Tripod Shooting Positions and Western Hunting

[Salmon River Solutions]

I’m starting this thread as a guide for those who are wanting to take full advantage of using a tripod as a shooting platform. As someone who always has a tripod for glassing, it was an easy transition to start using it to shoot off of. This drove me to start making rails to help everyone else take advantage of this!

I will try to cover something weekly, from shooting positions, to what tripod heads and leg combos I’ve seen used the most, and the pros and cons of these such as weight, stability, and flexibility of use.

Up first, we have the good ol’ prone position.

In the photos I am at a range, but it is a good example of an uphill shot where the tripod is taking the place of a “tall bipod”. It’s much more stable than a tall bipod would be in this position. If you notice the position of the arca rail (SRS arca+pic rail) it’s pretty far forward on the stock. In other shooting positions with a tripod having the rifle balanced (usually close to the front action screw) is ideal. This is one of the few situations I find it much more stable to have it further away. Put in the field I call this “shooting off a shelf”, where your on a flat area you can lay, but your rifle extends onto a drop off or steep slope.

If you are running a tripod without a center post, you can use it in place of a bipod in flatter shooting position.

Thanks @Ryan Avery for snapping the photos and letting me use one of your tripod setups!

Lots more to come,

Ken

 

[XLR]

While wearing a WPR hat are you even able to make any impacts??
@Ryan Avery any confirmation?
Tripod shooting and actually practicing can open up so many potential opportunities! Look forward to seeing more posts on testing equipment and results!!

 

[Salmon River Solutions]

While wearing a WPR hat are you even able to make any impacts??
@Ryan Avery any confirmation?
Tripod shooting and actually practicing can open up so many potential opportunities! Look forward to seeing more posts on testing equipment and results!!

The Whaley hat is +5 accuracy points, being around Ryan is -5 accuracy points… so they cancelled each other out.

I’ll probably still be updating this thread into the winter, should have a bunch of pics with an Element 4.0 MG by then too! just waiting for the BAT vampire inlet patiently

 

[JohnJohnson]

That's a cool position for sure, especially with mildly angled shots on game above you.

 

[TNKnoxville]

The last 3 years in CO I've shot off a tripod Primos trigger stick. I know its not super fancy but it makes for a solid rest. I've got a bad back so I can't lay prone very well so I sit. I practice in the yard sitting in different positions, looking straight on, up, down and learned how each affected how I needed to adjust. This really helped when sitting on a very steep slope in 18 inches of snow braced by some oak brush to make a 505 yard shot on an elk. Shot was spot on. But without all the practice on the different positions I would never had been able to make it. The other guy that was with us only practiced shooting prone. Didn't work on this slope and missed a bull elk numerous times as he never shot in a sitting position.

Keep the tips coming!!!!!! Would love to learn more.

 

[Marmots]

I bought one of your arca mini rails with the intent to mount it in front of the action screw on my tikka. I've been fiddling with the rail for a few days while I procrastinated drilling my stock, and at one point for kicks and giggles I bolted the mini rail into the front sling stud mount.

I was stuck on having the mount close to the balance point of the rifle, but I think you're really on to something with the rail mounted far forward on the stock. In actual field positions it's a very quick and forgiving setup. The majority of the shots I've taken in Idaho have been at some sort of significant uphill or downhill angle.

I'll be ordering one of your arca+pic rail setups for the fore end of my mountain rifle and mounting the arca mini rail in front of the magwell of an AR that gets shot in sage flats.

 

[Salmon River Solutions]

Heres a position I was setup in today. It’s all lava rock / lava flows down here and makes it extremely hard to get a good shot position. With a small flat’ish area I was able to lay prone on, and have the tripod setup on some super uneven rocks about 1.5 feet below me. I only had my 10x binos with me and wanted to get a better look at something with the scope.

I was very surprised how stable it was, although extremely uncomfortable to lay on that lava rock!

In extremely uneven terrain such as this, it makes a huge difference having tripod legs that have multiple locking positions. The promaster I’m using has 3 and I was using all of them.

It takes a while to get used to setting the tripod up on awkward terrain but if you practice it’s pretty fast. Another thing to get comfortable with is the amount of tension you want on the head. I am using a ball head in the photo, and had the tension set tight enough that the gun wouldn’t want to move under a slight amount of pressure. This lets me get the rifle positioned with more force, but then let everything “settle” when I’m on target.

 

[Lawnboi]

The beauty of a solid tripod designed for shooting, and an appropriate head is you really don’t have to get too creative when setting up. Just put it at seated height and give er. Keeps it simple! Part of the reason I spent the big bucks on a tripod.

I used your small rail shooting prairie dogs this spring all seated. It was some of the best tripod practice I had. If you can minimize the rise of that center column if at all possible it will help with stability immensely. Until then your going to have to continue to finaggle rear support imo.

 

[204guy]

I was very surprised how stable it was, although extremely uncomfortable to lay on that lava rock!


View attachment 312850

Ha, I can picture the road rash on my chest and elbows after justifying to myself why it would worth it to shoot from there.

 

[LonePeak]

old post but what tripods are you guys using here?

 

[MT_Wyatt]

old post but what tripods are you guys using here?

First post is a Leofoto Mr Q, probably a 324.

 

[Salmon River Solutions]

We run Leofoto now. We’re going to be a dealer soon actually.

I use a SC 324 for comp shooting and hunting.

 

[LonePeak]

Thanks for the quick reply, going to be running the arca+pic plate on my pure precision stock. Just waiting for it to be delivered