Tripods and accuracy

[jbaker47]

Sorry if this has been asked before, but I couldn’t immediately find an answer.

I’ve got a solid tripod for my spotting scope and have seen plenty of PRS type shooting from tripods. Considering an RRS anvil 30 and ARCA mount for a bolt action.

Presuming good fundamentals and plenty of experience with bipod and bag, what would be an expected accuracy level while shooting standing from a tripod after appropriate time getting acquainted?

Similar accuracy as bipod? 1,2,3 MOA from a .5 MOA rifle?

 

[Burdy]

In my experience, bipod is still superior, meaning, if I had to make a shot to save my own life, I would lay down if possible instead of using a tripod...but I still use the tripod often. One other thing I have noticed and I am not sure of the experience of others, but contrary to what I find while using a bipod on the ground, when I use a tripod, I am actually more stable with lighter rifles. That reverses again back to the heavier rifle being better if I use a tripod to support a bag.

 

[Mr. F]

Bipod prone > Bipod w/Tripod rear > Tripod

 

[clefairy]

There’s a little bit of movement with a tripod.

 

[wigwamitus]

I started shooting with tripods in Dec 2015. Started with Manfrotto M055s and M190s and 322-RC2 joy sticks. Here's first image I have of one of my rifles on one of my tripods

Brand new 300WM on M190.

I shot the Manfrottos a lot for 3 years, 2016,17,18. I couldn't believe it was possible to hit smallish targets from distance. Flipping through my images I'm not sure I tried it standing up farther than 500yds during that period, but I do have one image of shooting seated tripod at 600yds.

==
Here's first image I have of RRS+Anvil-30 in April 2019.

I'm trying 750yds in that one.

==

So what about accuracy ?

I recall plateauing at 1.5 iphy off the manfrottos - and hecque - I thought that was pretty good for standing up !!

But my first group off a buddies RRS/A-30 was 11/16th (0.6875 iphy) and I was SOLD - and bought one before sundown that day. As he said, I was literally "buying" accuracy.

So, I was plateaued at .75 for awhile, but I think with better ammo and better trigger control, I finally got to 0.5 iphy.

Here's 2 groups at 100yds with Insight LWTS-LR ... one group 7/16 the other 9/16 ... avg 0.5 iphy (I use iphy as I don't see the value in the extra step of dividing by 1.047, though it does make the result a little smaller )

==
I have heard several people say .75 MOA is a barrier for them, including my buddy that got me to shoot of his RRS.

And I've had several people say "You're doing it all wrong" in terms of my tripod technique. But, when you've developed a technique that works consistently for you and gets the results you are after, why abandon it?

Watching a number of videos about tripod shooting and reading half a zillion posts on the hide about tripod shooting over the years, I'd say, if you ask 100 ppl "what is best way to shoot off tripod" you'll get at least 97 answers

So, I'd say "go forth and shoot" ... and your expectations (given stated background/experience) should be "In a year or 2 of shooting off tripod 50 rds a week, you'll get to .75 ... and if you keep it up for 2 more years, then maybe 0.5"
( but conversely, If you get discouraged and quit, then well, you won't get there )

Here's a group I shot yesterday off tripod.

Its .75" at 150yds or

.75/1.5 = 0.5 iphy

Standing off RRS/A-30 with rem700/criterion 22" hbar/krg bravo/harvester suppressor, NX8 2.5-20x t3, hdy black amax 155

Its definitely possible to get 0.5 iphy !
==
So again, as to expectation management, while the RRS/a-30 is "Magic" you still (probably) need some practice. I needed years - maybe YMWV.

But I got to the point a few years ago, where I thought I am about equal between prone and tripod - and that was scary, so I think it was in 2019, I forced myself to shoot prone as much as a could, managed about 40%. And based on measuring group sizes across the year, I confirmed I was about equal. Since, then, I shoot prone a little, but not much. In the sorts of terrain I'm in - in KS and SWMO, "You will rarely take a prone shot" ( a saying I saw years ago on the "hog saddle" website ). So, I keep shooting with tripod.

 

[Burdy]

I started shooting with tripods in Dec 2015. Started with Manfrotto M055s and M190s and 322-RC2 joy sticks. Here's first image I have of one of my rifles on one of my tripods

Brand new 300WM on M190.

I shot the Manfrottos a lot for 3 years, 2016,17,18. I couldn't believe it was possible to hit smallish targets from distance. Flipping through my images I'm not sure I tried it standing up farther than 500yds during that period, but I do have one image of shooting seated tripod at 600yds.

