/designators, amp units, thermal Imaging cameras/sights). The ‘underhung’ or “underslung” configuration may also aid the speed in which the firearm and scope can be leveled for use, and for follow up shots by enabling the firearm to pivot naturally to a neutral position, in a pendulum type fashion.

The yoke may space the legs apart such that a line upwardly extending the longitudinal axis of each leg would meet above the firearm, preferably significantly above the longitudinal axis of the barrel of the firearm. The dimensions would vary depending upon the type of rifle, & rail location in relation to the barrel. Typically, lines extending upwardly along each leg in this manner would meet somewhere between about 3.8 cm (1.5 inches) to 6.4 cm (2.5 inches) above the longitudinal axis of the barrel (when the rifle is conventionally top mounted, and more if underslung from the bipod). Such a configuration provides a particularly stable shooting platform for military firearms compared to bipod designs in which the legs depend from a narrow bipod base fixed below the rifle. The legs of the bipod are preferably removable so that they can be replaced by alternative legs.

Preferably the legs are extendable. For example, the leg sections may be telescopic. In a preferred embodiment, the leg sections are telescopic and may be rapidly extended or retracted. For example, a leg may include a user-operated clamp which can be released to extend or contract a leg or deployed to fix a leg section in position.

The lower leg sections may have replaceable feet. For example, metal spikes for added grip. Such boots may be covered by flexible boots in normal use until required.

The bipod may feature, extending rearwardly of the yoke, vertical pivot means allowing the bipod to pivot about a vertical axis rearward of the legs, and attachment means for attaching the bipod to the firearm, extending rearwardly of the elongate support member and cooperating with the vertical pivot means to allow the pivoting of the bipod. Pivoting of the bipod about a vertical axis (in effect lengthwise folding of the bipod) allows effective panning of an attached firearm over wider panning angle than conventional designs. Having the pivot point spaced behind (typically 1-10 cm behind) the legs of the bipod provides a particularly stable shooting platform. A feature of this aspect of the invention is that greater panning angles (i.e 20 or more degrees in either direction) may be achieved.

The bipod may include user operated means for at least partially inhibiting pivoting of the bipod about the vertical axis i.e to control the extent of panning of the attached firearm. For example, relative movement of the vertical pivot means may be constrained. In one embodiment, one part of the pivot mechanism provides an element which tracks within an elongate recess defined by another part of the pivot mechanism when the two parts of the pivot mechanism pivot about each other, the element being stopped by contact with either end of the recess.

The attachment means is capable of being pivoted about a horizontal axis to allow canting of the firearm out of or into an upright condition, for example, when shooting across a sideways sloping firing position. Pivoting of the attachment means about the horizontal axis (or conversely pivoting of the yoke) may be partially or completely inhibited. For example, locking means may be provided for locking the attachment means in a fixed position, or released to allow the attachment means to pivot about the horizontal axis. The locking means may be provided on the left or right hand side of the bipod. In one embodiment the locking means is mounted on the attachment means and includes a locking lever. Such a locking lever may be arranged to be fitted to the left or right hand side of the attachment means, according to the handedness of the user. Being behind the yoke, the lever can be conveniently operated by a user.

The vertical pivot means is preferably at the rearward end of the elongate support member. The vertical pivot means may be provided by adjacent elements, integral or fixed to the elongate support member and attachment means, which are pivotally interconnected so as to allow the pivoting about a vertical axis. The adjacent elements may be substantially disc-shaped. The bipod may include means for limiting the pivoting about a vertical axis in one or either direction.

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a bipod for supporting a firearm in use, the bipod comprising two legs which are readily detachable (e.g. without the use of tools) so they can be readily replaced by alternative legs or poles. For example the legs can be unscrewed, and fixed length legs replaced by medium length telescopic legs, or trekking poles or shooting sticks for shooting from a standing position. The bipod may be a biped according to a previous aspect of the invention.

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided the combination of a biped according to any preceding aspect of the invention and a firearm attached to the bipod.

