There's a BIG difference between ball heads for rifles and those suitable for traditional optics. For a rifle you need a ball with a much higher weight rating and, from experience, I'll advise you to get something with a VERY heavy weight rating. I ended up with the Sunwayfoto XB-52DL that has a weight rating of something like 55lbs and is a pretty low profile as they come. The reason the high weight rating is important is that the ball moves more smoothly under the load of a rifle when the weight is WAY under the max rating. Most optic oriented balls have wait ratings of 10-15lbs and then you're attaching a 3lb optic. You want the same rough ratio for your rifle IF you want to be able to pan/tilt your rifle in a smooth manner and not break your ball head - which will happen, of course, at the WORST possible time.
There's a LOT to building a good tripod system for a rifle; not to mention, all that goes into shooting well from a tripod. I blew some money unnecessarily by making poor choices without knowing the peculiarities to rifle capable systems. I bought great products just not for shooting a rifle from. I'd go do some searching over on Snipers Hide. There's a ton of information on there regarding ball heads, tripods and attachment methods; as well as techniques for shooting from tripods.
Hope this helps.
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