==
Here's first image I have of RRS+Anvil-30 in April 2019.

I'm trying 750yds in that one.

==

So what about accuracy ?

I recall plateauing at 1.5 iphy off the manfrottos - and hecque - I thought that was pretty good for standing up !!

But my first group off a buddies RRS/A-30 was 11/16th (0.6875 iphy) and I was SOLD - and bought one before sundown that day. As he said, I was literally "buying" accuracy.

So, I was plateaued at .75 for awhile, but I think with better ammo and better trigger control, I finally got to 0.5 iphy.

Here's 2 groups at 100yds with Insight LWTS-LR ... one group 7/16 the other 9/16 ... avg 0.5 iphy (I use iphy as I don't see the value in the extra step of dividing by 1.047, though it does make the result a little smaller )

==
I have heard several people say .75 MOA is a barrier for them, including my buddy that got me to shoot of his RRS.

And I've had several people say "You're doing it all wrong" in terms of my tripod technique. But, when you've developed a technique that works consistently for you and gets the results you are after, why abandon it?

Watching a number of videos about tripod shooting and reading half a zillion posts on the hide about tripod shooting over the years, I'd say, if you ask 100 ppl "what is best way to shoot off tripod" you'll get at least 97 answers

So, I'd say "go forth and shoot" ... and your expectations (given stated background/experience) should be "In a year or 2 of shooting off tripod 50 rds a week, you'll get to .75 ... and if you keep it up for 2 more years, then maybe 0.5"
( but conversely, If you get discouraged and quit, then well, you won't get there )

Here's a group I shot yesterday off tripod.

Its .75" at 150yds or

.75/1.5 = 0.5 iphy

Standing off RRS/A-30 with rem700/criterion 22" hbar/krg bravo/harvester suppressor, NX8 2.5-20x t3, hdy black amax 155

Its definitely possible to get 0.5 iphy !
==
So again, as to expectation management, while the RRS/a-30 is "Magic" you still (probably) need some practice. I needed years - maybe YMWV.

But I got to the point a few years ago, where I thought I am about equal between prone and tripod - and that was scary, so I think it was in 2019, I forced myself to shoot prone as much as a could, managed about 40%. And based on measuring group sizes across the year, I confirmed I was about equal. Since, then, I shoot prone a little, but not much. In the sorts of terrain I'm in - in KS and SWMO, "You will rarely take a prone shot" ( a saying I saw years ago on the "hog saddle" website ). So, I keep shooting with tripod.

Very nice post. What do you think of my experience that I shoot lighter rifles better off of a tripod...do you believe you experience this as well?

 

[wigwamitus]

... What do you think of my experience that I shoot lighter rifles better off of a tripod...do you believe you experience this as well?

I was thinking about that - and I'll say "I'm not sure - but I haven't really noticed that difference - at least not yet"

==
For instance, In this string, I am shooting targets at 425, 503, 604, and 736 (yds). One round at "torso" and one round at "face" on IPEC(2/3)

300WM, a191 (3000 fps mv) rrs/a-30

At 425

One hit on torso, one hit on face ( I only fire 1 rd per target)

At 503

Another hit on torso, bad miss vs face (see hit on torso to the right below face. A torso hit while aiming at face is a miss. It almost looks like I was aiming at torso, but still got several inches farther right that all the other shots at torso. But a miss is a miss and it sure didn't hit face !!

At 604

Another hit on torso and face.

At 736

Another hit on torso and face.

Now, could the lighter 762x51 with 175gr FGMM do that also ? Yes. But if I had to bet on it, I'd go with the 300WM. But not because its heavier, but because it could get more first round hits farther out (especially past 900yds) than the 762x51. And that's because the a191 (or fgmm 190gr) were "magic sh^t". So, I attribute that 300WM ability at distance to the ammo - not the weight, because I've also seen the 300WM not do as well with different ammo. Good ammo actually makes a big difference in my experience ! And I didn't realize that for years !!

