What adapter for rifle tripod mount?

Mackdog

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Jun 23, 2020
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19
Hey all,

I am looking to get a better mount for my rifle to my tripod. Currently I have used a triclawps clamp but am looking for something lighter and more solid, with less parts. The issue i am struggling with is what mount to use on my rifle. I have two tripod setups, the first one is a heavy hog saddle tripod with a ball head that will be used for ground blind and deer hunting here in Michigan. The second is a slick 634 with an outdoorsman pan head that I take on backpack trips primarily for glassing but would like the option to attach my rifle if necessary.

The ball head is arca Swiss and the outdoorsman has their connection, so what do I put on my rifle so I can attach to both? Also if I put a mount on my rifle is a bipod still able to be used if I’m not using a tripod?
 

Lawnboi

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Not a fan of clamps at all.

If I were in your shoes I’d just slap a pint sized game changer with git lite fill on top of either tripod. More versatile, multi use.

Ideally if you want to hard mount the rifle you want the mount near the bottom metal.
 
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Yeah like @jdubrr pointed out SRS makes some real high quality stuff and it probably one of/if not the only place that makes lightweight outdoorsman rails.

I've got a couple of his Pic/ARCA mounts and a 4" tactical ARCA mount and haven't had an issue one.
 
Joined
Dec 28, 2015
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Check out this video on how I run all my rifles. The system has changed a little but not much. I still use the same components except now I use pic rails with integrated QD cups for the sling attachments instead of tapping in a swivel stud. - these are the SRS Universal 3.5 pic rail with QD cups.

https://youtu.be/FJK3lpKnBUA


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Last edited:

bayangler

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Feb 6, 2020
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The Salmon River Solutions mounts are now available through Outdoorsmans as well. They are really nicely made.
 
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489
Not a fan of clamps at all.

If I were in your shoes I’d just slap a pint sized game changer with git lite fill on top of either tripod. More versatile, multi use.

Ideally if you want to hard mount the rifle you want the mount near the bottom metal.

I developed shooting systems from a tripod about 10 years ago and hunt exclusively from a tripod and have experimented extensively both hunting and competitive shooting. They actually work better towards the front of the stock on most guns. The reason being is that anything mounted on the stock near the bottom metal will interfere with any off hand shooting and carrying of the rifle. Although it will support the rifle better in the location as far as balance goes it doesn’t really offer any more stability in terms of actually accuracy. Generally most often when shooting from a tripod the shooter will be seated or kneeling and or possibly even prone. Shooters should use elbows, knees, packs and other objects (bino harness, rocks, logs, ect) to stabilize the rear portion of the stock/rifle to create additional “points of contact” for more accurate shooting. This is especially true for larger, heavy recoil calibers. Large caliber rifles with heavy recoil that have the tripod mounts close to the bottom metal will suffer drastically with accuracy as a result of the recoil during the shot. Obviously there are a number of factors that can contribute to this including any type of muzzle brake/suppressor device and the type of ports they have. Specifically, in my experience heavy recoil calibers will experience muzzle bounce when shot from a tripod. When a rifle is mounted to a tripod near the bottom metal this shooting style eliminates the ability to “preload” the tripod and uses a very effective “free recoil” style of shooting. Free recoil is great and very accurate for heavy or light recoil calibers. Not so much for light weight, heavy recoil, large caliber hunting rifles!

I have several videos on my YT channel showing various shooting positions and how to set up hunting rifles for tripods.


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M

Mackdog

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Joined
Jun 23, 2020
Messages
19
Thanks for the video Danmayland that was really helpful. So if I mount a 3.5 inch srs picatinny rail to the bottom of my tikka I could rotate between tripods and bipod.

materials list would be:
3.5 srs picatinny
quick connect for picatinny
1 arca plate/1 outdoorsman plate Bolted to quick connect, depending on which tripod I’m using.
a picatinny adapter for my Harris bipod of some kind so I can attach it to picatinny rail.

Is that correct? Also is the srs rail is attached with the sling stud and then drilled for one other bolt which allows the swivel stud to still be used?
 

