Budget Tripod Saddle

[Modoc]

Good evening all, I am starting to dip my toes into a higher level of precision shooting coming from a hunting and action shooting background. The majority of my rifles are traditional sporter/hunting stocks except for my heavy 22-250 built in the ‘80’s from an Argentine Mauser.
I already have two good tripods, a Manfrotto Beefree Carbonfiber with ball head and a Bogen (by Manfrotto) 3221 with a tri-axis head.

I am interested in some form of budget saddle that I can use on these to get started. Scamazon has a bunch of options starting in the sub $50 range and going up through the Pig/hog saddle. I don’t want to get junk, but would rather spend my funds on ammunition components or glass. Trigger time and being able to see the target are higher priority for me than a handy accessory.

 

[DirtDart]

I tried the arca rail attached directly to the stock. Not good to be tied to a tripod when u have swing left and right. I cut a 8” long pice of 3 “ pvc. Then cut in half and rubber cement some neoprene to it inside. Added said arca rail to the the pvc in the middle of the bottom. Krylon it and your done
Works well with my ai chassis. This pic was hands free

 

[SokekSolutions]

Modoc,

Many folks are moving away from being clipped in (like DirtDart said above). Have you looked into the flat plates (Tac Tables) that are on the market?

 

[Modoc]

Modoc,

Many folks are moving away from being clipped in (like DirtDart said above). Have you looked into the flat plates (Tac Tables) that are on the market?

I haven’t really looked at them yet. one of my good friends has offered me the loan of his BogPod to try out.

There seem to be trade offs no matter which way you go: weight, stability, ability to react, etc. Since I’m primarily varmint and deer hunting, the Tac Table may be a better solution for ease of removing the rifle and shifting position. Of course I would probably have to drop the backup shotgun for the tripod there.

 

[Dough300]

Have a Reaper Grip on a SLIK Pro 700 DX tripod. Use it only for hunting. Makes standing and sitting shots rock steady. Aluminum but not that heavy. Got mine from Amazon a while back for $109, I think.

 

[paulrem308]

Recently picked up the bog pod with saddle Haven't used a tripod for shooting, so got this to see what the fuss is all about. So far I like it. Really like the sadle, wide enough should fit wide range of stocks and can clamp it down as much as you need to. It's no where near rrs but gives me something to go off of when time to upgrade.