It is also contemplated that a bipod in accordance with the invention may be integrated with the firearm—i.e. not readily detachable or detachable only with tools.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A bipod in accordance with the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, FIGS. 1 to 15, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view, from above and one side, of a bipod in accordance with the invention fitted to an accessory rail of a firearm;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view from below and one side of the biped of FIG. 1 fitted to an accessory rail of a firearm;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal vertical cross-sectional view through the biped of FIG. 1 and accessory rail;

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of a portion of the bipod of FIG. 1 showing the support member, attachment means, and vertical pivot mechanism means;

FIG. 5 is an exploded view illustrating the attachment means of the biped of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is an exploded view illustrating the leg retaining means of the biped of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the biped of FIG. 1 with legs retained in an intermediate position;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the biped of FIG. 1 with legs retained in a rearward folded position;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a biped of FIG. 1 supporting a firearm by means of attachment to an upper accessory rail;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an alternative biped in accordance with the invention, with lower leg portions not shown;

FIG. 11 is a detailed view of the attachment means of the bipod of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is an elevation of the bipod of FIG. 10 in use supporting a rifle;

FIG. 13 is a detail view from below of the biped of FIG. 10 showing the attachment means;

FIG. 14 shows the bipod of FIG. 10 in use acting as an intermediate support between a firearm and a tripod; and

FIG. 15 is a perspective view from the front of the bipod of FIG. 10 showing the lower leg portions.

DESCRIPTION

It should be noted that in some of the accompanying drawings, certain fixing elements, such as bolts and screws; as well as springs and other standard components are omitted, or shown in a detached condition (e.g. as in FIG. 5) for clarity.

In this specification, references to orientations such as forward, vertical, horizontal, upright or downward will be understood by the skilled addressee to relate to a user and a firearm in normal usage.

In this specification, “bipods” may include devices having more than two legs, for example tripods or quadrapods.

Bipod Attached to Lower Accessory Rail

A bipod 10 in accordance with the invention is shown in FIG. 1.

The bipod 10, which comprises an upwardly curved yoke 11 supporting fixed length legs 12, 13, is fitted to a firearm such as a rifle (not shown) by means of clamp 14 which clamps to an accessory rail 16. In this case the clamp 14 is fixed to a Picatinny rail, previously fixed on the lower surface of the fore-end of the rifle. The clamp 14 a to be designed to fit to other weapon interfaces such as Key-Mod, M-Lock etc.

Although the bipod 10 is described as being attached to an accessory rail directly by use of a suitable adapter components, the bipod may be connected magnetically to a fitting fixed to the rifle as described for example in GB 2504680. This also permits the substitution of the bipod of the present invention with another support such as a tripod, bipod or monopod designed or adapted to be used with such a magnetic connection.

The clamp 14 is mounted on a plate 15 which has a generally disc-shaped shaped portion 15 A at its forward end, which defines a central axial aperture 16. Plate 15 overlies a correspondingly shaped element 17, mounted for rotation around a longitudinal horizontal axis on support member 18 which extends rearwardly from the yoke 11. In the embodiment shown, the support member 18 is integral with the yoke 11. Plate 15 and element 17 are pivotally interconnected by a screw (not shown in FIG. 1) so that they can pivot mutually around a vertical axis passing through their respective centres as described in detail below.

In FIG. 1, the legs 12 and 13 are shown retained in an upright, generally vertical firing position.

As shown particularly in FIG. 3 the elongate support member 18 supports element 17 for rotation around a horizontal axis. A locking lever 20 (one example of locking means) is threadably mounted at the rear of the support member 18, and is arranged to clamp (when in a locked condition) element 17 against support member 18 to prevent rotation about the horizontal axis i.e. in use to maintain the firearm in a set vertical position. Alternatively when the locking lever 20 is in an unlocked condition, element 17 is free to rotate about the horizontal axis i.e. to allow the firearm to be canted from, or to, the vertical.

Advantageously, lever 20 can be mounted so as to be operated from either the left or right hand sides to control cant of the rifle for left-handed or right-handed operators as the case may be. This is more convenient in terms of operation than a bottom mounted locking mechanism which is in practice obscured to a shooter in a shooting position.

