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Spotting scope tripod
Posted: Thu May 30, 2019 7:00 pm
by 20series
Peeps
Looking for recommendations for a decent tripod please??
I'm 6'2 so looking for something I can get an angled eyepiece spotting scope on without bending and is sturdy.
Not looking to sell a kidney but don't mind paying for value.
Cheers
Alan
Re: Spotting scope tripod
Posted: Thu May 30, 2019 9:42 pm
by ukrifleman
Try your local charity shops!
A shooting buddy just picked a really sturdy tripod for a tenner from his local charity shop.
ukrifleman.
Re: Spotting scope tripod
Posted: Thu May 30, 2019 10:22 pm
by Strangely Brown
I would start by looking at the Manfrotto 055 range, fully extended you shouldn't have to bend to look through your scope.
Re: Spotting scope tripod
Posted: Thu May 30, 2019 10:28 pm
by The Gun Pimp
The Ewing is as good as it gets but Mik at Dolphin has a good substitute
Re: Spotting scope tripod
Posted: Fri May 31, 2019 5:34 am
by 20series
Cheers all
Re: Spotting scope tripod
Posted: Fri May 31, 2019 11:30 am
by rox
20series wrote:I'm 6'2 so looking for something I can get an angled eyepiece spotting scope on without bending and is sturdy.
Are you looking for something to use standing on an open range (i.e. without a bench)? For that role I use a 2-stage Manfrotto 351MVB video tripod with mid-level spreader plus a 516 fluid head. Very steady, and great for panning to see what's happening on other targets (with the vertical locked), but a massive lump to lug around. A much lighter/cheaper fluid head would suffice for a 'scope.
For shooting (prone or bench) or coaching (seated) I have a Freelander, an improved Ewing Clone, and a Crispin Engineering stand. I used Freelanders for decades and particularly liked the screw adjustment for elevation (to get widest field of view across the centre and to put the target in the best part of the glass while in-position). The Freelander is quite heavy, and not so stable when elevated for seated/coaching, so I recently switched to a Ewing clone (bought from Ellesmere Target Sports). The Ewing clone is strong, stable and easy to adjust, but is a little heavy if you’re trying to trim weight for air travel. The Crispin stand is incredibly light and perfect for touring overseas. In being so light it gives-up a little stability, and the simplified adjustment is not as flexible as the Ewing or Freelander with their independent elevation adjusters. All 3 have extensions for coaching seated. At a push I can stand with the extended Ewing, but it's getting a little unstable and requires a little neck bend.