So, I'd say "I don't have enough data comparing lighter guns off tripod to heavier guns off tripods- to make the call". But if I had to answer, I'd say "I can't tell the difference - yet"


==

And I'll add "position is critical - with tripod - just like with prone". And getting the tripod to the right height, is key. Getting the rifle "in the pocket" is key. You want to be able to keep the target in view before, during and after the shot breaks, if you can't, keep adjusting your position. Don't "lean over" too much. That might cause the barrel to bounce up when you shoot and you'll loose sight picture.
Just like with prone, you want to get your body "directly behind the rifle" so you are absorbing the recoil straight behind the rifle and not giving the rifle the ability to slide left or right or buck up or down.
And once you get the right height, memorize the tripod leg extension distances so you can deploy the tripod to the correct height for you quickly without thinking.

 

[Burdy]

I was thinking about that - and I'll say "I'm not sure - but I haven't really noticed that difference - at least not yet"

==
For instance, In this string, I am shooting targets at 425, 503, 604, and 736 (yds). One round at "torso" and one round at "face" on IPEC(2/3)

300WM, a191 (3000 fps mv) rrs/a-30

At 425

One hit on torso, one hit on face ( I only fire 1 rd per target)

At 503

Another hit on torso, bad miss vs face (see hit on torso to the right below face. A torso hit while aiming at face is a miss. It almost looks like I was aiming at torso, but still got several inches farther right that all the other shots at torso. But a miss is a miss and it sure didn't hit face !!

At 604

Another hit on torso and face.

At 736

Another hit on torso and face.

Now, could the lighter 762x51 with 175gr FGMM do that also ? Yes. But if I had to bet on it, I'd go with the 300WM. But not because its heavier, but because it could get more first round hits farther out (especially past 900yds) than the 762x51. And that's because the a191 (or fgmm 190gr) were "magic sh^t". So, I attribute that 300WM ability at distance to the ammo - not the weight, because I've also seen the 300WM not do as well with different ammo. Good ammo actually makes a big difference in my experience ! And I didn't realize that for years !!

So, I'd say "I don't have enough data comparing lighter guns off tripod to heavier guns off tripods- to make the call". But if I had to answer, I'd say "I can't tell the difference - yet"


==

And I'll add "position is critical - with tripod - just like with prone". And getting the tripod to the right height, is key. Getting the rifle "in the pocket" is key. You want to be able to keep the target in view before, during and after the shot breaks, if you can't, keep adjusting your position. Don't "lean over" too much. That might cause the barrel to bounce up when you shoot and you'll loose sight picture.
Just like with prone, you want to get your body "directly behind the rifle" so you are absorbing the recoil straight behind the rifle and not giving the rifle the ability to slide left or right or buck up or down.
And once you get the right height, memorize the tripod leg extension distances so you can deploy the tripod to the correct height for you quickly without thinking.

I have some fairly extreme examples of lightweight rifles that I use on my tripod such as a .300BLK SBR and and some lightweight chassis guns that are in the 5.5-7lb range and my ability to hold those rifles steady vs say a 12+ lb rifle is pretty significant. Additionally, any movement I may have on the lighter weight rifles is not continuously transmitted like it will with a heavier rifle before settling. Just an observation that I have seen and one reason why I built a very lightweight chassis gun for tripod use.

 

[Burdy]

And once you get the right height, memorize the tripod leg extension distances so you can deploy the tripod to the correct height for you quickly without thinking.

I've never understood why tripod companies don't laser etch a ruler down the tubes so you can quickly put it exactly where you want it if the situation dictates it.

 

[powdahound76]

Silver Sharpie……

Then you can call it “Custom”

A short pecker bragging rights thing here on the Hide.

 

[Burdy]

Silver Sharpie……

Then you can call it “Custom”

A short pecker bragging rights thing here on the Hide.

"Custom" and "build."
I love when your "build" was putting a complete upper on a complete lower.

 

[John?]

Not trying to hijack thread here. Tyro question about tripod setup for newb. What gear would I need to get started shooting an AR pattern rifle and a CZ bolt gun. My main purpose is ambushing coyotes across pasture and bean field. Occasionally I would shoot it on a range but not often.

I don’t mind spending money. I’d rather buy decent kit up front than spend 3 or 4 times

 

[wigwamitus]

rrs + anvil 30, 3 section vs 4 section depending on weight of rifles vs speed of set up.
Arca plates on bottons of rifles are faster to mount to the tripods than mlok pic rail sections.
like
https://www.ebay.com/itm/175510681885

 

[Burdy]

rrs + anvil 30, 3 section vs 4 section depending on weight of rifles vs speed of set up.
Arca plates on bottons of rifles are faster to mount to the tripods than mlok pic rail sections.
like
https://www.ebay.com/itm/175510681885

I'll second the Anvil 30 head. I use the two Vets legs (qdt, kit and no name jr) however.
Four of my 5 main tripod rifles have full arca rails. The other has the RRS Mlok to Arca plate.

