Is there a quad-stick in your future?

[SETH RINGER]

IF THE PH HAS 3 STICKS AND A PIECE OF INNERTUBE I'LL SHOOT OFF THOSE, OTHERWISE WE USE THE AFRICAN SPORTING CREATIONS STICKS I BRING ALONG.

 

[steve white]

Due to comments on this thread, I'm going to try the ViperFlex. Hopefully it will steady down any long shots in the future. I may have added to the tremors by turning my scope up to 12X, so maybe it was that along with a little buck fever! But if I was seeing the movement at 12X, wouldn't I have been actually doing it but just not seeing it at 6X?

 

[Rimbaud]

After talking my boy out today on his first deer hunt, I’m going to get quad sticks. We were in a ground blind, trying to ambush deer. We’ll go back to this property, and also to other hunting spots where he can stalk/ambush. I’m inclined to get Blaser carbon fiber sticks, as I love my rifle and am part of the AH Blaser cult. Much appreciate some more feedback on quad sticks. I want the boy to have a stable shooting position, but I want something light weight and easy to deploy. I bought the African Sporting Creations sticks ages ago, and like them. I hate to buy another set of sticks, but I want the little man up to get his first deer and to set him on the path.

 

[whisk(e)y hunter]

Check out gunstix as they can extend/shorten for both standing and seated positions. Currently on sale.

No affiliation, but have used them successfully myself in the past.

 

[DaddyFlip]

I just ordered a set of Viper-Flex Styx Pro To Go and the stabilizing leg for practice and sighting in. I was interested in the PH Jagts but I trust the click rather than the twist setting long term. I ordered from the NA dealer in Memphis K&M Precision Shooting because they are close by and have a good price. I notice there's a 15% discount sale going on at the actual Viper-Flex site as of today for those who might want to order direct.

 

[375Fox]

After talking my boy out today on his first deer hunt, I’m going to get quad sticks. We were in a ground blind, trying to ambush deer. We’ll go back to this property, and also to other hunting spots where he can stalk/ambush. I’m inclined to get Blaser carbon fiber sticks, as I love my rifle and am part of the AH Blaser cult. Much appreciate some more feedback on quad sticks. I want the boy to have a stable shooting position, but I want something light weight and easy to deploy. I bought the African Sporting Creations sticks ages ago, and like them. I hate to buy another set of sticks, but I want the little man up to get his first deer and to set him on the path.

Here are Gunstix, 4 stable sticks, and a bog pod tripod side by side. I find 4 stable sticks the easiest to carry and set up for standing shots. Gunstix are very adjustable for anything from sitting to standing, but more bulky. Blaser sticks are too much of a good thing to me. 4 stable sticks give me all the flexibility I need and I can set up and carry one handed while holding rifle in other.

 

[Rimbaud]

Here are Gunstix, 4 stable sticks, and a bog pod tripod side by side. I find 4 stable sticks the easiest to carry and set up for standing shots. Gunstix are very adjustable for anything from sitting to standing, but more bulky. Blaser sticks are too much of a good thing to me. 4 stable sticks give me all the flexibility I need and I can set up and carry one handed while holding rifle in other.
View attachment 728392

Ty, Sir. Do you find the grip on the front of the Stable Sticks has good purchased on the rifle to steady the shot?

 

[whisk(e)y hunter]

Here are Gunstix, 4 stable sticks, and a bog pod tripod side by side. I find 4 stable sticks the easiest to carry and set up for standing shots. Gunstix are very adjustable for anything from sitting to standing, but more bulky. Blaser sticks are too much of a good thing to me. 4 stable sticks give me all the flexibility I need and I can set up and carry one handed while holding rifle in other.
View attachment 728392

Absolutely agree

 

[Rickmt]

Quad sticks are great for long shots from a standing position when you can get away with standing. I own Rudolph and viper . Both very good . Viper is lighter.
Primos trigger sticks are good for out to 300 yd when sitting or standing or kneeling . They are my go to in mt .
Prone is best but depends on ground cover.

 

[jbirdwell]

I have both the Viper Flex Pro to go and the 4StableSticks carbon model. I seem to always grab the Viper Flex. Like most others have said, practice setting them up is the key to being quick.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Nope. I typically hunt hard and alone. No one along to carry sticks for me. I'll use whatever they have when I'm in Africa ... if I use them at all.

