Shooting Sticks/Portable Rest: A new option (to me)

[TOU]

Hey All,

After walking around Wyoming this weekend shooting Prairie Dogs etc. free hand...I did pretty good. However, I realized that I need to change things up a bit. Especially so with no place to sit due to so many ants & small cactus blanketing the ground everywhere. I pretty much gave up Harris bipods years ago & they wouldn't have done much good anyway besides add additional cost & weight.

I do have a few older Cabela's monopod & bipod shooting/walking sticks which I have used & liked quite a bit. (Of course I forgot them this trip.) They have worked pretty good for shooting, camera/video, spotting & range finding. They are simple, strong, light weight & effective overall for their application & reasonably priced...but they are slow & take 2 hands to set up our adjust. However, I really wanted something more...more steady, very mobile (very key), stable, quickly & easily adaptable to uneven ground, multi-positional, one handed operation, positively lock...and long enough to shoot from a lawn chair etc. as well as standing walking about. But...it had to be light weight. Tall order right?!? So I decided I was willing to invest & since I ended up at a Cabela's with some time to kill last night, I thought I would look at & try out a bunch of options.

I looked at a bunch including variation of updated Cabela brand, Caldwell DeadShot FieldPod, Bog-Pods, Promos Polecats and...Primos Gen 2 Trigger Sticks.

Have you all seen or used the latter? A little long...not cheap but I settled on the tripod version since they were in sale for $118.99 versus their regular $169.99. I know...I could put together a inexpensive option & it's probably way over priced but to me it was worth it for what I wanted it to do. That is multiple uses with ultiple pieces of equipment including with quickly changing between several firearms...with the criteria mentioned above. It is a tripod, 7075 Aluminum, less than 3 pounds...& not the regular price of $170 or $195 MSRP. If it was...I would probably never justify getting one. I also like to invest once & be done. I believe it should be a great long term investment & a good ROI.

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Primo...ks/1615720.uts

https://www.primos.com/products/trig...y-tall-tripod/

https://youtu.be/rqApA8jKDHA

https://youtu.be/JeyIWhN7P3g

https://youtu.be/qRbTiO7V7LY

Description:
With just one hand and the pull of a trigger, you can adjust the Primos Trigger Stick® to your desired height. The Trigger Stick® is a lightweight height-adjustable gun rest and optical gear mount, perfect for kneeling or standing. It comes equipped with a detachable V yoke. The Trigger Stick® fits 1/4″-20 & 3/8″-16 threaded fixtures for securing optical gear. It is perfect for cameras, spotting scopes, binoculars, laser range finders and almost any other mono pod mountable device.

360° rotating V yoke
Removable V yoke
Trigger lock
Fluid handle movement
Extreme leg angle adjustments
Whisper quiet telescoping legs
Stronger, lighter 7075 aluminum legs for easy carry
Adjust from 24″ to 62″


MSRP:

$195.95

They're just releasing the 3rd Gen but for the price I'm OK as it only seems to add a "Quick(er) Detach Yoke".

Anyway I figure walking around like we were the other day, it would be perfect. You can use it, sitting, standing etc. It is pretty light, very strong, extremely smooth, quick one handed release, instantly lockable, quiet/silent & can be used for many other things. (Great aggressive feet too.)

I'm thinking I may go back & get a monopod version of the same thing for a general use walking stick. Just thought I would share. Look forward to hearing what your thoughts are & what you have settled on.

Cheers,

[Daryl]

Buddy of mine packs the 2-leg version when guiding. He says less screwed-up shots from excited clients.

[Dean2]

Have used a few of different models, similar idea, over the past many years. It is amazing how much steadier you are off of them and because I use them regularly gopher shooting you get lots of proactive for Big Game season.

I am waiting for the primos to go on sale so I can try the newest trgger stick Bi-pod. I have tried a couple of the tri pod versions but I find them to cumbersome to use and a pain when shooting out of a chair with them. I find the Bi-pods every bit as stable as long as you ensure you are pushing into the pi pod and not straight up and down or worse yet, having the Bi pod leaning away from you. Also, the Bi pods make a pretty good walking stick if you lash the legs together with a quick release rubber tie.

