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Colorado Tripod company 4-series
- Thread starter Mnash
- Start date
Frank said on the last podcast that they’re prototyping a tripod specifically for shooting. Not sure if it’s the same one, but he said he’s gonna check it out.
Hi, Gents. Just got signed up for the forum. I actually work for the rifle specific tripod company that @lowlight has mentioned. We should have some Series-4 versions out soon (without a ballhead, leveling base, etc). If you listened to the last podcast (#202 Jack Master Charts), they got to shoot one of our "proof of concept" tripods that is the Series 4 size (70" tall. 4 sections) that has an integrated ballhead built into the apex of the legs. I can't show photos of it just yet as we're working on the website, the back end systems, patents, finalizing the design, etc.
Sorry I can't share pics just yet, but once I have the Series 4 w/o the integrated ballhead prototyped, then I'll share photos of that along with it's specs. I don't have full specs yet as I don't have one to run through the paces and testing. If you'd like to be email notified of product availability, shoot me a PM with your email address and name.
Big shoutout and thanks to lowlight and Mike at MHS for all their help thus far and great feedback. If you end up loving our tripod, it'll be largely due to their recommendations and input.
Let me know if you have any questions and I'll do my best to answer them. Cheers
Sorry I can't share pics just yet, but once I have the Series 4 w/o the integrated ballhead prototyped, then I'll share photos of that along with it's specs. I don't have full specs yet as I don't have one to run through the paces and testing. If you'd like to be email notified of product availability, shoot me a PM with your email address and name.
Big shoutout and thanks to lowlight and Mike at MHS for all their help thus far and great feedback. If you end up loving our tripod, it'll be largely due to their recommendations and input.
Let me know if you have any questions and I'll do my best to answer them. Cheers
You guys are gonna want to wait and see what comes out from the prototype,
I think it's the best option moving forward for guys not wanting to spend the money
Thanks for stopping by Cody
Looking forward to trying more of the tripod
I think it's the best option moving forward for guys not wanting to spend the money
Thanks for stopping by Cody
Looking forward to trying more of the tripod
The one we shot has a 70LBS + limit and the initial prototype had a lot more range of motion. In fact, we can lose some movement, as it was almost twice as much as the competition.
I shot it free recoil with my AX, and it hit every time, the weight was like a pound or less heavy than my RRS 33 with leveling base. They were close, but the RRS was a tick lighter
The price will be noticeably less than the Anvil 30, but give them a chance to figure it out, stop worrying about the price, it's gonna be cheaper that is all that matters.
This is exactly what I was looking for, I wanted to knock down the LeoPhoto use, as more people were shooting that tripod at the recent SHC, but this will be a better option for everyone. The LeoPhoto is definitely bigger and heavier with nothing to compete with in the ball head department. This is another dedicated shooting tripod that can crossover into other activities like cameras. It's not a camera tripod you can shoot from, but a shooting tripod you can camera with.
I shot it free recoil with my AX, and it hit every time, the weight was like a pound or less heavy than my RRS 33 with leveling base. They were close, but the RRS was a tick lighter
The price will be noticeably less than the Anvil 30, but give them a chance to figure it out, stop worrying about the price, it's gonna be cheaper that is all that matters.
This is exactly what I was looking for, I wanted to knock down the LeoPhoto use, as more people were shooting that tripod at the recent SHC, but this will be a better option for everyone. The LeoPhoto is definitely bigger and heavier with nothing to compete with in the ball head department. This is another dedicated shooting tripod that can crossover into other activities like cameras. It's not a camera tripod you can shoot from, but a shooting tripod you can camera with.
