Is there a way to adjust the tension on the ARCA clamp mechanism on my RRS Anvil? Under even mild recoil from my 6.5x47 the ARCA mount is slipping back in the Anvils jaws. I can’t figure out how to tighten it up.
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RRS Anvil tension adjustment
- Thread starter Jigstick
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Have you used another Arca mount to see if it's your arca rail or the actual clamp that's the issue. Measure your rail. I had one doing it and it was the rail not the clamp
If you decide to, you can switch to an Anvil 30 ARC (the new model) which allows for adjustment of the ARCA clamp. You could probably sell your existing one for most of what you paid, and RRS has the ARC model in stock now
Is absolutely correct. Up until 2021 we made all our clamps to our spec of rail and offered our rail to others to use in machining if they wanted. With the upgrade to the Anvil it is now adjustable.
For your issue you can do a few things you can do:
-obviously the rail and ballhead dimensions don't match up. Can we or someone else switch our a rail that is made to our standard? Unless its integrated, that obviously won't be fixed and you don't want to add a rail on rail.
-strip of gaffers tape on the jaw of the Anvil to close the gap on your undersized dovetail
-if you look at the clamp lever, there is a pin that holds it on. If you take of that lever there is a square ware plate. If you can add one to it or a thicker one it'll tighten it up.
Apologies for the inconvenience. If you are using one of our rails and its not working we will obviously warranty it.
Sounds like you have the original Anvil, not the newer ARC model. Is that right?
What arca rail is on your gun?
What arca rail is on your gun?
Most definitely not!
For 30 years we have made products to one standard. When I started pushing these products in 2015 to shooters civilian and military, I had hopes and ideas for everyone in the industry to have the dovetail. So I made our standard completely open and pushed it everywhere I could. But people have changed and/or cut corners and make their own edits to the standard. Since i have seen so many customers have issues with the clamps slipping due to a wide range of issues, we made that improvement along with alot of others after 6 years of the product being out for sale.
Don’t bother listening to him. Hardly the first time him or a few others have popped off with a pompous “I’ve been in manufacturing for 30 years so I can speak to this particular company’s internal business/design choices” comment.
Here’s the issue. I had to quickly find a cradle to use to take my boy hunting this season. Local Sportsman Wharehouse had a BOG Deathgrip cradle on the shelf so I grabbed it up. Installed the included ARCA plate onto the bottom of the BOG. Locked it into my Anvil.
Took my boy out to practice shooting the 6.5x47 I had built for him off the cradle. And the Bog cradle slips back in the Anvil under recoil. The BOG arca plate is definitely “a little rough” compared to better quality kit. But it’s just what I have to work with at this point.
Took my boy out to practice shooting the 6.5x47 I had built for him off the cradle. And the Bog cradle slips back in the Anvil under recoil. The BOG arca plate is definitely “a little rough” compared to better quality kit. But it’s just what I have to work with at this point.
Is there a process where we can trade in our old anvil30 and get them updated/upgraded?
Sounds like you might be jumping the gun calling it an Anvil problem. Cheapest/easiest step is to try/buy an arca plate known to be manufactured to the RRS spec.
Edit to add:
First hit from Google search has review from someone saying the arca plate supplied with Bog is too small
Edit to add:
First hit from Google search has review from someone saying the arca plate supplied with Bog is too small
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Of course you are reffering to the BOG bullshit, right?
It's always a tradeoff, the problem with ARCA in general is that while it's fast, it's purely a friction fit interface, no mechanical lock (yes some of the new options address that adding a mechanical lock). Add to that, ARCA itself isn't an industry standard like say picatinny is. Then you add all the crappy manufacturers that even if they have a spec they don't follow it. In realty, probably the best way to look at it is RRS plates are their own spec (unless another manufacturer specifically says they follow it), they are not "ARCA" and even "ARCA" plates aren't consistent across manufacturers. It's nothing new, photographers have been having this problem for 30 years. Even if other manufacturers use RRS's specs, there's also the problem of how well they follow them (lots of out of spec Picatinny stuff out there just having a spec doesn't mean everyone follows it to the same precision which is critical for non-adjustable friction fit clamps).
