Rear rest when shooting from tripod?

[hereinaz]

As others have mentioned, the RRS is the gold standard. I didn't want to spend that much so I bought one from two vets. It is amazing.

Before I had the Sirui that is well liked here. It is good but the stability is no where near as good as the better tripods. I shot out to 800 yesterday standing and it was easy.

Don't forget the head is important too.

It really is amazing how stable a good tripod is, and if the head locks up solid, shooting is a piece of cake.

 

[Juan_ID]

I assume that your spotter was on tight, or you may hesitate to do that again.
Note: that looks like the outdoorsmans fluid head. I just used mine for the first time. Took a little getting used to over their micro pan head, but I foresee it getting a lot of use.

It was tight enough to not fall off. When the bull stepped out I just went into go mode and did anything I could to get my wife a good setup for the shot. And it worked out for her fortunately. It is actually a sirui va5 not an outdoorsmans. I have zero complaints with they head

 

[hereinaz]

This has only been utilized once for us but a couple years ago I setup my wife on the tripod and used a pair of hiking poles as a rear rest. It made for a very stable platform, I would not hesitate to do it again. Here’s a pic just before she took the shot.
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That is a great solution. I know guys that do the exact same thing. But, they carry one of my Hunter's Mini Tacky bags to throw on the head so that they get a better front support that doesn't bounce or move as much. We carry one and use it all sorts of ways. It works great as a pillow too.

www.thunderbirdlongrange.com

 

[Nateskate11]

Honestly there are alot of times where you could use your backpack as rear support. If I am at the range or shooting a match I will run a full rear bag. However, in the field you can often wedge your pack up underneath your armpit. A good tripod should do most of the work but it cant ever hurt to add a bit of support.

 

[Boosted8]

Following.


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[justin davis]

Is there a trick to recoil and tripod. I recently got a bigger tripod that can handle rifle. Arca Swiss plate. Love how stable it is. But wondering tricks to accuracy

 

[hereinaz]

Is there a trick to recoil and tripod. I recently got a heavy duty tripod. Love how stable it is.

Get your weight behind the rifle and square up to the rifle. Learn "recoil management" techniques. You can watch good YouTube videos on it.

Shooting from a tripod and even the way you clamp into the rifle, where it clamps on, the direction the legs face, etc. all impact the way the rifle recoils. Its best to find a way and master it. You can always count on impacts being higher with a tripod. And, the less you control recoil the higher you will miss.

 

[justin davis]

Get your weight behind the rifle and square up to the rifle. Learn "recoil management" techniques. You can watch good YouTube videos on it.

Shooting from a tripod and even the way you clamp into the rifle, where it clamps on, the direction the legs face, etc. all impact the way the rifle recoils. Its best to find a way and master it. You can always count on impacts being higher with a tripod. And, the less you control recoil the higher you will miss.

Interesting. Ok thanks

 

[Tullis94]

Any suggestions on acra rails to mount to a mcmillan and AG composite? Looking at the salmon river solutions and area 419. What about length. Is 4" long enough?

 

[manitou1]

Honestly there are alot of times where you could use your backpack as rear support. If I am at the range or shooting a match I will run a full rear bag. However, in the field you can often wedge your pack up underneath your armpit. A good tripod should do most of the work but it cant ever hurt to add a bit of support.

This^^^

 

[EdP]

I find it quite easy to sit cross legged with my rifle on the tripod and daypack on top of my legs filling the space up to the buttstock. It makes a very steady rest. I can do the same with my frame backpack with it sitting on the ground instead of my legs.

 

[hereinaz]

I was at the range this morning, so figured I’d just punctuate my previous posts. I shot 5-shots from the prone with bipod and rear bag, then 5-shots sitting clipped-in to tripod without a rear rest. I’m shooting factory Hornady ELD-M ammo. No change in POI, no difference in group size.

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Is your 6mm set up as your hunting rifle?

 

[NickKreutz]

Im not sure its applicable to your type of hunting, but when i'm hunting coyotes, im using one of those low turkey style chairs and shoot off of treking poles. For long shots, i hook my elbow over the chair back and rest the rear of the gun on the chair back a bit as well. its comfortable and very stable. If you are doing more of a sit and wait/ambush hunt, want to be comfortable, and hunting close enough to a road to carry one in, i would recommend it.

