Ball Head Recommendation

Gonewest

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Apr 24, 2017
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308
What's a good ball dead to get? I want to put together a tripod/head combo to use for my spotter and attach to my rifle roe a shooting rest.


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twall13

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Jan 21, 2015
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Utah
I've really liked my Sirui K-10x. It has a separate built in panner and it's pretty smooth. The ball head is also plenty string for spotters and digiscoping, etc. I haven't played around with a ton of ball heads but I'd definitely buy this one again. It was an improvement over the stock head that came with my Promaster xc525c tripod.

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Joined
May 11, 2016
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13
Hello,
This is Jeff from Camera Land.
I would be happy to help you out.
If you can take a few moments of your time, give me a call, I have a few questions that will help pick out the best ball head for your needs.

Thanks,

Jeff Mantell
Camera Land
516-217-1000
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Gonewest

Gonewest

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Apr 24, 2017
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308
I’ll give you a call tomorrow!


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Joined
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Location
Sabinal, TX
There's a BIG difference between ball heads for rifles and those suitable for traditional optics. For a rifle you need a ball with a much higher weight rating and, from experience, I'll advise you to get something with a VERY heavy weight rating. I ended up with the Sunwayfoto XB-52DL that has a weight rating of something like 55lbs and is a pretty low profile as they come. The reason the high weight rating is important is that the ball moves more smoothly under the load of a rifle when the weight is WAY under the max rating. Most optic oriented balls have wait ratings of 10-15lbs and then you're attaching a 3lb optic. You want the same rough ratio for your rifle IF you want to be able to pan/tilt your rifle in a smooth manner and not break your ball head - which will happen, of course, at the WORST possible time.

There's a LOT to building a good tripod system for a rifle; not to mention, all that goes into shooting well from a tripod. I blew some money unnecessarily by making poor choices without knowing the peculiarities to rifle capable systems. I bought great products just not for shooting a rifle from. I'd go do some searching over on Snipers Hide. There's a ton of information on there regarding ball heads, tripods and attachment methods; as well as techniques for shooting from tripods.

Hope this helps.


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Gonewest

Gonewest

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Apr 24, 2017
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Thanks for sharing! Do you like the tripod system for your rifle?


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