Tripods!

Great thread !! I found this tripod for sale ..Manfotto 055c for sale and he is asking $90. Would this be a good choice to build a low budget one for shooting off and is that a good price ?

 
Great thread !! I found this tripod for sale ..Manfotto 055c for sale and he is asking $90. Would this be a good choice to build a low budget one for shooting off and is that a good price ?


I'd go with a 190 before that old 055c. Also the head is useless to you.
Good for a spotter though.
 
We now have these in stock. Designed in Norway by Military snipers, the P.R.S.T Tripod. At last true shooters tripod. Made in Norway by Mission Critical Designs, less then half the price then RRS and more innovative for shooting.

Super nice piece of kit...We love them!

This is a no nonsense carbon fiber tripod specifically made for rifle shooting. Light enough to take out on a hunt, and rugged enough to withstand military duty. Of course you can always mount your favorite Camera up top as well. We are importing these tripods directly from Norway resulting in our savings being passed on to you.

Material: Carbon fiber legs with machined aluminum components
Legs: Four section legs with user serviceable cam-lock levers
Finish: OD Green Cerakote
Feet: Includes two interchangeable sets. Rubber feed and spiked steel feet.
Center column: 6.5 inch length. Short enough to splay tripod out for high prone position.
Center column function: The center column not only adjusts vertically, it is able to rotate. A great feature for users who direct mount a saddle to their tripod without a ball head.
Mounting thread: 3/8"-16
Weighs 4.1lbs 1865 grams
Load Rating: 40 lbs / 20 Kg
Max Height 62.2" / 158 cm
Min Height: 6.8" / 17 cm
Collapsed Length 22" / 56 cm
Center Column adjustment Length: 3.5" / 9cm
Please note, the photos show the tripod with a Hog Saddle and or a ball head. These items do not come with the tripod.









We have Sunwayfoto goodies on the way as well...
XB-44DL Ball Head
XB-52DL Ball Head
DP-60R Quick Release plates
T1A20 Aluminum Tripod (small and light, perfect for spotting scopes)

Cheers
 
We now have these in stock. Designed in Norway by Military snipers, the P.R.S.T Tripod. At last true shooters tripod. Made in Norway by Mission Critical Designs, less then half the price then RRS and more innovative for shooting.

Super nice piece of kit...We love them!

This is a no nonsense carbon fiber tripod specifically made for rifle shooting. Light enough to take out on a hunt, and rugged enough to withstand military duty. Of course you can always mount your favorite Camera up top as well. We are importing these tripods directly from Norway resulting in our savings being passed on to you.

Material: Carbon fiber legs with machined aluminum components
Legs: Four section legs with user serviceable cam-lock levers
Finish: OD Green Cerakote
Feet: Includes two interchangeable sets. Rubber feed and spiked steel feet.
Center column: 6.5 inch length. Short enough to splay tripod out for high prone position.
Center column function: The center column not only adjusts vertically, it is able to rotate. A great feature for users who direct mount a saddle to their tripod without a ball head.
Mounting thread: 3/8"-16
Weighs 4.1lbs 1865 grams
Load Rating: 40 lbs / 20 Kg
Max Height 62.2" / 158 cm
Min Height: 6.8" / 17 cm
Collapsed Length 22" / 56 cm
Center Column adjustment Length: 3.5" / 9cm
Please note, the photos show the tripod with a Hog Saddle and or a ball head. These items do not come with the tripod.









We have Sunwayfoto goodies on the way as well...
XB-44DL Ball Head
XB-52DL Ball Head
DP-60R Quick Release plates
T1A20 Aluminum Tripod (small and light, perfect for spotting scopes)

Cheers

Looks like a well designed piece of kit!
 
... Another thing that works extremely well, but only if you have an MPA chassis, is to put block (piece of 2x6) on the tripod instead of a head and use the MPA barricade system on the block.


The rifle will sit there on its own, but can be removed quickly if needed.

I'm not a fan of clamping in. The head needs to be adjusted just right or you're fighting it (not a natural POA) or the rifle flops over easily.

IMG_0930_zpskedzpmfe.jpg


Really like the barricade concept on the MPA but spun my own version.

IMG_0941_zpsvkzyliwq.jpg


Works on narrower surfaces as well.

For the "clamping" on a tripod, do you feel the Saddles cause the same POA fight?

WRT to ball head flop, I was worried about that too but found my Manfrotto head has a tension knob which stops this from happening. Not sure if this is in all their products but I am sure something like that will be common.

Jerry
 
Looks good, but you need the rear side to be sloped in order to be able to pan and tilt with it.

The issue with clamping into the tripod is that you are usually always fighting it to some degree. If you don't touch the rifle, and look through the scope, are your crosshairs on your target? Likely not... It's very hard to get it adjusted perfect. You don't have a natural point of aim, which is one of the fundamentals. You have to muscle the rifle to get it on target, which goes against that. That is why I prefer the bag or the MPA system on the tripod.

With the MPA set-up, you can point the rifle at the target, let it go, and the crosshairs will stay on your target unless its a really extreme angle. The rifle maintains a natural point of aim without having to muscle it in any way.

 
Will make up various bits and pieces as I get out and test more. I like the idea of wedge type blocks... make alot of sense for various shaped barricades. But for a first attempt, the clamps did work for really stabilizing the rifle... my hit rate off a very wobbly barricade improved dramatically so I look forward to experimenting more.

I hear what you are saying about the tripod and will also play around to see how it works for me. Maybe, it will be a saddle type bag, like the GC, that I mount to the tripod????

Going to be a fun year testing, learning and practising.

Jerry
 
Another vote for the RRS tripods. That said, if I didn't already own one (with the BH40 ballhead) as part of my photography business, I wouldn't have been able to justify that cost. That said, they are rock solid for either application and are definitely worth the $$$ if you can afford it.

