Thoughts on SLIK 634 Pro for Shooting Tripod?

[philcox]

I have the SLIK 634 Pro with the VA-5 Head. I was wondering if anyone has experience with this as a shooting tripod? I have this as my glassing tripod, and am thinking I'd like to use it as my shooting tripod in the field (if/when needed). Just curious if anyone has done this, and if the setup has held up. I am looking at 6.5 CM range recoil. Setup is a couple fold:

• Spartan Precision ARCA adapter mounted on the ARCA plate, then Spartan Connectors on rile on that
• Direct ARCA mount on XLR Chassi

Any input is appreciated. I will post here what I find out as well.

Thanks,

Phil

 

[HNTR918]

I've done this.
The acra clamp doesn't hold the recoil.
Also, you need a leveling plate to get the rifle level.

 

[atmat]

634 isn’t super stable. If you can get behind it without any of the legs extended you’ll be okay.

No experience with the VA5.

Without a ball head, dealing with cant isn’t feasible, which will limit distance.

 

[id_jon]

What range and level of precision are you looking for? Best way is to test on paper at 100 yards. I've shot off a 634 a little bit, then a 733, each with a Jim White pan head. It's doable, but less ideal than shooting specific setups.

 

[philcox]

Appreciate all the input. Seems like this is a "last resort" option ...

 

[Brandon.miller.4]

I tried to make the va-5 work...long story short, get a ball head if you want to be able to shoot off of it

 

[ehayes]

I think it’s smart to use the equipment in the field positions you anticipate the tripod being used on your hunt
Check your cone of impacts from each position. Think Kraft drill.
If you are happy with the advantages/limitations of your system. Stick with it. If you aren’t happy there are obvious better choices on this forum. But they also come with pros/cons. Weight and packability seem to be the two biggest trades off. And money of course.

 

[philcox]

I tried to make the va-5 work...long story short, get a ball head if you want to be able to shoot off of it

Which did you end up with?

 

[Gila]

Slik 634 is awfully light to shoot from. I think it was designed for a small digital camera. But using something like a Canon SLR with a telephoto even…no way.

I tried to go as light as I could with a tripod and still get a stable platform. I want to shoot and glass from the same tripod using a panning ball head. Anyway my new spotter is a little Maven CS1. My rifle is 9 lbs scoped and loaded. I went with the Innorel tripod RT75C which is about as light as I think will be stable. Even at that maybe 500-600 yds is about all I can expect. I went with the Innorel N44 ball head. Gonna try it for both shooting and glassing with the Maven. For shooting that ball head should work well. But if I can’t get it to glass well I will go with a fluid pan head and just switch in the field.

I can easily pull out the center piece in the field and just get a spare plate then switch heads. I need to get this all figured out while scouting though. Not to high jack….but has anyone had experience trying to use the N44 ball head with a small spotter?

 

[philcox]

Slik 634 is awfully light to shoot from. I think it was designed for a small digital camera. But using something like a Canon SLR with a telephoto even…no way.

I tried to go as light as I could with a tripod and still get a stable platform. I want to shoot and glass from the same tripod using a panning ball head. Anyway my new spotter is a little Maven CS1. My rifle is 9 lbs scoped and loaded. I went with the Innorel tripod RT75C which is about as light as I think will be stable. Even at that maybe 500-600 yds is about all I can expect. I went with the Innorel N44 ball head. Gonna try it for both shooting and glassing with the Maven. For shooting that ball head should work well. But if I can’t get it to glass well I will go with a fluid pan head and just switch in the field.

I can easily pull out the center piece in the field and just get a spare plate then switch heads. I need to get this all figured out while scouting though. Not to high jack….but has anyone had experience trying to use the N44 ball head with a small spotter?

Very nice. I am going to try something similar. See if I can get a setup I like, then will sell the Slik 634 and VA5 to recoup some fund. Never considered shooting from a tripod when I got the setup.