So that's a 2 part answer:
Part 1: It will be far more that 40 lbs, but I guess I don't have an official number as of yet as we are still machining the Apex of the tripod w/o a ballhead. I'll get that number to you all (hopefully) in a few weeks once I get a prototype to run some tests on. But the one that Lowlight (won't tag him each time so I don't blow up his email) tested last weekend was such an early prototype that the leg sections weren't glued into the Apex yet, haha. Again it was a proof of concept prototype so we didn't spend too much time designing things you all wouldn't nee/want. Lastly, I've gripped the apex and put most of my body weight on the prototype and barely had some leg flex, so that's very promising. We are aiming at a weight capacity at or over 100 lbs, but we'll see how doable that is.
Part 2: There is no technical standard in the tripod industry for testing and measuring weight capacities/payloads. Since most of these measurements and lack of standards came from the photography side (much more my specialty than rifles) I can attest that the number listed is almost irrelevant. The number listed by companies will give you a decent idea of how much weight it can handle, but many/most companies favor a high number that's a bit unrealistic IMO. Some companies measure the weight before the tripod becomes slightly unstable (produces camera shake in long exposures) and some base the measurement off of the weight the tripod collapses or fails under. Two completely different scenarios. Plus, the Asain-based tripod companies aren't really focused on customer service and answering questions so in my experience they like to really exaggerate the weight capacities. For example, do I thing the LN-404C Modular Carbon Fiber Tripod can hold 35 lbs more than the RRS tripods for half the price? No, I don't.
Sorry, but I can't say for sure only because it hasn't been set yet. We've discussed the topic many times and I can tell you that we are looking to be far less expensive than RRS SOAR and compete more on the Leofoto pricing scale (hopefully beating them) while also designing and manufacturing them here in the US.
Lately I’ve been running an Abel table style setup directly threaded to the tripod with no ballhead or leveling base and using a game changer on the table for both rifle and binocular interface. It gives me the ability to quickly change targets, have a lot of surface area contact, and save weight since I already have the bag with me. With that setup in mind, @FD-Click is it worth waiting for the new tripod to come out, or is your current 4 series going to be the lighter / better setup for this.
What Lowlight said. Once I get work that our patent work is filed and it's safe to share photos, I will. I think you're going to like it a lot more than the Anvil30
Forgive me as I'm still fairly new to your rifle world.
So are you asking if the rifle specific Series 4 tripod will be better suited for your Abel style table setup than the Colorado Tripod Series 4? If so, they will be incredibly similar in function, design and specs. Colorado Tripod's Series 4 isn't available yet as far as I know. I talked to the guys over there and it may not be ready until December or early 2020. I'm hoping to have our rifle specific series 4 out sooner than that, but at this point it's dream. A realistic goal, but nothing set in stone as designing and manufacturing can be a complex process, haha
If I missed the mark on answering your question, let me know and I'll revise
Excellent! Out of curiosity, what are you currently using?
Pig 0311 and generic ballhead. Mainly for spotting. The plan is incorporate more tripod shooting in the near future.
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It should be next on our design and production list. I feel like I know most of the reasons, but would you share your thoughts and reasoning for preferring a 3 section over a 4? It's great feedback for me to send to my design team as they aren't shooters. Thanks in advance
the extra overall length doesnt bother me for a match setting.
each of the leg sections can be a larger diameter and stiffer when looking at a max height situation.
one less section to unlock on the clock.
lighter weight
not shorter overall (though 70" is probably 6-10" longer than necessary for the normal population)
as an example
4 section tripod when folded up is roughly 20"
3 section is roughly 25"
so it's 5" longer to carry when at shortest setting, but at fully extended its same height.
5" longer as a trade off for lighter, and less collars to lock, is huge in my book
Being someone in the abnormal population (78" tall) I'd point out that you can normally make a tripod shorter, but still stable, by collapsing legs and adjusting angles. It's not so easy to make it taller. We can't make the legs longer in the field.
That will be the question we will beat ourselves up over for the next...... well, forever probably.
We greatly appreciate the input, fellas. I'll be in touch soon with updates and photos as I get them.
What he said as well as less parts to break.
