Buying guide
Best Rimfire Shooting Rests, Bags & Bipods
Support gear guidance is written almost entirely for heavy centerfire rifles that recoil hard. A rimfire does neither of those things, and that inverts several of the standard recommendations — including one that will save you a lot of money.
The short version
- No recoil changes the maths. Bipod hop, pre-load technique and heavy-duty construction exist to manage recoil. A .22 has almost none, so a mid-priced bipod performs close to a premium one on a rimfire.
- Rifle weight is the real constraint. Rimfires are light. A support system heavier than the rifle changes its balance and how it sits, and it makes carrying the thing genuinely unpleasant.
- For NRL22, bags beat bipods. Positional stages are shot off barricades and props, not off flat ground. Support gear is also not counted in the Base division MSRP ceiling — only the rifle and scope are.
- For benchrest and load testing, nothing replaces a proper front rest and rear bag. If you are sorting rim thickness or testing ammunition, you are the largest variable and this is what removes you.
Why rimfire support is not centerfire support
Most of what is written about bipods and rests is written about rifles that generate substantial recoil. That recoil is what causes bipod hop, what makes pre-loading a technique worth learning, and what justifies heavy, expensive, rigidly engineered support. A .22 LR generates almost none of it.
Three consequences follow, and they are all in your favour:
- Cheaper support gear performs closer to expensive support gear. The failure modes that separate a premium bipod from a mid-priced one under a magnum mostly do not appear under a rimfire. Spend the difference on ammunition or glass.
- Weight becomes the binding constraint rather than rigidity. A sporter-weight rimfire is light, and hanging a substantial bipod off the forend changes how the rifle balances, how it sits in a bag and how it feels to carry all day.
- Position quality matters proportionally more. With no recoil to manage, the entire question is how still the rifle is at the moment the trigger breaks. That is decided by the position, not by the hardware.
The exception is the magnum rimfires and heavy-barrelled competition rifles, which are heavy enough that a flimsy bipod genuinely flexes under the rifle's own weight. Match the support to the rifle, not to the caliber.
Bipods
Sling-stud bipods, notched legs, 6–9 inch
- MountSling swivel stud
- HeightProne
- LegsSpring-return, notched height
- WeightLight enough for a sporter
The classic pattern, and on a rimfire it is genuinely hard to justify much more. Notched legs adjust in fixed increments rather than continuously, which is slower on uneven ground but perfectly workable on a range or a flat field. Sling-stud mounting fits nearly every wooden and synthetic sporter stock without an adapter.
Because there is no recoil to fight, the loose tolerances that would be a problem on a centerfire rifle largely stay invisible here. This is the one accessory category where buying at the bottom of the market is defensible.
Bottom lineFor most rimfire owners this is the whole answer. Buy it and move on to something that matters more.
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Quick-adjust bipods with cant and pan
- LegsContinuously adjustable
- HeadCant and pan under load
- MountPicatinny or stud adapter
- Best forField, competition, varmint work
The upgrade that actually matters, and it matters for one reason: continuously adjustable legs and a head that lets the rifle cant and pan without lifting it. Real ground is never level and targets rarely stay in one place, and every time you lift a locked bipod to reposition you are rebuilding the position from scratch.
Check the weight before committing. Some of the best-engineered bipods on the market are built for rifles twice the weight of a sporter rimfire and feel absurd on one.
Bottom lineWorth the money for varminting and field shooting. Unnecessary if you shoot off a flat bench.
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Rear bags and positional bags
Bags are the most under-bought and highest-value item in this whole category. A bipod controls the front of the rifle; the rear is controlled by your support hand, and a support hand is not as steady as a bag.
| Type | Fill | Job |
|---|---|---|
| Rear squeeze bag | Sand or heavy media | Elevation control behind the buttstock; squeeze to lower, release to raise |
| Eared rear bag | Sand, firm | Bench and benchrest; the ears index the buttstock in the same place every shot |
| Large positional bag | Light media, loosely filled | Conforms to barricades, roof lines, posts and truck bonnets |
| Small pinch bag | Light media | Packs into a pocket; fills gaps and stabilises awkward improvised rests |
| Bench front bag | Sand, firm | Supports the forend where a full pedestal rest is not available |
Rear squeeze bag
- FillSand or heavy polymer media
- SizeSized to your buttstock
- UseBench, prone, any supported position
- WeightModest
The single highest-value support purchase for anyone shooting a rimfire from a rest. Squeezing the bag lowers the crosshair, relaxing raises it, and the result is elevation control finer than any human hand can hold. It converts an unsteady supported position into a steady one.
