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Another tripod option

Hondo64d

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
May 12, 2006
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The Big Country
Got my son an Innorel ST344C tripod with an Innorel N52 ball head for Christmas. of course we had to make sure it arrived in good condition so opened them up to check them out and make sure it was a viable for long range shooting. I was VERY impressed. Tripod is extremely sturdy. Leg locks lock firmly and the thing just doesn’t wobble. The N52 is just as impressive. Very nice machining and extremely smooth travel in all axis. Locks up tight with no movement when needed without excessive knob tightening. My only criticism with the tripod would be the leveling base. Haven’t tried it with a rifle in it but it is pretty much all or nothing in its travel with no happy medium for friction that will allow movement but still hold it in place. That might be different with the weight of a rifle on it. All things considered this combo is a heck of a value.



John
 
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What other systems do you have experience with to say this setup impresses you? Just looking for a bit of context.
 
Not much. I have a lightweight Slik that in comparison to the ST344C, is not nearly as steady. My son previously had an RT90C with a ball head similar to the N52 that also worked very well. Both are head and shoulders above my Slik. This one seems to be just as sturdy as the RT90C. Have you tried the ST344C or the N52 ball head?

John
 
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^ I care. I'm trying as hard as I can to NOT buy stuff made in Chy-na. Currently shopping tripods too.
I love the guys who refuse to by a Chinese made tripod, but have a garage full of tools they got from Home Depot. This virtue signaling for the shooting sports. They don’t give a shit where there $59 dollar drill is made, but draw the line in the sand and pound their feet on the ground when it comes to buying a tripod for a match. Makes me laugh.
 
I love the guys who refuse to by a Chinese made tripod, but have a garage full of tools they got from Home Depot. This virtue signaling for the shooting sports. They don’t give a shit where there $59 dollar drill is made, but draw the line in the sand and pound their feet on the ground when it comes to buying a tripod for a match. Makes me laugh.

At least they draw some sort of line.
 
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I love the guys who refuse to by a Chinese made tripod, but have a garage full of tools they got from Home Depot. This virtue signaling for the shooting sports. They don’t give a shit where there $59 dollar drill is made, but draw the line in the sand and pound their feet on the ground when it comes to buying a tripod for a match. Makes me laugh.
Oops, your assumptions are showing.
 
"Living in the world as it is isn’t an argument against working towards a better future." Who said this? Typed on a computer designed in Cupertino, CA...
 
If the goal is to not buy china made products were all gonna be Naked, Homeless and probly a little hungry real fast im sure!!!!
 
I'm glad I could be of service to brighten your day with a laugh! As I said, I'm TRYING, and then you assumed I have a garage full of Chy-na tools. This whole fucking country is owned by Chy-na so, yes I'm taking a stand....and not just with gun parts. Wish me luck.
Yes, I'm sure I've tools in the garage made in China. Shooting accessories too. Like Earthquake, I'm trying. If I had to buy those tools again, I wouldn't buy Chinese. Now I look closely. Maybe it's not avoidable, but I will try my very best. I know much more now than I knew a year or two ago.
 
Got my son an Innorel ST344C tripod with an Innorel N52 ball head for Christmas. of course we had to make sure it arrived in good condition so opened them up to check them out and make sure it was a viable for long range shooting. I was VERY impressed. Tripod is extremely sturdy. Leg locks lock firmly and the thing just doesn’t wobble. The N52 is just as impressive. Very nice machining and extremely smooth travel in all axis. Locks up tight with no movement when needed without excessive knob tightening. My only criticism with the tripod would be the leveling base. Haven’t tried it with a rifle in it but it is pretty much all or nothing in its travel with no happy medium for friction that will allow movement but still hold it in place. That might be different with the weight of a rifle on it. All things considered this combo is a heck of a value.



John
Any updates on the ball head? Has he used it to shoot yet? I was looking at this exact ball head to use on a pig 0311 tripod.
 
Many of us prefer to avoid made in China crap because we do not want to support our enemies.

But on the other hand when they attack us how ironic will it be when they get plink off with the very same tripods and scopes they made and sold us at a bargin.
 
heres another aspect of the china conversation. yes some stuff even alot of the stuff I own is made in china. BUT if its something Important to me and Quality is important I try to avoid china at all costs. Alot of chinese shit is junk. tho they admittedly have gotten better.
 
Any updates on the ball head? Has he used it to shoot yet? I was looking at this exact ball head to use on a pig 0311 tripod.
My son and I both have this setup now and spent several hours using them with binos and spotters along side a RRS tripod a good friend of ours has. The RRS legs are sturdier , no doubt... But... they are marginally more stable, not anywhere close to what the 3x price difference would have you believe. The Innorel 52mm ball head is very smooth and stable, holding my 15.6 pound match gun without issue. The Arca Swiss adapter works perfectly with the MPA chassis. It is easy to find a friction setting that allows smooth movement yet will hold the rifle’s position when you are done moving it.