So it really falls to your use case. If you are shooting comps on the clock and every second matters, having every piece of gear RRS so you know it's all to the same spec and you don't need to adjust a clamp to hold is ideal, because it's fast and you never have to adjust anything. I'm sure that's great for RRS as well because they get to sell tons of stuff
. I don't really see this as RRS's fault, "ARCA" always has been a horrible standard, and I don't blame other companies for not using RRS's dovetail standard, even if it's free, because I'm sure it costs them money to conform to that as well. Perhaps not if they are machining their own stuff, but I'd image most are outsourcing.
This really boils down to a few options and it really just depends on your needs and budget which is the best.
1) You can spend $$$$$$ and only buy RRS dovetail stuff to convert everything you own to their gear. This offers the most interchangeability and speed with the least frustration/adjustment, while also being the least flexible (all you can use is RRS stuff) and most expensive.
2) You can spend $$$$ to buy harder to adjust ARCA clamps, use whatever ARCA rails you want and either deal with the time/annoyance to adjust, or buy dedicated items for each setup. By annoying to adjust I mean anything that requires disassembly or tools to adjust the tension or is just a pain to do and needs 3 hands (or more if you want to do it while it's still on the rifle). A good example of that is the ADM-170 lever on the BT bipods, because once it's been clamped a few times, it's a pain to get the nut to pop out and adjust and you end up messing around trying to get it right one nut flat at a time. The plus side is once it's adjusted it's not moving.
3) You can spend $$ to get easy to adjust ARCA clamps, and use about any ARCA rail you want. You still have to adjust the clamp but it's easy and fast to do and it's still secure. For me these come in 2 flavors, either those that only use a thumb wheel to adjust tension (no lever) like the BTC-Pro clamp or 419. The downside is it's slower than a properly adjusted lever, but is flexible, plus it's dead simple, though I feel like the lever options probably get more tension/pressure. The other issue here is if you get a really bad "ARCA" rail, with poor contact surfaces it may never be enough pressure to stay secure.
In concept ones I really like are the lever versions that also have a small adjustable tension wheel opposite the lever, such as the Leofoto LCS-50 or Sunwayfoto SDC-50 that's easy to adjust. You still get fast and strong lever clamp, but you can quickly adjust it from rail to rail. The only thing I'd add to them would be a detent on the adjustable tension knob so it can't "self-adjust", well that and I won't support their products since they're clearly ripping off RRS.
So it really falls to your use case. If you are shooting comps on the clock and every second matters, having every piece of gear RRS so you know it's all to the same spec and you don't need to adjust a clamp to hold is ideal, because it's fast and you never have to adjust anything. I'm sure that's great for RRS as well because they get to sell tons of stuff
. I don't really see this as RRS's fault, "ARCA" always has been a horrible standard, and I don't blame other companies for not using RRS's dovetail standard, even if it's free, because I'm sure it costs them money to conform to that as well. Perhaps not if they are machining their own stuff, but I'd image most are outsourcing.This really boils down to a few options and it really just depends on your needs and budget which is the best.
1) You can spend $$$$$$ and only buy RRS dovetail stuff to convert everything you own to their gear. This offers the most interchangeability and speed with the least frustration/adjustment, while also being the least flexible (all you can use is RRS stuff) and most expensive.
2) You can spend $$$$ to buy harder to adjust ARCA clamps, use whatever ARCA rails you want and either deal with the time/annoyance to adjust, or buy dedicated items for each setup. By annoying to adjust I mean anything that requires disassembly or tools to adjust the tension or is just a pain to do and needs 3 hands (or more if you want to do it while it's still on the rifle). A good example of that is the ADM-170 lever on the BT bipods, because once it's been clamped a few times, it's a pain to get the nut to pop out and adjust and you end up messing around trying to get it right one nut flat at a time. The plus side is once it's adjusted it's not moving.
3) You can spend $$ to get easy to adjust ARCA clamps, and use about any ARCA rail you want. You still have to adjust the clamp but it's easy and fast to do and it's still secure. For me these come in 2 flavors, either those that only use a thumb wheel to adjust tension (no lever) like the BTC-Pro clamp or 419. The downside is it's slower than a properly adjusted lever, but is flexible, plus it's dead simple, though I feel like the lever options probably get more tension/pressure. The other issue here is if you get a really bad "ARCA" rail, with poor contact surfaces it may never be enough pressure to stay secure.