Element 17 has an upper portion 17A at its rearward end which is generally disc-shaped, and defines a central axial aperture 22, and an arcuate recess 24. In the assembled bipod, disc-shaped portion 15A of plate 15 overlies the upper portion 17A of element 17 so that apertures 16 and 22 are coaxial. A fixing element such as a bolt or screw passes through apertures 16 and 22 interconnecting plate 15 and element 17 allowing mutual rotation about a vertical axis. A pin 26 shown particularly in FIG. 3 is received in arcuate recess 24, so as to limit rotation of plate 15 about the vertical axis when it contacts the end of the recess in either direction. In use, this restricts panning of a firearm mounted on the bipod.

A substantially disc-shaped cover plate 27 is shaped to fit a corresponding recess defined by disc-shaped portion 15A of plate 15. In the embodiment described, cover plate 27 is held against disc-shaped portion 15A by magnets which are obscured in FIG. 4. Alternatively, cover plate 27 could be held in place by alternative fixing means such as one or more bolts or screws. Cover plate 27 has a number of functions. The cover plate 27 protects the pivoting components below from dust and dirt. Furthermore, the cover plate also provides a useful promotional surface which can be engraved or embossed with, for example, the firearm manufacturer's trade mark, such that different plates can be used for use with firearms from different manufacturers.

As shown particularly in FIG. 3, clamp 14 is securely fixed to plate 15 by means of a bolt 28 inserted through axial aperture 30 defined by clamp 14 into a further axial aperture 32 defined by plate 15.

Clamp 14 comprises plates 34 and 36 which securely clamp, by means of fixing elements such as bolts 38, 39, onto accessory rail 16. Longitudinal movement of the bipod is prevented by transverse clamp ribs 40, 41 which fit securely into corresponding transverse slots 42, 43 provided as standard by accessory rail 16.

As shown in more detail in FIG. 6, leg 13 is rotatably mounted for movement through 360° on one end of elongate curved yoke 11 by a retaining mechanism 50. Leg 12 is rotatably mounted on the other end of the yoke 11 by a corresponding mechanism 52. Mechanism 50 only is now described in more detail, but mechanism 52 works in the same way. A central polygonal indexing stud 54 is formed integral with yoke 11 and has a number of indexing faces (preferably eight) about its circumference e.g. 56. A release button 58 is provided with a central aperture 68 which is shaped to engage opposing indexing faces of stud 54. The corresponding retaining mechanism 52 includes a release button 60. Release button 58 is arranged to run in slot 62 defined by end 64 of leg 13, against a spring (not shown). Leg end 64 is rotatably fixed to yoke 11 by means of a fixing element such as a bolt (not shown) which passes through central aperture 68 in release button 58 and engages a central recess 66 defined by indexing stud 54. A cover plate 70 protects the retaining mechanism 50. In use, leg 13 can be moved between forward-extending and rearward-extending folded positions by moving release button 58 away from the user (i.e. in a forward direction) so that the central aperture 68 no longer engages opposing indexing faces of stud 54. Release of the release button 58 re-engages opposing indexing faces of stud 54 holding the leg securely in one of a number of a folded or intermediate positions.

Having a rearward-facing release button 58 is advantageous in that it is unlikely to be operated accidentally, for example through contact with undergrowth when a shooter is moving forward which would result in an inadvertent movement of leg 13. However, the release button may be located in any orientation to suit your user requirements e.g. upward, downward, forward or in between.

In the embodiment described, with the multi-faced polygonal indexing stud shown, each leg can be moved through 360° and retained between a number of positions. FIGS. 1-3; and 5, 6 show the legs in a vertical or upright firing position. FIG. 7 shows the legs 12, 13 in a forward-extending intermediate firing position. A rearward-extending intermediate firing position is also possible with the bipod of the present invention. Either such intermediate firing position is used to quickly lower the firearm without having to operate telescopically extending legs. FIG. 8 shows the legs 12, 13 retained in a rearward-extending folded position. FIG. 9 shows the legs completely rotated from a normal downward position.

It should be noted that the retaining mechanism described above securely retains the legs in each position providing a particularly stable firing platform especially for high calibre weapons.