 

[John?]

@wigwamitus Thanks! Very helpful in sorting the options

 

[strikeeagle1]

I've never understood why tripod companies don't laser etch a ruler down the tubes so you can quickly put it exactly where you want it if the situation dictates it.

I ended up applying tape with measurements to top segment. Not perfect but it gets close fast. Maybe RRS will step up with label tape decal measurements to apply to the legs, retro-actively.

 

[Shootnwrench]

Sub MOA is absolutely possible standing tripod.

Standing can be extremely comfortable and consequently is probably my best tripod position due to the ease to leave a gun set up in the house and on the way through the room dry fire multiple times through out the day or live at the range if it’s snowy or wet. The versatility of standing is conducive to practice.

NPA and clean break and the results always seem to boggle my mind what can be done standing.

 

[dgheriani]

While sub-moa groups are very possible from the standing position shooting from a tripod, clipped-in or off a bag (with off a heavy bag being on average more accurate and more precise but clipped-in having lots of benefits for field use), sub-moa accuracy (vs sub-moa precision) is certainly not the norm. I can't tell you how many Kraft drills I've shot standing off a tripod and I've certainly had quite a few target where both my accuracy and precision were sub-moa but it's more common for me to shoot to a 1.5 moa accuracy standard. As mentioned above, NPA and a clean break is absolutely crucial. I might shoot a sub-moa group but if you look at the dispersion of rounds on target I would've hit a 1.5moa target every time but not a 1 moa target, if that makes sense.

That's kind of the genius of the Kraft targets, how tight of a group you shoot is much less important than what diamond you can stay within. This 1.5 moa level of shooting tracks with my capabilities in the field as well, yesterday I was shooting (standing, clipped-in) at 2/3 IPSC targets at 830 and 905 yards. 1st round hit on the one at 830 but my first round at the 905 target dropped off the right. However, I knew that my pull was just less than perfect, so I broke a perfect 2nd shot and hit. That's another nice aspect of the Kraft targets, giving you a better understanding of your accuracy capabilities from different positions.

Oh and what was said further up about prone > tripod rear > tripod is absolutely correct.

 

[beetroot]

I've had a tripod for a while now, usually just for spotting or have a tac table and a bag on top, but have started trying clipping in (ARCA clamp).

How does everyone get their cross hairs perfectly on target?
Do you get close enough with the ball head/anvil then muscle it onto target, or do you piss around for ages trying to get it perfectly aligned with the clamp?

I'm tending to think a tac table is just easier quicker and more flexible, but is clipping in more stable/accurate if time allows?

 

[canezach]

@beetroot i have been shooting off a tripod since the only option was a Manfrotto and a Hog Saddle and I still have to use just a little muscling to align my reticle with the target perfectly. Maybe it's the amount of shooting I've done off sticks, but I can get pretty close before locking down, then I work the "gray area" in the friction (I'm using an Anvil, but it also worked with my previous leveling bases) until I'm on target where I want to be. I find an arca rail and Anvil, leveling base, locking ballhead to be far more stable than tossing a bag on top of the legs, but I think the bag makes it just a tad quicker to get on target. Personally, I prefer the stability over the speed

 

[TylerN]

I decided to see what I could group with a tripod today. I knew it wouldn't be anything to impressive but it was a good exercise to try. I'd shoot a group from the bench, then change over to standing off a tac table with a bag. I'd shoot a bench then tripod group then go do something else and come back to it throughout the range time.

Off the tripod I'm trying to time the wobble and the results aren't often timed right or the impacts aren't where I was expecting. Also if I put too much input into the tripod the group goes to hell. The second group is an example of that, leaning into the tripod too much. I'll try this again in the future plus it would be interesting to compare clipped in.

 

[dgheriani]

I've had a tripod for a while now, usually just for spotting or have a tac table and a bag on top, but have started trying clipping in (ARCA clamp).

How does everyone get their cross hairs perfectly on target?
Do you get close enough with the ball head/anvil then muscle it onto target, or do you piss around for ages trying to get it perfectly aligned with the clamp?

I'm tending to think a tac table is just easier quicker and more flexible, but is clipping in more stable/accurate if time allows?

First you need to figure out where/how your rifle is balanced on the tripod.