Lawnboi

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I developed shooting systems from a tripod about 10 years ago and hunt exclusively from a tripod and have experimented extensively both hunting and competitive shooting. They actually work better towards the front of the stock on most guns. The reason being is that anything mounted on the stock near the bottom metal will interfere with any off hand shooting and carrying of the rifle. Although it will support the rifle better in the location as far as balance goes it doesn’t really offer any more stability in terms of actually accuracy. Generally most often when shooting from a tripod the shooter will be seated or kneeling and or possibly even prone. Shooters should use elbows, knees, packs and other objects (bino harness, rocks, logs, ect) to stabilize the rear portion of the stock/rifle to create additional “points of contact” for more accurate shooting. This is especially true for larger, heavy recoil calibers. Large caliber rifles with heavy recoil that have the tripod mounts close to the bottom metal will suffer drastically with accuracy as a result of the recoil during the shot. Obviously there are a number of factors that can contribute to this including any type of muzzle brake/suppressor device and the type of ports they have. Specifically, in my experience heavy recoil calibers will experience muzzle bounce when shot from a tripod. When a rifle is mounted to a tripod near the bottom metal this shooting style eliminates the ability to “preload” the tripod and uses a very effective “free recoil” style of shooting. Free recoil is great and very accurate for heavy or light recoil calibers. Not so much for light weight, heavy recoil, large caliber hunting rifles!

I have several videos on my YT channel showing various shooting positions and how to set up hunting rifles for tripods.


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I hear you. Iv come up with ways to mitigate some of e complaints you noted. Specifically the size of a hook up. On hunting rifles Iv been using a piece of picatinny rail, it’s almost not noticeable on the rifle but locks into a tripod when I need it. A bag fully eliminates any attachment methods and can be used with any rifle.

Iv used my current and previous lighter tripods all kinds of ways, clipped in front and rear, on a bag, a clamp, as a rear support. In all the shooting Iv done on them including on the clock and at animal, it has been easiest to clip in near the mag well or throw a bag on it and position the rifle so the head is nearest the mag well.

Reason being is time. With the fulcrum near the mag well I have a lot of movement I can make with no adjustment to the tripod. Up front the tripod works like a bipod, I need to make big moves or adjust the tripod to make it work. On top of that, the tripod is now 2 feet away from my body, making adjustment even more of a chore. I can barely reach my head, and legs are out of reach without breaking my position. In the field I’m in charge of my own gear, I have to be able to manage it myself.

On top of the above, clipping into a tripod near the front of the rifle is much much less stable, unless as you eluded to, have solid a rear support. Iv found creating solid rear support to be a pain in the field, especially under time constraints. I can sit there and pile up gear or use what not to support the back of my rifle with it clipped at its balance point as well, but when it comes down to making a shot, I rarely have time to monkey around. Hence the bag, nearest the shooter. It allows a reasonably stable platform, is quick and is adjustable on the fly by the shooter.

As far as free recoil you lost me. I don’t free recoil my rifles. I don’t only shoot my match rifles off my tripod. I can preload the tripod to the point I’m picking the back leg/legs off the ground entirely clipped in near the mag well or with a bag. Though I do see some Muzzle control advantage when making your footprint wider essentially by placing by your tripod far out, you loose the ability to adjust on the fly, and it requires a solid rear support, something that is not always available. Muzzle bounce is directly related to how you are on the gun. On a tripod you can’t get away with poor recoil management like you would in the prone, or with a heavy gun. I manage recoil regardless of where my foreend lands on the tripod. This is where a bag shines even more, you won’t get the tripod bounce because you are not directly attached. On top of that, having the attachment being farther out means the muzzle is going to have more effect on the bounce. During recoil with many of the hunting style stocks we see, the front of the rifle is always mocking more than the midline or rear.

Just bringing up some points for you to try.

To play with it again, I’ll shoot as you mentioned at the range today. I’ll give myself 60 seconds to setup and break a shot, and compare it to a bag on the tripod seated. Always good to practice different ways.
 
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I hear you. Iv come up with ways to mitigate some of e complaints you noted. Specifically the size of a hook up. On hunting rifles Iv been using a piece of picatinny rail, it’s almost not noticeable on the rifle but locks into a tripod when I need it. A bag fully eliminates any attachment methods and can be used with any rifle.

Iv used my current and previous lighter tripods all kinds of ways, clipped in front and rear, on a bag, a clamp, as a rear support. In all the shooting Iv done on them including on the clock and at animal, it has been easiest to clip in near the mag well or throw a bag on it and position the rifle so the head is nearest the mag well.

Reason being is time. With the fulcrum near the mag well I have a lot of movement I can make with no adjustment to the tripod. Up front the tripod works like a bipod, I need to make big moves or adjust the tripod to make it work. On top of that, the tripod is now 2 feet away from my body, making adjustment even more of a chore. I can barely reach my head, and legs are out of reach without breaking my position. In the field I’m in charge of my own gear, I have to be able to manage it myself.

