Tripod shooting expectations

[atepointer]

I've got some great local knowledge on what to buy and get set up thankfully as several friends have tripods, ball heads and arca rails for optics, but currently no one shooting on them. A recurrence of lumbar issues from surgery in '88 have come back into my life. Bulging discs and spinal stenosis.....good fun lemmie tell ya. No prone and sitting kills me. Standing is my relief position. So.....into the tripod setup we go.

I realize so much of this is dependent on equipment and stabilizing yourself, but is it unreasonable to think as I spend time and work on these new positional skills that I can maintain the same level of accuracy on the tripod at some point down the road? This move to the tripod is not a want, but a need if I want to keep shooting. I still may not get out of this w/o surgery, but regardless I have to look into other positional options moving forward.

Would love to hear from anyone regarding their carry over/not of quality of shot groups after making the change. I know I have a mountain of learning to do as I dip my toes into this so fire away please.

 

[Secant]

In your circumstance, I think you should spend the money on an RRS set-up. You can get away with cheaper set-ups if you are staying close to the ground in my experience. When you get to standing, you will need a solid set-up to maintain a similar level of precision that you can achieve from the prone. The Anvil 30 is the best head that I've shot from. I don't have experience with the larger leg diameter offerings from Two Vets, but many say those are pretty good, and you could potentially save a few dollars going that route. I can say that the the larger leg diameter Leofoto as well as the camera/glassing tripods that I've owned have had substantially more wobble.

ETA: I re-read your post and my above response kinda sucks. To answer your question, I've been able to shoot a similar level of precision from tripod positional. It does take practice, and my above response was trying to emphasis the need for good gear. If I never spent the money on an RRS set-up I probably would've just thought that tripod shooting was really hard. You can completely skip the frustration and minimize wobble substantially by purchasing good equipment. Maybe this edit also sucks, LOL.

 

[Jefe's Dope]

You won't get the same level of precision as prone or sitting/kneeling tripod but you should be able to work on it and get very close. There's too much leverage under recoil in the standing position on a tripod. But don't let that discourage you from trying to obtain the same precision and accuracy you've gotten from prone. Get good equipment i.e. RRS Anvil 30 and tripod and you're experience should be positive.

I shoot A LOT from tripod as it's my preferred position and I seem to get along with it very well.

My only piece of advice: let the tripod do the work.

 

[atepointer]

Thakns guys appreciate it. Yea I know it's a whole new ball game getting steady, but it's just a new challenge I've got to undertake. Glad to know it's still doable will strive to get er dun. Thanks

 

[atepointer]

Saw a neat technique using a tripod as a rear support to sort of lean into and also use non-trigger hand to support stock and fine tune really looking forward to trying that....we have a ladder thign of sorts I can throw a front bag on...new challenge new skill sets

 

[todd]

You can get close to prone (bipod/rear bag) accuracy standing off a tripod. As with everything, it does require quite a bit of practice and experimentation to figure out what works for you.

 

[atepointer]

appreciate it will be getting back to shooting one of these days.....hoping by new year.

 

[JAS-SH]

It won't be benchrest rifle accuracy but you can do really well with a tripod. Recommendations:

1) Pay once Cry once. I have 20 year old Gitzo carbon tripods that are still perfect.
2) Get a tall one, big legs and with only three leg extensions (two friction locks per leg). Four leg sections will vibrate because the last leg is thin. The larger taller 3-section tripods are more robust, can take a lot of weight and wont vibrate. Vibrations are the biggest enemy. And to make it worse the four section ones take more time to set up. I marked the bottom leg extensions on all of mine with a black sharpie for my perfect height when standing. I extend those first - the rest goes real quick.
3) Look at Gitzo on B&H. They are less expensive than RRS and they were in that business way before RRS made a tripod. Gitzo was the industry standard and still is in the rest of the world. I recommend this one - link below - (the one that superseded mine (a series 3 same specs except mine is 3-inches taller):

Gitzo Series 4

And here's mine. It's a 20+ year old tripod and has gone everywhere, including up and down mountains and submerged in saltwater. Holds 55 pounds and It's still like brand new. (I own three):

4) Put as much weight as you can on the front of the rifle (I hang my 8-pound weibad mini cookie on the closed bipod legs. and shoot with one leg forward and the other two back - will work like a giant bipod. For the free hand don't place it on top of the scope. down the side of the rifle with index finger pointing forward, or make a "Y" with your thumb and hand on the back of the ball head and slightly press forward.

5) There is technique to using them. Go to the MDT youtube site and look at their tripod shooting videos. If you have questions about Ball heads, etc. just PM me. I'll be happy to help.

 

[cliffy110]

This isn't what you asked, but I am here to tell you that spinal surgery isn't always a bad thing. I had collapsing discs in the C5-6 and C6-7 that caused unbearable pain from my neck and shooting down my left arm. I had been told by one doctor that spinal fusion was the only solution. My physical therapist advised me to avoid surgery if at all possible. I found another doc who performs disc replacement. Recovery time is MUCH shorter and the results were nothing short of a miracle. I can't express how life changing this was.

I know lumbar and thoracic spine is a bit different but I'm relating this to say that finding a second or third opinion might be well worth it.

 

[Conqueror]

I’m a neurosurgeon and I generally see equivalent recovery times for anterior cervical fusion and disc replacement, and both sets of patients are generally extremely happy with the results if you are conservative and only offer surgery to those who need it. There are some cowboys out there who fuse anything with two legs to make money, so I always recommend a second opinion in cases of spinal hardware if you have the time and means.

Now then, on topic: OP, would also recommend putting a hanger hook underneath the tripod top platform and hanging a bag of rocks or heavy pack from it. It will settle the tripod and damp down any vibrations and movement.

 

[gigamortis]

Being that a standing position is going to be your main option, RRS offers the 22i tripod which will be the ultimate in available stiffness being as each leg is only 2 sections. Keep in mind that it is only going to collapse so much for transport. Plus, the legs and locks are upside down so it makes for a quick deployment. The ultimate in versatility is their 33 series with 3 section legs, but you will lose a little bit of stiffness vs the 22i two piece legs.

 

[pineoak]

You can be very accurate off a tripod if time is not an issue.

Have you considered a 2 tripod setup? Of course your gun is locked into one (ARCA works awesome), but your rear can "float" a bit with less than locked tension into the main tripod

your rear hand is on the 2nd tripod giving you stability in the standing position with a solid point of reference; like a standing rear bag

I did this shooting off a chain (front hand guard on loose chain) at a match and using a rear tripod allowed me to make hits I otherwise absolutely would not have without.

+1 on the Anvil 30.

Skip the super heavy cheapie tripods like the RT90. they are stable but so freaking heavy they get left at home.

Get a quality one that is reasonably weighted and stable.