In concept ones I really like are the lever versions that also have a small adjustable tension wheel opposite the lever, such as the Leofoto LCS-50 or Sunwayfoto SDC-50 that's easy to adjust. You still get fast and strong lever clamp, but you can quickly adjust it from rail to rail. The only thing I'd add to them would be a detent on the adjustable tension knob so it can't "self-adjust", well that and I won't support their products since they're clearly ripping off RRS.
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@DeathBeforeDismount
No we do not have a trade in program at the moment The Anvil you have was listed for $350. Most likely if you put it on the hide for 300-325, it'll probably sell even if its been a few years.
I don’t have a dog in this fight, but does SOAR have a $22.50 plate trade-in discount as detailed at the very bottom of this page?
Intro to the RRS Quick Release System
Really Right Stuff - Intro to the RRS Quick Release System
www.reallyrightstuff.com
I realize it’s on the photo side of RRS.
As a photographer I've been using the ARCA system for over two decades. Not commonly known in the shooting sphere is that the ARCA system came from a company called ARCA SWISS. They used them first on their ballheads, like the one below, which I've used since the early 90's and it still works perfectly.
That was the time when RRS didn't even make tripods. The carbon leg tripod business was then dominated by GITZO, a century old French company. I have two of them from that era that I still use after all these years.
That said, I own a LOT of RRS stuff. Everyone of my new cameras over the years got an RRS L-PLate. All my long lenses have RRS lens-plates. I use their nodal plates as well.
OK, so what does all this have to do with this post?
Simple, I KNOW ARCA. ALL, standard ARCA clamps WILL SLIP at some point in time - either because of user error, incompatible plates/rails, or excess wear. You can take that to the bank.
Look at some of the RRS plates and you will see small round shinny protrusions at the ends of the plates and rails. Those pins are there to keep equipment from falling off the plates/rails when clamps finally do slip. Lifesavers those little pins are!
With normal photographic loads a properly tightened standard clamp will not easily slip. That all goes out the window with heavy rifles, recoil, pushing barricade stops into barricades, etc.
Proof of this is the reason why AREA 419 now offers a locking rail and clamp combination (patented). That was followed by RRS with their own locking system (also patented). The two systems are different but both will work. I'll have to say I prefer the AREA 419 system because it uses two pins in the jaw, while RRS system uses only a single spring loaded one that engages the bottom of the rail.
Additionally, the AREA 419 clamp has an innovative two thread bolt on their clamps to increase tightening torque. For my camera systems I prefer the easier to use RRS quick release clamps, but for rifles I prefer a a knob I can tighten every time I set it - that's called insurance.,
So there it is. Hope this helps someone.
That was the time when RRS didn't even make tripods. The carbon leg tripod business was then dominated by GITZO, a century old French company. I have two of them from that era that I still use after all these years.
That said, I own a LOT of RRS stuff. Everyone of my new cameras over the years got an RRS L-PLate. All my long lenses have RRS lens-plates. I use their nodal plates as well.
OK, so what does all this have to do with this post?
Simple, I KNOW ARCA. ALL, standard ARCA clamps WILL SLIP at some point in time - either because of user error, incompatible plates/rails, or excess wear. You can take that to the bank.
Look at some of the RRS plates and you will see small round shinny protrusions at the ends of the plates and rails. Those pins are there to keep equipment from falling off the plates/rails when clamps finally do slip. Lifesavers those little pins are!
With normal photographic loads a properly tightened standard clamp will not easily slip. That all goes out the window with heavy rifles, recoil, pushing barricade stops into barricades, etc.
Proof of this is the reason why AREA 419 now offers a locking rail and clamp combination (patented). That was followed by RRS with their own locking system (also patented). The two systems are different but both will work. I'll have to say I prefer the AREA 419 system because it uses two pins in the jaw, while RRS system uses only a single spring loaded one that engages the bottom of the rail.
