Thread: Tripods, who’s using what, and what to avoid ?

After tutu'ing around with various tripods many of which were camera focused, here are my findings:
Light weight tripods are ok for a camera, but lack stability when throwing a rifle on top.
The more sections a tripod has, the less stability it has. Purely due to increasingly thinner legs in the lower sections.
Carbon tripods are the easiest way to get additional rigidity for a given weight.
Tripods with thicker legs are generally speaking able to hold more weight, and are more rigid.
Camera ball heads are good, but not ideally suited to shooting. - normally sit well above the tripod base, reducing rifle stability. With only a few exceptions, the ball adjustment knob is small, and almost all have a tiny screw for adjusting panning. This panning plate is a weak point, and limits the rigidity of the ball head when mounting a lot of weight on it.
Inverted ball heads are way better, but not overly common.
75mm / 100mm bowl type leveling heads are incredibly stable, but lack the vertical adjustment range of a ball head.
Spiked feet are fantastic for field use.
Tripods that do not have leg stops make noise when the legs bang against each other.
The more sections your tripod has, the shorter it stores away, and the longer it takes to set up.

What have I ended up with?
I have a 2 section carbon tripod. 40mm and 36mm tubes. 75mm bowl leveling head that accepts Arca and Picatinny rails. Spiked feet. Rubber tubing over the bottom of the legs to stop them banging together.
Due to the size, it's never going near the bush, but is perfect for taking out in the fields to shoot rabbits.

My tripod with a Leofoto ball head - big adjustment knob (fantastic), but still had the panning screw and plate.


The leveling head I finally settled with. Noticeably more stable than any of the ball heads I tried.




If I wasn't going down the DIY path, I'd have been looking at the 2 Vets, and Leofoto 2 section tripods

Originally Posted by Beavis

I have one of the Sunwayfoto Tripods sold by Nightvision NZ. I got the shorter version but in hindsight I wish I got the taller model.

Pros:

Very light

Inverted ball head gives it a low centre of gravity and overall makes the design more compact

Not a pain at all to carry around, even in the bush

Comes with a QR Arca plate that also works with picatinny as well - very handy

Cons:

The shorter model that I got is only just a little to short for most uses when it is fully open

The ball head has a QR lever, but no knob for making fine adjustments, can be a bit fiddly to adjust under pressure

At full extension shooting standing, it has some noticeable flex, but thats the price you pay for the weight savings.

That said, extremely handy and allows me to establish a solid shooting position basically anywhere.

People who use the low Sunwayfoto, is it tall enough for using binos standing? I'm 5,8 ish

another shooter with a Grey Birch nice one

Originally Posted by hamishg

People who use the low Sunwayfoto, is it tall enough for using binos standing? I'm 5,8 ish

Id probably go the tall model

Originally Posted by hamishg

People who use the low Sunwayfoto, is it tall enough for using binos standing? I'm 5,8 ish

Yes, I have the tall Sunwayfoto and it is definitely tall enough for me (6’2”) to use binos standing. I think it’s faster, lighter and more rigid to use an arca rail on the rifle. Also allows you to traipse around with the tripod attached to the rifle over your shoulder for quick deployment. I use one of these mounts on the tikka t3x and its great, easy install and allows pic bipod and a sling to be used as well:

https://ozarkprecisionnz.co.nz/shop/...-hunters-rail/

Originally Posted by Billymavs

Getting into LR/ long range hunting and looking for a sutable tripod.

I was originally planning to get a Backlanz tripod so I can reuse the mounting points from my bipod for that, but they aren’t planning on anymore, so need to find an alternative.

Preferably as light as possible and robust

Really Right Stuff SOAR

Gee you blokes spend heaps on tripods. Africans just use 3 sticks. Bamboo or ally tubing works fine and a fraction of the price

Originally Posted by Oldbloke

Gee you blokes spend heaps on tripods. Africans just use 3 sticks. Bamboo or ally tubing works fine and a fraction of the price

Is that because the animals they are shooting are huge and hard to miss, or just too close for comfort?
Consistently shooting rabbits at over 200m off a few bamboo sticks is going to take skills I just don't possess. No point spending good money on an accurate rifle, if I cannot back that up with consistent shot placement.

Originally Posted by 55six

Id probably go the tall model

Bugger, just seen you've got more in stock, and Xmas coming up real fast, and shops shutting for the deserved break. How quick for delivery to Hamilton, or worth waiting for next year?
Cheers

Originally Posted by Oldbloke

Gee you blokes spend heaps on tripods. Africans just use 3 sticks. Bamboo or ally tubing works fine and a fraction of the price

Yup those Masai blokes chuck spears at lions too.

Shooting standing up straight at an 800m target and beyond to seeing your own impacts is worth every penny.

Sadly the Chinese minions have been busy and cloned them to such a degree that the Yank Precision Rifle Series has adopted their tripods as a sponsor.

Originally Posted by Nasty Factory Trigger

Bugger, just seen you've got more in stock, and Xmas coming up real fast, and shops shutting for the deserved break. How quick for delivery to Hamilton, or worth waiting for next year?
Cheers

Last day for shipping today. Cutoff at 3pm. If you buy today you should get it Monday.

Originally Posted by quentin

Is that because the animals they are shooting are huge and hard to miss, or just too close for comfort?
Consistently shooting rabbits at over 200m off a few bamboo sticks is going to take skills I just don't possess. No point spending good money on an accurate rifle, if I cannot back that up with consistent shot placement.

Expensive rabbits.

In that situation my solution is to walk.

Originally Posted by quentin

Is that because the animals they are shooting are huge and hard to miss, or just too close for comfort?
Consistently shooting rabbits at over 200m off a few bamboo sticks is going to take skills I just don't possess. No point spending good money on an accurate rifle, if I cannot back that up with consistent shot placement.

It's not bamboo....but... 4 plastic coated garden stakes, 4 bolts with washers and nyloc nuts. Bit of string... Few thousand dead rabbits for about 50 bucks? . 550m with 223 would be the furthest, stable as.
Not in frame but the other side of the stake by the cheek position is cut down so it's not blocking the stock.

I've got a tall Sunway foto, I wouldn't recommend buying a model with the smaller ball head, it's not as nice compared to the bigger inverted ball head. Nice tripod either way though. Bit less stable with a heavy gun on it.

Yes, quad stix are very popular in Europe. Cheap as chips to make too.

@Roamr they work I made a set the same way. Digressing that looks like a thermion scope, is the rangefinder thing an aftermarket item and if so where'd you get it