Shooting Tripods? Which One? Need Advice.

So what about the head, the mount? I know, I know, RRS Anvil this or that. And it may be an option later on, I don't know.

I guess bowls are limited in elevation, FOR sells this high angle piece. Then there are ball heads and pan/tilt. I see some of the nicer ones using a pan/tilt mechanism.

Here's the basic one I can get with it that'll accept pic rails:
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Then there's this for $200 something, pic rails can also mount to it directly, US made. Rail on the side may be useful for PEQ for night shooting too:
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Now if everything, or most everything I'll be using has pic rails on the bottom, then all I need is a basic Arca/pic adapter like the one up above this one?

What about a pan/tilt head? Ideas on those?

I think the best move would be for me to get the tripod, the tension handle and the pic mount to start with. If I need anything else, then I can always upgrade without buying redundant or unnecessary parts.
 
So what about the head, the mount? I know, I know, RRS Anvil this or that. And it may be an option later on, I don't know.

I guess bowls are limited in elevation, FOR sells this high angle piece. Then there are ball heads and pan/tilt. I see some of the nicer ones using a pan/tilt mechanism.

Here's the basic one I can get with it that'll accept pic rails:
View attachment 7346186

Then there's this for $200 something, pic rails can also mount to it directly, US made. Rail on the side may be useful for PEQ for night shooting too:
View attachment 7346188

Now if everything, or most everything I'll be using has pic rails on the bottom, then all I need is a basic Arca/pic adapter like the one up above this one?

What about a pan/tilt head? Ideas on those?

I think the best move would be for me to get the tripod, the tension handle and the pic mount to start with. If I need anything else, then I can always upgrade without buying redundant or unnecessary parts.
FYI. Just spoke with Russ over at F.O.R. Knowledgeable dude. I, personally, do not shoot off a ball head. So I will be going with the same set up your suggesting except I will add the high angle bracket for steep angles in canyons and mountains. This set up has it all and then some, IMO, and saves hundreds over the other two reputable companies previously discussed.
 
I gotta choose my battles. I bet I have some high speed shit where you have junk and we both justify it for the same reasons. I got guys in the reloading section telling me I "gotta have" an analytical balance, my RCBS just won't do. But I'm not benchrest or Fclass like some of them, and I'm not PRS like some of you.

I'm not trying to find the best tripod in the world, I'm trying to find the best shooting tripod for the money. As far as "being led to water" well, that's what Doug did too I thought. And all these guys that swear by Innorel, Feisol, etc. I'm not a PRS competitor. I'm a former SDM instructor trying to relive the glory days shooting mostly precision semi autos at long range in rough terrain.

I appreciate the recommendations for the RRS. Nobody has anything but good to say about it. If I had unlimited funds it'd be in the running with the other nice US made $1000 tripods I found, which are few and fairly new. But for $300 it seems to come down to FOR, Innorel or some other no-name Chinese import of dubious quality. In that case I'm gonna have to go with the FOR.

I wish I could get the $700 model but I'm gonna have to live with the $300 one. That one will get me out there faster and also leave some for other projects in the works. It's also the lightest one that can do all this, regardless of mfg. it seems. I wish it had the locking leg hubs but I think the US made FOR pods are the only ones that do that.
Can't put it any better than this! Exact reason I went with the FOR...and very pleased that I did, while saving some money along the way.
 
FYI. Just spoke with Russ over at F.O.R. Knowledgeable dude. I, personally, do not shoot off a ball head. So I will be going with the same set up your suggesting except I will add the high angle bracket for steep angles in canyons and mountains. This set up has it all and then some, IMO, and saves hundreds over the other two reputable companies previously discussed.

Yeah, I'm getting ready to pull the trigger on this. I think I'm gonna stick with the basic setup for now, pod, handle and pic adapter, then decide on maybe one of those adj. heads later if I need it --I don't know what they're called but they pan and tilt. I think I'd rather go with that option for elevation if need be, it looks to be more precise if you want to be able to adjust the rifle using the knobs and what ON the mount and not vs. physically moving the rifle itself on the tripod. Or easier to be precise rather.
 
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Just spend the money on the Anvil 30. It's just awesome. Will work with both ARCA and Picatinny btw. Nothing to change over or out either. I use both. But first you need to figure out what bipod you're gonna get.

RRS. All the money but no complaints and 100% American made.

I have and use the Innorel RT90C. It is STOUT but a bit heavy at 6lbs without the Anvil 30, which is kinda heavy itself. There's a lighter version, RT80C. Cheaper and lighter. Stable but not RT90C stable. You'll want an adapter plate from a member here for the 90. Don't think it fits the 80. You don't have to use one but it's worth the $80ish bucks for sure. ¼ the price of a "comparable" RRS tripod. Not sure how comparable they are but going by the specs, that's the cost difference.
Rt90c with a leo ball is Money
 

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Very nice options out there. None of which are in my price range. Yeah, I know, "buy once, cry once" and all that.

I cheeped out and got a DeathGrip. Not even the carbon fiber, I went aluminum. OK, now listen, let me explain...

The precision shooting world is not an inexpensive game for the most part, OK, not at all, but I'm guessing that it's a lot like racing. You can go pretty fast for a decent amount of money, then to go a little faster, it takes like 5 or 10 times the money... not just a little bit more.

Well, I have a couple of things going against me. First off is the fact that I'm new to the precision game, so once I decided to give it a try... I needed everything. That meant, a new rifle, new scope, new bipod, new rangefinder, new spotting scope, new chronograph... yeah... everything. Tripod. Never had a shooting tripod, but guess what? Now I wanted one.

Secondly... my new everything has to come within a very limited old retired cripple living on his VA disability budget... The rifle... Not gonna be the best, but better than what I had at the time. And so on...

I ended up finding a Remington 700 that was like new in .243. Unlikely cartridge choice, but accurate, reaches out far enough, and hits hard enough for what I need. Also the gun itself is very light, and light recoiling. A plus for a guy who's had shoulder surgeries on both sides. Ammo has been easy to find even during this covid/riot scare buying panic... With such a small, light rifle to support, shooting such a light recoiling round, I didn't really see the need to go spend big bucks on a high end tripod. Added bonus, the aluminum version not only saves me $100, but it's added mass helps keep it stable.

The few times I've used it so far (even with my big old Lee Enfield, and 7mm Mauser) it has worked very well. Can't really say how it will hold up over the years, but for under $150, it got me into the game, and learning.
 
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Monfrotto 055CXPRO4 CF tripod, 502 fluid head, aluminum slide plate, Hog Saddle. Quick change between Swaro 95mm spotter and saddle in a few seconds.
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I have a Two Vets QDT on order and want to run an Anvil-30 on it (if I can find one anywhere). What adapter is needed to make this work? The Two Vets have the 75mm bowl.
it is tapped in the center so it can be bolted to any plate like any other head. it will be "sitting on top" rather than sunk into the plate, which would require something like the versa adapter plate if you want that. somebody might make one that fits your tripod and i am not sure if the rrs plate fits as it or not.