Spotting Scope Stands

[Dragoon 45]

My apologies if this has been covered before, but I can't seem to get the search function to work for me.

Yesterday was a rather vicious day on the range with 30+ mph winds from 2-5 O'clock. My scope tripod wouldn't stand up to the wind, even with 15 lbs of weight hanging off it a couple of inches off the ground. What are recommendations for wind resistant scope stands? I have looked at the Ewings, Champion's Choice, Freeland, and a couple of other brands in addition to thinking about building my own. With the winds here in Oklahoma this spring I don't think I can get enough weight hanging off my present tripod to do any good.

What are you using in high wind conditions?

Thank You.

[mustanggt]

I've seen those units you refer to and they are $2-300. One day I will probably get one but until then I'll just make boolits or reload rather than go shoot in a 30mph wind.

[220swiftfn]

I'd suggest looking at used camera tripods (Bogen, Manfrotto, Gitzo, etc.) if you REALLY have to have something. Or, if you shoot from a bench, look into a clamp mount or something that puts the center of gravity lower so the scope doesn't sway.....


Dan

[Dragoon 45]

We have scheduled matches once a month. Unless the weather is appallingly bad, i.e. lightining strikes, heavy rain, hail, or tornado's, the matches are held. If you want to shoot the match, you have to put up with the wind. During one gust, I thought I might be blown off my stool while trying to spot. Half the state right now seems to be burned off by wild fires as we have had little rain and heavy winds for the past four weeks.

[mustanggt]

Sorry about your troubles there. I hadn't heard about your wild fires.

[Lead pot]

You might get one of these scope stands or at least look at them. I have one after several camera tripods I got this one and it has taken 30-40 mph wings and never laid down on me.
http://www.castingstuff.com/new_products.htm

[August]

I have a Freeland and don't like it. I'm sorry I didn't buy the one from Creedmore Sports. The Ray-Vin was the best, but he's out of business now. Creedmore promises to produce the Ray-Vin in the near future, but that has NOT been happening in a timely fashion. So, the Creedmore Sports stand is the best presently available.

[Boz330]

A friend of mine has the one Buffalo Arms sells and it works well with a 100MM Kowa on it. You can use it from the prone position. It is pricey though.

Bob

[akajun]

Get a Ray vin style ( there are others that are copies) and get a ground spike for the bottom of the weight.

[Shooter]

Snoop around pawn shops for a transit or construction level tripod.
They will stand any wind.

[kokomokid]

I picked up a bausch stand cheap on ebay -nice with lots of adjustments. Every place that can be adjusted has potential to move a little in that kind of wind. It also is a little more shaky when you pull the legs in to give other shooters room at the line.

[doubs43]

For a table top stand I use a Bushnell that came with a scope many years ago. They sell separately now for about $60. Other makers have copied the design.

If you get a large tripod, get the heaviest you can find and make certain that it has the braces that run from each leg to the center column. My best tripod is an old Slik Pro-300 that will support a 4x5 view camera. Even with a heavy duty tripod, in the winds you're experiencing I'd put a sandbag against the foot of each leg. I make mine by cutting off the legs of old jeans and filling them with sand.

[Dragoon 45]

I have seen surveyor's tripods with a piece on each foot where a stake could be used, instead of just a center stake. Is anything like that available from the spotting stand makers? Or possibly just a piece that allows the use of a stake on each leg of the tripod?

[RMulhern]

Ha!

Only thing that might work...is an AUTO JACK STAND with a thick layer of lead plate attached!!

[Don McDowell]

That stand that Leadpot linked to is the best.

[kokomokid]

Saw one stand made (home made) with a large plow disc base and single pipe welded to it. All adjustments were at the head about 3 1/2 feet above ground. Looked to be hard to move from site to site but they managed. Dont think wind bothered it much.

[shooterg]

Ray-Vin was excellent. Ewing was the first to make the 1" rod stands. Still in business. Giraud makes a good one also. You'll see a lot of each at any High Power match.

[Lead pot]

A spotting scope is only as good as the stand it's on.
If it vibrates in a wind the scope is useless.
I have camera tripods and the more adjustments it has the more it moves. There are some good ones out there but you will not get them for $100 or $200. I have a rod stand ground spike and all and it is useless when the winds pick up, but if your shooting prone and self spotting they are good for that. When you get them up off the ground like sitting on a stool you might just as well leave it in the trunk of your car.

[Dragoon 45]

That stand that Leadpot linked to is the best.

I read through the ad for it, but couldn't really tell how the scope mounted on it. From the pictures I assume it has a zoom head type mounting affair for the scope? From what I can tell from the advertising by the various makers this model looks the most stable and is actually middle of the range for price. This may be what I end up getting but I am going to continue to investigate some more and also hope for some more recommendations from the good folks here.

[Don McDowell]

Yes thats the way it mounts, it's adjustable for height, and like leadpot said it don't go anywhere in the wind and is rock solid so you don't have to hang onto the scope to stop it from wiggling.
I thought I had a picture that pretty well shows the set up but can't find it at the moment...

[Cimarron Red]

I've been using a Gitzo tripod for nearly 20 years, and it is really sturdy. I've never had a problem in any wind. I also have a Freeland stand that will not handle heavy wind, but I cast a lead base for it using the bottom of a large coffee can. Now it stands like a rock no matter the conditions.

[c3d4b2]

+1
Giraud makes a good one also.

[wills]

You might check craigslist for tripods. I saw some bogen/manfroto tripods for reasonable prices. People don’t seem to use them much, but a surveyors tripod is designed to hold expensive equipment safe and steady outdoors.

[hydraulic]

Last year at the Q Leadpot drug me over to the Cabintree sales outlet and I bought their $150 scope stand. Money well spent.

[c3d4b2]

I saw this on at on the line at Perry and thought it was a good design.

http://gearbuggy.com/SSScope-01.html

I have a Ewing and it has served me well. The only drawback is the legs fold down for transport. Because of this I need to remove a section to transport the stand between firing lines. If I was going to purchase another stand I would pick a stand that the legs would fold up for transport.

[runnin lead]

Surveyors tripod with a chunk of angle iron bolted to the top , window mount clamps to angle iron.
The scope stand that I have from Champions Choice the scope would always nose over ,
I put a piece of sand paper between the knob & the head , now it works fine set low to the ground , set to use at sitting level in high wind it is too shakey.

[JudgeBAC]

The current Creedmoor catalog has the ray vin stand. go to the website and search for ray vin stand and you will find it.