Last week, I had the opportunity to shoot my CADEX R7 Sheepdog (6.5 CM, 24” barrel) using a tripod mount. I had previously posted about tripod setup and attachment, and this post is about what I’ve learned. During this process, I put 60 rounds through the rifle (Berger 144 gr LRHT) using a Vortex Razor HD Gen II 4.5-27x56 FFP scope with RRS rail set. The rifle worked flawlessly out of the box, with very little recoil (a 10 year old could shoot this rifle), and was the smoothest functioning long gun I’ve ever used. The DX2 Evo trigger was exceptional, always breaking very lightly and identically at the factory setting.
After several weeks of research, I purchased a Leofoto LN-364-C Mountain tripod with YB-100LK ARCA platform leveling base. Both were purchased from Amazon, and arrived within a few days. Leofoto is a “Chinese knock-off” of RRS equipment (costing hundreds of dollars more). I inspected both products VERY carefully and could find NO manufacturing flaws or defects (anywhere). Carbon fiber construction was VERY solid and leg locks never slipped, even with heavy test loads. While pricing was certainly MUCH less than RRS, build quality was excellent, including all CNC machining. I have no illusions about warranty coverage or repair, I doubt I’d ever see it (but I also doubt it will ever be needed).
In setting up this rifle for tripod shooting, I did NOT want to use a ball head. In my opinion, this only adds cost and multiple adjustment points to the mix. From my photography experience, ball heads can also become “finicky” as they age, especially when used in an application they were never designed for (specifically, the shock load of firearm recoil). The other problem is that a ball head has only about a 2” ARCA plate clamp length for attachment. Thus, shock load is distributed tangentially to a much smaller area, increasing the amount of force on equipment. Instead, I used a leveling base with an ARCA attachment plate. The leveling base is a 100 mm “half ball” that inserts into the tripod’s bowl (see pics). The ARCA plate accepts any length of ARCA adapter, but provides approximately 5” of clamp length for the mount. This worked perfectly with a MAGPUL 4 inch ARCA plate M-LOK adapter mounted on the rifle, distributing the shock load much lower and even with the mounting base of the tripod.
I was shooting at a farm with only 50 yards of usable range (because of background). I had planned to visit a nearby outdoor rifle range for more shooting, but the weather closed out. My first day of shooting was the break-in day for the rifle. My second day was learning. One thing I learned very quickly: tripod shooting is NOT easy and if you expect perfect shot placement with only a few minor and easy adjustments, this is NOT for you. My reason for using a tripod is so I can shoot from seated and standing positions in locations without dedicated ranges. If I was shooting at a range, I would likely use the facility equipment available, with a mounted bipod or sandbag rest.
So, here’s what I learned about shooting from my tripod (I won’t go through all of what I did to get here). First, grip and bracing was very important. I was shooting from a seated position (Coleman cooler). The open leg side of the tripod was facing me. My left hand firmly gripped the upper left leg (with forward pressure). I used my left knee (with left and slightly forward pressure) to brace the left tripod leg, then my right shin to brace the right tripod leg (only outward contact pressure). When I first started, I tried to adjust scope sighting to be perfectly centered on bullseye. FORGET THIS. Instead, I adjusted sighting above and mostly on target (scope sight picture anywhere above target bullseye but on paper). I made certain the bowl base was firmly locked, then I pulled the rifle DOWN to center the reticle, while simultaneously pulling the rifle back and hard into my right shoulder using the pistol grip. When I did this, my leg and left hand positions became firm and I made the shots.
So, why did I need to do this? Answer: shooting from a tripod introduces “shake” (I’ve seen this in other people’s videos). I tried shooting from a variety of non-braced positions, but I could never eliminate reticle movement (I haven’t tried a hanging weight on the tripod yet, as some have suggested). The method I used DID eliminate almost all reticle movement and with a little practice I achieved the 5 shot group you see in the target picture (50 yards, 3 through the same holes). My next step will be to move to a local 100 yard range for more learning.
After several weeks of research, I purchased a Leofoto LN-364-C Mountain tripod with YB-100LK ARCA platform leveling base. Both were purchased from Amazon, and arrived within a few days. Leofoto is a “Chinese knock-off” of RRS equipment (costing hundreds of dollars more). I inspected both products VERY carefully and could find NO manufacturing flaws or defects (anywhere). Carbon fiber construction was VERY solid and leg locks never slipped, even with heavy test loads. While pricing was certainly MUCH less than RRS, build quality was excellent, including all CNC machining. I have no illusions about warranty coverage or repair, I doubt I’d ever see it (but I also doubt it will ever be needed).
In setting up this rifle for tripod shooting, I did NOT want to use a ball head. In my opinion, this only adds cost and multiple adjustment points to the mix. From my photography experience, ball heads can also become “finicky” as they age, especially when used in an application they were never designed for (specifically, the shock load of firearm recoil). The other problem is that a ball head has only about a 2” ARCA plate clamp length for attachment. Thus, shock load is distributed tangentially to a much smaller area, increasing the amount of force on equipment. Instead, I used a leveling base with an ARCA attachment plate. The leveling base is a 100 mm “half ball” that inserts into the tripod’s bowl (see pics). The ARCA plate accepts any length of ARCA adapter, but provides approximately 5” of clamp length for the mount. This worked perfectly with a MAGPUL 4 inch ARCA plate M-LOK adapter mounted on the rifle, distributing the shock load much lower and even with the mounting base of the tripod.
I was shooting at a farm with only 50 yards of usable range (because of background). I had planned to visit a nearby outdoor rifle range for more shooting, but the weather closed out. My first day of shooting was the break-in day for the rifle. My second day was learning. One thing I learned very quickly: tripod shooting is NOT easy and if you expect perfect shot placement with only a few minor and easy adjustments, this is NOT for you. My reason for using a tripod is so I can shoot from seated and standing positions in locations without dedicated ranges. If I was shooting at a range, I would likely use the facility equipment available, with a mounted bipod or sandbag rest.
So, here’s what I learned about shooting from my tripod (I won’t go through all of what I did to get here). First, grip and bracing was very important. I was shooting from a seated position (Coleman cooler). The open leg side of the tripod was facing me. My left hand firmly gripped the upper left leg (with forward pressure). I used my left knee (with left and slightly forward pressure) to brace the left tripod leg, then my right shin to brace the right tripod leg (only outward contact pressure). When I first started, I tried to adjust scope sighting to be perfectly centered on bullseye. FORGET THIS. Instead, I adjusted sighting above and mostly on target (scope sight picture anywhere above target bullseye but on paper). I made certain the bowl base was firmly locked, then I pulled the rifle DOWN to center the reticle, while simultaneously pulling the rifle back and hard into my right shoulder using the pistol grip. When I did this, my leg and left hand positions became firm and I made the shots.
So, why did I need to do this? Answer: shooting from a tripod introduces “shake” (I’ve seen this in other people’s videos). I tried shooting from a variety of non-braced positions, but I could never eliminate reticle movement (I haven’t tried a hanging weight on the tripod yet, as some have suggested). The method I used DID eliminate almost all reticle movement and with a little practice I achieved the 5 shot group you see in the target picture (50 yards, 3 through the same holes). My next step will be to move to a local 100 yard range for more learning.