On top of the above, clipping into a tripod near the front of the rifle is much much less stable, unless as you eluded to, have solid a rear support. Iv found creating solid rear support to be a pain in the field, especially under time constraints. I can sit there and pile up gear or use what not to support the back of my rifle with it clipped at its balance point as well, but when it comes down to making a shot, I rarely have time to monkey around. Hence the bag, nearest the shooter. It allows a reasonably stable platform, is quick and is adjustable on the fly by the shooter.

As far as free recoil you lost me. I don’t free recoil my rifles. I don’t only shoot my match rifles off my tripod. I can preload the tripod to the point I’m picking the back leg/legs off the ground entirely clipped in near the mag well or with a bag. Though I do see some Muzzle control advantage when making your footprint wider essentially by placing by your tripod far out, you loose the ability to adjust on the fly, and it requires a solid rear support, something that is not always available. Muzzle bounce is directly related to how you are on the gun. On a tripod you can’t get away with poor recoil management like you would in the prone, or with a heavy gun. I manage recoil regardless of where my foreend lands on the tripod. This is where a bag shines even more, you won’t get the tripod bounce because you are not directly attached. On top of that, having the attachment being farther out means the muzzle is going to have more effect on the bounce. During recoil with many of the hunting style stocks we see, the front of the rifle is always mocking more than the midline or rear.

Just bringing up some points for you to try.

To play with it again, I’ll shoot as you mentioned at the range today. I’ll give myself 60 seconds to setup and break a shot, and compare it to a bag on the tripod seated. Always good to practice different ways.
Absolutely agree 100%.

For my application….. calling /intercepting /ambushing (think run and gun tactics) ….moose during the final part of a stalk, after locating with optics, then moving in to set up for the kill. Which is usually in waist to head height brush that requires shooting from the standing position.

I’ve found that trying to deal with a rifle, rangefinder, tripod with legs extended and a bag (PS GC w/Git-Lite) on the move was a little too much to be dealing with.

So, I got a Cole-Tac Backbone, added an Arca-Swiss plate, then attached a Cole-Tac Flat Bag upside down using tri-glides to secure the straps. Also, there’s a Velcro closure on the bag, that’s used to make adjustments to the amount of fill in the bag. I removed about 25% of the fill. This seems to soften up the bag a little and the rifle settles into/onto the bag better.

Now, I can move with the rifle slung on my back, tripod with legs extended and bag attached in one hand and then use my other hand for binos and rangefinder (stored in bino harness).

If you find yourself needing to be able to move and setup for a shot quickly, I’d recommend considering something similar to this.6F1594FF-D578-432B-8B0F-728B4F96B730.jpeg83BBFDC6-0002-4B8D-AF29-F8EF39B0C0C2.jpegA8144DD7-1FBA-454C-AA36-FF531AD1C4B1.jpeg
 

Lawnboi

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Messages
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Absolutely agree 100%.

For my application….. calling /intercepting /ambushing (think run and gun tactics) ….moose during the final part of a stalk, after locating with optics, then moving in to set up for the kill. Which is usually in waist to head height brush that requires shooting from the standing position.

I’ve found that trying to deal with a rifle, rangefinder, tripod with legs extended and a bag (PS GC w/Git-Lite) on the move was a little too much to be dealing with.

So, I got a Cole-Tac Backbone, added an Arca-Swiss plate, then attached a Cole-Tac Flat Bag upside down using tri-glides to secure the straps. Also, there’s a Velcro closure on the bag, that’s used to make adjustments to the amount of fill in the bag. I removed about 25% of the fill. This seems to soften up the bag a little and the rifle settles into/onto the bag better.

Now, I can move with the rifle slung on my back, tripod with legs extended and bag attached in one hand and then use my other hand for binos and rangefinder (stored in bino harness).

If you find yourself needing to be able to move and setup for a shot quickly, I’d recommend considering something similar to this.View attachment 381394View attachment 381393View attachment 381395
What’s that setup weigh?

Even deploying the way I do, it takes time. Some on this forum even believe too much time, and I’d aggree for the most part but view it as a good tool to have since I’m carrying it for glassing anyways. I watched a few of the videos that the above poster noted. When I first got a tripod I tried just as he does, though he looks like he has a foot of reach on my 5’6 frame making it a little easier. I found the light tripods basically useless for anything longer than 300 yards, or 3+moa targets, I got more wobble on a lightweight glassing tripod that I would shooting sticks. I abandoned that idea really quick and went way down the rabbit hole to find what I currently use.

What’s that bag weigh? I planned on getting an arca bag for my match rifle, to use on rifle along with something I can use for glassing and plugging varmints. I could deal with a light bag on my match rifle as I wouldn’t use it all the time. Double duty would be a huge plus.

Iv only had the opportunity to use my tripod on big game twice, usually it’s a last resort.

