Hi guys,

Just joined the forum today.
All the posts I have read are very interesting, so I decided to join up and maybe ask one or two questions myself.

How can I make an affordable and easy shooting stick?
Our local gunshop here is asking R480 (SA Rand) for a pair but they are too short and you need to sit or kneel down to use them. I'm sure two broom handles and some tape can be used.

Do any of you have photo's or made your own?

Get yourself three bamboo poles to suit your height and a belt from and upright vacum sweeper. You got it. Wrap the belt around the sticks like a gum band probably three wraps.

Go to the Hunt Reports-Africa forum, and click on the thread by T.Carr-Tips and Packing List. Scan down the thread, and you'll find a link for shooting sticks.

'traditional method is three bamboo poles held t'gether with a strip o'bicycle innertube. I have found that this isn't really very steady on hard ground, don'tcherknow, given the springiness of bamboo. However, the tripod can be very easily made much more firm for use in range practice if yer suspend about 1/3 bag of shot from the top and have it hang about a foot off the ground, what? Like a standin' rest in Old Blighty!

Three relatively straight mopane trunks and a piece of inner tube and you're good to go. