Gadget needed, video camera type

[Dave King]

I've been trying to get some representative video from my hunting and for the life of me I can't find an adapter to allow me to mount my digital camera on my rifle(s). I've been filming from a tripod or screw-in tree type suport but I REALLY NEED a mounting system for the actual rifle. I've thoght that if I could find a mount to attach to the top of my various Badger ring sets I could make it work. I worry about about the forces of recoil and the weight of the little digital camera but figure there are systems for the SIMRAD that mount on top of the scope too.

Any ideas, how about some of you machine operator types, S1, Marty, George... or Petander (I think you have a bit of stuff left from the tripod/dog duct tape and glue adventure).

I believe it needs to be placed above the rifle, side mounted or underslung dosen't seem like a viable option.

I'm willing to sacrifice a little stability/clarity during recoil for the flexibility of not having to deal with two independent devices.

(I've even toyed with the option of building a "saddle" for the camera and mounting it behind the scope...I have some Kydex, a few nuts and bolts and the ever present and useful duct tape. Figured I'd have HUGE parallax problems though and didn't want to chance shooting the thing setup like that until I was further away from the East Coast of the U.S. "You'll put someone's eye out with that thing!" )

 

[*WyoWhisper*]

338-378 does professional video's.. bet he may have some type of somthing or other... or at least may have a good idea....

 

[Guest]

[ 03-17-2004: Message edited by: 338-378 ]

 

[Dave King]

338-378

I'll get a few pictures this evening, pending any earth shaking events, and post them. I'd like to use this setup on multiple rifles, my 308, 243 and 223 mainly. I use Badger Ordnance Rings and bases mainly (the 223 has a one piece Leupold Mark 4 base no taper). The scopes are various makes, but in order of weapons listed above they are Leupold M1 LR (3.5x10), NightForce NXS 5.5x22 and Nikon 2.5x10 Tactical.

Most of the video will be "short" range as the magnification gets to be too much of a problem for me beyond about 250 to 300 yards. (I don't like digital zoom and stay optical (10x)...making something from nothing dosen't help video quality.) At these ranges I shoot I generally shoot Point Blank with a 1 to 5 MOA elevation correction every once in a while.

Any of this help?

/r

 

[Guest]

Dave,
You Got Mail.

 

[Guest]

[ 03-17-2004: Message edited by: 338-378 ]

 

[MachV]

Let us know what you come up with as it would be nice to have the camera on the gun.Even with a remote it can be difficult to get the gun & camers on the intended target.At times I have given up the rifle shot just to get the video but that just dont cut it sometimes.
I made a mount for the bow but the recoil was much worse than I intisapated and the camera realy got rattled with every shot.
Saw some video of an antilope shot somewhere around a thousand yards out a while back that was quite good!He run it through a spotting scope somehow but was not specific.
CJ

 

[Brent]

All the luck Dave!

Are you renting a camera for the initial testing?

 

[Perkules]

Now you really got me thinking... that´s always dangerous.

338-378, what about the AV-input? Do you have some ideas to "split" the actual scope view into the digicam somehow? That sounds like the way to go, dang,an adapter for the scope,huh?

Very interesting. It´s hard enough to take photos through a scope offhand, not to mention an actual hunting video.

Hmm... hmmm... and the muzzle flash? Thinking has started, a good topic!

 

[Dave King]

Butch

Here are a few pictures as promised.

This is Gumby wearing a Nightforce and Badger Ordnance rings and bases.


From the top:

From the left rear

From the left side

From the right rear

from the right side

The inside

[ 06-03-2003: Message edited by: Dave King ]

 

[Guest]

Howdy Dave... If your camera has a 1/4-20 hole in the bottom for a tripod mount, it should be simple to improvise a solution.

Take a matching set of weaver/picatiny style rings (QRW comes to mind) they are cheap and removable without tools. Mount them to your scope tube upside down. Now take a weaver aluminum rail with a flat straight bottom and drill it with a 1/4 " drill. Clamp your base to the upside down rings in the upside down position and run your 1/4 - 20 screw through the base and into the camera. 1/8" thick memory foam will insulate the camera from some shock, and help it hold alignment. Put the foam between the camera and the upside down base. Less than 70 bucks and 1/2 an hour, problem solved. Alignment on one axis should be near perfect, adjustable on the other axis. Use layers of tape between foam and base to shim for height.

Seems an improvised set up like this was used a few years ago by some S/S to film Milosovic's Officers machine gunning people in acts of genocide. Remember though, a video camera can only take so much recoil, make sure your camera is under warranty before hooking it up to the big dog.

Cool Pic of the R2!!!!!!!!

[ 06-03-2003: Message edited by: S1 ]

 

[Brent]

Dave,

is that roof top 200 yards away, or was the power still on 7 when you took the shot? Maybe it's about 65yds then?

Gotta love that R2.

 

[Dave King]

S1 Brent

S1

338-378 offered a similar solution but I'm a little hesitant to clamp onto my scope tubes with the extra weight of the camera and etc. Once I stated this to him he offered a nice rendering of a mount system using Badger rings with a "bridge" setup similat to what you describe welded to the top caps of the rings. Looks not too unlike the detachable M-16/M4 carry handle. I believe I'd open up the rings a bit so they wouldn't touch the scope.


Brent

I believe (fairly certain) I set the power to 22 for that pic and I'm not sure what the camera was set to (I don't believe it matters actually)... the house is across the street from me... about .... oops! almost told you the distance and ended the game.

 

[Brent]

The exposure height on those shingles there with the angles and all makes it a tricky one, I'll go with 98 yards to the peak using the width of them instead. Glad this is close range and not real far, probably would have missed!

How would a Mono-Loc work with what you have for recording right now?