Tools for field positions

[Lpart]

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[SCdeerhunter]

My go to field gadget is the Primos Trigger Stick's II. I have both the medium and tall sticks depending on where I'm hunting and how tall the grass is etc.

If there are trees around I brace my back/shoulder against a tree using the tripod in front and if not I carry a set of lightweight Stony Point Bipod sticks to place under the rear.

Between those two and a pack I don't find myself lacking enough support in pretty much any circumstance.

Nature provides us a lot and it sure can save you a lot of weight if you just look for what's already there around you and use it.

Bipods and rear bags are great at the range or if you happen to be shooting on a wide open, flat wheatfield but in most other circumstances I find myself in, in the field they tend to be pretty much useless.

My favorite hunting blind is a fallen tree and I just shoot off of the limbs or off of limbs I've laid across as "cross members".

How do you like the trigger sticks? Your set up is the closest to what I had in mind. For situations that I can't go prone I would like to use a tripod with a rear support of some sort and the primos seems to be the most reasonable price wise. Also wondering if anyone has any experience with the Caldwell field pod. Looks like that would be pretty stable but not sure how annoying it'd be to carry around.

 

[WildRose]

How do you like the trigger sticks? Your set up is the closest to what I had in mind. For situations that I can't go prone I would like to use a tripod with a rear support of some sort and the primos seems to be the most reasonable price wise. Also wondering if anyone has any experience with the Caldwell field pod. Looks like that would be pretty stable but not sure how annoying it'd be to carry around.

I like the trigger sticks well enough that I've carried them as far as Africa and found them invaluable there. If I didn't already own the SP bipod I'd have gotten matching TSII bipods to go along with the tripods. I'm no Annie Oakley but I can get steady enough even with an 8-9lbs rig to shoot comfortably from 500-750yds with the two or just leaning up against the tree with the TSII tripod.

 

[Barrelnut]

I have one of the tall tripod style Trigger Sticks. It's a sturdy thing that you can use as a walking staff and deploys quickly. Not bad to shoot off of either.

It has a design problem though. Problem is the legs allow rain water in and the water has no way to drain out. The cams in the legs, that allow the legs to lower when the trigger is pulled, are made out of untreated carbon steel and rust like a SOB. Once this happens the whole thing is worthless. I was able to save mine by totally disassembling it, which is by no means easy. I found that the cams were so deteriorated and bound by rust and they could not be forced to move. I had to soak them in penetrating oil and then force them with pliers. I finally was able to get them free of rust and smoothed somewhat by sanding. Finally lightly greased them and they worked again, but are not 100%. I'm talking all three legs had to be done this way! The cams should be either stainless or even plastic would be better.

They are a good tool. Just not good if you hunt in rain much.

 

[SCdeerhunter]

I have one of the tall tripod style Trigger Sticks. It's a sturdy thing that you can use as a walking staff and deploys quickly. Not bad to shoot off of either.

It has a design problem though. Problem is the legs allow rain water in and the water has no way to drain out. The cams in the legs, that allow the legs to lower when the trigger is pulled, are made out of untreated carbon steel and rust like a SOB. Once this happens the whole thing is worthless. I was able to save mine by totally disassembling it, which is by no means easy. I found that the cams were so deteriorated and bound by rust and they could not be forced to move. I had to soak them in penetrating oil and then force them with pliers. I finally was able to get them free of rust and smoothed somewhat by sanding. Finally lightly greased them and they worked again, but are not 100%. I'm talking all three legs had to be done this way! The cams should be either stainless or even plastic would be better.

They are a good tool. Just not good if you hunt in rain much.

Yeah thats not good. Especially for the price you pay for them. I would say I'd get one and disassemble and coat it with cerakote but you made that sound like more trouble than it's worth. I'll have to look around and see what other options there are for tripods similar to that.

 

[WildRose]

Yeah thats not good. Especially for the price you pay for them. I would say I'd get one and disassemble and coat it with cerakote but you made that sound like more trouble than it's worth. I'll have to look around and see what other options there are for tripods similar to that.

A few drops of oil as a preventive solves that issue.

I've used the same two for four or five years and have had no issue with them.