 

[justin davis]

I was at the range this morning, so figured I’d just punctuate my previous posts. I shot 5-shots from the prone with bipod and rear bag, then 5-shots sitting clipped-in to tripod without a rear rest. I’m shooting factory Hornady ELD-M ammo. No change in POI, no difference in group size.

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That’s some good shooting dang

 

[justin davis]

I’ll take the compliment. But my point with this (or the majority of my posts) is that I’m a nobody, without any special background, that shoots factory ammo, and there’s nothing special about what I’m doing.

I completely disagree with the previous comment that you can count on shooting high from a tripod. I do agree that recoil management is the problem. If you see that you are shooting up/down/left/right from a tripod, that target is screaming that there’s shooter error (it’s not a gear issue). Better gear might solve, or help to solve, a precision issue, but accuracy is on the shooter (in the context of this thread). Especially if you are missing over the top of a big game animal - that’s without a doubt a shooter problem.

Ok cool. I plan to do some shooting from tripod and test it out

 

[hereinaz]

I’ll take the compliment. But my point with this (or the majority of my posts) is that I’m a nobody, without any special background, that shoots factory ammo, and there’s nothing special about what I’m doing.

I completely disagree with the previous comment that you can count on shooting high from a tripod. I do agree that recoil management is the problem. If you see that you are shooting up/down/left/right from a tripod, that target is screaming that there’s shooter error (it’s not a gear issue). Better gear might solve, or help to solve, a precision issue, but accuracy is on the shooter (in the context of this thread). Especially if you are missing over the top of a big game animal - that’s without a doubt a shooter problem.

What I meant is without practice you can count on shooting high and get vertical spread. And, it’s the recoil that does it. It can be controlled.

Good shooting. You are doing a lot right, whether you know it or not. And, I don’t disagree much. It is shooter error. You probably have got the form down to avoid the errors that compound up to magnums. It’s clear you aren’t just a random nobody, you might not be professional but you know things most people don’t.

I have seen a personal difference between shooting my 6mm, 6.5mm and my 7mm off the tripod. Recoil is what does it, and a magnum makes enough difference, especially in a light hunting rifle. I practiced a lot with my 6mm, but I needed more with my 7mm.

 

[eoperator]

For me 6cm has no dicernable high poi shift, but 300/215gr does tend to impact high.
I am moving away from center/balance point tripod mount, forend mount with a pack or treking pole rear support gives me better results.

 

[Lawnboi]

The key is to practice with what you got as well. Reason being the Kraft drill is so valuable when doing this is you can see what happens when you leave the ground.

Group size, and how you attach or create a rest is very dependent on the stability of your tripod/body position as well.

I can get away with a front mounted tripod, but my body mechanics need to be nailed down.

I don’t often practice the rear support style of shooting because I find it too time consuming to get into a position like that. Also trying to scramble for a rear support when on broken ground makes it even more complicated.

 

[eoperator]

@eoperator how high is high? Are you talking one tenth, or a mil, or what?

At 100yrds no difference, 400yrds I end up with random fliers 2" high that are most likely attributed to recoil management as you stated above with 300wm/215gr 6lb10oz (bare rifle). Forend tripod mount with pack rear support seems to minimize the fliers for me.

I am using a 3 leg section tripod that simply folding out legs (without extending) and stuffing my pack under rear of rifle is fairly quick & high enough to shoot over grass/brush.

 

[hereinaz]

@eoperator how high is high? Are you talking one tenth, or a mil, or what?

@hereinaz to utterly beat this dead horse, here’s the same exercise from my primary hunting rifle, a light(ish) weight 7RM, shooting factory Federal loaded 168 Berger Hybrid Hunters. New lot of ammo, so zero isn’t “perfect”. Top is prone, bottom is sitting without a rear rest.
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Precision is the same. Elevation difference from POA to POI is the same. A little bit of error to the left when sitting, which is 100% my own issue.

Next time you are at the range, grab three scrubs and have them shoot off the tripod without giving any instructions except aim at the center and shoot a group.

That will test my hypothesis.

Unless you control for recoil, a magnum will shoot high off a tripod.