Precision Rifle Gear Real world tripod stability expectations

[Freediver111]

I’m relatively new to tripod shooting. I compete in local matches and hunt, but just being honest that it’s only been a year since getting my first “good” shooting tripod set-up.

I didn’t F up and got a RRS anvil 30 head. No complaints there. Where I might have F-d is going with a Leofoto sa-324 for the legs, but that kind of depends if my expectations are too high or maybe it’s my lack of practice being steady on a tripod while standing.

I plan on buying a TFTC-24L because at this point I can’t imagine hunting without a tripod after this last season, and I want to have something more solid. That being said, the only reason I’m not in love with the Leofoto is just I find it not very solid when taking standing shots. Making a reasonable hunting shot while standing at big game within 300 yards is doable with the Leofoto, but I find it pretty shaky beyond that. I had my 11 yr old shoot a doe last weekend at 200 yds standing position off the Leo/Anvil set-up. She was a little shaky, but I admit I checked the stability after the kill and it wasn’t amazing. Doable though. Will I see a noticeable stability improvement with the RRS, or is it pretty much that I need more practice/technique to get stable while shooting standing out to 400 or 500 yds? Sorry if that’s a dumb question. I don’t doubt the quality of the RRS at all.

 

[Dustyplyr]

A couple different factors here.
Without a doubt some of the wobble is most certainly you and your technique. A good reference for some tripod work is modern day snipers tripod stuff as well as a great thread on here by @Diver160651 .
You are also running about the smallest legs you can get which are also going to be more sensitive to things like wind, poor form ect while extended up high for standing.
I can't speak for the 24l since I personally haven't used one but in the comparable leg tripods the stability difference between rrs and others like the leofoto wasnt night and day. You'll see a fast greater stability step up going up a leg size, especially if you are often taking standing shots vs kneeling or sitting.
That said proper practice and good technique you shouldn't be super wobbly

 

[KnowNothing256]

I had similar questions and got the opportunity recently to set three tripods side-by-side: my existing Leofoto LS-364c, a Leofoto SO-362c, and a Two Vets QDT V2 I. I didn't see much improvement between the two Leofotos, despite the significantly larger leg diameters and fewer mechanical linkages on the SO-362c. However, I did see a noticeable improvement when switching to the Two Vets, went down from about a 0.1-15 mil horizontal wobble to about 0.05 mil on a standing position; it was so noticeable that I checked multiple times back and forth and the improvement was consistent.

I attribute the difference not so much to the leg diameter, but the wall thickness on the leg segments; the TV tripod flexes less when I push on the legs, and the Leofoto legs all definitely sound thinner.

All that to say, I've seen now first-hand that higher quality construction reduces wobble zone. The difficulty then becomes figuring out which tripods are higher quality haha, although RRS is the gold standard for a reason. I'd like to set up the TV next to the nearest RRS equivalent and see if it improves even more, but for now I'm happy to buy the TV and know it's better than what I was originally considering, for nearly the same price.

 

[NateVA]

The series 3 legs from RRS would be the thickest, whereas the 24L has series two legs I think. I have a RRS-34L (series 3 legs) with an Anvil and it's rock solid. Just used it on a coues hunt and loved it. I believe the 34L is about a pound heavier than the 24L though so whether that's an acceptable weight increase only you can say.

 

[Freediver111]

The series 3 legs from RRS would be the thickest, whereas the 24L has series two legs I think. I have a RRS-34L (series 3 legs) with an Anvil and it's rock solid. Just used it on a coues hunt and loved it. I believe the 34L is about a pound heavier than the 24L though so whether that's an acceptable weight increase only you can say.

That’s actually a good thing to consider. I checked the specs of the 34 and it’s essentially the same standing height as my Leo 324. It would add maybe 1/2 pound to my set up, but that should be a considerable increase in stability. The RRS 34 or 33 has a much higher weight rating. Could be the best option for me if it does add a lot more stability while standing.

Most of my needs for this is hunting, with a few local PRS style matches thrown in. Weight is always a factor, but a total weight of around 4 lbs with the Anvil is what I’m after.

 

[NateVA]

That’s actually a good thing to consider. I checked the specs of the 34 and it’s essentially the same standing height as my Leo 324. It would add maybe 1/2 pound to my set up, but that should be a considerable increase in stability. The RRS 34 or 33 has a much higher weight rating. Could be the best option for me if it does add a lot more stability while standing.

Most of my needs for this is hunting, with a few local PRS style matches thrown in. Weight is always a factor, but a total weight of around 4 lbs with the Anvil is what I’m after.

The TFCT-34L would be around 5.5 lbs so it's quite a bit over that. And it's 6 pounds if you throw in the PT-Scout head that RRS just came out with (highly recommend for glassing on hunts). You just clip the PT-Scout into the Anvil and it's a pan-tilt head for glassing, then unclip it and clip your gun in to shoot from the Anvil. Worked amazing for me I wouldn't change anything. For the amount of time I use the tripod glassing and the stability it gives me when I shoot I just accept the extra weight. But if you're a backpack hunter then it's a whole different game.

 

[todd]

I have two Leofoto tripods, an LM-364C and an SO-362C. I have shot several matches with both. I even shot a string at an F-Class match standing, locked in, at 1K. They all thought I was nuts but I kept it pretty much in the 9 Ring (2 MOA) with a couple exceptions. I was learning how to shoot off a tripod for a Unknown Distance match I was preparing for. I find both of them to be adequately stable to shoot off of, even up to standing. You do have to spend the time to learn how to do it though.