 

[Barrelnut]

Don't know about that Rose, the water collects in the bottom of the leg and cannot drain out. A little oil will not fix this. The legs work a lot like regular tripod legs, except they are upside-down. This is what let's the water in. If Primos had designed it with the legs with the thickest part on the top, like tripods, it wouldn't even be an issue. I hunt in RAIN, as in NW Pacific coast range.

 

[CaptnC]

I made a scissor type bi-pod for the rear to use with a tall fixed bi-pod attached to the for-end of the rifle. I've always shot prone but the new deer lease I'm on is flat, so any shot would have to be through weeds. The only way to get above them is sitting. I made mine out of 1/4" square tubing that was part of a gate someone was throwing away!

I like it because the gun can stand without you even touching it. My wife used it to make a 307yd shot on a nice buck the second weekend of the season. That by the way was her first shot at a live animal ever! First day she ever went hunting!

If you look closely just behind her right thumb you can see the red cap I put in the end of it to keep rain and trash out...you can also see it below her right forearm.

You can walk away and it will still be standing there...gun is a solid as on a bench! In the picture she is sitting with the rifle not holding it!

 

[djfriesen]

Last weekend I had to come up with a shooting position for a 282-yd shot off a stump. I couldn't get the rear of the rifle properly stabilized, until I placed my pack vertical and wedged the frame under my right armpit.

Normally I would be shooting off a snipe pod while bracing my back against a rock or log. But earlier, while sighting in my rifle, my front stud tore out of the stock, so I was left having to shoot off a front bag.

It was an interesting situation. Not one I want to repeat, but it highlights the need to practice different configurations, if only to familiarize yourself with figuring out new approaches when required.

 

[SCdeerhunter]

I made a scissor type bi-pod for the rear to use with a tall fixed bi-pod attached to the for-end of the rifle. I've always shot prone but the new deer lease I'm on is flat, so any shot would have to be through weeds. The only way to get above them is sitting. I made mine out of 1/4" square tubing that was part of a gate someone was throwing away!

I like it because the gun can stand without you even touching it. My wife used it to make a 307yd shot on a nice buck the second weekend of the season. That by the way was her first shot at a live animal ever! First day she ever went hunting!

View attachment 84311

If you look closely just behind her right thumb you can see the red cap I put in the end of it to keep rain and trash out...you can also see it below her right forearm.

You can walk away and it will still be standing there...gun is a solid as on a bench! In the picture she is sitting with the rifle not holding it!

I hadn't thought about making my own. That'd be cheap and easy. And congrats to your wife. I had read your post on her first deer. Cool story and good shooting on her part. Long shot for a first deer.

 

[SCdeerhunter]

It was an interesting situation. Not one I want to repeat, but it highlights the need to practice different configurations, if only to familiarize yourself with figuring out new approaches when required.

Yeah that's pretty much what I've tried to do this year. Being from the south most of my deer have been from stands where I could get a good rest. But with moving to Colorado next year I'm trying to prepare for more field based positions.

 

[Wedgy]

Don't know about that Rose, the water collects in the bottom of the leg and cannot drain out. A little oil will not fix this. The legs work a lot like regular tripod legs, except they are upside-down. This is what let's the water in. If Primos had designed it with the legs with the thickest part on the top, like tripods, it wouldn't even be an issue. I hunt in RAIN, as in NW Pacific coast range.

Couldn't you just drill a hole in the bottom of the leg and let the water drain out ?

 

[Barrelnut]

Yea, probably. I've been thinking about doing it to allow a place to oil the cam too. Just drill hole at a spot where a wd-40 tube would be close to the cam/locking mechanism.
The water actually kinda condenses inside the leg. So, there is moisture in there everywhere that cannot get out. Below is a pic of what it looked like when I got it apart.

I just really don't use it in the rain anymore..

 

[rscottb]

As I am discovering my search for shooting from the sitting position,
Really Right Stuff is the top tier for tripods:

More:
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=shooting+from+a+tripod+while+sitting

What I am trying out:
http://www.precisionriflesolutions.com/apps/webstore/products/show/7387137
with the XL tripod.

The key to success is limited loading the tripod to stabilize the rifle. Using a sling or 50 50 cord are methods are getting there. I am trying a quick release binder that still needs work.

Also using your crossed legs to support your arms help, just as we are taught to shoot in the sitting position in Army literature or the Appleseed way.

I am limited to shooting while sitting since my over done Army career precludes me from standing or shooting while prone. Any shooting while sitting ideas are welcome.