 

[Tex .416]

Using a bipod with some height with a sling with butt on the ground, left knee and arm up for support can be very stable with practice. Trigger Sticks are the fastest and easiest to adjust tripod for me, but this year I have been using the Bog Death Grip. It is incredibly stable, rock solid as is possible standing, and quick enough. It has the sturdiest legs with a padded, generous rest area. I have even been using it to shoot the big boomers and it is rock solid under recoil. However, practicing shooting from field positions with a sling still is the best overall option and a invaluable skill to develop.

DeathGrip® Tripod

www.boghunt.com

 

[crackerman]

I practiced for my safari using my African Sporting Creations tripod sticks but when I got to Africa my PH has homemade quad sticks. The practice helped immenslefy but the quad sticks were rock steady and I was able to keep the gun on them when swinging to recenter when the animal moved a few steps.

I am a fan of the Spartan precision products and will be getting a set of those sticks sooner or later.

 

[analog_peninsula]

I just picked up a set of Gunstix, and my first impression is relatively favorable. It's a bit awkward to extend them, but once they're up and I'm shooting at a stationary target they seem to work pretty well. The fifth leg wasn't much extra, so I picked one up. It makes a huge difference, and doesn't seem to make the unit any more awkward than without it. I've only one range session with it so no definite conclusions yet, but so far I'm favorably impressed.

 

[BeeMaa]

I practiced for my safari using my African Sporting Creations tripod sticks but when I got to Africa my PH has homemade quad sticks. The practice helped immenslefy but the quad sticks were rock steady and I was able to keep the gun on them when swinging to recenter when the animal moved a few steps.

I am a fan of the Spartan precision products and will be getting a set of those sticks sooner or later.

FYI - The Spartan Precision SprinBok Quad System uses a proprietary front mount on your rifle. It does look like it allows for use of a sling, but anyone else who wants to use them will be out of luck.

For less money, the Viper-Flex Pro To Go is three-section, all carbon fiber, lighter than the Spartan and pack down to 24" for travel. Plus your buddies can shoot their rifles from it too!
Viper-Flex Pro To Go

 

[Rafiki]

No.

 

[Rare Breed]

For me, probably not… I’ve sorta graduated from shooting sticks to pro camera grade tripods with arca swiss rails or a very high quality clamping head… either can hold things like my 13lb AR10 with suppressor and thermal rock solid.. and are super adjustable and very fast to manipulate..

The down side is the rig is heavy compared to typical shooting sticks… I wouldn’t want to be a PH lugging around my 4 lb tripod all day (even all carbon fiber and aluminum… it’s just over 4 lbs)…

But for my typical North American needs like setting up a nearly perfect rest in a deer blind, or setting up an ambush on hogs.. where I’m typically not carrying the rig more than a few hundred yards… it’s just about perfect..

With a light weight bolt action like my Christensen 308, it’s literally as solid as shooting off of a high quality bipod from the probe..

While I practice off my Blazer 2 quad sticks the reality is It is important my ph or tracker who carries the sticks is comfortable and fast setting up the sticks not me when under pressure. I need to be focused on the shot not the sticks. Therefore I have shot so much with the typical tripod sticks used in Africa I can now just practice with my Blazer and am confident I can still shoot off any sticks the outfitter has

 

[realsamthompson]

I have been using quad sticks for about 15 years I think. The UK was an early adapter I think, with the main of them coming from Scandinavia it didn’t take long to come across. I would suggest now with the exception of traditional highland stalking, the majority of UK deer will be shot off quads. A great number of people now will now prefer to shoot from them stood than prone or sitting/kneeling.

Up until two seasons I have used exclusively Viper Flex (alloy) and have found them very good. There are two things I would caution from a (none experienced) DG perspective, which is firstly the metallic noise they can make in contact with small twigs etc, and secondly the whistling noise through the adjustment holes that the alloy ones make… this does not seem to bother deer but is painful to listen to - and I would not want to risk finding out first hand what something big and angry might think to it. They are however unbelievably stable… I have repeatedly shot a 1MOA target at 1,000 yards with them and watched others do the same. You simply don’t do that off a tripod.

