Here's a Manfrotto carbon fiber that isn't too expensive, the RRS ball head cranks up the price though. I inverted the ball head to make paning easier. This tripod is light and packable, not as big as the current PRS darlings, but very stable.
Best value in hunting tripods
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Has anyone used the Revic tripod at all? I wanted to get a lightweight packable tripod for dual use shooting/photography and I've been debating going with that or crying once and buying the USA made RRS Ascend-14.
I know the Revic is a rebranded Leofoto however if I'm going to buy Chinese gear I'd rather some of the money went to a US company that supports our sport.
I know the Revic is a rebranded Leofoto however if I'm going to buy Chinese gear I'd rather some of the money went to a US company that supports our sport.
gillettehunter
Well-Known Member
I just bought the set up BrentM has. He seems to have more experience using a tripod for long range than most. The 50 mm ball head is also from Feisol. They have one specifically for shooting. Nice solid set up for longer range shooting.
Bruce
Bruce
Bog pod!
ForgivenAll
Well-Known Member
Call Troy Tyson at DST Precision. He carries Cayer three & four section carbon fiber tripods (and others) with ballheads starting at $500. I've used them hunting, in NRL matches, and for spotting. It easily supports my 20# competition rifle and its recoil. He's a great guy and will bend over backwards to help you. http://dstprecision.net/store/p40/Cayer_Tripod_Packages.html
Check out the No-Name Tripod. Identical to the RRS at a lower price.
twovetssportinggoods.com
THE NO NAME Tripod DISCONTINUED
BrentM
Well-Known Member
It's a feisol head. They have 3 i believe, 50, 60, 80.
This is probably the best budget option. There is a very involved thread on sniper's hide about these and retrofitting the Anvil 30 to them for a top quality budget pod. Someone over there is making an adapter plate as well to run the Anvil 30 on them. I would bet a lot of these options posted above are made in the same Chinese plant.
I have the AS80C I just got for my son and the ballhead that matches it. It's the little brother to the one linked above. The apex is a smaller diameter and weight is a fair bit less which I why I went that way. All in is a fair bit less $ than just the head. I can take a few photos later if you'd like. It's very solid and quite lightweight.
Amazon.com : Carbon Fiber Bowl Tripod, AS80C Heavy Duty Camera Tripod Ultra Stable & Lightweight Professional Camera Travel Tripod，Max Load 44lbs/20kg，65mm Bowl Adapter as a Gift（RT80C Upgraded） : Camera & Photo
Amazon.com : Carbon Fiber Bowl Tripod, AS80C Heavy Duty Camera Tripod Ultra Stable & Lightweight Professional Camera Travel Tripod，Max Load 44lbs/20kg，65mm Bowl Adapter as a Gift（RT80C Upgraded） : Camera & Photo
www.amazon.com
That said, I am still considering a full RRS for myself for several reasons, just trying to decide whether I wan a 4 section Series 2L or a 3 section series 3.
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archangel485
Well-Known Member
I actually bought an FOR last summer (FBT5436C kit), and loved shooting and hunting with it so much that I just bought another FOR tripod. Both through cameraland (@gr8fuldoug can connect you with Jeff) you'll save money vs buying direct. This time I went with one of their pro series (pro32-mil). If US made is important to you the pro series are a great option. The cheaper one (FBT5436C) is like 3.5lbs and is very stiff and supportive even fully extended in spite of its light weight. In the end, I feel like for the price of 1 RRS setup, I got 2 very high quality tripod setups. I shot a hunter match with the FBT5436C and had a lot of people comment on how light it felt. Mostly due to the fact that there is no head required like @naja302 mentioned, since the leveling base and the arca clamp are one unit, and you can move around with the bowl top really easily with your rifle mounted.Look at field optics research. I have their bowl top tripod setup and for me it's the best all around hunting tripod.
the bowl top is not as smooth as a fluid head but it's much lighter and takes up way less space. It's like the tripod doesn't have a head at all. You can clip into it with a pic rail or an arca rail (I recommend the combo one that salmon River solutions makes)
the legs also are removable and work as trekking poles. It's very rigid and strong but not quite tall enough to glass off of standing because of not having a center section to extend. I don't glass standing so this isn't really a negative for me
honestly this thing is probably described best as a Jack of all trades/master of none...just like me
@naja302 you said it's not as smooth as a fluid head. I'm just curious are you using any sort of lube on yours? I have been just running mine dry as it's fairly smooth that way and I'm terrified of putting grease (ie dirt magnet) on it but I'm going to try Blaster dry lube. I read a thread I believe on SH that RRS actually recommended using that to one of their customers.