Bipod Attached to Upper Accessory Rail

As shown in FIG. 9, the bipod of the invention can be used to support a firearm by inverting the claim and fixing the clamp to an upper accessory rail of the firearm and suspending the firearm below. As shown in FIG. 9, bipod 10 is fitted with alternative longer telescopic legs 80, 82, and supports firearm 84 by clamping to an upper accessory rail 86. It will be seen in FIG. 9 that the legs 80, 82 have been rotated about yoke 11 into a downward position so that for example release button 58 extends rearwardly. Such a configuration can provide an alternative stable shooting platform.

Alternative Bipod

An alternative bipod 100 in accordance with the invention is shown in FIGS. 10 to 15. The bipod 100 is generally similar to the bipod 10 of FIG. 1, save for not featuring means for pivoting about a vertical axis.

The bipod 100 comprises an upwardly curved yoke 101 supporting variable length legs 102, and 103 respectively. Each leg 102, 103 has a ribbed upper portion 102U, and 103U respectively formed from a light alloy. Clamp bodies 102C and 103C are arranged to move up and down the upper portions 102U and 103U respectively by depressing a lever 102L and 103L (obscured in FIG. 10) against a biasing spring (not shown). Releasing lever 102L or 103L causes it to engage with the respective upper leg portion 102U or 1030 preventing further movement of the clamp bodies 102C or 103C. The bipod 100 is fitted to a firearm such as a military rifle 105 by means of a clamp 104 which engages an accessory rail 106 on the lower surface of the forestock of the rifle 105 to support the rifle conventionally above the bipod as shown in FIG. 12.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 11, the body of the clamp 104, which forms the attachment means, is pivotally mounted on shaft of bolt 110 but lockable in one upward facing position. The clamp 104 includes an upper dovetail track 108 which is shaped to receive and securely fit the accessory rail 106 of a rifle. The track 108 includes retaining projections e.g. 112. Although a dovetail track 108 is described, other configurations are possible depending on the accessory rail of the rifle to be fitted. For example, the clamp 104 may include a track or similar to receive a Key-Mod Mod or M-Lok accessory rail on a rifle. A side lever 114 is operable to permit rotation of the body 104 about the shaft 110 i.e. to permit canting of an attached rifle from side to side or to retain the rifle in a canted position or upright position. The side lever 114 may be mounted on either side of the clamp body 104 according to the handedness of the user. The clamp 104 also includes a lower “male” accessory rail 116 which is capable of receiving further accessories. The features 114 and 116 may be the same or different. As shown in FIG. 14, the accessory rail 116 may receive an adapter component 118 for receiving a magnetic spigot 119 mounted on a tripod 120 in the general manner described for example in GB 2504680. In this configuration, the legs 102 and 103 are folded to a horizontal, forward facing, position in which they do not in hinder operation of the rifle.

It should be noted that, when released, the clamp body 104 is free to rotate through 180° about the shaft 110 so that the upper dovetailed track 108 and lower accessory rail 116 are reversed in position. This may be particularly convenient in that in practice, a user can choose between the type of upper and lower accessory rail according to the application. This rotation of the clamp body also makes it possible to underhang a rifle below the bipod so that the body engages an upper accessory rail on the rifle generally as described in relation to the FIG. 1 embodiment in FIG. 9.

As shown in FIG. 15, the legs 102 and 103 also comprise lower portions 1028 and 103B respectively. The lower leg portions 102E and 103B are made principally of carbon fibre. The legs 102 and 103 terminate in spiked feet 102F and 103F which are obscured in normal use by rubber boots.

By operating the levers 102L and 103L, the lower leg portions 102B and 103B can be quickly moved to extend or reduce the length of the legs according to user requirements.

Legs 102 and 103 fit into retaining mechanisms 122 and 123. The retaining mechanisms are similar to retaining mechanisms 52 and 53 described in relation to the FIG. 1 embodiment. The legs 102 and 103 are detachable from the corresponding retaining mechanisms 122 and 123, and may be replaced by other leg units. For example, they may be replaced by trekking poles arranged to fit into the retaining mechanisms 122 and 123. Those retaining mechanisms 122 and 123 include release buttons 124 and 125 which in form and operation correspond to the release buttons 58 and 60 described in relation to the FIG. 1 embodiment. In particular, both release buttons 124,125 include a central aperture which has a multi-sided portion shaped to engage opposing indexing faces of a multi-sided stud when a release button is released holding the respective leg securely in a number of folded or intermediate positions generally as described in relation to the FIG. 1 embodiment. When a release button 124, 125 is depressed, the multi-sided portion of the central aperture is disengaged from the opposing indexing faces of the stud so that the corresponding leg 102, 103 can be freely rotated. In this manner, the legs 102 and 103 can be moved into vertical, horizontal forward and horizontal rearward and intermediate forward and rearward positions.

