Tripod vs shooting sticks

[badmolassesaccident]

At the moment I don't own shooting sticks, I just borrow a set as needed. Thinking of buying a tripod, rather than shooting sticks. Infact this tripod:

Tripod BOG DeathGrip Carbon Fiber

The BOG DeathGrip Carbon Fiber tripod not only functions as a shooting rest, but also acts as a gun clamp. You can clamp any type of weapon in the soft jawed clamp which not only gives you ultimate stability, but also enables you to free your hands for using binoculars or produce a (bird, deer...

www.krale.shop

I've got a lot more experience shooting steel targets than shooting deer, so looking for opinions on how well these would work for deer stalking. The negative I can see is they are 3.4kg and maybe harder to carry than sticks. OTOH I've used this exact tripod for steel plate targets and it is very stable.

 

[MarkD123]

I have the tripod that you’re looking at and viper flex sticks.
Honestly, forget the tripod for stalking. Far too heavy, far too bulky, far too noisy.
Just don’t.

 

[J.kerslake]

I used to have a set of primos trigger sticks, because I couldn’t get on with quad sticks…actually practiced with quad sticks and they are far superior!!

 

[Friendly Boar]

Quad sticks are much better. Don’t bother with the tripod for stalking.

 

[tozzybum]

Limulus quad sticks awesome made for your height. If weight an issue Bushwear aluminium quad sticks only 69 quid .
If you like posh viper sticks or search Monkey sticks atb

 

[Woodsmoke]

Don't do it! You'll VERY quickly get sick and tired of carrying an extra rifle's-weight. I use the Primos trigger sticks, and while they're pretty good I still think practice off the shoulder, and perhaps a single stick would serve you much better. I'm seriously considering going back to a simple thumb-stick

 

[richard griffith]

Got a Bog Pod but far too heavy even for the carbon fibre version to haul around.It’s good for foxes at a bait station or even in a well known ambush spot.Richard.

 

[topscots1]

I have a rekon tripod and a set of quad sticks. I use both for stalking. If I’m trying to stick to tracks and easier going ground I’ll take the tripod. If im going on rough boggy ground I’ll take the quad sticks. The tripod is I think a little heavier, not enough that carrying it bothers me. If you are likely to sit up for a while the tripod is a god send.

 

[Freeforester]

IME A lightweight tall wooden tripod is quicker to deploy and align and gives much greater and more quickly lateral adjustment than quad sticks. Assuming you are intending placing the shot in the boiler room, then at normal shooting distances it does the job of killing the deer every bit as well (assuming you can shoot straight!)l is quicker to deploy and should be 25% lighter, assuming materials for each type made are the same. Having used one for thirty plus years, it is still my go-to for actual stalking and culling, but I do advocate the use of a 5 legged stick for zeroing, ie a tripod at the fore-end with supporting v at the butt end of the rifle, thus practically eliminating both lateral and vertical movement when correctly aligned.

Knobloch make a very good and lightweight collapsible telescopic tripod, but it ain’t cheap, it is however considerably lighter than the Primos tripods, though takes longer to set; it is (generally) a quieter tripod than the Primos too.

Of course, if time is not pressing to take the shot, then the quad is undoubtedly better at minimising lateral movements than the tripod, but for practical purposes (eg culling deer in situations when every split second counts to take advantage of the animals momentary suitable stance) this is not of paramount importance. For supreme accuracy, the 5-legged stick cannot be beaten in the field, if time of setting up is not a prime consideration.

 

[Donkey Basher]

What's wrong with a good old fashioned pair of double sticks? - lightweight, easy to carry, can be used as a single stick for a quick shot if needed, simple to set up with one hand as the rifle comes off the shoulder with the other, can be adjusted to the right height for 'sitting up'. Of course they do need to be adjusted to the correct height before you start your stalk, easily done, & you do need to know how to use them, i.e. practice with them. If you want added stability they're also available with a third leg to make them into a tripod.

 

[old keeper]

Quad sticks are alright but on steep or very rough ground I've found them practically useless! I use primos triggers when I'm on the move and Wicked Lights Rekons when shooting from a static position.

 

[Koenig]

I am a recent convert from a trust Primos Gen 2 tripod to quad sticks. Here are my observations about both systems: tripod is heavier but when collapsed shorter. If you are familiar with trigger sticks you can deploy them quickly and quietly. The fact that the stock end isn’t supported means you get more lateral movement. This can be both good and bad. Good if you need to follow an animal like a muntjac that’s moves a lot, bad for longer more static shots. I’ve also found that Primos sticks get loose around the handle joints over time despite having looked after mine. Quad sticks require practice to not be a faff to set up. But once the penny drops they are in a different league for stability . Movement is up and down and can be matched to your breathing making for a more predictable shot in my experience. If you go for Quad sticks have a look at a French firms product-4 stable sticks, I am very impressed with them.

 

[Sako75Hunter]

It totally depends on what sort of shooting you're doing. I have a Primos Gen 2 Trigger-stick (ie tripod) and Viper-flex quad sticks.

The Primos is very quick to set up and gives you much greater freedom of movement, but is less stable as it's only supporting the stock at one point (the fore-end). It's the one you want if you're going to be closer in to your quarry (sub 100 yards?), and taking multiple shots including at moving targets (think culling a herd of feral goats in very rough country, for eg).

The Viper-flex on the other hand is slower to deploy, but gives much greater stability, so it's the one for longer shots where the target is stationary and you have time to get set up. I find I use the Viper-flex way more often, and usually have it reduced to its very lowest setting so I can take the shot sitting down (mainly because of the shooting ground I have, where I'd likely be seen by the deer if I were standing up).

 

[NullMac]

Get a fifth leg and you have most of the benefits of the tripod. Set up for sitting, kneeling standing; set the rifle up and leave it in position if ambushing. Sticks are lighter and more use as a stick

Hard to beat a ball head on a tripod for ease of rotation though you can cover a bigger arc, but you need some sort of head/clamp which are pretty heavy.

I have both and use the sticks to stalk which I guess says something

 

[Terrydeer]

I do quite a bit of stalking in woodland and more open ground, the limulus sticks are what I use (home made) extremely stable, light,easy to deploy and you can leave the gun in them and look through the binos/rangefinder. I have a bush wear set but really these don’t get used.

 

[Utectok]

Quad sticks are alright but on steep or very rough ground I've found them practically useless! I use primos triggers when I'm on the move and Wicked Lights Rekons when shooting from a static position.

Agree quads can not be deployed in 2’ bog myrtle trigger sticks can be

 

[User00040]

For those saying quad sticks are slow, you need to practise more!

 

[Sako75Hunter]

For those saying quad sticks are slow, you need to practise more!

I can imagine it could be very quick to set them up on flat uniform ground, but where it's highly uneven it takes a bit of time no matter what, IME (maybe 20 secs., ie easily enough to lose sight of a deer).

One thing that really annoys me about the Viper-flex is that it takes forever to adjust the height, especially if going all the way from suitable for sitting to standing or vice versa. No problem if you never need to change, but if you do it's a serious pain.

But the pros far outweigh the cons, and it's still the system I use 95% of the time.

 

[BenBhoy]

I use the ones your posted a link to but the aluminium ones. I use them for foxing. They offer a fantastic stable shooting platform, able to let go completely & know rifle won't budge. But by holy christ are they heavy! Definitely wouldn't want to be traipsing about with them.

 

[Pellet Pinger]

Having used both extensively I can get the gun on the Viperflex quads and have the quarry in the cross hairs quicker and quieter than the Primos.
Agree with the practice comment, I shoot a fair few rabbits in between stalking and deploying them becomes second nature.