Tripod recommendations glassing/shooting
- Thread starter Jordanv1
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Zen Archery
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How will you be using it? Will you be hiking for miles or drive and scan?
Jordanv1
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Driving and scanning mostly, but will also be carrying it on this hunt and others. I guess the more versatile the better
ZSteinle
Well-Known Member
Amazon product ASIN B08R7DS3YC
Ordered this about 6 months ago. I've been very impressed. The bowl head is great if ur shooting from the tripod and the ball head is great for glassing.
Ordered this about 6 months ago. I've been very impressed. The bowl head is great if ur shooting from the tripod and the ball head is great for glassing.
Whatever brand you decide on, make sure it has a fluid head. The fluid head makes your movement very smooth. Something like this:
Good luck!
Good luck!
jpd676
Well-Known Member
For a reasonable price, the Bog Pod Death Grip is good. I have used it to teach my kids how to shoot. Not bad for glassing; not perfect but for the money it's good. Amazon product ASIN B07KMPCVMH
BrentM
Well-Known Member
Fiesol. 3342 is what I run. Excellent tripod for the price and weight. 3 lbs with pan base, 3.5 with ball head, sturdy. Run this for shooting and glassing and run arca rails.
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2vets "The Kit" cf tripod with a RRS anvil 30 arc head. Works fine with Binos and especially shooting.
Mike Matteson
Well-Known Member
Something that is light. I would be without them.
I've used slik 733, 834, and a Sirui that is a 4 piece leg that is similar in weight to the 733 but supposed to hold more weight than both the slik models mentioned. If you're interested in the Sirui model I'll have to look when I get home... I can't remember specifically which one it was.
I've also used innorel off Amazon. I have 2 of those, one is a 6# beast (LT364C-Small Size RT90C) and the other is closer to 4# (innorel ST324CF). Both of those are super stable, but heavy for hiking with.
The Sirui va5 head is really really nice for glassing, but I've not tried to shoot off it.
I tried a cheap ball head off Amazon to shoot with and it did fine, but decided to get a RRS anvil for shooting and have been very pleased with it. The Anvil is pricey and not completely necessary though.
I've shot with all the tripods I listed, and the heavier they are, the more stable they are. So you have to figure out how much weight you want to carry. If I had a choice, I probably wouldn't choose a lighter weight tripod than the 733 size to shoot off of with a 8+# rifle. Its totally doable to shoot off a lighter tripod, but the stability can be an issue - and that also depends on how far you want to shoot.
I took all of them to 525 with a couple 308s and didn't have any issues hitting a reduced C-zone plate consistently... And that was the first time I'd ever shot over 325yds.
For glassing, I really appreciate having a center post to dial in height without having to adjust the legs every time. For shooting, some people say that center post is detrimental to stability, and I think I agree to a point. Again, it comes down to a trade off of weight vs stability.
All of the tripods I listed, except the heavy innorel, I got for well under 200$. The sliks and siruis go on sale fairly often, and sometimes you can get a va5 fluid head thrown in a combo deal for cheap. Just shop around and be patient.
I've also used innorel off Amazon. I have 2 of those, one is a 6# beast (LT364C-Small Size RT90C) and the other is closer to 4# (innorel ST324CF). Both of those are super stable, but heavy for hiking with.
The Sirui va5 head is really really nice for glassing, but I've not tried to shoot off it.
I tried a cheap ball head off Amazon to shoot with and it did fine, but decided to get a RRS anvil for shooting and have been very pleased with it. The Anvil is pricey and not completely necessary though.
I've shot with all the tripods I listed, and the heavier they are, the more stable they are. So you have to figure out how much weight you want to carry. If I had a choice, I probably wouldn't choose a lighter weight tripod than the 733 size to shoot off of with a 8+# rifle. Its totally doable to shoot off a lighter tripod, but the stability can be an issue - and that also depends on how far you want to shoot.
I took all of them to 525 with a couple 308s and didn't have any issues hitting a reduced C-zone plate consistently... And that was the first time I'd ever shot over 325yds.
For glassing, I really appreciate having a center post to dial in height without having to adjust the legs every time. For shooting, some people say that center post is detrimental to stability, and I think I agree to a point. Again, it comes down to a trade off of weight vs stability.
All of the tripods I listed, except the heavy innorel, I got for well under 200$. The sliks and siruis go on sale fairly often, and sometimes you can get a va5 fluid head thrown in a combo deal for cheap. Just shop around and be patient.
esshup
Well-Known Member
I have two different ones, I'd have to dig them out to see what brand the aluminum one was - it came with the Swarovski spotting scope. It's HEAVY and not something that I'd want to walk around with - I use it for range work. The other one I have is a carbon fiber Manfrotto with a lightweight ball head. I'll use that one out in the field, even next to the truck glassing because it's light and easy to grab and walk with instead of switching tripods.
A trick to make the lightweight tripods heavier is to have a lightweight cloth bag with you, fill it with rocks and hang it from a hook on the bottom of the center post. I had a "V" machined out of Delrin and I can put that on top of the head to shoot off of if needed.
A trick to make the lightweight tripods heavier is to have a lightweight cloth bag with you, fill it with rocks and hang it from a hook on the bottom of the center post. I had a "V" machined out of Delrin and I can put that on top of the head to shoot off of if needed.
I take my heaviest one to Wyoming when I go. The wind is brutal and if I used my Slik522 (carbon fiber) it was worthless. You can hang your pack on the hook under the center post to help stabilize it, but a cheaper heavy tripod is better than the expensive stuff. Best of luck.
I use manfrotto carbon fiber tripods. From my experience I would sacrifice a few lbs for stability even on several day backpack hunts. The MT055CXPRO4 is my go to over any of the others I've used for spotting scopes, binos and shooting. In wet and rainy conditions with mud and sand I have better luck with lever locks and never had a failure like with twist locks. Just have to be coherent when hiking in brush with lever locks. I know they make tripods very similar to the manfrotto at 1/2 the price so just using the 055 for comparison if nothing else to what you are looking at might be of help. Those are just some of the major things I've learned from the many tripods I've tried. I'll second those saying fluid heads are the way to go.
I use the BogPod death grip with aluminum legs. Carbon fiber weighs less if that's what you want. But it works well and I've never had a problem. Its rock solid and I've taken White tail out to 485 with it. Taken people who have never shot past one hundred yards at a deer and have them take deer past three hundred. Doesn't sound like much on this forum, but it was a big deal to them.