I need a one of those cameras so I can show you guys the wobble zone difference between different techniques. It’s insane.

Tripods take a lot of practice to deploy effectively. Add a hundred or two rounds to the price of that plate if you plan to utilize it at any distance that is beyond 300.
 

Huntin_GI

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What’s that setup weigh?

Even deploying the way I do, it takes time. Some on this forum even believe too much time, and I’d aggree for the most part but view it as a good tool to have since I’m carrying it for glassing anyways. I watched a few of the videos that the above poster noted. When I first got a tripod I tried just as he does, though he looks like he has a foot of reach on my 5’6 frame making it a little easier. I found the light tripods basically useless for anything longer than 300 yards, or 3+moa targets, I got more wobble on a lightweight glassing tripod that I would shooting sticks. I abandoned that idea really quick and went way down the rabbit hole to find what I currently use.

What’s that bag weigh? I planned on getting an arca bag for my match rifle, to use on rifle along with something I can use for glassing and plugging varmints. I could deal with a light bag on my match rifle as I wouldn’t use it all the time. Double duty would be a huge plus.

Iv only had the opportunity to use my tripod on big game twice, usually it’s a last resort.

I need a one of those cameras so I can show you guys the wobble zone difference between different techniques. It’s insane.

Tripods take a lot of practice to deploy effectively. Add a hundred or two rounds to the price of that plate if you plan to utilize it at any distance that is beyond 300.
When you say lightweight tripod are we talking flimsy aluminum ones from amazon or bigger? I recently purchased a Slik 833 for glassing and was hoping to pull double duty but am still putting the setup together.
 

Lawnboi

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When you say lightweight tripod are we talking flimsy aluminum ones from amazon or bigger? I recently purchased a Slik 833 for glassing and was hoping to pull double duty but am still putting the setup together.
I’m not familiar with all the different slik tripods. But referencing the slik 624 that I started with, not what would be considered low end by any means

I’m currently shooting my hunting guns off a 1 series RRS.
 

Huntin_GI

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I’m not familiar with all the different slik tripods. But referencing the slik 624 that I started with, not what would be considered low end by any means

I’m currently shooting my hunting guns off a 1 series RRS.
Yea the 833 is quiet a bit more robust than the 600 series which is what pushed me to the larger platform.
 
Joined
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What’s that setup weigh?

Even deploying the way I do, it takes time. Some on this forum even believe too much time, and I’d aggree for the most part but view it as a good tool to have since I’m carrying it for glassing anyways. I watched a few of the videos that the above poster noted. When I first got a tripod I tried just as he does, though he looks like he has a foot of reach on my 5’6 frame making it a little easier. I found the light tripods basically useless for anything longer than 300 yards, or 3+moa targets, I got more wobble on a lightweight glassing tripod that I would shooting sticks. I abandoned that idea really quick and went way down the rabbit hole to find what I currently use.

What’s that bag weigh? I planned on getting an arca bag for my match rifle, to use on rifle along with something I can use for glassing and plugging varmints. I could deal with a light bag on my match rifle as I wouldn’t use it all the time. Double duty would be a huge plus.

Iv only had the opportunity to use my tripod on big game twice, usually it’s a last resort.

I need a one of those cameras so I can show you guys the wobble zone difference between different techniques. It’s insane.

Tripods take a lot of practice to deploy effectively. Add a hundred or two rounds to the price of that plate if you plan to utilize it at any distance that is beyond 300.
The plate/bag combo weighs 10.7 ounces. Combined with an RRS 14L and an Anvil 30…while hunting, the setup is relatively light, considering what you’re getting from a shooting perspective.
 

Lawnboi

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Yea the 833 is quiet a bit more robust than the 600 series which is what pushed me to the larger platform.
It’s worth a try. I ended up with some heavier options after using the little slik. None of them touch the RRS, but can be usable.

If going budget my buddy ended up with a two vets something or other. I don’t think it’s going to last that long but it was surprisingly stable.

Center columns are the enemy when shooting, fyi
 
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The tripod leg strength is one consideration. Mechanic wobble from the center column is another. From my perspective, the head you’re using is just as, if not more important. What head are you using?
 

Lawnboi

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The plate/bag combo weighs 10.7 ounces. Combined with an RRS 14L and an Anvil 30…while hunting, the setup is relatively light, considering what you’re getting from a shooting perspective.
Looks worth a shot. I was going to get a gray ops plate and double arca. Maybe I’ll go with the cole tac and a double arca.

I need something to beat the bus at shooting matches. But something light enough would be nice too.

Have you seen the precision underground recon mini?

 
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