Here's a photo of my setup. In the photo shows the part numbers for tripod leveling base and head that I'm using. I think the tripods out of production for a long time though.
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Tripod suggestions
- Thread starter Maineiac
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7.06 lb. as shown. This is a three-section full height tripod. I can use it standing and I'm 6 ft tall. I added some weight to the tripod because it had old rubber feet that were losing their grip. So I saw a article on the internet on how to remove the rubber feet I had to melt them off with a heat gun. Since they were glued in. Then I used my lathe to make some threaded metal bushings that I epoxied Into the tubes. Now this tripod can take standard 3/8 and threaded feet and I bought these big rubber feet they grip really well and added to the stability. Optionally I can use spiked feet for loose ground.
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I went with the Leofoto rig that they now have in their "Rifle" section. I have the MH-60s ballhead and it is smooth as butter. The Brocock is one of my heavier guns and it holds it fine. I can swap out the arca to picatinny rail with a BOG death grip for those guns without the rail to attach to. @Ezana4CE the total weight is under 6 pounds and it came with a slinged carrying case. I use this on those "semi-stationary" hunts. I have a Primos Gen 3 trigger stick for constantly moving hunts where setup would cost you the shot!
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Bog Deathgrip Sherpa. It’s carbon fiber, weighs 4.5lbs, and has a ball head. Also has an adjustable center post so you don’t need to mess with the adjustable legs to get the correct height/shooting position.
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I second the call for a Manfratto. I've got 3 of them that I use. (Also a photographer in my not so distant past.)
I use the 3001, 3011, and 3025. These offer the ability to really obtain a wide stance for when I'm sitting. Legs will open and lock in various positions.
I'm using both a 48mm and 52mm heavy duty, low profile ball mount on mine with Arca QD mounts. Here's a 46mm mount that would accompany a Monfrotto Bogen nicely. Note the max weight, 44 lbs!
Tripod Ball Head, CAVIX H-46 Metal Ball Head Camera Tripod Head 44lbs/20kg Load with Arca Swiss Quick Release Plate for Tripod, Monopod, DSLR, Camera… https://a.co/d/gBK4fJv
For a while, these (Tripods) were selling quite inexpensively on eBay. So many folks were dumping them for new carbon fiber legs.
CF is nice. But in my opinion just doesn't have the "Heft" that I require for stability when using them as a shooting platform.Side note, tripods with leg extensions that use a "twist lock" are convenient. But over time wear out and fail allowing the leg to slowly slide back to its closed position. Common in the carbon fiber tripods.
I prefer a clamping lock with thumb screw. These seem to be less prone to environmental contamination and failure. They're just as quick as a twist lock. Just may not be as aesthetically pleasing. Function over vanity works best for me.
The Manfratto offers pretty much everything I need.
Hope it helps.
Cheers
K9
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I’ve been contemplating a tripod and ball head as well lately… I appreciate all the recommendation, just browsing online becomes a bit overwhelming regarding this topic.
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Photography was my hobby for over 4 decades, I still have four full size heavy duty tripods and maybe 5-6 smaller somewhere down in the basement lockers. I even use smaller tripods to hold the gun for disassembly.
This is my current setup for shooting my Leshiy2 from a bench, removed the second and third sections and got more room to fill the legs with #9 leadshots.
Also made several different scenarios for sitting on a bench top or around a terrain
This is my current setup for shooting my Leshiy2 from a bench, removed the second and third sections and got more room to fill the legs with #9 leadshots.
Also made several different scenarios for sitting on a bench top or around a terrain
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BlackICE
Thanks for sending. I ended up buying the same Leofoto VH-30N tripod head back in December and I have been very pleased with it. It locks up solidly and it us easy to articulate when you need to move it.
-PJ
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I glad it worked out for you. I don't know why most everyone suggest ball heads. Because the gun's GC the gun wants to tip over when you loosen the ball causing canting of the rifle, throwing off your aim. With a pan and tilt head this can't happen. Once the gun is leveled on the tripod it will stay level and using the VH-30N the weight is probably comparable to a ball head of similar weight capacity. It not like I didn't try with decent ball head I already had, the Arca B1.