For rifles that have full length forends/rails, I like to clip in (to an Anvil in my case) ahead of the balance point as it helps with recoil mitigation. I lock down right on my intended poi and let the rifle settle. The rearward weight bias will cause the muzzle to rise and I'll note where (2 mils high on one of my rifles, for example). Going forward, I'll always lock the head down 2 mils low and let the slack in the system bring it up perfectly on target. From there, it's a matter of having perfect NPA and a perfect trigger squeeze and you can shoot very accurate groups.

For rifles that have shorter forends/rails and you can't practically clip-in ahead of the balance point (I have a few rifles in HNTs and with a bipod attached, you just can't push the head in front of the balance point and still manipulate the lever on the Anvil) or for shooting on really broken/uneven terrain, I clip in at the balance point and locked down the head dead center of the target. You have to be very cognizant of NPA but you can still shoot very tight groups although you give up a bit of recoil management.

In both cases you're locking down the head as close to where you want to be as possible but there's always a bit of play in the system, especially standing as you only have one point of support for the rifle.

A tac table and heavy bag (think heavy fill Schmedium) is both quicker and more stable, imo, than clipping in. However, heavy fill bags are only really practical within the confines of competitions that don't require timed movements between stages (think PRS or NRL Hunter) as no one is gonna try and move fast with a 10lbs bag be it in a comp or hunting. Shooting off a lightweight bag isn't faster or more stable than clipped-in and there are some very tangible benefits for field use to being able to go totally hands free on your rifle when needed so that's why I prefer shooting clipped in. I also find it nice to range targets with my binos clipped in and it's a faster transition from having binos clipped in to rifle clipped in than having to add a tac table somewhere in there. Lots of this is personal preference/work flow though.

 

[4O6shootist]

@TylerN I have tripods with larger Apex VS your rrs. I've found I have better accuracy/precision just throwing my shmedium bag atop the Tripod Apex, and putting rifle on bag. The more height above the Apex, especially with added hardware like the anvil and a tac table then bag, is adding unstable height and stacking tolerances. I'm nowhere near as consistent off standing Tripod, but I've managed to shoot some sub moa groups atop dedicated aim point. Def not the easiest shooting position.

 

[Midpack]

Up until this year ive been shooting off a tactable and bag which was very stable and I had gotten pretty accurate where I hang between 1-1.5 moa groups while standing with probably 1 in every 5 groups being sub moa. While that may not be nearly as accurate as some it translates well into my real world shooting for events like nrlhunter and killing yotes. That said this year I decided to force myself to shoot clipped in to my anvil 30 for the benefits it offered me in those same area. At first it was ugly where I was shooting 2+moa groups and was almost ready to call it after completely screwing up a match doing it. But I didn't and kept practicing and now am as accurate as I was off a bag with it more consistently being 2 out of 5 groups being sub moa.
As for getting the crosshairs on the target I struggled with the same thing until I played with the tension of my anvil and got the "feel" for locking it down. I don't have a definitive explanation unfortunately. Best thing I can say is to watch Phil and caylens videos on tripods and also just watch some of their videos shooting off of tripods. Phil has many that show split screen of his reticle and himself. Watch the reticle and then replay that same segment and watch how he's manipulating the anvil and you should get a good feel of some of the finess of it then go play with yours.
I did the above and then have done tons of dry fire with a dfat. I use the Kyl targets on several of the dfat cards to force myself. I started with the largest until I can keep the reticle in it easily and have progressively made my way down.
*edit* while I can consistently hold it in the half moa for while dryfiring in my livingroom that's not a direct translation to the real world where there are other factors both internal and external such as wind, terrain, fatigue, time ect

 

[bill alexander]

Use a tripod to shoot 338 Lapua from a variety of field positions. Rifle is heavy, around 21 lbs so recoil is a long heavy push. Currently use a PIG saddle set up on the point of balance and lock lightly on the target. Find dropping the magnification and not chasing the wobble gives better results. Run a simple single baffle brake so muzzle blast does not strip everything loose in the vicinity and throw it in the air. No silencer as the barrel is 29"

Always learning and interested to hear a better technique for heavy rifles with more recoil.

 

[Burdy]

First you need to figure out where/how your rifle is balanced on the tripod.

