sticks

tika.308

Well-Known Member
Im just looking at purchasing a set of telescopic sticks,what do you lot prefer :confused: bipod or tripod ones.i used tripod ones when i did my dsc1 which were pretty steady but not sure how quick you could set them out.
 
Over the years i have used single,bipod and tripod and find that the latter is without doubt the steadiest. More hassle I would agree, but with use you do get pretty quick with them. I use mine at night a lot for foxes and have no problem setting them up quickly and quietly in total darkness. I suppose it rather depends on the type of shooting you are using them for. I am using a Bushwear tripod at pesent and find it does the job, with these you can always take one leg off if necessary! To stop any rattle, strategically placed lamb castration rings will solve the problem. Good shooting.
 
I too have both but most of my shots are taken prone or sitting I found the tripod fiddly trying to get the right height and in the right place in the end the beast had enough waiting for me and went off :rolleyes: I suppose they are ok for standing in one spot while waiting for deer to appear but I do a lot of walking and it just takes to much time
I took a shot with the bipod sticks the other day and found leaning up against a tree gives you more stability I guess the more you use them the better you get
 
i use 3xmi extendable bipods , i hav 2 pairs so there is always a spare handy for any of my freinds that stalk with me , i hav used a single stick but sometimes the wobbles got the better of that and never really got on using a tripod but practice helps to make perfect with what ever you choose
good luck
stone
 
I use a tripod, Sportsman always seem to have them offer.

Mainly used at night for fox or in the summer rabbit shooting in tall grass/crops.

They are fine to set up once you get the knack.

Jerry
 
I've never used telescopic sticks, mainly because I use my sticks as a third leg. I must confess that mine are shop bought ones, my dear wife gave them to me as a present. They have a bolt through the top, about 6" from the end, a leather fixing to keep the bottoms together when not in use and metal pointed ferules at the bottom. They are adjustable in so far as you are able to reduce the leg length, for use when sitting, as each leg is made of two parts and jst slide together. I find them easy and hassle free to use, and I have used them for seven or eight years now. I really like my missus :D

John
 
2 garden canes tied together at top. To stop the unwamted clatter, carry them up side down. ( Now they are tied at the bottom, and you hold the top, no clatter!!) If you tie them correctly, you can slide the knot up or down to adjust the height, and they will even do fron a kneeling position. I have actually got a tripod made from the shorter, thinner poles that I take when I know I will be stationary and ambushing(waiting) for foxes. Very cheap.
 
I have the telescopic sticks and after a while the adjuster packs in and you cant get them to lock in place properly. I have locked mine the best I gan and taped them open. I for one will be making some sticks from the garden cains next. I will coat them full length with electrical shrink wrap to give them a rubberised texture and pipe lagging at the top where the rifle will go in the standing position.

Dave
 
l use 2 green garden poles joined at the top with cable ties and then taped over with gaffa tape and 2 rubber o rings about 18 in from the bottom to stop them clattering together, l never go woodland stalking without them and like ladystalker says if you can get yourself up against a tree when using sticks it allows you a much steadier shot, only the other day l took a doe at 110yds of the sticks from against a tree l would not of taken a shot at that distance (other than prone or sitting) if l did not have something else to steady me, they are an asset when stalking and you just need to practice deployment and shooting, l used my 22 rimi for practicing and getting used to them, its much cheaper :D .
 
I used to use the Green B&Q garden sticks about £2 each with a large piece of rubber around the top that came from a milking machine the bit that fits on the teats this could be placed over both sticks and slid up & down with ease so that if I needed to sit down I could slid the rubber down and still use them, a small piece of rubber at the bottom of each stick to stop them banging together, the only reason moved away from them is they didn’t fit in the car very well, so I now use 3xmi extendable bipods very please with them,

As with most thing it’s the practice that’s important the more you can use them the better you should become with them, I take mine every time I go shooting Foxes Rabbits, Deer
 
I use a telescopic bipod with the rimfire and air rifle for rabbits. Got very addicted to sticks I hate sitting shots so it tends to be prone or off the sticks. Use a tripod of the same design for deer and fox. Bipod is quicker tripod is more stable, which ever you choose take it rabbiting a few times it will be second nature in no time.
 
well i got a set of the tripod sticks in the end.i took them lamping last saturday and i took a dog fox off them using my cz american .223 55gn federal power shok.122 paces away.that was the first time i had shot off them.very steady but took a few seconds to get them in place.but with out them the fox was safe because he was the other side of a fence.he was on his way to the farmers free range chicken field.
 