For the $, this setup is a no brainer. I, like most, would prefer to be able to buy a RRS setup, but for those of us that can’t afford it, the items linked in the OP are a great option.

John
 
Here’s some pics.

John

2106EF61-FA58-44D2-A07D-8A839FE10A0B.jpeg
C08341FC-43B8-497E-962B-C38A9D1CCF2A.jpeg
DEDE04C6-73E2-41D1-B07B-18E7EF8D8834.jpeg
E54DDA16-A361-419E-848D-37CDC0DE9045.jpeg
 
Nice looking setup.

As for the not buying items from China... I hear you. I also check and try not to buy items made there as much as possible. Sometimes that's not even an option, but I do my best.

For the people saying I'm a hypocrite... fine... one item may not make a difference, especially when I have plenty of other items made there, But some movements have to start small and gain momentum. Just giving in because it's hard or seemingly impossible won't every help us get there.
 
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This thread has got me thinking, I have a Manfrotto Befree and Ive just realized I can mount the rifle that I am building on it (Arca Swiss).

Manfrotto are made in Italy......
 
Kind of late to the party on this one. How would you compare the ST 344C to the RT 90C? Which one packs down smaller?
 
Curious also on the 344c vs RT90c. I like the weight of the 344 but wondering how much that’s going to cost in the sturdiness of it
 
Haven’t compared them side by side to know how the packed dimensions compare, nor the sturdiness. Can only say that having had both rifles and optics on them, I have been impressed by the sturdiness considering the size and weight.

John
 
OMG get off your holier then thou crap. You buy stuff made in China all the time.
I said avoid. I did not say I never buy anything made in China. I avoid buying their crap when I can. Perhaps you need to learn English.
 
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OMG get off your holier then thou crap. You buy stuff made in China all the time.
Sometimes you don’t have a choice, but when you do have a choice you can make that decision. It has nothing to do with holier then thou crap. If you want to buy Chicom crap fill your boots but don’t begrudge others who don’t.
 
@Hondo64d do you know if the RRS Anvil 30 will mount up to the Innorel ST 344C? Just curious if you've researched that at all or not. I've read where midwest offroad makes an adapter plate for the RT 90C, but the 90C is too big for my needs.
 
@Hondo64d do you know if the RRS Anvil 30 will mount up to the Innorel ST 344C? Just curious if you've researched that at all or not. I've read where midwest offroad makes an adapter plate for the RT 90C, but the 90C is too big for my needs.
Wish I could help, but have not researched whether the Anvil 30 will work or could be made to work, so have no idea.

John
 
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I will help keep us on track....

I purchased an RT-90C and an N52 ball head off of Amazon. All items arrived in typical 2 day fashion of other PRIME items and came well packaged and undamaged.

NDA 11.jpg


Initial inspection and review was very positive. The finishing on the parts is very nice and all machining looks good, head comes with a foam lined nylon case and the legs come with a padded shoulder bag which fits them with the head attached.

It is certainly not to the levels of a RRS product but you can't expect that at this price point. The areas where that is most noticeable are on the edges where the parts are finished to a less elegant standard when it comes to the filets on the inside edges or the chamfers on outside edges. Speaking specifically to the ball head, the anodizing is not nearly as robust at a top tier alternative, I would expect this to be similar on the leg anodizing as well.. Even just playing with it at home initially and putting the rifle in and out of the ARCA clamp wore through the anodizing in the seat of the clamp.

The legs appear to be constructed of quality carbon and my highly scientific flicking it with my fingernail and listening to the sound test would indicate that they are of similar thickness to legs from RRS and others. The twist locks on the legs feel and work fantastically and the quality actually initially appears on par with more expensive brands. This is one area that RRS has been hit or miss for me and others I know when their legs, dust seals refusing to stay in place, etc.

Let's talk mating the head and the legs. This was an area where I had to MacGyver things a little bit to get it to work to my standards. The ball head screws down onto a stud and then is assisted from the bottom by two set screws that work to prevent the head from unscrewing (shown here from above)
Annotation 2021-04-06 113123.jpg


The thread mating on the central stud is a bit on the lose side of things which forced me to crank down pretty tight on these set screws to prevent the head from spinning off. This created a new problem where the pressure exerted upwards on the base of the ball head cause it to deflect enough to provide enough interference that it would seize the rotational pivot shown here.
Annotation 2021-04-06 113950.jpg

My solution was to remove the set screws and, using a drill and sharp bit, dimple out the underside of the ball head to give the set screws some lateral lockupwith the head. I got the whole thing assembled with some blue Loctite on the screws and central stud. Everything is rock solid now and the pivot is good to go without the excess pressure.