vancewalker007
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If you are going to glass and shoot for hunting off this tripod here is some advice from someone who has been glassing and shooting Coues deer off tripods for 30 years. Don't go for an ultra light weight tripod. Choose one that can carry more load than you will be putting on it. If your rifle is say 8lbs then get a head and leg set that can carry say 10-11lbs. First, your glasses or spotter will be way way steadier and steady is the name of the game. Second, your rifle will be much steadier for your shot, be it 100 yards or 1000 yards. Everyone that hunts using backpacks always has it in their mind get the lightest stuff possible. In some gear cases this is the right thinking. For tripods you need to sacrifice some weight for performance.
For heads look for a decent fluid head. For the last 5 years I have been using the SIRUI VA-5 for glassing. I don't normally shoot off this head as its weight limit is lower but in a pinch it can be used. The Outdoorsman has a pricey fluid head that can carry a very heavy load. The SIRUI VH-10 has a nice carrying load as well. Most of our shots are in the prone over Phoenix Shooting bags or on a set of Viper Stix. If I'm hunting an area where I can carry 2 tripods, one for shooting and one for glassing, I set up the shooting one with a ball head and a rifle clamp, my ball head has a 20lb load limit. Ball heads are easier to use for shooting because of their easy movement in multiple axis.
Bullmark
Well-Known Member
I promise you that no tripod setup with a ball head, leveling base, Arca attached or saddle, on top will give you absolute 100% stability. I've tried the most expensive and I've ran with a shooting stick from a tree branch. It may be different for standing sets, like a lot of coyote hunting deals....but for sitting in a blind, kneeling, or sitting on the ground, I've found good stability with everything I've tried. If you don't have a rest for your trigger arm elbow it's tough to achieve the stability you're looking for.
I use a lightweight, Feisol traveling carbon tripod w/ their mid size ball head......I have a small 3" arca rail attached to my rifles and it sits directly on the ball head. If I have a solid spot for my right elbow (I'm a rt handed shooter), its solid as a rock.
Keep the gun as close to the apex of the tripod as possible. Extend the bigger legs first, and before you raise the center column. Oh, practice practice practice, and know your rifle.
I use a lightweight, Feisol traveling carbon tripod w/ their mid size ball head......I have a small 3" arca rail attached to my rifles and it sits directly on the ball head. If I have a solid spot for my right elbow (I'm a rt handed shooter), its solid as a rock.
Keep the gun as close to the apex of the tripod as possible. Extend the bigger legs first, and before you raise the center column. Oh, practice practice practice, and know your rifle.
Different ways to use your tripod while shooting.
A lot of people like the AS90C, but at $320 and 6.1 lb without a head it's really overkill imo. I got the Innorel ST344C, which holds 77 lb at eye level and is 4.1 lb. I mounted a kinda imitation Anvil 30, a $50 eBay picatinny+Arca clamp ball head on it. Needs an anti rotation solution on the base but otherwise works awesome.
For $280 all in on a 5.0 lb tripod setup that holds my heavy PRS gun, I'm thrilled with it. If you want to go lighter and are okay with less than standing height, the Leofoto AM-284 legs would be what I'd go with.
For $280 all in on a 5.0 lb tripod setup that holds my heavy PRS gun, I'm thrilled with it. If you want to go lighter and are okay with less than standing height, the Leofoto AM-284 legs would be what I'd go with.
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slowshot18
Well-Known Member
@chutinlead what adapter did you use to mount your anvil 30 to the ranger?
I really wanted one of the rangers but was concerned about mounting. Ended up with an
innorel ST344C tripod as it checked all the boxes for weight, heights, etc.
I wanted to use an Anvil 30 with this commie pod so I ordered an RRS series 3 adapter plate in hopes that it would work. It kind of does but doesn't fit extremely tight so I had to get creative. I ended up getting a 3" long 3/8-16 stud to use with the included handle and put an O-ring on the bottom of the adapter plate under the lip. Surprisingly, it is actually really snug and no wiggle at all.
I really wanted one of the rangers but was concerned about mounting. Ended up with an
innorel ST344C tripod as it checked all the boxes for weight, heights, etc.
I wanted to use an Anvil 30 with this commie pod so I ordered an RRS series 3 adapter plate in hopes that it would work. It kind of does but doesn't fit extremely tight so I had to get creative. I ended up getting a 3" long 3/8-16 stud to use with the included handle and put an O-ring on the bottom of the adapter plate under the lip. Surprisingly, it is actually really snug and no wiggle at all.