Sand fill is heavier and firmer; polymer media is lighter and slightly softer. For bench and prone use, firmer is better. For anything carried any distance, the weight difference is noticeable.
Bottom lineIf you own a bipod and no rear bag, you have bought the less important half of the system.
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Large barricade support bags
- FillLight media, loose
- ShapeConforms under load
- UseBarricades, props, improvised rests
- NRL22Not counted in the Base MSRP limit
The defining piece of equipment in modern positional rimfire shooting. A large, loosely filled bag moulds itself to whatever you drop it on — a barricade window, a roof line, a fence post, a tyre — and turns an unusable surface into a stable rest in about two seconds.
Worth knowing for NRL22 specifically: the Base division ceiling is assessed on combined rifle and scope MSRP. Support gear sits outside that calculation, which makes bags one of the few places you can spend freely without affecting division eligibility. Confirm against the current ruleset before relying on that.
Bottom lineEssential for NRL22 and pointless on a bench. Buy according to which one you actually do.
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Bench rests for testing and load development
There is one job that nothing else does properly: finding out what your rifle and a given batch of ammunition are actually capable of, independent of you. That matters more in rimfire than almost anywhere else, because .22 rifles are famously particular about ammunition and the differences between lots are real and measurable.
If you are sorting rim thickness, testing five brands of match ammunition, or trying to establish whether a change actually helped, you need to be removed from the measurement.
Front pedestal rest with windage top
- AdjustmentElevation, and windage on better models
- TopSand bag or machined forend support
- BaseHeavy, three-point
- UseAmmunition testing, zeroing, rim sorting
A proper pedestal rest with a rear bag behind it takes the shooter almost entirely out of the equation. Fine elevation and windage adjustment means you can settle the crosshair precisely and then simply operate the trigger, which is the only honest way to compare one ammunition lot against another.
It is a heavy, expensive, entirely non-portable object and it will live on a bench forever. That is the correct expectation. If your shooting is casual, a firm front bag does most of the same job for a fraction of the money.
Bottom lineBuy it only if you genuinely test ammunition. Otherwise a front bag and a rear bag get you most of the way.
We may earn a commission on qualifying purchases made through these links, at no extra cost to you.
We may earn a commission on qualifying purchases made through these links, at no extra cost to you.
Ammunition shipping is restricted or banned outright in several states and many municipalities, and some jurisdictions require a licensed FFL or a permit as the delivery point. Rules change often and retailers enforce them at checkout, not before. Confirm your own state and city requirements with the retailer and your state attorney general's office before you place an order.
Tripods and the NRL22 shift
The tripod has moved from a spotting-scope accessory to a primary shooting support in positional rimfire, and the reason is simple: it works at any height, on any terrain, in any position, which is exactly the problem NRL22 stages are designed to pose.
A tripod with a suitable head gives you a stable standing, kneeling or seated position on ground where prone is impossible and a barricade is not provided. The trade is setup time and carry weight, both of which are real.
- The head decides everything. A ball head is fast and light; a levelling or geared head is more precise and slower. For shooting rather than spotting, a head designed to clamp the rifle is worth far more than an expensive set of legs.
- Legs should reach standing height under load without extending the thin sections fully. A tripod at maximum extension is a wobbly tripod.
- Rimfire lets you go lighter than centerfire guidance suggests. There is very little recoil to absorb, so the carbon versus aluminium argument comes down almost entirely to what you are willing to carry.
- A bag on top of a tripod head is a legitimate setup, and often faster and more forgiving than clamping the rifle directly.
Field and hunting support
Small game shooting has different requirements again: shots come quickly, positions are improvised, and anything that has to be assembled will not be assembled in time.
- Shooting sticks deploy in a second or two from standing or seated. For walking-and-stalking, they beat everything else on this page.