 

[Gila]

Very nice. I am going to try something similar. See if I can get a setup I like, then will sell the Slik 634 and VA5 to recoup some fund. Never considered shooting from a tripod when I got the setup.

The RT85C is a very stable tripod but it weighs more. It’s a trade off really. Where i am Elk hunting this year the elk are pushed back into the high draws and ravines because it is open country. Finding a bedded bull is the ticket. So a spotter is essential. But I need to shave off some ounces to get in there. Sometimes the grass is tall so using a tall bipod while sitting is the other option but at the cost of humping in more weight. I need to go as light as I can for each day hunt. Anyway, that is my impetus to using the tripod for both.

I’ll buy the VA-5 from ya if the N44 doesn’t glass well. I think it will, but testing in the field next couple of weeks will prove it out.

 

[Tmac]

I’d try one of these on that tripod before putting lots of $ into a marginal system.

https://www.amazon.com/Hammers-Attachment-Positional-Precision-Shooting/dp/B076NZM5RR

 

[philcox]

I am actually "re thinking" my situation. In reality, my tripod will be used for glassing 99.99% of the time. Of my last 4 opportunities on deer, one was off hand (78y) and too quick for a tripod setup, 2 were from prone position (so no tripod needed), and one would have benefitted from a tripod.

I have shot off my Silk/VA-5 setup and it works fine. I don't think that it would last doing it a lot. I am going to get a "cheap" tripod setup I can practice off, and then in the field I will use my current setup IF the opportunity arises. I don't see the need to carry an extra 2lbs if I can use it in the rare case it is possible. Also, I think I am more likely to be in a position to use my quikstix that my tripod for a shot anyway. Time will tell, but I appreciate all the input, gave me a lot to think about.

 

[mcseal2]

I've shot off mine with the Outdoorsman's head and rifle rest set up atop it. It works well for me. It's not locking the gun in though.

 

[Gila]

Slik 634 is awfully light to shoot from. I think it was designed for a small digital camera. But using something like a Canon SLR with a telephoto even…no way.

I tried to go as light as I could with a tripod and still get a stable platform. I want to shoot and glass from the same tripod using a panning ball head. Anyway my new spotter is a little Maven CS1. My rifle is 9 lbs scoped and loaded. I went with the Innorel tripod RT75C which is about as light as I think will be stable. Even at that maybe 500-600 yds is about all I can expect. I went with the Innorel N44 ball head. Gonna try it for both shooting and glassing with the Maven. For shooting that ball head should work well. But if I can’t get it to glass well I will go with a fluid pan head and just switch in the field.

I can easily pull out the center piece in the field and just get a spare plate then switch heads. I need to get this all figured out while scouting though. Not to high jack….but has anyone had experience trying to use the N44 ball head with a small spotter?

Well I took the rig hunting. The Innorel N44 is a very smoothe, panning ball head. The RT75C is a rock solid tripod and easy to deploy. The rig works very well with my little Maven spotter. I could move it around with one hand and get on the focus ring with the other. There was no creep at all. When the ball was tightened down the scope didn’t move at all. I don’t think a fluid head would give me anything more than what the N44 ball head gives me.

Shooting with the rig was a different story. I pulled the center of the tripod out and put a Sunwayfoto saddle on top of the N44 ball head. The rifle saddle is machined aluminum and quite heavy. Once the rifle was locked in and the ball head tightened down; the rifle wasn’t going anywhere. I was sitting on a deadfall and tried to use my pack as a rear bag. I had a small bean bag (butt pillow) on top of the pack which helped. I am not the youngest, nor am I as steady I used to be, but 400 yards is about the max I felt comfortable with. I have done better sitting with a bipod. The N44 was right there and very steady though.

I think I could do better if I work on my stance and attach an arca rail instead of using a saddle. However, I have to pull the tripod out of the back of the pack to deploy it and it takes more time to setup then a good bipod does.. Also, it is just too heavy for a day pack with a rifle. These days, the lighter the pack, the further I can go. I am going back to the bi-pod and shoot prone off the pack if I need more range.