For rifles that have full length forends/rails, I like to clip in (to an Anvil in my case) ahead of the balance point as it helps with recoil mitigation. I lock down right on my intended poi and let the rifle settle. The rearward weight bias will cause the muzzle to rise and I'll note where (2 mils high on one of my rifles, for example). Going forward, I'll always lock the head down 2 mils low and let the slack in the system bring it up perfectly on target. From there, it's a matter of having perfect NPA and a perfect trigger squeeze and you can shoot very accurate groups.

For rifles that have shorter forends/rails and you can't practically clip-in ahead of the balance point (I have a few rifles in HNTs and with a bipod attached, you just can't push the head in front of the balance point and still manipulate the lever on the Anvil) or for shooting on really broken/uneven terrain, I clip in at the balance point and locked down the head dead center of the target. You have to be very cognizant of NPA but you can still shoot very tight groups although you give up a bit of recoil management.

In both cases you're locking down the head as close to where you want to be as possible but there's always a bit of play in the system, especially standing as you only have one point of support for the rifle.

A tac table and heavy bag (think heavy fill Schmedium) is both quicker and more stable, imo, than clipping in. However, heavy fill bags are only really practical within the confines of competitions that don't require timed movements between stages (think PRS or NRL Hunter) as no one is gonna try and move fast with a 10lbs bag be it in a comp or hunting. Shooting off a lightweight bag isn't faster or more stable than clipped-in and there are some very tangible benefits for field use to being able to go totally hands free on your rifle when needed so that's why I prefer shooting clipped in. I also find it nice to range targets with my binos clipped in and it's a faster transition from having binos clipped in to rifle clipped in than having to add a tac table somewhere in there. Lots of this is personal preference/work flow though.

Where is your off hand?

 

[dgheriani]

Where is your off hand?

At the ballhead.

 

[YotaEer]

I've been using tripods for everything but load development and zeroing for a few years now, with great success.

Do you guys generally "lock" the anvil 30/head on target, or tighten it just enough to keep it from moving?

When hunting I have a tendency to not lock the head, out of habit. Target shooting is different and i may lock it, but my habit of leaving it open some takes over.

Just curious what others are doing and if there's a correct practice

 

[Jeff Gahler]

what would be an expected accuracy level while shooting standing from a tripod after appropriate time getting acquainted?

Very very close to prone accuracy


RRS are called standing prone for a reason

A gamer plate on top of tripod with a game changer works very well also

 

[carbonbased]

I've been using tripods for everything but load development and zeroing for a few years now, with great success.

Do you guys generally "lock" the anvil 30/head on target, or tighten it just enough to keep it from moving?

When hunting I have a tendency to not lock the head, out of habit. Target shooting is different and i may lock it, but my habit of leaving it open some takes over.

Just curious what others are doing and if there's a correct practice

Since I shoot little varmints, I don’t lock my ballhead (using an Arca Swiss B1). It’s not totally loose; but I have preset the tension some (the ball and the pan) because I need to constantly reposition quick (esp. panning) as the suckers dart around so much.

I could see locking it off if I was just shooting non-movers.

 

[YotaEer]

Since I shoot little varmints, I don’t lock my ballhead (using an Arca Swiss B1). It’s not totally loose; but I have preset the tension some (the ball and the pan) because I need to constantly reposition quick (esp. panning) as the suckers dart around so much.

I could see locking it off if I was just shooting non-movers.

I shoot a lot of groundhogs, so not moving quite as much as ground squirrels, but same deal.

 

[beetroot]

I've been using tripods for everything but load development and zeroing for a few years now, with great success.

Do you guys generally "lock" the anvil 30/head on target, or tighten it just enough to keep it from moving?

When hunting I have a tendency to not lock the head, out of habit. Target shooting is different and i may lock it, but my habit of leaving it open some takes over.

Just curious what others are doing and if there's a correct practice

I've not actually shot varmints from being locked into my tripop yet (plenty off tac table though), testing has shown just loosely tightening the head is the better way to go. Even on big animals (cattle) they move a surprising amount.

Targets, definitely fully tightened.

 

[rlsmith1]

Shot 5 prone and 5 from the tripod (standing) and expected a lot more variation. As best I can tell, my groups opened up to about 1.5x what they were. Prone rounds were marked and tripod shots were left unmarked.

Will measure groups later, but I had one flier go 2 o’clock from each group which I just need to eliminate.

After these 10, I adjusted 0.2 mil right and shot a blackbird at 150yds to 175yds prone. Second pic is the rifle I was shooting (18” Criterion 6.5CM which I’ve come to love)