Review – Mystic Precision MPOD

Mystic Precision is a British Columbian based manufacturer and retailer headed up by Jerry Teo and it has a singular function.  Jerry wants to get you gear that helps you reach out and touch something.  He has also had some interesting projects, like seeing how much work it takes to make a Stevens 200 action reach out to a mile.  That's not the focus of this review however.

Mystic Precision recently came out with an update to the MPOD that adds a tilt and lock functionality.  The MPOD is designed in Canada but built in the good ol US of A by EGW.  The MPOD comes to you like a piece of IKEA furniture but they provide an excellent video on how to assemble it.  It only took me 7 or so minutes to build it and most of that was chasing a screw I dropped that the cat thought was a toy.

The large lever at the center releases the tension on the tilt function.

You may be looking at the pictures and asking why I have a F-Class bipod on my “tactical” Remington 700 build.  The answer is because I like to try new things, support North American Manufacturing and the tilt function would go well with the bubble level in the SPUHR ISMS.  The other thing that made me try it was the sleight weight savings and added stability.  I am not humping a rifle into the middle of nowhere to nail that guy who has had good people holed up for hours.  I am a dude who shoots paper, steel and the odd piece of fruit or water jug.  I wanted something that had a Canadian tie due to most of this build originating in Canada.  I already had a Harris kicking around so it was interesting to check things out at both ends of the spectrum.

The side of the legs have measurement markings on them to use as reference points.

To start things off the MPOD doesn't mount to a picatinny rail or sling stud although I believe there are adapters to fix this.  It does however use a T-Slot rail like those found on Choate, Anschutz and Savage stocks.  This means the bipod doesn't fold but attaches by being slid into the T-Slot on the rifle and then tightened down.  This is the first big difference between this and a Harris bipod.  The T-Slot was easy to mount to the MDT HS3 that we previewed in this article.  I figured out what the mounting holes of the chassis were threaded and headed down to a parts store to get two countersunk bolts.  Mystic Precision only provides the T-Slot rail as  guns are set up with different mounting patterns if they have one or will require drilling and tapping.  The T-Slot they provide has one hole for a bolt and a countersunk track that should hopefully cover most mounting holes out there for the other bolt.  The T-Slot provides a solid mounting surface and you would really have to try to snap it off.  The T on the top of the MPOD slides into the track easily and when locked down doesn't move under recoil.  Since you have likely formulated a drinking game for each time I have said T-Slot (that's another drink), we'll move onto the meat of the bipod.

EGW makes both the T-Slot and the MPOD

The MPOD has a wide angle between the two legs allowing for a very sturdy feel even with the legs at their shortest.  When the legs are fully extended the base gets even wider providing even more stability.  The MPOD uses two skis instead of rubber feet or claws.  This also means you shoot a bit different with it although there will be more on that further down.  The legs are adjusted by thumb screws that tighten down well.  There are markings lasered into the side to give you quick reference on the height of your rifle.  The legs allow for the rifle to be able to handle fairly large height differences between each leg while still remaining rock solid.  The new tilt feature is the epitome of the KISS principle.  A large easy to operate lever is loosened and then you tilt the rifle to the desired cant and then lock it back down.  This is especially useful when you want to set it and forget it.  By this I mean even under recoil it doesn't budge, allowing you to focus on breathing, reading the wind and trigger control instead of rifle cant.  In a future article we will be talking a bit more on rifle cant and bubble levels.  On the subject of weight their website says this:

The installed pod weighs 12.8ozs (as pictured). This makes the MPOD the lightest F-class suitable pod we are aware of. By comparison, a Harris BR- S 6 to 9 inch bipod weighs 13.8ozs on the same scale. If you want to save even more weight, you can swap in bolts for the knobs and that will cut another 1.5oz off the total!

Despite its beefy appearance its Eiffel tower like empty spaces keep off the weight.

Although you cant see it as the rifle fires it slides back on the ski's allowing you to keep your eye on the target.

So how do you shoot with this unique looking bipod? Well for starters you don't load it like you would with most other bipods. It's designed to slide back allowing you the ability to track your shot.

When I first got the bipod I made some mistakes, even with Jerry instructing me what to do. He told me that all I needed on the stock and grip was light pressure and when fired the rifle would slide backwards on the skis. Well, what I screwed up was using the holes in the Skeletonized stock to hold onto my rear bag. This caused the barrel to jump, making it so I couldn't track the shot. Once I realized what I was doing wrong I went back to the range to give it another try.

This time I was able to get it to jump less but the MPOD highlighted another problem. I wasn't behind the rifle straight enough. The MPOD made me realize I relied on a lot of crutches when shooting and made it clear I should rid myself of them. Now that I have things figured out, though, it's nice to be able to watch the impact through the scope instead of re-seating the rifle and peering around. It has made followup shots much faster and adjustments a breeze. I can't wait until I can push my rifle to even greater ranges later this year.

What I said earlier about the tilt function still rings true. Being able to set up on the bench, get into position and adjust the tilt without having to worry about it after is fantastic. I can keep my eye looking through the scope to send another piece of .308 lead and copper rocketing off into its target.

As you can see with little to no effort the MPOD is adjusted for varying terrain and using the tilt function it now takes seconds to level out the gun.  I have also moved the adjustment dials to the outside of the legs because I found it easier to adjust there.

So is the MPOD for you? Well that depends. Will you be shooting from rapidly changing positions? Do you need a bipod that can fold and be deployed at a moments notice? If you said yes, perhaps it's not for you. However, if you're looking to see how far you can push your rifle and your shooting abilities, get maximum stability out of a bipod and the ability to solidly lock your cant down then you should check it out.  The added stability and the ability to keep the rifle perfectly perpendicular to the ground has allowed me to focus on all the other factors affecting the shot.  Also, for all the people who always comment after every article about a Canadian made piece of gear saying it should be made in the states, this one is for you. It was designed in Canada but manufactured south of the border.

For those who are always interested in parts for a build this rifle uses:

Remington 700 SPS Tactical
EGW 20 MOA base
Spuhr ISMS SP-3001
KRG Bolt Lift
Vortex Viper PST 6-24×50 FFB with EBR-2C reticle
Sniper Tools Design ACI
MDT HS3 Chassis
MDT Skeleton Rifle Stock
Mystic Precision MPOD

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