Although two embodiments of a bipod in accordance with the invention have been described above, the skilled addressee will appreciate that numerous modifications can be made, or alternatives employed to this embodiment without departing from the spirit of the invention set out in the claims.

Claims

1. A bipod for supporting a bipod for supporting a firearm having a barrel, the bipod comprising: two legs rotatably mounted at respective opposing ends of a yoke and moveable between folded, intermediate, and firing positions, an elongate support member extending rearwardly of the yoke, andattachment means for attaching the bipod to the firearm in which the elongate support member is fixed to the yoke,wherein the attachment means is pivotally mounted on the elongate support number to permit canting of the firearm about a longitudinal axis.

2. A bipod according claim 1 in which the legs are independently movable between folded, intermediate, and firing positions and can be retained in positions selected from any of an upright, forward-extending, or rearward-extending horizontal position.

3. A bipod according to claim 1, in which the elongate support member includes a shaft about which the attachment means can pivot.

4. A bipod according to claim 1, in which the yoke has a curved profile.

5. A bipod according to claim 4, in which the yoke is of unitary construction.

6. A bipod according to claim 1, in which each leg may be rotated through 360° on the respective side of the bipod.

7. A bipod according to claim 6, in which the retaining means, controlling leg movement are operated by a user from the rear of the bipod.

8. A bipod according to claim 7, in which the retaining means are operated by means of a button located at a rearward facing portion of the bipod.

9. A bipod according to claim 8, in which the retaining means can be operated to release a leg from a horizontal, intermediate or upright position.

10. A bipod according to claim 9, in which the retaining means includes a slidable element, which in a retained condition engages indexing means mounted to or integral with the yoke, and, in a released condition, disengages the indexing means allowing rotation of an associated leg.

11. A bipod according to claim 10, and in which the retaining means is in the form of a slidable plate, in which the slidable plate includes at least one portion shaped to engage the indexing means in a retained condition, which at least one said portion is disengaged from the indexing means when the retaining means is in a released condition.

12. A bipod according to claim 11, in which the said portion includes at least one regular side, shaped to engage a corresponding regular side provided by the indexing means.

13. A bipod according to claim 1, which attaches to an accessory mounting rail of, or attached to, the firearm.

14. A bipod according to claim 13, in which the accessory mounting rail is on a lower portion of the firearm below the barrel whereby the firearm is supported from below by the bipod or in which the accessory mounting rail is on an upper portion of the firearm above the barrel whereby the firearm is suspended below the yoke and between the legs of the bipod.

15. A bipod according to claim 1, which is able to pivot about a vertical axis to permit the supported rifle to pan at least 20 degrees in either side to side direction.

16. A bipod according to claim 15, in which pivoting of the yoke about the longitudinal axis can be partially or completely inhibited.

17. A bipod according to claim 16, in which the pivoting of the yoke about the longitudinal axis can be controlled by locking means, preferably including a lever, arranged to extend leftward or rightward of the bipod.

18. A bipod according to claim 1, in which the yoke spaces the legs apart such that a line extending the longitudinal axis of each leg would meet above a firearm supported by the bipod.

19. A bipod for supporting a bipod for supporting a firearm having a barrel, the bipod comprising: two legs rotatably mounted at respective opposing ends of a yoke and moveable between folded, intermediate, and firing positions, an elongate support member extending rearwardly of the yoke, andattachment means for attaching the bipod to the firearm in which the elongate support member is fixed to the yoke,wherein the attachment means is pivotally mounted on the elongate support number to permit canting of the firearm about a longitudinal axis, in which the legs are removable so that they can be replaced by alternative length legs or trekking poles.

20. A combination of a bipod according to claim 1 and a firearm, the firearm being attached to the bipod.