The last two seasons I have been using the Spartan Precision Quads as I have an excellent relationship with that company, and we do some product tests etc etc with them. They do of course work with the magnaswitch adapters that SP are known for, but also come with “rabbit ears” as they call them meaning there is no need to have an adapter on the rifle. The reason I like the Spartan ones more than viper flex are as follows.

Firstly, without technical adjustment of leg length you are able to stand up as with all quads, but by opening the legs wider you can drop even into the prone position. This means sitting shots are very easy, but more crucially for me they are better adapted to use on steep slopes. I often find with other quad sticks you sometimes need a very “different” height on a slope than you do on the flat… if that involves clicking buttons / twist locking stuff then it just won’t work. That might be only relevant to a few of us, but it’s very relevant where I am!

Secondly, they are noiseless. There is no whistling, clicking or anything like that… and if they do hit fine twigs thencarbon fibre seems to make a much more natural noise than anything other than wood.

Thirdly, and this has nothing to do with my relationship with the brand, I have not met another company which stands by their product nearly as well. If you break it, they send a replacement (part or product) and want to know how things have broken so they can learn from it.

As an aside, and just to be totally honest… I have found this last season to be much more likely to reach for the springbok tripod…. I would encourage you to look at that product if you are running the Spartan “ecosystem” of magnets already.

Sam

 

[TheWhitetailNut]

Hard no.

I did enjoy shooting off one in 2018 in Namibia. Since then I've been heavily into PRS shooting. After making over 1000 shots a year off of wobbly props in contorted positions from 500-1100 yds racing the clock I find it difficult not to laugh at how I viewed marksmanship and how to attain it.

 

[Rare Breed]

The answer for me is YES!

Background: For a long time I have been satisfied with an adjustable bi-pod, but I always used it from a seated position which gave support from more than one direction. If it was good enough for Larry Weishun, it was good enough for me. And I made a couple of 250 yard shots, plus closer ones, of course.

Introduce standing shooting: Yes I have done it in Africa with a tripod, and no problems, BUT, the shots were not that long. I have never made a shot in Africa which was more than 100yds, though one should train for more in case it is needed.

What has changed? I was called upon to make a 200 yd shot on a 13 point heavy horned whitetail on Nov. 5th!! Shooting time was suppressed because with full moon the deer did not try to enter the field until last light. (Thats when the 56 mm Zeiss comes into it's own). I stalked within that distance behind a curtain of timber and cactus lining a large field of winter wheat. I tried with the bi-pod fully extended--not stable enough to my mind. I placed it against a chest-high slanting tree trunk for more stability. Crosshairs were still dancing, possibly because my heart was pounding out of my chest with adrenaline--ain't it great? I put just a bit of tight on the sling, leaned in to the tree trunk and did my best to still both heartbeat and breathing. FINALLY got a modicum of control enough that I touched off the shot and heard a "whap" as the rifle rose in recoil. Another chocolate colored buck ran after the shot, and I first wondered if it was my buck, but looking through the scope, I saw that mine was down and out! He was the best buck in the bunch and the best of my career. Fat rascal was heavy enough that I thought I would never get him loaded onto the tailgate.

Lesson going forward: I was at the absolute limit of my shoot ability with a bi-pod, and while I connected, the outcome could have been in doubt. There's no question that if I am called upon to shoot that far, or further STANDING, then I need quad-sticks, and no doubt about it. It is not so much a question of "are they easier to set up" but rather, "can I make the shot without them." I am convinced that they are going to be a necessary part of my equipment. Not so much for sitting, but definitely for standing shots. Depending on the lay of the land and concealment, sitting shots may not be offered. This was a case of shoot or let it walk, and I did NOT want to let that buck walk! Next time I have to stand, I want the comfort of taking a shot from a quad. YMMV
BTW, the ranch where I hunted has a problem with too many bucks and far too few does. What could cause such a condition? We were therefore instructed to shoot bucks only. Also, the buck I shot had a bunch of crusty looking small nodules on the edge of his eyelids. Any comments on that as a condtion on an otherwise fat and sassy buck?
Last note--Throckmorton county is not known for CWD, so I am eating this buck.

Quad stick are great and I have one I practice with. However the problem becomes no proper tracing of the tracker carrying them for you. you don’t need to be focused on setting up sticks your ph should. If you have new equipment I would spend whatever practice to one until they are comferable