[Gale Johnson]

I practiced off the trigger sticks, tripod model quite a lot last year before I went to Zim on a safari. When I showed up my PH had some sticks that are made by Viperflex. They support the gun in the front and back creating a rock solid rest, basically leaving only vertical sway for error. These sticks work very well and I acquired a set from a gunshop in London. I am hoping to spend some time on Prarie Dog safari this year to get some more practice using them.

[wombat]

Hi all.. I have been using shooting sticks for about 25 years, in the begining I found they improved my shooting 80% plus, in those days it was rabbits n foxes, n for last 20 years Deer stalking Sambar, I use home made from 16mm dowell rods approx. 5' 10". Depends on your height, I have them bound 5-6" from the top with approx. 3/4" tyre tube rubber lashed around 2-3 times, push on title rubber feet ( as on chair legs). Most important mod I made many years ago is about 1.5" cement nail with point sticking out (cut head off n drill hole n stick in poles) need to stick out at least 1.5" , this will dig in most surfaces, n yes, they make great walking stick and support in tough terrain, I also painted them drab olive, you will never go out without them......... Jay

[william t. oviatt]

Hey Jay
Can you post pics of your sticks....

Gale...After using Trigger and Viper sticks, which do you prefer...Viper seem exceptional stability, but look like a tent frame, and complex to assemble...
Your thoughts on them both appreciated...

Bill

[MrMajestic]

I use the BogPod and when I can lean my back against something I've made shots on Chucks to 435 yards.

[Gale Johnson]

Originally Posted by william t. oviatt

Hey Jay
Can you post pics of your sticks....

Gale...After using Trigger and Viper sticks, which do you prefer...Viper seem exceptional stability, but look like a tent frame, and complex to assemble...
Your thoughts on them both appreciated...

Bill

Absolutely no question, the viper flex stick's are vastly superior. You have two point's of support and basically no horizontal sway like you have when the rear of the gun is not cradled. I got the journey model, they are partially carbon fiber, very easy to assemble, and seem very light to carry, although I haven't carried them very far yet. I used my PH Gary Duckworth's stick's in Africa, they where the original model, a bit a heavier, but the tracker's carried them and didn't seem to slow him down. I shot 12 animals using the Viperflex sticks, ranging from duiker to Cape Buffalo, very stable platform to make perfect shot placement easy. My farthest shot was on an Impala at about 200 yards but I think you could stretch that a bit if needed. I am going to shoot some PD's this summer with these sticks for practice. The downside of the Viper flex is that you have to order them oversea's and they are very expensive. Plus side is they are very well built and will last a lifetime if taken care of. I still have my primos and they will make a great tripod for the Labradar.

[Bayou City Boy]

I'm with the bi-pod crowd.

I've used a Stoney Point PoleCat bipod for years when walking around and shooting PD's away from a shooting bench. They are quick to level on uneven ground and they provide a rock solid platform to shoot from. The ones I have are 28" long when fully retracted and extend out far enough for little 'ole 6'2" me to stand and shoot from them. Extremely light and portable and they provide a very stable platform......


Can't leave home without 'em...........

-BCB

[DAA]

Last year I tried this setup for walk-n-pop 'chucks.




Didn't get a chance to use it much, but it works very well. In the spot pictured above, we were picking off 'chucks with the .22-250AI from 275 yards to 475 yards with relative ease.

I went three for three on this little batch all off the same spire at 375 yards.




That tripod can go much lower than shown - low enough to use prone, if you really wanted to. Or it can go high enough for sitting in a lawn chair or standing upright.

Overall, I'd rate that setup much better than any bipod I've ever used and of course it is orders of magnitude more steady than any sticks. A bit heavier and bulkier too, of course.

But, I already owned the carbon fiber tripod and 70mm ball head, for use with long lens photography. Making this a pretty low budget deal for me to try. If you had to buy a similar tripod and head, it would be way too expensive for varmint splatting kit, in my opinion. And, I think the tripod makes or breaks it.

There are at least a few different makers of the same basic setup for clamping the rifle. The one I'm using is the Triclawps, but the Hog Saddle is said to be better, albeit a good bit more expensive. But if I were to get half way serious about this type of setup, I'd permanently inlet/attach an Arca Swiss plate to the forearm and skip the Triclawps/Hog Saddle/Whatever altogether. May do just that, with the rifle pictured, sometime this summer, if I can ever get caught up on "stuff".

Just something to consider, especially if you already have a suitable tripod.

- DAA