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Precision Rifle Gear RRS vs Leupold vs Vortex

lassy18

ILTW
Supporter
Minuteman
Mar 22, 2020
99
15
Southwest
Alrighty, seems like all of these companies have the large bore legs in carbon fiber with the quick turn locks for their legs. Has anyone worked with the Leupold or Vortex ones, what are the key differences in them? With all this crap going on I haven't had a chance to get out and get my hands on all of them. Currently have the shadowtech and hogsaddle w/ ball head. Looking to upgrade here shortly.
 
Buy once cry once. I thought how can I possibly spend rrs money on a tripod but said he’ll I’ll just save a little longer and be done with it. I know I’ll use it for hunting for the rest of my life as well as competition shooting. I bought the tfct 24l package that came with the anvil 30. Just at $1,400 shipped from mile high and I’m so glad I waited and bought rrs. It has already proven to be better then my partners at high angle and rigidity. Some of my shooting partners went the cheaper route and ya they work but why do they all say they wish they had mine? That should be your answer in and by itself.
 
Also like to add I just bought the plastic version of the rrs cinch for my binos and so far it’s working awesome.
 
probably a dumb question but what is it about them that makes everyone drool? I have heard everyone say they are awesome and to buy one, but I have yet to hear the reasoning behind them.
 
probably a dumb question but what is it about them that makes everyone drool? I have heard everyone say they are awesome and to buy one, but I have yet to hear the reasoning behind them.
Which? RRS tripods? Or the bino cinch? In general RRS products are just really well designed and well made, solid, great build quality. The only things of theirs I haven't liked have been the Anvil (not enough middle ground on tension, and the use of adjacent levers for both clamp release and tension adjustment is stupid and caused an expensive repair to my binoculars) and the cinch (it works OK but the binoculars slowly turn with gravity, I found it easier to just rest them on a bag).
 
For me I saved and went rrs because it was clear that the overwhelming consensus was they were the best. I trusted the knowledge on the hide! I have always been a buy once cry once even if it takes longer to acquire. It usually pays off. What is noticeably better compared to my friends is #1 the ball head, honestly no comparison at all. It’s lockup is butter smooth and the lever is easily controlled with your support hand. Also the angle/range of adjustability blows others away. At a recent match we were shooting off a 10 story rooftop and he had to ditch his tripod right off the buzzer cause he couldn’t obtain the angle needed. #2 is the knobs for letting the legs out is truly a quarter turn from loose to total lockup so there easy to have the way you need them and the legs move in and out butter smooth also. #3 is the rigidity and overall feel of quality to weight ratio that is also way better then the others I’ve played with. These are definitely three things very apparent to me compared to some of my shooting crews less expensive options. Also I’m dead serious when I say they all comment that they wish they had mine or rrs in general and understandably some went cheap but some only had so much to spend. Why would that comment always happen if there wasn’t a reason!
 
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@phlegethon thanks for that! that is what I am looking for, I am eyeing their tripod, and not sure to go with the leupold one or rrs currently
For tripods, RRS and Gitzo are far and away the best. As above, they are better designed, they use better materials, they are smoother in operation, more reliable, and more stable than most of the competition (I will say I haven't used the Two Vets legs and those have gotten some good reviews lately). Certainly the pricing reflects some diminishing returns but I feel it's worth it.
 
Here's something I posted a while back about why I ended up with a RRS tripod:

My first tripod I tried to use for shooting was an aluminum Manfrotto with a camera ballhead that I put a Hogsaddle on. The legs flexed so much that I could make it work but to shoot well off that tripod was really difficult, besides tightening the Hogsaddle down as tight as I could, I tied a sling between the rifle and my belt and even then there was lots of flex and movement.

My second tripod was a Feisol 3472 carbon fiber tripod that I put a RRS Anvil 30 on and that tripod was light years more stable than the Manfrotto. The Anvil 30 head was rock solid with a rifle on it (and yes I retrofitted my precision rifles with Area 419 rails). The Feisol tripod was very rigid and for $575 was a good value plus is was made by US ally, Taiwan. The weakness was, in a season of match use plus a beach photo session my son used it for (I spent 2 hours disassembling and cleaning the sand out of it after that), the plastic pieces that lock the tripod legs and the plastic piece that keeps the leg sections from rotating wore so much that the leg sections would rotate, causing all the pieces to come out of alignment. You could still lock the leg and use it but once the pieces were dislodged from their place, besides rotating the leg would not extend smoothly and the locking collar wouldn't work well. To fix it required me to take the leg section out, reposition ALL of the locking collar pieces (in the Feisol that's like 8 plastic pieces), then put it back together, which takes more time than you have in during a match. And before you ask, I'm not the only one with this problem. The guys I shoot our monthly local match with went to a muddy raining match in, I think, Wyoming or somewhere like that, and the guys running Feisols or Leofotos were having the same issues and having to dissasemble, clean, and reassemble their tripods during the match.

My third tripod was a RRS TFCT-34 Mk 2 with Anvil 30 head and that tripod is a rock star. Rigid, compact (enough), and rock solid reliability and quality. Sure the tripod without the head cost twice as much as a Feisol or Leofoto, but I wish I had skipped the Feisol and gone straight to the Really Right Stuff equipment.

HOWEVER, I say this because I can afford the RRS 34 and Anvil 30. If your budget doesn't allow you to buy an RRS and you don't think you'll be using it in muddy, dusty, dirty, or sandy conditions, I do think the Feisol is a good value for the money. Feisol also has good US customer service- I emailed them with photos of the worn plastic pieces and they immediately mailed me replacement parts free of charge. I have seen the Leofotos and they are somewhat similar to the Feisol but they weigh a lot more and I don't like how Leofoto is shamelessly knocking off RRS and other American made and designed stuff and if I have a choice I prefer not to buy products from a company that behaves like that or that are made in a country not friendly to the US or our interests.