Viper-Flex^® Minor – for prone shooting

Bipod or freestanding rest? Support for prone shooting

Prone is the most stable shooting position a hunter has. The body rests on the ground, the centre of gravity is low, and pulse and breathing transfer less to the rifle than in any other position. But the position demands one thing: a solid rest for the fore-end at the right height. Many hunters therefore choose a bipod – but there is an alternative worth knowing before you decide.

What is a bipod?

A bipod is a two-legged support mounted directly on the rifle's fore-end and folded out when the shot is to be taken prone. It is widely used on the range and for hunting styles with long, planned shots. In return, it stays on the rifle all day: the weight and balance change with every step – including all the hours the bipod is not in use.

The freestanding alternative – the same low rest, no weight on the rifle

Viper-Flex® Minor solves the same task in a different way. Minor is a short carbon fibre tripod that stands on the ground in front of you and carries the fore-end for prone shooting – the rifle stays exactly as it is, with no mounts and no extra grams. The tripod weighs just 220 grams and packs so small that it rides in a pocket or on the binocular harness until needed. The height adjusts telescopically from 27.5 to 36.5 cm, and the rubber feet hold on both hard and soft ground. Lean gently into the tripod in position – and you add stability to the rest yourself.

See the product: Viper-Flex® Minor 3 – short tripod for prone shooting, 220 grams of black carbon fibre.

When do you shoot prone while hunting?

Prone shooting belongs where the terrain is open and the distances long: on farmland, on the range before the season opens, and on hunts in open country where you have time to get all the way down and perfect the rest before the shot. Precisely because the chance often comes after a long wait or stalk, it pays that the support weighs so little that it is always with you – instead of staying at home because it was too heavy or awkward to bring.

Part of the Viper-Flex® system

Minor is built on the same principles as the rest of the Viper-Flex® range: black carbon fibre, low weight, fast handling in the field – and every part can be replaced individually, so your investment lasts for many seasons. If your rest also needs to work standing and kneeling, a four-legged shooting stick is the natural next step: see the full range under shooting sticks.