Accu-Tac has redesigned all of their bipods and will no longer be offering the old style. They've also slimmed down their selection to only their best selling models.
A lot of bench rest shooters use their old FC-5 or FC-10 models due to their wide stance. But, they only had the option to pan. If you wanted cant/tilt, you were forced to choose from models with a narrower stance. The newly designed FC-G2 offers BOTH pan and cant! Also, they've changed the legs. The older models had longer legs. The new model has the short legs but, they have the ability to extend.
Their base model, the BR-4, now sports the new legs and the re-designed center hub. Basically, the only thing that remains unchanged is the way the legs attach to the center hub and the way they lock in. When comparing the new to the old, it looks like they reversed the center design. But, they've done more than that. The way the cant system locks has been redesigned to a more reliable, easier to use system.
The winged thumbscrew of the old system could be a bit hard to get to for shooters with larger hands and it left the possibility of catching a knuckle on one of the inside screws or leg lock points. The new system incorporates an easily accessible lever style lock that's easy to access and easy to use. Also, the lever is spring loaded. So, if you don't like where it's sitting once locked, give it a "pull and twist" and it will click into another spot.
The quick release thumb nut has been replaced with a hex head screw that sits inside a recess. In order to adjust rail tension, you move the lever to the unlock position, push it, and spin the hex head.
The new legs are wider, thicker, and have the ability to extend vs the old thin style with no adjustment. The feet are much larger too and re-inforced with support cups.
When comparing the FC-G2 vs the old FC-10, right away I notice the difference in leg height and thickness. I also notice how the picatinny attachment sits higher when compared to the hinge point of the legs. There's pro's and con's to this. When I think about stability, I want low and wide. So, having that attachment lower in the bipod would seem like a better setup. However, sitting here writing this at my desk, the height difference is less than an inch. The lower legs also bring the center of gravity down. Overall, I thinking his system is going to work out better than the old tall models.
Another subtle difference I noticed is that the quick release lever no longer conflicts with the hub frame. The old model, you'd have to pan to the side in order to release the lever all the way which was annoying but, the new one clears the hub without any interference. This is a big deal if you're a "Set it and forget it" type of shooter.
All of the other changes I mentioned above about the BR-4 also apply to the new FC-G2.
Interesting note: The legs on all the Accu-tac models are easily interchangeable (except the HD-50). A long while ago, I swapped the legs around on my older models and came up with a super low and wide model that I named the "TC-5" (TomCat-5) I used the old BR-4 legs with the wide F series base. It worked out well but, was right on the border of being too low. The new FC-G2 legs are just a little bit taller and the hub sits about an inch higher which means that this should work out to be just right! I asked about what all the letters and numbers mean. It seems that's a bit of mystery even to some of the people working at Accu-Tac. So, I'm going to say that the FC stands for FAT CAT!
As I stated earlier, the Accu-Tac lineup has been slimed down to 5 models.
The HD-50 $383 (This one is designed specifically for .50 cal pb rifles)
The FC-G2 $434
The LR10-G2 $343 (Longer & fatter legs than the FC-G2 and cant only, no pan)
The SR5-G2 $317 (Longer legs than the FC-G2 and cant only, no pan)
The BR-4 $308 (Same legs as the FC-G2 and cant only, no pan)
So, let's say you want the taller legs on the wide body. For now, the only way to do that is to pick up the FC-G2 and either an LR-10 or an SR-5. That's pricey! For arguments sake, let's say you picked up an LR-10. You'd actually end up with the ability to have an FC-G2, LR-10, BR-4, and an unavailable model - a tall FC10-G2, due to the Accu-Tac's ability to easily swap legs. By the way, the legs are interchangeable between the old style bipods and the new style bipods.
The LR-10 and SR-5 have also been upgraded but, not to the degree that the FC-G2 and BR4 have. The new hub is the same as the BR-4. However, the legs have longer leg extensions with more notches that are closer together.
There's some other features to these bipods that I like and will cover in an upcoming video.
I hope you all enjoyed this pre-Shot Show sneak peek.
