Which tripod head for shooting

[AZShooter]

Liked the video, useful information.

As to carrying tripods when my friends and I hunt coues wt, mule deer, elk and javelina, in our opinion, there is no better way to find them. Would have to say most hunters spot and stalk game animals in Az and NM perhaps most of the open West. When I see a hunting show done in the West and they holding their binoculars by hand, they are missing many animals. We are resigned to carrying packs for the tripod and it will be used to pack out the meat.

Another shooting option is the Outdoorsman's tripod with rest:

Outdoorsman's tripod with rear rifle support video - Google Search

 

[Dragoon300]

Several years ago I bought the RRS BH55 with the Arca/Pic rail QD adapter. Loved it, however it was before they came out with the Anvil30. My opinion is that the BH55 is big and bulky, and a bit cumbersome to pan with if you don't have the tripod level. I inverted my BH55, now I can quickly set up the tripod without leveling it, point and level my rifle at the target then tighten the ball clamp. Now I can use the pan feature on the BH55 because it is on the top (rifle side) of the ball head. See the attached photo. The Anvil30 does not have a panning feature that I am aware of, but the rifle is much closer to the ball center than the BH55 so it doesn't flop around as bad.
I would buy the Anvil30 if I were doing a lot of tripod shooting, especially in the field, but my modified BH55 works incredibly well for me.

 

[Beluebow]

Another vote for the RRS Anvil30.

 

[CoSniper66]

RSR is the way to go

I use the RRS universal base with arca clamp. It moves enough for me and is good enough for 600 yrd PRS matches. Holds a 18 lbs rifle no problem. The base was 300.00. I'm running a manfrotto pod, 70 bucks on ebay.

 

[JTH]

Another Anvil 30 here, super easy and fast to adjust, rock solid with the Area 419 arca rail.

 

[middleofnowhere]

Two Vets is made in China.

RRS is made in USA and employs veterans. The guy in charge of RRS's SOAR unit is a Marine.

I use an Anvil 30 on a TFCT 24L tripod. I put their binocular clamp on my EL 12x50s. The system is very fast to go from glassing to shooting.

When I backpack, I remove the two lower leg sections and have rubber caps to put on the tripod. This makes for a very lightweight set-up to carry on overnight backpack trips.

 

[Left Hand Dave]

A question for the Anvil 30 users. So I looked on their website again to try and justify the $395 for the Anvil 30 and noticed something about an adapter. So do you have to spend another $65 on the adapter just to use the Anvil 30 on a tripod you haven't even bought yet?

 

[waspocrew]

I don't have an anvil-30 (yet), but this video shows why you'd likely want an adapter. The RRS website doesn't go into detail on their adapter, but I would assume it accomplishes the same as this Two Vets adapter.

 

[middleofnowhere]

A question for the Anvil 30 users. So I looked on their website again to try and justify the $395 for the Anvil 30 and noticed something about an adapter. So do you have to spend another $65 on the adapter just to use the Anvil 30 on a tripod you haven't even bought yet?

The adapter is only if you already have a non "TCFT" RRS "Series 2" or "Series 3" tripod. The threaded adapter in the bottom of the anvil will allow the head to be mounted on most tripods without an adapter.

The TCFT tripods have the Anvil 30 head built in to the legs already. If you don't already own a very high end tripod, purchase of a TFCT 24L or 34L would be an incredible investment. On the photography end, RRS has a blog that explains how their tripods absorb vibration and how truly strong they are. The photo nerds are every bit as obsessed as long range shooters, maybe even more so…

Choosing a Tripod: Part I

Choosing a tripod can be a daunting task. With so many variables to consider – gear you already have, travel limitations, performance needs, desired features, budget, future gear purchases – […]

blog.reallyrightstuff.com

 

[CMP70306]

Yeah I don't use a tripod enough to justify the RRS prices. I also won't buy one of the skypod bi-pods for $900 when my harris works great. I'm not trying to put down the guys who buy the expensive gear or the companies that make it.

I have realized that "lightweight" generally costs more money but I can't see spending a grand or more on a 3.5# tripod when my 5# tripod cost $400.

Maybe my $400 tripod will let me down one day and I'll be wishing I spent the extra coin......but I doubt it.

Part of it comes down to cost and part of it comes to buying stuff made in the USA. I did a bunch of research into tripods before I bought mine and was originally planning on buying the Revic since it was much cheaper but the RRS Ascend-14 L was the one that checked all of my boxes and I ended up purchasing that instead.

The center column might not be as stable but it is definitely invaluable for adjusting while glassing and can be helpful for shooting as well. The Bog pod the guide had on my bison hunt did not have an adjustable center column and it cost me a shot. It worked out for that hunt but it did lead to an additional 6 failed stalks and an extra day of hunting, something that may not be possible on a once in a lifetime hunt.

I will admit buying the tripod and then a second column to put the Anvil 30 on definitely was definitely way more than I planned on spending when I originally started looking into the Revic tripod in 2020 but it's light and portable enough that I carried it with me on almost every hunting trip that I wasn't a designated driver.

Which leofoto does your buddy have?
I'm on the same boat. I hunt once a year and would like to glass/shoot off of it. I know RRS is top of the line but it's hard to cough up that much money for a once a year use.

The only thing limiting it to once a year is your imagination, I carry mine pretty much everywhere with me primarily to use for photography and glassing. I've also used it for some other creative options like using it as a drying rack for my Firstlite gear or a portable stand to hold things. Heck the one time I stood it over my chair and used it to hold my phone up and play a video about something while researching that same thing on my ipad. I spent all the money to buy it, I'm getting my moneys worth even if it's not the intended purpose.

Just yesterday it went with me while I walked with my fiancé and our dog, without it in my bag I would have never gotten this picture.