For Those With Shooting Tripods

[JohnJohnson]

I had a moment of weakness yesterday and bought a new tripod/ball head. I bought an RRS TFCT-34L, RRS Anvil-30 ball head, and an RRS Vyce mount. I have to say I'm looking forward to learning how to properly shoot off of a tripod. I have a couple different .22lr rifles I'll be using to get familiar with it (Vudoo and Tikka). I noticed most of the talk about tripods on here revolves around tripods used mostly/exclusively for glassing. I looked through a few old threads on tripods and thought of a few additional questions.

1. What tripod/head do you have, and are you satisfied with it?
2. How are you carrying your tripod?

• I've been thinking of getting a scabbard that I can thread my side straps through on my SG x-curve frame.

3. How are you attaching your rifle to the tripod?

• I bought a Vyce clamp because not all rifles that will be used with it can have plates. Having said that I'm going to get a an Area419 4.25" arcalock rail put on my main rifle.

4. Do you find it annoying to switch between your optics and rifle quickly?

• It seems with a Vyce mount I may find it a bit tedious to switch from binoculars to my rifle quickly.

5. What tripod shooting techniques do you practice and use while hunting?

• It seems like using a sling around the forend/tripod wouldn't be too practical for a hunting situation with less time to set up. Having said that I am wondering how some of you stabilize your rifles. Does anyone put one leg back and then put a bag on it under the rifle grip or stock?

Just thought I'd ask for some experiences from people who have been doing this a long time. I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts.

 

[Lawnboi]

-I have an anvil and am satisfied with it. Not the best at glassing but works for me, and is awesome with a rifle. I wouldn’t mind trying something like the bh40 but only if it has the lever clamp. Running it on a non rrs tripod can be a pain in the ass cause it’s going to want to unscrew.
- My tripod just gets strapped to the outside of my pack.
-Direct attachment is the way to go for your hunting rifles. The clamp is another piece you have to dig out and setup. You want quick and easy. An attached mount and that anvil will have you shooting quick. Especially if your tripod is out and you are glassing. I had a clamp, was a waste of money imo. Direct attachment is also way steadier and requires less bullshit technique like the sling method and stuff which IMO is just not practical for most hunting shots I’m going to be taking.

-If it’s direct attachment it’s quick and easy. The clamp is a pain and as said above I think a waste.
- Good fundamentals is all. I don’t play the sling game or try to balance my butt on my pack or anything. I just don’t think it’s practical for how I hunt. If your setup and have the time or luxury to pull things out, adjust perfectly and then execute that’s good but most of my shots hunting happen fast, so I practice like I’d hunt. Try to use my body when possible such as knees when seated and cleaning up my wobble zone by positioning myself as best I can. Errors in shooting form will be magnified as you go higher off the ground, I can slap the trigger all day prone and shoot minute groups, go to standing or kneeling off the tripod and if I’m sloppy it really shows.

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

I run two tripods depending on where I am hunting.

I run a Manfrotto 290 XTRA tripod with a Jim White head when glassing is the name of the game and I am not carrying camp on my back. I run a Slik Pro CF 635 tripod with a Jim White head when I'm either not glassing all day or if I am carrying camp on my back.

I typically carry an Outdoorsman's Shooting V or their TriClawps. I just rest the rifle in the V, get as steady as I can and take the shot. I do not hold the sling nor the tripod as that reduces my accuracy. Using this is never my preferred shot as I lose accuracy the more vertical I am (this can be somewhat corrected with training). I have successfully taken game out to 400 yards with this setup but that was to clear either vegetation or terrain.

Needing to take a shot off a tripod is a rarity for me so I rarely practice with it. It is a tool but a rarely used one.

 

[Elkangle]

Depending on the situation...for short range stuff you can't beat a V....being able to pick up your rifle and fallow the target with out having to undo the tripod is handy for close range fast paced situations

Medium range its not too bad going to the arca plate on a rifle, I can hold pretty accurately to the 400 yard mark on soda cans...great for situations you know the animals will be 2-4 hundreds yards out but not sure where exactly they are

Long range I prefer a bipod and rear rest


I Cary the tripod in lots of ways...some times in my left hand even....alot of times I take one leg and run it between me and the should strap, esp if I have a bugle tube in my left hand...right hand always has the rifle

There's no way to get around going from glassing to shooting so that doesn't bother me...you would need a wonky set up to make that possible so il pass

 

[JohnJohnson]

Running it on a non rrs tripod can be a pain in the ass cause it’s going to want to unscrew.

