Rise! Rise up!
For those that have an interest in supported standing shooting, I found the following rewarding. I have now had the good fortune to try out a number of tripods and head assemblies. Saddles? Check. Rail locks? Check. Rotating heads, ball heads, shaft and plate, squeeze handles? check, check, check. My experience is that with every assembly one finds they can bring the rifle to bear and, by applying slight pressure above and beyond “lock-up”, a hold can be had. Fluid sight realignment, accurate repetition of applied pressure and number of required hand actions vary greatly between units. One device I have found is uniquely different and this thread is on that product. It is faster, more accommodating, lighter, and simpler.
Three things to declare right up front.
First, weight is not an issue for me. I use with great success a five pound highly articulated head that I have written about here in the past. That unit has allowed me to mount my heavy rigs high off the ground and get great results. The rig I am about to write about, mounted on a light weight tripod is going to bring your tripod weight in at exactly one pound over whatever your tripod weighs now. The truth of it is that if your weigh sensitive, you do not need this (or any other head) unit as a simple Bog/Prios/etc with a “Y Head” will work and gets you there for a few pounds. I have used light tripods for years and they can be perfect. Lately, when I use a tripod I want as rock solid a set-up as I can manage. Right now, my favorite set-up comes in at 8 pounds ( Manfrotto twin shanks.)
Second, this unit comes from Botach. For some that will be the end of the discussion as they simply will not buy from Botach. Personally, over many years, I have not had a single bad event with them if I follow two simple rules, call them to order, ask them to check inventory. If I do that, I save hundreds and get what I want quickly. There are some products that are uniquely theirs and this is one. Designed in house by them, made by them. This product is sold throughout the world and has ended up on tripods and static mounts.
No they are not a Hide sponsor.
What makes this device very different is a flexible tension shaft held in a housing of Buna-N (Nitrile) directly below the head assembly. Buna-N is tough stuff and combined with a high tension spring inside, creates a rather remarkable malleable “gooseneck.” When mounted, bending the gooseneck requires significant force and, remarkably, holds that shape until bent back. It takes a “set.” To bend it with your hands is tough; adding the leverage of a rifle makes it smooth but still active tension. Any angle, roll or yaw or roll can be applied. Add to that complete 360 rotation due to a fitting at the base and a speed, spring loaded rail latch with positive tension-to-lock at the top and you have a head assembly unlike any other I have used. It all weighs one pound and supports up to a 20 pound rig. If you need a saddle, a “center adjustable” saddle is available too.
If we start at the bottom we find a 3/8x16 thread in hardened steel with wrench flats. This lower head is actually a 360 degree coupling that allows for all above it to be swiveled. The flats are important as the unit has to be torqued down to enable the swiveling without “undoing” the unit from the tripod head. Like the rest of this gooseneck, you have to lean into the rotation as everything is set with drag. Above the base is a body of Buna-N housing the gooseneck coil. That comprises approximately 4” of flex, again hard flex. Above that is either a quick snap rail or adjustable saddle. The rail head is approximately 2 1/4“ long. There are three locking lugs for a standard 1913, two of them are “tabs” and one is made up by the compression knob thread shaft assembly. Lock-up is finished with a couple of twists of the knob assembly. The head is aluminum properly coated. I own the rail assembly.
Before the pics, a couple of last thoughts. What is different about this unit is that everything moves, requires no twisting of handles or squeezing of levers to actuate cant, roll or rotation. It is an odd sensation at first, one leans into the hold only to find that when you get there, you can let off as it will “set.” It’s the “set” that is unique to all the other units I have used.
I don’t work with/for these folks, never spoke to anybody there by the guy that took my order.
Their drawing (website) with their error as the unit's 3/8" thread top attaches to the head...not the tripod
Their dude’s hand model with their adjustable center saddle rig.
