Ball heads for shooting/glassing?

[elijah]

I’m on the fence on ordering a ball head for shooting/hunting but would like to hear some feedback on control while glassing? Seems super sloppy but then again i have no experience with one. I do have a saddle and recently went to arca rails on my rifles but it’s slow to level the rifle without a ball head.

 

[Bland316]

I’m on the fence on ordering a ball head for shooting/hunting but would like to hear some feedback on control while glassing? Seems super sloppy but then again i have no experience with one. I do have a saddle and recently went to arca rails on my rifles but it’s slow to level the rifle without a ball head.

I use a manfrotto befree. It's light weight and has a handle. I have ball heads that work as well, but I like the handle

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[rickjames80]

I am going to give a ball head a try this season. I have played with it a couple times and really like it.

 

[Browninglover1]

A good ball head is a thing of beauty when running an angled spotter. I use a Sirui K40X but it's overkill and a K20X would work really for most of the things I do. Just make sure your ball head has a separate pan adjustment and I really like having a minimum tension screw as well but that's not a deal breaker for me.

 

[Fire_9]

I used a Colorado tripod company small highline ball head this year and was pretty impressed with it

 

[Rent Outdoor Gear]

A ball head is essential for shooting because you have the ability to level the rifle nearly instantly whether the tripod is level or not. A pan head is a poor choice for shooting unless you have time to level the tripod perfectly or have the head mounted to a leveling platform.

A good ball head is also great when paired with an angled spotter when the ball head is in the drop slot giving you independent pan and tilt control. In the upright position with binoculars a good head works well but a cheap ball head with inconsistent tension will drive you nuts.

Best head for shooting is the RRS SOAR Anvil-30. It’s also excellent for glassing and remarkably lightweight for how solid it is. Easily supports and stabilizes a 20 pound PRS rifle, so heavy optics are never an issue. The large lever makes it easier to control and even though it doesn’t have a drop slot like a traditional ball head you can control pan and tilt very precisely with no droop on lock up and super consistent and smooth.

Not cheap, but when your hunt hinges on hitting your target, there’s no comparison.


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[WasatchRanger]

A good ball head is a thing of beauty when running an angled spotter. I use a Sirui K40X but it's overkill and a K20X would work really for most of the things I do. Just make sure your ball head has a separate pan adjustment and I really like having a minimum tension screw as well but that's not a deal breaker for me.

This is perfect - I just picked up a tripod that came with a ball head, and was concerned I was going to have to pay another $70 to upgrade to a decent pan head. Glad to hear guys are using the ball head and enjoying it!

 

[Browninglover1]

This is perfect - I just picked up a tripod that came with a ball head, and was concerned I was going to have to pay another $70 to upgrade to a decent pan head. Glad to hear guys are using the ball head and enjoying it!

It's worth noting they're not as "smooth" as a fluid pan head so if you're videoing with lots of movement they're not the best option but I love the versatility they provide for me. My friends are split 50/50 on whether they prefer one or the other so it's worth giving it a shot before you buy something else.

 

[Flyrodr]

I used to do a lot of nature/wildlife/sports photography with long lenses, and got to use dozens of tripods and heads over the years. IMO, there's nothing that touches RRS/SOAR for quality of build, smoothness, longevity, and size/weight-to-capacity ratio. But they're not cheap. If you're contemplating going that spendy on the head, don't scrimp on a shaky leg set.

 

[ID_Snow]

A ball head is essential for shooting because you have the ability to level the rifle nearly instantly whether the tripod is level or not. A pan head is a poor choice for shooting unless you have time to level the tripod perfectly or have the head mounted to a leveling platform.

A good ball head is also great when paired with an angled spotter when the ball head is in the drop slot giving you independent pan and tilt control. In the upright position with binoculars a good head works well but a cheap ball head with inconsistent tension will drive you nuts.

Best head for shooting is the RRS SOAR Anvil-30. It’s also excellent for glassing and remarkably lightweight for how solid it is. Easily supports and stabilizes a 20 pound PRS rifle, so heavy optics are never an issue. The large lever makes it easier to control and even though it doesn’t have a drop slot like a traditional ball head you can control pan and tilt very precisely with no droop on lock up and super consistent and smooth.

Not cheap, but when your hunt hinges on hitting your target, there’s no comparison.


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I’ve been scouring the internet, and I can’t figure out how the drop slot would come into play while glassing. Would you mind sharing a quick explanation here, or pointing toward a good resource? Is it just helpful with an angled spotter, or could it work for glassing with binoculars too?

Thanks!