Bipod

A bipod is a support device that is similar to a tripod or monopod, but with two legs. It provides significant stability along two axes of motion (side-to-side, and up-and-down.)

On firearms, bipods are commonly used on rifles to reduce motion and permit more accurate shooting. They are also seen on other long-barreled weapons, especially light machine guns or squad automatic weapons. Machine guns are capable of firing long continuous bursts of fire, but at the cost of increased recoil (which decreases accuracy), and increased weight (machine guns are heavier in order to absorb the stresses of prolonged fully-automatic fire). The bipod permits the operator to rest the weapon on the ground, a low wall, or other object, reducing operator fatigue and permitting increased accuracy.

Rifle or machine gun bipods can be of fixed or adjustable length. The better ones can be tilted and also have their tiltingpoint close to the bore central axis, allowing the weapon to tilt a little left and right, allowing a quick horizontal sight picture on uneven ground and keeping the operator close to the ground. Bipods are for the most part folded away forward, not back towards the shooter.