Save your money and go for the green garden poles. Join them with a rubber ring from a saddlery shop (martingale rings). If you put another ring further down one pole it will prevent any rattling.

I tried the telescopic poles but these failed to lock properly after a short while. I soon went back to the low-tech option.

Only bother with tripod setups if you expect to have plenty of time to set up for a shot when you see a deer. In woodland there usually isn't. Bipod sticks are far quicker & easier.
 
Hi Mole,
"Join them with a rubber ring from a saddlery shop (martingale rings). If you put another ring further down one pole it will prevent any rattling. "
Save money my a....s use an old motorcycle inner tube! Think of the money you could save on martingale rings! :lol:
I hang on to all my old tubes, and cut them in thin rings for easy stretchy, and thick rings for finger numbing stretchy. The latter work well on the sticks. All you need now is to buy an old British bike with tube type tyres, think of the money you could save :rolleyes:
Mark
 
Again Garden poles from b@q. And like buckup use innertube from a cycle tyre but get a thickness that the 2 poles will push in. Push a pole in from either side (points away from each other) and once there is 6-8" left sticking out twist them the correct way round you now need to hold them at the top to keep them shut but when you want to deplow them they will spring open in a jiffy. Hope this helps if I get time this weekend Ill post some piccies to help.


nutty
 
Two green garden poles from B&Q. I use a piece of thin bungee cord - about 50cm tied in a loop and wrapped around the two canes in a figure of 8.

I keep it 8 inches from the top for a standing shot. For a sitting shot - just slide the bungee down to about half way.

I used to keep a Bipod on the rifle - I have now dispensed with it for woodland stalking as it was just unnecessary weight and 90% of my shots have be standing to get over grass etc.

Two sticks are very quick to set up, indeed if a very quick close shot is needed then just use them as a single stick.

I think the main thing when shooting off sticks is to practice, practice and practice some more - .22rf comes into play here along with a box of clay pigeons set out across a field. Lots of fun! Or if you have lots of rabbits - even more so

And my technique is don't try to go for a perfect sight picture - the rifle will never be absolutely steady - instead try to first focus your eyes on just the target - the heart -- and then bring the rifle up keeping your eyes on the target - the scope should be aligned, the cross hairs on target and squeeze all in one fluid motion and follow through. If you start getting the shakes, relax and start again. A 6 power scope is plenty - any more will just exagerate all your shakes.

Its a bit like shooting with a shotgun - bum, body, beak and squeeze. If you try to sight a shotgun you will always miss - at least I do.

I am totally happy with the above technique up to c70 yards and am confident that I can out a bullet through the vitals. If it is much further I will go for a solid rested position - preferably prone.

Admittedley the above technique requires a rifle that does handle reasonably well and fits you to some degree - mine does. I once stayed with some friends up north and they had a load of stags that had got into some birch / oak woods that was being regenerated. I wsa invited to go and cull any rubbish and persuade the others to vacate back out onto the hill. I didn't have my rifle with me so was as using the estate rifle - heavy barreled sako 75 in .270, with moderator hung on the end of standard barrel length, plus fixed 10 or 12 power scope - definately the wrong tool for the job. And there were several opportunities when if I had had my rifle and sticks I would have taken a shot, but trying that rifle to target was very slow - definately the wrong tool for the job - but it would have been ideal for culling hinds out on the hill, which is what that rifle is mainly used for.
 
i have the b&q canes held together with a teat cup liner from the old milking machines.do the job but you cant allways get them in the car with you.and for £10 the tripods were cheap as chips.
 
Reading this thread makes you all sound like a bunch of pervs, milking teats and castration rings indeed!
Seriously though sticks are not for everyone, they are mainly used in Europe, UK and Africa. Not so much in USA as the shooting sling is very popular and something I personally favour over sticks. Field rests like trees and posts are more stable than sticks. I only really find them usefull if there is no cover or when lamping.
Mack
 
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