Vid
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRP7ZySDx5Y
Links
Saddle
http://www.botachtactical.com/kzclamp.html
Rail
http://www.botachtactical.com/kzusagonesns.html
For those that have an interest in supported standing shooting, I found the following rewarding. I have now had the good fortune to try out a number of tripods and head assemblies. Saddles? Check. Rail locks? Check. Rotating heads, ball heads, shaft and plate, squeeze handles? check, check, check. My experience is that with every assembly one finds they can bring the rifle to bear and, by applying slight pressure above and beyond “lock-up”, a hold can be had. Fluid sight realignment, accurate repetition of applied pressure and number of required hand actions vary greatly between units. One device I have found is uniquely different and this thread is on that product. It is faster, more accommodating, lighter, and simpler.
Three things to declare right up front.
First, weight is not an issue for me. I use with great success a five pound highly articulated head that I have written about here in the past. That unit has allowed me to mount my heavy rigs high off the ground and get great results. The rig I am about to write about, mounted on a light weight tripod is going to bring your tripod weight in at exactly one pound over whatever your tripod weighs now. The truth of it is that if your weigh sensitive, you do not need this (or any other head) unit as a simple Bog/Prios/etc with a “Y Head” will work and gets you there for a few pounds. I have used light tripods for years and they can be perfect. Lately, when I use a tripod I want as rock solid a set-up as I can manage. Right now, my favorite set-up comes in at 8 pounds ( Manfrotto twin shanks.)
Second, this unit comes from Botach. For some that will be the end of the discussion as they simply will not buy from Botach. Personally, over many years, I have not had a single bad event with them if I follow two simple rules, call them to order, ask them to check inventory. If I do that, I save hundreds and get what I want quickly. There are some products that are uniquely theirs and this is one. Designed in house by them, made by them. This product is sold throughout the world and has ended up on tripods and static mounts.
No they are not a Hide sponsor.
What makes this device very different is a flexible tension shaft held in a housing of Buna-N (Nitrile) directly below the head assembly. Buna-N is tough stuff and combined with a high tension spring inside, creates a rather remarkable malleable “gooseneck.” When mounted, bending the gooseneck requires significant force and, remarkably, holds that shape until bent back. It takes a “set.” To bend it with your hands is tough; adding the leverage of a rifle makes it smooth but still active tension. Any angle, roll or yaw or roll can be applied. Add to that complete 360 rotation due to a fitting at the base and a speed, spring loaded rail latch with positive tension-to-lock at the top and you have a head assembly unlike any other I have used. It all weighs one pound and supports up to a 20 pound rig. If you need a saddle, a “center adjustable” saddle is available too.
If we start at the bottom we find a 3/8x16 thread in hardened steel with wrench flats. This lower head is actually a 360 degree coupling that allows for all above it to be swiveled. The flats are important as the unit has to be torqued down to enable the swiveling without “undoing” the unit from the tripod head. Like the rest of this gooseneck, you have to lean into the rotation as everything is set with drag. Above the base is a body of Buna-N housing the gooseneck coil. That comprises approximately 4” of flex, again hard flex. Above that is either a quick snap rail or adjustable saddle. The rail head is approximately 2 1/4“ long. There are three locking lugs for a standard 1913, two of them are “tabs” and one is made up by the compression knob thread shaft assembly. Lock-up is finished with a couple of twists of the knob assembly. The head is aluminum properly coated. I own the rail assembly.
Before the pics, a couple of last thoughts. What is different about this unit is that everything moves, requires no twisting of handles or squeezing of levers to actuate cant, roll or rotation. It is an odd sensation at first, one leans into the hold only to find that when you get there, you can let off as it will “set.” It’s the “set” that is unique to all the other units I have used.
I don’t work with/for these folks, never spoke to anybody there by the guy that took my order.
Their drawing (website) with their error as the unit's 3/8" thread top attaches to the head...not the tripod
Their dude’s hand model with their adjustable center saddle rig.
Vid
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRP7ZySDx5Y
Links
Saddle
http://www.botachtactical.com/kzclamp.html
Rail
http://www.botachtactical.com/kzusagonesns.html