I currently have a 4 section Asian tripod. I have/had plans to pick an anvil 30 down the road.
Your ball head sounds interesting. Will it be available by itself to fit existing tripods? And will it interface with both RRS and picatinny rails?
I too might be interested in a 3 section tripod as well.
I just checked out their site. The ball heads look interesting. I am still curious if there will be a ball head specifically designed with shooters in mind
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and this is exactly why RRS make a long model that goes to 68" where the normal one goes to 58". add the leveling base/anvil and you're a few inches higher
i'd bet the proportion of regular height to the tall model is huge
Yes, the ballhead/panning base (it's a bit of a hybrid) will be made and sold separately to attach to other tripod systems. The good news is that the design and functionality will be designed and tested so all we'll have to do is modify the base of it. So in theory (hopefully I'm not jinxing myself, haha) it should be a fairly swift design process. I'll keep you all updated on that as well. PM me your contact info (name and email) if you'd like to be email notified of the product releases.
and @Luvman
Yep, the Highline ballhead in Aluminum has been out for about 6-months. I have it (for photography) and it's awesome. I'm sending out a couple to some gents in this thread to test out with the series 2 tripod for COTC so they should be able to give you some feedback on it. I'll ask them to post their review of both products in this thread. (FYI, their stock on that ballhead was somewhat limited last I spoke with them)
I am excited for this tripod as well. I heard about it on the podcast and it sounds exactly like what i am looking for. I have a 0311 and pig saddle currently,
At a recent match we shot a stage off of a tripod with the legs completely splayed open, so that the VYCE mounted on it was at a similar height to prone. My 0311 tripod has a short center section which would prevent this. Will this new one be able to open all the way and get super low?
At a recent match we shot a stage off of a tripod with the legs completely splayed open, so that the VYCE mounted on it was at a similar height to prone. My 0311 tripod has a short center section which would prevent this. Will this new one be able to open all the way and get super low?
Hell, since we’re putting in requests; a quick, one handed, leg speed lock/unlock that can take abuse would be nice. Deployment under time is a big deal to the competitors and hunters alike.
Frankly I don't understand the twist lock trend in tripods. I'd rather have lever locks. Admittedly I don't have a lot of experience with camera tripods but I do have a lot of experience climbing and skiing and in those environments twist lock sucks.
I'm guessing lever locks dont mesh with carbon legs too well. I have several lever and all aluminum
The 4-series that we'll release won't have a center column and will be 70" tall. At this point, we don't have any plans to make a shooting/rifle tripod with a center column, mainly due to the stability and recoil issues that you'd run into. We may change that plan based on how some of you guys (maybe gals, too) like the COTC series 2 with a center column.
We take requests 100%, haha. However we can't add or create every request but it's basically feedback and we design based solely on shooter's feedback. Currently, our leg sections are less than 1/4 turn to unlock all 3 of them (on one leg) at once, then lock them individually with the sub-1/4 turn. I don't think we'll be modifying that portion of the tripod before it's release as the initial feedback on the prototype was that the turn ratio was more than adequate.
Thanks for the feedback, cheers!
Great feedback. I climb a little as well (not an avid climber, though).
The only issue that I personally have with level locks for tripods, photography or shooting, is that they can be loud as well as the lever can get snagged on clothing, straps and other things which releases the leg section or at the very least snags and moves or topples a tripod and whatever is on top of them.
Just so I can give my design team your feedback, what is it specifically about the twist leg locks that you don't like?
We do have a concept tripod that I can't give the specifics on that is not a twist lock or a lever lock and is/will be the fastest deploying tripod either market has ever seen. Sadly it's on the back burner at the moment as we want to get our traditional and staple tripod(s) out first. I'll get you all info on that once the patent on that goes through and I can safely talk and discuss with you all.
If you want to be on the email notification list, shoot me a PM with your name and email address. If you'd rather not, just keep an eye out on this thread. Cheers and thanks for the interest