Additionally, the AREA 419 clamp has an innovative two thread bolt on their clamps to increase tightening torque. For my camera systems I prefer the easier to use RRS quick release clamps, but for rifles I prefer a a knob I can tighten every time I set it - that's called insurance.,
So there it is. Hope this helps someone
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I have 3 rifles with Arca style rails made by one this sites respected manufacturers. All 3 are slightly different in width. I have to adjust the Arca rail clamp on my bipod when switching from one to another. If the bipod clamp is adjusted for the widest one, it won't even clamp snug on the most narrow one. Very poor manufacturing consistency.
ah, what sort of screw attachment config is on the bottom of the BOG cradle? Would not an RRS plate attach to it and then be compatible with your existing Anvil? That or do the gaffer's tape suggestion in the short term and look into it more long term. However, I don't think this justifies throwing the Anvil into the junk drawer...but, its not my head so don't listen to me.
Not to rub it in...but I may be...on BOGs site the reviews for this cradle have multiple mention of their rail segment being FUBAR'd and not clamping well.
While I have been using Arca type plates before firearms applications, I somewhat cringed when the shooting industry adopted Arca (even though I sort of recommended other people try it) because I knew we would be running into these scenarios with people having plate and clamp issues and not understanding why and complaining about it.
It's a known fact that not all plates will be compatible with all lever-release clamps. I've always had issues when using my RRS L-plates on a friend's Acratech clamps back in the day because his clamps were set for his Acratech plates which were narrower than RRS. When it came down to it, knob clamps were the safest route and why I usually recommended that to people instead of lever release. I know we all appreciate lever release for speed, but knob clamps pretty much guarantee compatibility with any Arca-style dovetail.
What people don't realize as well is the more an Arca dovetail is used, it could affect clamping. Case in point: my older MPA chassis' with the dovetailed milled in are not clamped as tight as when they are new. Specifically because the Cerakote is wearing away on the dovetail which affects the dimensions of the dovetail.
When it comes to Arca-style and lever release clamps, the tolerances are getting specific.
I have no experience with BOG, but I did some web searching and found some posts in other forums where people complained BOG plates were sliding in their non-RRS clamps. So it does sound like a plate issue.
As far as diagnosing a clamp, I would always recommend having at least a known good reference / control plates to keep on hand. Then you can check to see if the clamp in question works with the reference plates to determine if it's the clamp or the plate.
In this case, assuming it's the plate (which is likely the case), the tape method is one way to go. Or you could try painting it the plate.
It's a known fact that not all plates will be compatible with all lever-release clamps. I've always had issues when using my RRS L-plates on a friend's Acratech clamps back in the day because his clamps were set for his Acratech plates which were narrower than RRS. When it came down to it, knob clamps were the safest route and why I usually recommended that to people instead of lever release. I know we all appreciate lever release for speed, but knob clamps pretty much guarantee compatibility with any Arca-style dovetail.
What people don't realize as well is the more an Arca dovetail is used, it could affect clamping. Case in point: my older MPA chassis' with the dovetailed milled in are not clamped as tight as when they are new. Specifically because the Cerakote is wearing away on the dovetail which affects the dimensions of the dovetail.
When it comes to Arca-style and lever release clamps, the tolerances are getting specific.
I have no experience with BOG, but I did some web searching and found some posts in other forums where people complained BOG plates were sliding in their non-RRS clamps. So it does sound like a plate issue.
As far as diagnosing a clamp, I would always recommend having at least a known good reference / control plates to keep on hand. Then you can check to see if the clamp in question works with the reference plates to determine if it's the clamp or the plate.
In this case, assuming it's the plate (which is likely the case), the tape method is one way to go. Or you could try painting it the plate.
The honest reality is that the OP has arguably the best shooting head on the market with the Anvil 30. Throwing any saddle (from any manufacturer) on top negates many of the Anvil's benefits even if the saddle had an RRS spec plate to attach. A $35 RRS spec arca plate directly attached to the rifle is going to be a better/faster/lighter/more stable/cheaper set-up.
Ive successfully used xlr, ai, mpa, arc, and foundation brand arca integrated chassis or arca rails with my fixed adjustability anvil and fixed sc-lr thats on my Ckyepod. Some clamp up tighter than others, but 90% have been good to go.
If you put the clamp lever in the fully open position, then squeeze the jaws together. Does that give you enough clearance to screw the clamping lever in or out to adjust the tension?
Maybe you have a different version, but this works on my anvil 30.
Maybe you have a different version, but this works on my anvil 30.