Yes RRS is tier-A stuff in the camera world. Their ballhead is no joke and designed to withstand HEAVY stuff like 1000mm+ lenses.

Funny to see people mount their heavy rifles on those tiny ballheads, would be interested to see how long they will last. lol.
 
Yes RRS is tier-A stuff in the camera world. Their ballhead is no joke and designed to withstand HEAVY stuff like 1000mm+ lenses.

Funny to see people mount their heavy rifles on those tiny ballheads, would be interested to see how long they will last. lol.

I have concerns over the pistol grip heads as they generally have the lowest max load capacity. For example, the newest pistol grip from Manfrotto, the 327RC2 maxes out at 5.5kg. My 10TR in a carbon chassis weighs about 6.7kg dry. My buddy Jay, who has virtually the same rifle, has been running his on a pistol grip and tripod setup with no issues.

My Manfrotto MHXPRO-BHQ2 is rated for a max load capacity of 10kg. None of my rifles weighs more than 10kg except for my 50 which weighs in at about 13.4kg dry, and as mentioned earlier, I would be unlikely that I would shoot my 50 off my tripod (although I might be tempted to try it just for $hits and giggles). My next heaviest rifle would be my .338lm in chassis which weighs 8.7kg dry and that’s still under the manufacturer’s max load capacity recommendation for this particular ball head.

All this talk about leveling heads got me curious though and I ordered one to try out. It’s rated for 50kg, but that’s all moot since my carbon tripod is rated for only 12kg.

Anyway, all part of the learning experience :)
 
My understanding of the load ratings is that it is much more critical to have your ballhead/levelling head's rating be quite a bit higher than the weight of your rifle (like double) since it takes the recoil impulse. Getting a tripod with double the weight rating of your rifle would net you more stability, likely, although probably at the cost of increased weight but the tripod doesn't have moving parts like the ballhead and hence it's not as critical to go ove and beyond the weight rating necessary to keep your rifle upright. Sorry if that sounds kinda convoluted, haha
 
Nah you need this Wimberley mount for the fiddy.

85380470.2D8LTmVl.IMG_8103.jpg

Lol, actually, it looks like someone else has shot 50 off a tripod:

100_6087.jpg


But maybe I'll see if I can borrow one of these tripods from work :)

browning-m2-50-cal-03.jpg



My understanding of the load ratings is that it is much more critical to have your ballhead/levelling head's rating be quite a bit higher than the weight of your rifle (like double) since it takes the recoil impulse. Getting a tripod with double the weight rating of your rifle would net you more stability, likely, although probably at the cost of increased weight but the tripod doesn't have moving parts like the ballhead and hence it's not as critical to go ove and beyond the weight rating necessary to keep your rifle upright. Sorry if that sounds kinda convoluted, haha

Not convoluted at all, it seems to make sense to me and has given me more to think about. My Manfrotto MT190XPRO4 Aluminum Tripod is good for 7kg and my Benro C-258M8 Carbon Fiber tripod is good for 12kg.
 
Resurrecting this thread looking for advice regarding Manfrotto tripods. There seems to be endless choices and the numbers and descriptions don't tell me which one would work best for me. I have zero experience in professional photography and no one to talk to about tripods so hopefully you guys can break down the lineups and point me to a good affordable option. Does a higher weight capacity have any correlation to stiffness? Any particular line that shooters prefer based on value and performance? My main LR rifle is fairly light at around 12 lbs but I would like the ability to support a heavier rifle in the future. I'm leaning towards using a bag under the rifle PRS style while I research heads and clamps. Budget for just tripod I'd like to keep to $250 and under but I'm open to spending a bit more if its really worth it.
 
Resurrecting this thread looking for advice regarding Manfrotto tripods. There seems to be endless choices and the numbers and descriptions don't tell me which one would work best for me. I have zero experience in professional photography and no one to talk to about tripods so hopefully you guys can break down the lineups and point me to a good affordable option. Does a higher weight capacity have any correlation to stiffness? Any particular line that shooters prefer based on value and performance? My main LR rifle is fairly light at around 12 lbs but I would like the ability to support a heavier rifle in the future. I'm leaning towards using a bag under the rifle PRS style while I research heads and clamps. Budget for just tripod I'd like to keep to $250 and under but I'm open to spending a bit more if its really worth it.

I find it really hard to shoot at distance with the lighter tripods (at least while standing). As such I went with the PRST which suits my needs (I've shoot both 45/70 and 7RM standing without issue). Quite robust and still fairly light weight.

The PRST is bit over your budget but its baby brother looks like it's just as strong and quite a bit cheaper:

https://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php/1614684-Just-Arrived!-PIG0311-G-Field-Tripods-229-95

Give Nordic marksman a call - I found them to be a much better resource than any of the photo stores. They also stock the hog saddle.
 
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Resurrecting this thread looking for advice regarding Manfrotto tripods. There seems to be endless choices and the numbers and descriptions don't tell me which one would work best for me. I have zero experience in professional photography and no one to talk to about tripods so hopefully you guys can break down the lineups and point me to a good affordable option. Does a higher weight capacity have any correlation to stiffness? Any particular line that shooters prefer based on value and performance? My main LR rifle is fairly light at around 12 lbs but I would like the ability to support a heavier rifle in the future. I'm leaning towards using a bag under the rifle PRS style while I research heads and clamps. Budget for just tripod I'd like to keep to $250 and under but I'm open to spending a bit more if its really worth it.

If you intend to use it only for positional shooting and weight is not really a concern I'd highly recommend going with the Manfrotto 55 series over the 190 series.
They are noticibly more rigid/steady than the lighter duty 190.
Keep an eye on Kijiji. They routinely show up for a fraction of what they cost new.
 
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