Tri Pods or Bi Pods

Neville Stanton

Neville Stanton

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Hi
I'm looking at purchasing a tripod or a bi-pod. Which do you think I should use, or some advice on what is the better unit. Carrying i think the bi-pod, I stood with both and I think your body makes up the 3rd leg if you use a bi-pod.
I think the bi-pod might be easier to set up in an uneven standing spot.

Any ideas?
 
Shooting sticks(cut from the bush) with three legs are the best. One leg is cut slightly shorter and attached to one of the other legs using a strip of inner tube. If time and terrain permits you use all three legs, can also be used to shoot from kneeling or sitting position. If time and terrain does not permit just use the two legs.

Shooting sticks made from natural sticks are less noisy and cost nothing to make.
 
You should consider the Viperflex quad sticks. I don't know your location but these are taking Europe by storm. They provide unparalleled support. There are cheaper versions but as most purchasers have found, pay once, cry once. I used them to good effect last year in Namibia .
The PH thought they were slow to deploy. But once shown how to carry them at "the ready" agreed they were pretty good.
 
I’ve used both and definitely prefer a tripod.
 
3 for me please but I can make two work also.
 
Agree with what have been said. Tripods are just more stable and you can use them from different shooting positions
 
You will find tripods in Africa, so if you are hoping to practice before you get there, I’d suggest tripods.

Apart from that, I find tripoids are inherently more stable than a bipod, so if you’re going to carry something, you don’t add much bulk or weight by going with a more stable tripod.

As for brands, there are lots, and while I’ve tried a few, I haven’t found one model much better or worse than another. One suggestion I would make is look for rigidity. I bought a very nice tripod from a well known company, and while it looked great, and was clearly well made, I found too much flex in the legs for me. This is a particular problem if you’re using a heavier, bigger bore rifle.

The best set I ever used was three pieces of bamboo lashed together with old inner tube in Africa. Set up fast, plenty rigid enough, but not too heavy to carry (well, I wasn’t the one carrying them, but I did pick them up once or twice!). Simple is better.
 
If you have scheduled a hunt I would contact the ph and find out what kind of sticks he uses and get something similar. Shooting from a tripod is easy but does have a learning curve. You mostly just need to practice and find out what works best for you. I started off with 3 sticks from my yard tied together with a piece of bicycle inner tube. Then I built a set of take down sticks with 5/8" dowels. The legs of the dowels can be tied together and used as walking sticks. I find 3 legs to be more stable and comfortable compared to 2 legs.

On my last trip to Namibia the ph's are using a new type of stick. See picture #3. I believe it is the quad stick another gentleman mentioned. It is a little slower to set up and get into. Your shots will be almost as good as shooting from a bench rest. I was very impressed with all our groups shooting off these style sticks. I found the stick in picture #3 online at Cowboy Safes. My wife shot unbelievably with these sticks.
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Thanks guys. It seems like bamboo is the way to go. I am in South Africa. The tripods that are bought are something new to me. I'll look for some bamboo tripods. Tnx for the advice.
 
Take a look at images of tripods on line. Then go buy some bamboo and make your own. Cheap and very effective. I live in the states, I made mine from Oak Dowell Rod, electrical conduit ( to join both halves of the legs together because I was looking at portability and storage) and the drive belt of a vacuum cleaner. I have less than $25.00 invested and the satisfaction of doing it myself.
 
I'll do it right now. I'm laying here with feet in the air after an operation. So I might as well go on line and look to see how it's done. Thc
 
Neville,
I suggest that you make both a tripod and a "quad pod" which is basically 2 bipods lashed together. I make my own also from 6ft pieces of dowel rod lashed together with para cord. dirt cheap and they work great and def +1 on the fact that the quad pods are like shooting off the bench and only slightly slower to deploy once you get used to them than the tripods. lots of videos and instruction on how to online. good luck and good shooting!
 
Shootist43 said:
Take a look at images of tripods on line. Then go buy some bamboo and make your own. Cheap and very effective. I live in the states, I made mine from Oak Dowell Rod, electrical conduit ( to join both halves of the legs together because I was looking at portability and storage) and the drive belt of a vacuum cleaner. I have less than $25.00 invested and the satisfaction of doing it myself.
Click to expand...

I did the same thing, but with copper repair pipe. Easy to make and portable. Electrical tape to hold the legs in. LOL
 
The Internal Dimension of 1/2" thin wall electrical conduit is just about the same as the copper repair pipe but a heck of a lot cheaper and easier to find. We must have looked at the same online presentation. I started out looking for the copper repair pipe after watching it. I switched to the thin wall conduit after I couldn't find the copper. The results in either case is a cheap set of portable shooting sticks. As an after thought I added rubber tips to the legs so they didn't slip as much on concrete surfaces and rubber heater hose to the two legs that form the "V" to cushion either my hand or the rifle. In lieu of electrical tape to keep the metal sleeve in place, I installed 2 very small screws through the sleeve into the bottom half of the legs.
 
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I prefer using a tripod, gives you better stability in my opinion than a bipod
 
Hank2211 said:
You will find tripods in Africa, so if you are hoping to practice before you get there, I’d suggest tripods.

Apart from that, I find tripoids are inherently more stable than a bipod, so if you’re going to carry something, you don’t add much bulk or weight by going with a more stable tripod.

As for brands, there are lots, and while I’ve tried a few, I haven’t found one model much better or worse than another. One suggestion I would make is look for rigidity. I bought a very nice tripod from a well known company, and while it looked great, and was clearly well made, I found too much flex in the legs for me. This is a particular problem if you’re using a heavier, bigger bore rifle.

The best set I ever used was three pieces of bamboo lashed together with old inner tube in Africa. Set up fast, plenty rigid enough, but not too heavy to carry (well, I wasn’t the one carrying them, but I did pick them up once or twice!). Simple is better.
Click to expand...

I have to agree. I bought a Primos Trigger Stick and it is better than nothing but far too wiggly to be useful at anything over 100 yds. I confirmed it by using an old camera tripod and the trigger stick side by side, wow night and day. Bamboo is very light and rigid
 
I've made one set of sticks with copper that I gave to a friend. While at the hardware store I noticed the internal dimensions of electrical conduit. The conduit is the best way to go by price. By using some sort of metal joint you are able to make the sticks a little more rigid, they will also fit into your gun case when separated, and you can use the sticks taken apart while sitting or kneeling.

I sharpened the bottom of my sticks on a belt sander to prevent slipping. Sharpened is not the right word as they are blunt but are loosely pencil shaped.

I epoxied the bottom leg into the metal conduit. The top half of the leg I used gravity and a small screw to hold in place. Similar to Shootist43. This allows the top portion of the legs to function as a sitting or kneeling rest. I know of a few gentlemen who use shortened sticks from blinds.
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