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Ballhead not a best but can work as a first aid only.
I have a levelling head, if I want to have all the motion available, becomes too tall.
Switched to pan-tilt, I like it, even mounted one on my one-piece-rest.
Switched to gimbal, the combination with tripod is - kind of best for my game.
I have a levelling head, if I want to have all the motion available, becomes too tall.
Switched to pan-tilt, I like it, even mounted one on my one-piece-rest.
Switched to gimbal, the combination with tripod is - kind of best for my game.
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This ball head style was referred to me by Stoti, a member here on the forums who had done some field tests with it, and I’m glad I switched over. Once my scope mounted anti cant level shows level I can lock the head down really good with the motorcycle style handle and not even have to worry about canting during my shooting session.
This ballhead is rated for 60 lbs-
This ballhead is rated for 60 lbs-
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@Bigragu - It looks like you have a Leofoto MH-60. I have the same ball head on my tripod and it has worked great so far. Apparently Leofoto now has a "Rifle" section that has tripods and heads for the shooter. https://leofotorifle.com/
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Yes, it’s nice to know the manufacturers are catering to gun mount tripod systems instead of us using camera equipment to accomplish what we want.
I consider the tripod and ball head system I purchased up there with the top five of my “buy once cry once” list. I’m so glad I held off from investing in umpteen amounts of bipods only to settle on a tripod, and now just stare at bunches of $$$ in bipods and rests that I’ll never use again.
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I‘ve been looking through all the options on the Leofoto link Pfddi shared and I am trying to understand the differences between all the different “series” of tripods! Looks like they offer 7 different series of “shooting” tripods… SA, ST, LM, LN ect… can anyone enlighten me regarding the differences between them or which style would be most preferred?
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I'll tell you what I did. I basically read a lot of the tripod/adapter posts here to see what others had done. A wide variety. I had made up my mind that I wanted a carbon fiber tripod that I could actually lay out on a bench and shoot similar to a tripod/bag combination, so it had to be able to open up to allow me to do that. Most all of our guns don't really weigh more than 15 pounds all in (being conservative high here) and so I went with the LM 364C that will hold 60 pounds. It has 4 legs and I can position it all the way from prone to standing and in between. Any of the LM series will hold most any gun. I went with the MH-60 head after another member said he had been through a couple of different makes and models and this one had done the best. He was also a long time photographer that use a similar system for photos. So far I have had no regrets. Could I have done with less? Probably but I can't complain.
I also have a small tripod with a small ball head that I use for repairs and I will take for bench shooting. It was $88 for it and the arc ball head direct from China. I mostly use the big tripod for extended hunting where I will be in one spot for a long(er) period of time. I use both the arca to picatinny rail and I have a Bog DeathGrip that I will interchange depending on how "mobile" I have to be if game is moving around a lot. You can get out of the rifle grips quickly if an opportunity presents itself instead of the arca rail.
I think a "rule of thumb" might be double the weight you intend to hold so you will never worry about the tripod. Maybe 2-3 times for the head. I'm just use to "over engineering" things to make them last over a professional lifetime. My $0.02. I hope it helps.
I also have a small tripod with a small ball head that I use for repairs and I will take for bench shooting. It was $88 for it and the arc ball head direct from China. I mostly use the big tripod for extended hunting where I will be in one spot for a long(er) period of time. I use both the arca to picatinny rail and I have a Bog DeathGrip that I will interchange depending on how "mobile" I have to be if game is moving around a lot. You can get out of the rifle grips quickly if an opportunity presents itself instead of the arca rail.
I think a "rule of thumb" might be double the weight you intend to hold so you will never worry about the tripod. Maybe 2-3 times for the head. I'm just use to "over engineering" things to make them last over a professional lifetime. My $0.02. I hope it helps.
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