I'm kind of worried about that. I'm going to install it with the Series 3 RRS platform into the Feisol tripod. So the Anvil itself will attach to an RRS platform but the platform to tripod attachment may be tough. I'll look to solve it with blue loctite if it gets annoying.

 

[Lawnboi]

I'm kind of worried about that. I'm going to install it with the Series 3 RRS platform into the Feisol tripod. So the Anvil itself will attach to an RRS platform but the platform to tripod attachment may be tough. I'll look to solve it with blue loctite if it gets annoying.

Mine was only on a stud so you may be fine.

 

[JohnJohnson]

Mine was only on a stud so you may be fine.

I decided to just take uncertainty out of the equation. I'm returning the Feisol and changing the Anvil-30 order to a full TFCT-34L tripod/anvil combo. It's more expensive but I'd rather spend a few hundred more and be sure everything fits properly.

 

[JohnJohnson]

I now have arca rails on all my rifles and direct mount to the anvil. I like that way more than a saddle.

It’s very fast/easy to swap between binos, spotter, and rifle.

One of the better positional drills is the Kraft (Chris Way) challenge. If you’ve been under a rock, Google it.

Yeah I may just end up getting arca rails on everything I have. And I'll definitely check out that challenge. The backorder for the tripod/anvil combo will keep me waiting a month or two I imagine.

 

[JohnJohnson]

If I were you, I’d not spend the money on the vice and put the money towards arca rails. It’s without a doubt more stable and faster to use rails instead of a saddle/vice. Area 419 and Henderson have quality rails that are fairly cheap and also light. There’s also a little less messing around when you swap from optics to rifles.

The Vyce is not only for some of my rifles but it's also so my father can shoot off the tripod too without installing adapters on his rifles. But for my own rifles I'll probably slowly get arca plates installed on all of them.

 

[Jimss]

I thought I would toss out a different opinion and option on tripods. I've been hunting deer, elk, antelope, bighorn, mtn goat, dall sheep, bear, etc for the past 45 years. I would say that 85% of the critters I've shot over that time has been laying prone with rifle laying on my backpack. I actually stalk game with my shot off backpack in mind..... stalking to a saddle, rock, or break in the bush, etc where I have a clear shot laying prone off my backpack.

I hunt Alaska, Wyoming, Colorado, and Nebraska on a regular basis where the wind often howls. The closer I am to the ground the less chance wind or anything else will screw up my shot. Believe me, laying prone and shooting off a backpack is super steady.

I would say that the other 15% of my shots have been in tall brush where it was impossible to get an open shot through brush. In those few instances I set my rifle in a steady spot on my spotting scope attached to my tripod. Most of those shots off a tripod were 300 yards max. I'm not a long range shooter and most of the country I hunt isn't super tall brush so don't see a need for a rifle attached to a tripod. In Nebraska where I've hunted whitetails the grass can grow 5' tall. I tried shooting off a tripod but it only took me a day to switch back to shooting off my spotting scope because it was frustrating, time consuming, and noisy switching from spotting scope to rifle.

I almost always have my spotting scope attached to tripod while hunting. I use it that much for spotting and field judging. I hand=hold my binoculars. If it's super windy I may set my binos on top of my spotting scope to remain steady. When I do have my spotting scope/tripod in my pack they are in a pouch where it's super quick, easy and quiet to access.

I have a quick release attachment for my spotting scope/tripod so I can quickly move back and forth between my window mount and tripod (mostly antelope hunting). I have the same quick release attachment for my super-zoom camera that I use for scouting and sometimes hunting.

 

[JohnJohnson]

I hunt Alaska, Wyoming, Colorado, and Nebraska on a regular basis where the wind often howls. The closer I am to the ground the less chance wind or anything else will screw up my shot. Believe me, laying prone and shooting off a backpack is super steady.

I almost always have my spotting scope attached to tripod while hunting. I use it that much for spotting and field judging. I hand=hold my binoculars. If it's super windy I may set my binos on top of my spotting scope to remain steady. When I do have my spotting scope/tripod in my pack they are in a pouch where it's super quick, easy and quiet to access.