Happy Shooting!
Tomcat
A lot of bench rest shooters use their old FC-5 or FC-10 models due to their wide stance. But, they only had the option to pan. If you wanted cant/tilt, you were forced to choose from models with a narrower stance. The newly designed FC-G2 offers BOTH pan and cant! Also, they've changed the legs. The older models had longer legs. The new model has the short legs but, they have the ability to extend.
Their base model, the BR-4, now sports the new legs and the re-designed center hub. Basically, the only thing that remains unchanged is the way the legs attach to the center hub and the way they lock in. When comparing the new to the old, it looks like they reversed the center design. But, they've done more than that. The way the cant system locks has been redesigned to a more reliable, easier to use system.
The winged thumbscrew of the old system could be a bit hard to get to for shooters with larger hands and it left the possibility of catching a knuckle on one of the inside screws or leg lock points. The new system incorporates an easily accessible lever style lock that's easy to access and easy to use. Also, the lever is spring loaded. So, if you don't like where it's sitting once locked, give it a "pull and twist" and it will click into another spot.
The quick release thumb nut has been replaced with a hex head screw that sits inside a recess. In order to adjust rail tension, you move the lever to the unlock position, push it, and spin the hex head.
The new legs are wider, thicker, and have the ability to extend vs the old thin style with no adjustment. The feet are much larger too and re-inforced with support cups.
When comparing the FC-G2 vs the old FC-10, right away I notice the difference in leg height and thickness. I also notice how the picatinny attachment sits higher when compared to the hinge point of the legs. There's pro's and con's to this. When I think about stability, I want low and wide. So, having that attachment lower in the bipod would seem like a better setup. However, sitting here writing this at my desk, the height difference is less than an inch. The lower legs also bring the center of gravity down. Overall, I thinking his system is going to work out better than the old tall models.
Another subtle difference I noticed is that the quick release lever no longer conflicts with the hub frame. The old model, you'd have to pan to the side in order to release the lever all the way which was annoying but, the new one clears the hub without any interference. This is a big deal if you're a "Set it and forget it" type of shooter.
All of the other changes I mentioned above about the BR-4 also apply to the new FC-G2.
Interesting note: The legs on all the Accu-tac models are easily interchangeable (except the HD-50). A long while ago, I swapped the legs around on my older models and came up with a super low and wide model that I named the "TC-5" (TomCat-5) I used the old BR-4 legs with the wide F series base. It worked out well but, was right on the border of being too low. The new FC-G2 legs are just a little bit taller and the hub sits about an inch higher which means that this should work out to be just right! I asked about what all the letters and numbers mean. It seems that's a bit of mystery even to some of the people working at Accu-Tac. So, I'm going to say that the FC stands for FAT CAT!
As I stated earlier, the Accu-Tac lineup has been slimed down to 5 models.
The HD-50 $383 (This one is designed specifically for .50 cal pb rifles)
The FC-G2 $434
The LR10-G2 $343 (Longer & fatter legs than the FC-G2 and cant only, no pan)
The SR5-G2 $317 (Longer legs than the FC-G2 and cant only, no pan)
The BR-4 $308 (Same legs as the FC-G2 and cant only, no pan)
So, let's say you want the taller legs on the wide body. For now, the only way to do that is to pick up the FC-G2 and either an LR-10 or an SR-5. That's pricey! For arguments sake, let's say you picked up an LR-10. You'd actually end up with the ability to have an FC-G2, LR-10, BR-4, and an unavailable model - a tall FC10-G2, due to the Accu-Tac's ability to easily swap legs. By the way, the legs are interchangeable between the old style bipods and the new style bipods.
The LR-10 and SR-5 have also been upgraded but, not to the degree that the FC-G2 and BR4 have. The new hub is the same as the BR-4. However, the legs have longer leg extensions with more notches that are closer together.
There's some other features to these bipods that I like and will cover in an upcoming video.
I hope you all enjoyed this pre-Shot Show sneak peek.
Happy Shooting!
Tomcat