The head itself is perfectly serviceable and works great given the cost. It was easy for me to dial in an appropriate amount of tension to hold the gun securely but still allow for changing of positions. The knobs turn smoothly and the entire package punches above its price point for sure.

I have used it a few times in the field and at a local PRS match and did not feel that I was hampered in my performance relative to other options. The Anvil 30 head is the industry standard no doubt, but relative to other similarly styled heads I felt this was a great alternative for those seeking something at a lower price point. The legs will not hinder your performance, the only consideration I can see here is long term reliability, potential customer support, and desire to buy USA.

My final verdict is, buy with confidence. Hard to beat at this price and competitive at double its cost.
 
I will help keep us on track....

I purchased an RT-90C and an N52 ball head off of Amazon. All items arrived in typical 2 day fashion of other PRIME items and came well packaged and undamaged.

View attachment 7598773

Initial inspection and review was very positive. The finishing on the parts is very nice and all machining looks good, head comes with a foam lined nylon case and the legs come with a padded shoulder bag which fits them with the head attached.

It is certainly not to the levels of a RRS product but you can't expect that at this price point. The areas where that is most noticeable are on the edges where the parts are finished to a less elegant standard when it comes to the filets on the inside edges or the chamfers on outside edges. Speaking specifically to the ball head, the anodizing is not nearly as robust at a top tier alternative, I would expect this to be similar on the leg anodizing as well.. Even just playing with it at home initially and putting the rifle in and out of the ARCA clamp wore through the anodizing in the seat of the clamp.

The legs appear to be constructed of quality carbon and my highly scientific flicking it with my fingernail and listening to the sound test would indicate that they are of similar thickness to legs from RRS and others. The twist locks on the legs feel and work fantastically and the quality actually initially appears on par with more expensive brands. This is one area that RRS has been hit or miss for me and others I know when their legs, dust seals refusing to stay in place, etc.

Let's talk mating the head and the legs. This was an area where I had to MacGyver things a little bit to get it to work to my standards. The ball head screws down onto a stud and then is assisted from the bottom by two set screws that work to prevent the head from unscrewing (shown here from above)
View attachment 7598765

The thread mating on the central stud is a bit on the lose side of things which forced me to crank down pretty tight on these set screws to prevent the head from spinning off. This created a new problem where the pressure exerted upwards on the base of the ball head cause it to deflect enough to provide enough interference that it would seize the rotational pivot shown here.
View attachment 7598770
My solution was to remove the set screws and, using a drill and sharp bit, dimple out the underside of the ball head to give the set screws some lateral lockupwith the head. I got the whole thing assembled with some blue Loctite on the screws and central stud. Everything is rock solid now and the pivot is good to go without the excess pressure.

The head itself is perfectly serviceable and works great given the cost. It was easy for me to dial in an appropriate amount of tension to hold the gun securely but still allow for changing of positions. The knobs turn smoothly and the entire package punches above its price point for sure.

I have used it a few times in the field and at a local PRS match and did not feel that I was hampered in my performance relative to other options. The Anvil 30 head is the industry standard no doubt, but relative to other similarly styled heads I felt this was a great alternative for those seeking something at a lower price point. The legs will not hinder your performance, the only consideration I can see here is long term reliability, potential customer support, and desire to buy USA.

My final verdict is, buy with confidence. Hard to beat at this price and competitive at double its cost.
Can you hook us up with some pictures please? My infantry brain doesnt understand your fix. Thanks brother
 
Welp, I bit the bullet and bought an innorel ST344C tripod as it checked all the boxes for weight, heights, etc. With this tripod's purpose being used for 90% hunting related activities, I figured what the heck.
I wanted to use an Anvil 30 with this commie pod so I ordered an RRS series 3 adapter plate in hopes that it would work. It kind of does but doesn't fit extremely tight so I had to get creative. I ended up getting a 3" long 3/8-16 stud to use with the included handle and put an O-ring on the bottom of the adapter plate under the lip. Surprisingly, it is actually really damn snug and no wiggle at all. Pictured is my 12 lb 6.5 and the 14.5 lb 300wm hanging from the pic rail (waiting for arca plates to arrive). Seems sturdy enough. I will take it to the range this weekend and see how it goes. If it doesn't workout, thankfully the commie pod has a 30 day rental policy and I can return for a refund through Amazon.
 

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