- A pocket-sized pinch bag weighs almost nothing and turns a fence post, a branch or a rock into a usable rest. Disproportionately useful for the space.
- A padded sling used as a support costs nothing extra and works in positions where no equipment can be deployed at all. Learning a hasty sling position is free.
- Consider leaving the bipod at home. A bipod on a hunting rimfire adds weight, snags on brush and is usable only prone — which is a position you will rarely be in when a squirrel presents.
Building a setup by discipline
| If you mostly do this | Buy first | Buy second | Skip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Backyard and range plinking | Rear squeeze bag | Basic sling-stud bipod | Tripods, pedestal rests |
| Ammunition testing / benchrest | Front rest and eared rear bag | A solid bench and a wind flag | Bipods entirely |
| NRL22 and positional | Large barricade bag | Tripod with a shooting head | Bench rests |
| Small game hunting | Shooting sticks | Pocket pinch bag | Heavy bipods |
| Varminting with a .17 magnum | Adjustable-leg bipod | Rear squeeze bag | Ultralight gear that flexes |
Five mistakes worth avoiding
- Buying a bipod and no rear bag. The most common mistake in the category. The rear of the rifle is where the wobble lives, and it is the cheaper half to fix.
- Buying centerfire-grade hardware for a sporter rimfire. A bipod built for a heavy magnum is superb engineering and completely wasted here, and it unbalances a light rifle badly.
- Practising only from the bench. A bench tells you what the rifle and ammunition can do. It tells you nothing about what you can do, and every discipline and every hunt is shot from somewhere else.
- Choosing a heavy sand fill for gear you carry. Sand is the right answer on a bench and the wrong answer in a pack. Two different bags is usually cheaper than one compromise.
- Ignoring how the rifle actually sits. A stock with a narrow, rounded forend rocks on a wide front bag. Check the fit between your rifle and your support before assuming the support is the problem.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an expensive bipod for a .22?
Almost certainly not. Most of what separates a premium bipod from a mid-priced one is its ability to manage recoil and stay rigid under heavy loads, and a rimfire generates very little of either. A basic sling-stud bipod performs close to a premium one on a light .22. The exceptions are heavy competition rifles and the magnum rimfires, where the rifle's own weight can flex a flimsy bipod.
Bipod or bags for NRL22?
Bags, decisively. NRL22 stages are shot off barricades, props and awkward surfaces rather than off flat ground, and a large loosely filled bag conforms to whatever is in front of you in about two seconds. A bipod is useful on the prone stages and useless on the rest. Support gear also sits outside the Base division's combined rifle-and-scope MSRP ceiling, though you should confirm that against the current ruleset.
What should I buy first if I have a limited budget?
A rear squeeze bag. It is inexpensive, it works from a bench, prone or any supported position, and it gives finer elevation control than any hand can manage. People routinely buy a bipod first and then discover that the wobble they were trying to remove was at the back of the rifle all along.
Sand fill or lightweight fill?
Depends where the bag goes. Sand is heavier and firmer, which is exactly what you want on a bench or under a buttstock where stability matters and carrying does not. Lighter polymer or synthetic media is the right choice for anything you walk with, including positional barricade bags where the bag needs to conform rather than resist. Owning one of each is usually the answer.
Is a tripod worth it for rimfire shooting?
For positional competition, increasingly yes — it gives you a stable position at any height on ground where prone is impossible, which is precisely the problem NRL22 stages pose. For bench shooting or casual plinking it is an expensive answer to a problem you do not have. If you buy one, spend the money on the head rather than the legs.
Can I use a bipod for hunting small game?
You can, but most people find it is the wrong tool. Small game shots are taken quickly from improvised positions, usually standing or kneeling, and a bipod only works prone. It also adds weight to a rifle you are carrying all day and catches on brush. Shooting sticks and a pocket-sized bag serve field shooting far better.
Why does my rifle rock on the front bag?
Almost always a fit problem rather than a bag problem. A narrow or rounded sporter forend has very little flat surface to sit on, so it pivots on a wide, firm bag. Options are a bag with a narrower or softer channel, a forend adapter that presents a flat surface, or simply a less firmly filled bag that conforms to the stock rather than fighting it.