I have a quick release attachment for my spotting scope/tripod so I can quickly move back and forth between my window mount and tripod (mostly antelope hunting). I have the same quick release attachment for my super-zoom camera that I use for scouting and sometimes hunting.

I'd say my hunting circumstances are a bit different. I don't even have a spotting scope, I just use my binoculars to look for game and then pursue it. The tripod seems like it'll be especially helpful for high/low angle shots and shooting above brush. I'm also interested in using it on a Coues deer hunt I have in the fall of 2022. The particular tripod setup I bought is (by all reports) rock steady so hopefully wind won't mess with it too much.

However I also confess this is kind of an impulse buy because I want to learn a new set of shooting skills related to tripod shooting. I'm going to be buying a hell of a lot of .22lr ammo once it comes back into stock and the plan is to have a fun time figuring this all out.

 

[Lawnboi]

I decided to just take uncertainty out of the equation. I'm returning the Feisol and changing the Anvil-30 order to a full TFCT tripod/anvil combo. It's more expensive but I'd rather spend a few hundred more and be sure everything fits properly.

Keeps it made in the US as well.

I’ll second not wasting money on the vyce. Especially for hunting.

 

[JohnJohnson]

I just changed a recent order on a stock for one of my .22lr rifles to include a 4" arcalock rail on it too. I'll still need to take my main rifle to a gunsmith to get one installed though.

 

[JohnJohnson]

If it's any interest to people as far as wait times go, my tripod shipped on the 17th. So I was told 4-6 weeks on the backorder but it ended up being about a week.

 

[100percent]

Two Vets Tripod made here in the USA by veterans….

 

[UTJL]

Not to highjack the thread but I’ve started shooting off a tripod this year and I’m seeing a change in my point of impact at times. It seems if I don’t hold the tripod with my left hand, my POI shifts 2-3” high.

I’m using a rubberized V support. I’ve heard about bipods causing a change in POI due to hard rebound from the recoil, but my rifle is simply resting on the V. Has anyone experienced this and how do you account for it?

 

[JohnJohnson]

Two Vets Tripod made here in the USA by veterans….

I'm sure they're fine but they're not RRS and I just wanted to eliminate any doubt and get the top of the line. Plus RRS is also made in the US and the SOAR department which makes my tripod is run by a veteran. So there's not much difference there.

 

[JohnJohnson]

Not to highjack the thread but I’ve started shooting off a tripod this year and I’m seeing a change in my point of impact at times. It seems if I don’t hold the tripod with my left hand, my POI shifts 2-3” high.

I’m using a rubberized V support. I’ve heard about bipods causing a change in POI due to hard rebound from the recoil, but my rifle is simply resting on the V. Has anyone experienced this and how do you account for it?

I'm in no way qualified to give an educated opinion as far as tripod technique so take this with an entire salt shaker. Having said that, if holding the tripod with your left hand alleviates it maybe your body position isn't stable and you're leaning too far forward. Wouldn't that put downward pressure on the buttpad and make the muzzle rise? How high does the shooting V come up on your body? If it's not at sternum level maybe play around with that. This is all assuming a standing position though since I don't think you specified the position you're shooting from.

 

[UTJL]

I'm in no way qualified to give an educated opinion as far as tripod technique so take this with an entire salt shaker. Having said that, if holding the tripod with your left hand alleviates it maybe your body position isn't stable and you're leaning too far forward. Wouldn't that put downward pressure on the buttpad and make the muzzle rise? How high does the shooting V come up on your body? If it's not at sternum level maybe play around with that. This is all assuming a standing position though since I don't think you specified the position you're shooting from.

I was seated but this could definitely be the cause. I was sitting cross legged with my elbows on my knees. Thus I was leaning forward to get my elbows down. It was more stable than sitting with my knee propped up and supporting the arm of my trigger hand (based on group size).

I may have to experiment to see if this is the cause. I really like the increase in stability with the tripod but this was a little concerning.

 

[JohnJohnson]

I took delivery of my tripod today and even with the Vyce my gun is held there extremely solid. I'll get that plate installed on my rifle and it'll get even better. I think I'll go with the 8" plate on my main rifle forend.