R3 Development 4-Section CkyePod Legs: Lightweight Upgrade For Long Range Bipods

Photos by Regine Trias / IG: @reginetrias

There’s a trend growing within the long range shooting niche, one of combining multiple sub-disciplines with the resulting knowledge and equipment trending back up the chains backwards to enrich each of those disciplines individually. 

The intersection between tactical, hunting, and competitive long range shooting can be one that results in equipment born out of real-world necessity and based on existing standards where it counts, and a small company called R3 Development (shortened to R3D) has created a set of carbon fiber-based leg replacements for the venerable MDT Ckye-Pod that hit that nail right on the head. MDT has done an amazing job bringing small but infinitely useful accessories to the mass markets. But from time to time, there are still holes in the lineup that can be filled. 

A situation many shooters have found themselves in has been one of needing a versatile bipod that offers an extremely tall maximum extended height, a bench-useable low setting, and light weight. In the past, the most obvious solution has been to own and swap out multiple bipods and all the drawbacks that come with multiple pieces of gear fighting for space, not only on your rifle, but in your head. 

MDT currently makes a triple-pull Ckye-Pod, however with an MSRP of $999 an advertised weight of 2.3lbs, and a maximum height setting of 36”, the pill for a triple-pull can be a hard one to swallow especially for those of us who already own either a single or double pull Ckye-Pod and simply can’t justify the extra cash for a whole new bipod that adds height but at added weight. 

Mdt Ckyepod Triple Pull Bipod Height Range

$999.99

Optics Planet $999.99

Prices accurate at time of publishing. Affiliate disclosure.

This is where R3D comes into the picture. Founded by three competitors and hunters, Richie Walters, Riley Foster, and Rhett Walters. The trio was shooting in long range “adventure style” competitions, including the NRL Hunter series, and sought to find a solution to their bipod challenges without a total redesign of the proverbial wheel. 

Utilizing the existing ARCA/1913 clamp and leg attachment system from MDT, they developed a lightweight set of carbon fiber legs that offer lighter total weight and either 32” total height with their 3-section legs or 40” with the 4-section legs, all while being easier on the wallet than buying a second Ckye-Pod. 

R3D sent over a set of their 4-section legs and included with them what they call a “guts kit”, which is everything needed to build the spring detent/thumb knob system on the attachment side of the legs, so that it’s not required to totally disassemble and steal parts from the original MDT legs to swap the new ones in. Once the new legs have the guts installed, all it takes is a single hex wrench for the main pivot bolt, and the installation is uneventful. 

For feet, the R3D legs have been designed to accept feet sized for single-pull Ckye-Pods or Atlas bipods, and a set of Atlas rubber feet was installed by simply pushing the foot into the bottom of the R3D legs. Total weight for the combined MDT ARCA/1913 clamp, R3D 4 section legs, and Atlas rubber feet was 1.5lbs which is a full .7lb less than the triple pull Ckye-Pod with 4” more extended leg length. 

Use is Simple, with the deploy/leg width controls carried over from the Ckye-Pod; the leg extension uses a simple twist-lock mechanism as opposed to the MDT pivoting button style. The twist lock intelligently has a ⅛ turn unlock with a built-in stop so that excessive unlocking motion is avoided and a one-handed lock/unlocking operation is ensured. 

Unlike the tripod leg lock/unlocking collars that most shooters should be familiar with at this point, R3D has integrated their locking mechanism into the leg itself, meaning that the leg can be grasped from any point along its length and be locked/unlocked with that simple ⅛ twist. One downside of this system is that it becomes somewhat difficult to manipulate one specific leg section, since when the legs are fully collapsed, it’s not possible to selectively unlock only a single leg section reliably. With some practice, manipulating the legs one-handed, this becomes less of an issue. 

Once extended, the opposite of this potential issue is true, and it becomes very easy to collapse a specific leg section. 

Stability needs to be discussed with an understanding that any bipod at full extension will exhibit more flex than it will at its most collapsed configuration. It’s a trade-off between weight and stiffness that will plague designers of everything from aerospace to firearms. 

At full extension and playing in the garage, the R3D legs have a tendency to feel a bit wobbly, but in the field and in use with a proper rear support, these concerns prove to be a non-issue. In fact, the ability to extend the bipod legs to 40” opens up possibilities for rifle support that simply weren’t an option before, such as using a tripod or backpack as a rear rifle support, or being able to shoot from a slightly downward slope without much fuss.

Using a backpack with a stiff internal frame, such as the SkiliGear Ghost, turned into a non-trivial exercise of pulling the bipod to the required height, assuming a seated position with the backpack placed in such a way as to provide rear support to the rifle, and otherwise shooting normally. Any wobble that the bipod may have due to extended carbon fiber legs can be easily negated and oftentimes actually result in more stability than other solutions due to the ability to add a rear support with existing gear of some kind. 

Obviously, the level of wobble is reduced as the height of the bipod legs is reduced, and in the fully collapsed configuration with the legs in their most wide setting, it’s easily possible to shoot from a bench/fully prone. 

All in, the R3D replacement legs fill an important niche in the market, providing those who already own a Ckye-Pod with an affordable solution to simultaneously cut weight and add overall bipod height, and are beginning to become a staple in long range shooting competitions such as NRL Hunter, as well as in hunting packs across the country. They add versatility to shooting positions, often bringing to light options for added stability that may not have existed previously, and can be easily and quickly swapped back and forth for the standard Skye-Pod legs as needed, depending on the situation. 

At $300 for the 3-section legs and $325 for the 4-section, all the benefits of the more expensive MDT bipods can be had for a fraction of the cost.

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