Glassing/shooting/ everything tripod set-up review

mcseal2

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I've used a Promaster 525 tripod with an Outdoorsmans pan head for the last few years. I also had an Outdoorsmans compact medium tripod for a while but ended up selling it. It was a great tripod but having one tripod that was only a few ounces heavier that got me to standing height shooting or glassing with my 15x Swaros kept me packing the Promaster.

The removable leg on the Promaster has been a benefit I use infrequently but still more than I thought I would. I've used it to elevate one side of a tarp while the other 2 legs elevate the other with some guylines and stakes when nothing else is available. I've also used it as a trekking pole when I didn't pack one that day. That said I'm a believer in good trekking poles and usually pack them anyway. Its a few ounces heavier than some options but also more versatile to me. The hook on the bottom of the center section allows me to hang weight on the tripod if it's needed for stability. Standing to glass in the wind I can hang my pack on it and not worry about it being sturdy enough to handle the weight. Sometimes the wind blowing the pack makes that less beneficial than I'd think it should be.

Sometimes with the Promaster and that set-up I have to slightly hunch to use the binos standing and hunch a shade more with the spotter. It's not quite high enough for standing but its close enough that it works. I don't often glass standing for long periods of time. If there isn't a reason I have to I don't.

After deciding I liked the simplicity of one foot on all my optics I bought a quick adapter from Outdoorsmans for my tripod. That lets me put the pan head on their window mount when scouting from the truck or on the tripod when hunting. It also let me put the Outdoorsmans adapter on all my optics and never remove them. It simplified my set-up from using a Cabelas window mount and the Outdoorsmans head on my tripod.

For optics that set-up has worked excellent for me. I really don't think I'd change anything unless they could make them function exactly the same at half the weight. I might not like that even if they could do it, the weight isn't bad and it adds stability.

Later I decided I wanted to shoot off the tripod and not pack any other shooting rest other than my pack for prone (or hurried sitting) shots. I don't pack a bipod or sticks as often as I used to, not even close. I bought the Outdoorsmans rifle rest and it's so much steadier than anything I've tried before with it's 2 points of contact with the gun. I usually shoot off it with the tilt and pan adjustments loose enough to move freely and one hand on top of the scope, the other on the grip/trigger. I can lock down really well that way. I shot my moose in AK at 300 yards kneeling behind that set-up and my whitetail yesterday sitting behind it at 370 yards. I made those shots with a Rifles Inc LW 70 with a few modifications that weighs under 8lbs ready to hunt (gun, sling, ammo, and optics). It's a very light rifle with a slightly heavier optics system.

When waiting to be able to take a shot I can lock the adjustments on the pan head down close to where they need to be and have the rifle sitting there waiting almost in position. Then when the animal stands or otherwise offers a shot minimal movement or adjustment is needed to be able to shoot. It's fast and precise. It's steadier than using my trekking poles, a bipod at sitting height, or shooting sticks. There also isn't a vise system like the saddle rests compressing the stock and possibly affecting the point of impact.

Anyway that's my set-up. It is not cheap but it does everything I could ask of it well and lets me carry less into the field by being very multi-purpose. For maybe a 10oz weight penalty over the lightest tripod systems I gain a lot of versatility.

This set-up is pricey but the best gun or optics in the world are much less effective if they cannot be held as steady as possible. This piece of the system is as important for both uses as any!
 
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EZDoesit

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Thanks for sharing this. I have been pondering some sort of setup like this to simplify my life.
 
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I also use a tripod for shooting and glassing and wish I had done it much sooner.

I use a RRS series 3 with a leveling base. Waiting to find an anvil 30 in stock.

The key is having an attachment point on the rifle and not using something like a hog saddle.

I encourage anyone thinking about it to do it. You wont regret it.

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Steve O

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I’d like to see some pictures of this set up, I’m always looking to improve my setup.
 
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I’d like to see some pictures of this set up, I’m always looking to improve my setup.
I'll post up a video through scope in a sec as well.
9a8de1340f89733790055b1002a5bd45.jpg
3edada67ed1b5faca32d01d2ad84bc92.jpg


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This is a coon at about 300 yards. Missed the first shot, still getting used to the NV and some weird things it'll do to really thin vegetation that you can see through during the daytime. At night it appears solid.

Anyway, this is standing off the tripod for an idea of stability with about a 20lb rifle setup.

YouTube

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Steve O

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Mcseal I was hoping to see the setup you described in the first post with the different ways to use the pro master.
 
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$200 for a basic metal saddle that’s threaded for a tripod adapter.. I can see the utility with your post but damn that’s a lot of money for a very basic part. I wonder if there isn’t another option that does the same thing.
 
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mcseal2

mcseal2

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It is for sure. I got it when they had a 20% off sale and still thought it was pretty high. It can be a game changer though if you hunt a lot of places you can't go prone. I'm sure one could be made but I don't think I could make one with folding wings and similar weight in the same number of hours as I could work enough to make $200. I guess I went buy once cry once on a lot of my purchases.

- - - Updated - - -

Not a great pic of the tripod, but this is my rifle sitting in the rest in AK waiting for a moose to show this September. I'm trying to get a couple better ones to upload. I threw the tripod, head, and rest on the scale too, it's 3lbs 4.2oz for all of it.

- - - Updated - - -

This is a pic from my whitetail hunt. I stashed an old metal chair at the head of that ravine where I sit sometimes a while back. We had a pretty good snow melt and then a rain, everything was muddy as heck. I was keeping what I could including me off the ground. I was sitting a little more concealed where I could move a bit more and then had the tripod and rifle where I could slip out to them when a good buck was located.

- - - Updated - - -

One more pic from AK I found. We had the spotter set up while calling at camp the first evening to hopefully lure something closer for the next day.
 

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Let me take back a little of what I said about having a direct attachment such as what's on my rifle.

The one the OP posted actually looks pretty table as it has two points of contact compared to a hog saddle type.

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Steve O

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Very nice. So one of the legs detaches and you can put the head on it for a quick spotting session as well?
 
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mcseal2

mcseal2

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Very nice. So one of the legs detaches and you can put the head on it for a quick spotting session as well?

I suppose I could, but I never have. I think by the time I did that I could have the whole unit set up and going. It sets up pretty fast with practice. It could be a monopod I suppose though if needed the top is threaded.

Yep, I just tried it and it works, the head screwed right onto it.

It won't go as long and isn't as comfortable as a standard trekking pole to use. I can't use a top grip due to the threads coming out of the top, I hold the padded section below and/or put my thumb over the top next to the threads. I prefer to use a standard trekking pole when possible. This sure works though to get the first load out. Camping I sometimes use my trekking poles on my shelter and this gets me back to there so I can leave the poles under the tarp until the big trip out.

- - - Updated - - -

Let me take back a little of what I said about having a direct attachment such as what's on my rifle.

The one the OP posted actually looks pretty table as it has two points of contact compared to a hog saddle type.

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It does a pretty good job with a normal hunting weight rifle. I am sure it's not as good as yours but it's more packable for what I do. I looked at the saddle type rests too. I actually bought the Outdoorsmans version but didn't like it as well as what I have. I don't like compressing the stock on my light rifles as I'm always afraid if I tweak something I'll change my point of impact. A heavier stock it's probably less of an issue.
 
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mcseal2

mcseal2

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3lbs 4.2oz including the tripod, rifle, head, rifle rest, and quick adapter so I can move the head to my window mount.

That doesn't include the adapter that attaches to my binos or spotter that I leave on them, just what I consider part of the tripod set-up.
 
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