Tripod ball head

[Dt219]

I been using a el cheapo sinnofoto ball head for a few years now and it’s finally kicked the bucket, Staying with ball head style and not clamps or saddles, what are you guys running that’s damn solid ? and don’t break the bank Thanks

[LRRPF52]

My experience with the evolution of tripods and mounting is that it really is worth it to pay if you want the gear to actually perform and hold up to the rigors of field use.

A lot of things have happened with tripods and mounts during my life, and it has only gotten better by leaps and bounds.

We started off using old aluminum leg with cheap plastic camera tripods in the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s, spray-painted and rigged with MRE cardboard and OD green duct tape for rifle rests.

Dudes got tired of this and started making quality pods and rests, and the market for them has only blown-up since then.

I’ve been happy with the PIG and HOG saddles on heavier tripods.

Those with handguard bottom sockets use a lot of Arca Swiss heads.

If the ball head and tensioning socket aren’t made from quality materials with hard coatings, the continual exposure to dust and sand will degrade the surface coatings and eventually fail to provide that solid lock-up, and that’s if the socket doesn’t crack.

Like with everything else, it does not pay to go cheap because you spend the initial $150-$250 on the chinesium, which will fail (not if, but when), then you have to go buy the one that actually works for $300-$400.

I’ve seen some recent complete package options at Cabella’s that look really nice, but the clamps are plastic.

I know what happens to 90 degree plastic angles with stress placed on them in extreme cold (common hunting conditions for a lot of us), and I will never buy those units, which off the top of my head were in the $499 range for the tripod and mount included. They will break, no 2 ways about it.

[sundowner]

I use a REKON tripod for my ar's also have a BOG deathgrip tripod for the rest or if I setup 2 ar's . The REKON is a little pricey but worth it .

[Sticks]

Innorel RT90C with a simple Arca leveling head only. A bit heavy, but I have been shooting off of it for the entire sporting rifle match (10 stages, 6 targets per stage) in Raton for a couple years now and no problems. 20# 6.5 PRC. Actually shooting better off the tripod than prone. Better times too.

[JTPinTX]

have been through a few variations as well. Started with an old aluminum tripod, small ball head, and a pig saddle. It was OK served the purpose for a couple years.

Once I got really serious about night hunting for coyotes and pigs with thermal though it was time for an upgrade. Now lots of folks will have different opinions on what exactly it takes but one thought is pretty common, and that is to go ahead and pony up the money to get into the right setup for you.

That Innorel RT90C is a heck of a solid tripod for the money. But heavier than I prefer for stalking. For PRS I would want that rigidity.

I walk A LOT at night and I'm not as young as I once was. My needs go something like this. I want the lightest tripod I can get that is still capable of solid 300 yard night shots on coyotes. What has been working real well for me is a Two Vets No Name tripod with their 55 ball head and an ARCA plate on the gun. Pretty dang steady, yet still plenty light.

We stalk pigs in sandy peanut fields. After several stalks that might be 400-1000 yards round trip back to the truck in a night every ounce matters for me. There have been several times at the end of a night I have had one of my buddies pick up my tripod and play with it and they have ordered one the next day. Not a cheap setup but not a $1000+ RRS setup either. And BTW, Two Vets does give a veteran discount.

I have used both a Pig Saddle and a Reaper Grip. Both are good products, each with advantages/disadvantages over the other. I have a Reaper grip with an ARCA dovetail on the bottom that will mount up quickly to my tripod. But now I only use it for guns with no ARCA plate, and I put an ARCA plate on everything that I can. Even my composite stocked bolt guns. The ARCA setup is much more solid and much more secure while stalking with the gun on the tripod. Once you get used to it, it is really fast in and out as well. Just takes a little bit to work out your system.

I actually have 2 of the No Name tripods. After using the first one for 6 months I bought a second for my backup gun that my daughter uses and to use as a loaner if needed. The second one has an Innorel 52 ball head on it instead of the Two Vets 55. To be honest except for the QD on the Two Vets, the Innorel works just as good and is a little cheaper. Looks pretty much the same.

In this picture from a few weeks ago you can see my Grendel (the grey one) mounted direct to one of my No Name tripods direct with ARCA plate. My buddy had left his tripod at his dads house and instead of taking 10 minutes to run by there we just grabbed my second one tripod. At that time he did not have an ARCA plate on his rifle so I just threw the Reaper grip on there for him. It makes the setup heavier than direct mount, but still was so much lighter than his Bog setup that it pretty much ruined him. He ordered a new tripod after using mine that night.

[Stugotz]

My friends and I have been picking them up off of Craigslist used for years. The one I have in the pix is Manfrotto MT055XPRO3 Aluminum 3-Section Tripod with Horizontal Column that I purchased used for about $80.00. I already had the ball head and plate and built the Hog Saddle with parts I bought from big box store.