Will using a bypod change my point of impact?

[ricbak]

It will change point of impact.

After I free floated the barrel and bedded the action the same rifle had not point of impact change with or without the bipod. It is all about the pressure point and barrel harmonics.

Interesting, I have never used a bipod, just a sling or a rest/sand bags. I guess, I'll have to look closer at a pod to see hold they attach. Now, ya got me curious....

[AR Hammer]

There are a bunch of factors that come into play when firing a rifle you need to consider...

Bypods should NEVER be used on a hard surface!
First, you encounter a 'Arc' effect as the legs try to straighten when the rifle recoils, and that will change your point of impact.
That was GRAPHICALLY illustrated to me by military firearms instructors.

Always shoot off of bags when on hard surfaces, bypods when you don't have a solid surface under you.
Bypods are a stop gap measure used when you can't use a bag effectively.
In the Marines, we used a sock filled with rice or sand, or our 'Butt Pack' under the forearm when we could,
And when we couldn't get enough elevation like that, we went to bypods.

Second, most have rubber tips on the legs, and they bounce when the rifle is fired.

Third is where the bypod is located on the stock.
If you have a full floating barrel, and a heavy barrel, this is reduced, but if you have barrel contacting the stock at the end, like tapered barrels often have, then a bypod at the end of the stock will lift/misalign the barrel in relationship to where your hand or bag normally contacts the barrel.

Keeping your rest as close to the receiver as you can will reduce that barrel movement if you don't have a free floating barrel/stock arrangment.

As stated before, barrel harmonics will come into play depending on how much stock force against the barrel/receiver you have.
So keeping the bypod as close to your 'Hand' shooting position as you can will keep you shooting much straighter since the leverage the bypod exerts will be more like your hand/bag rest location.

There are some other factors to consider, but that should give you the gist of it...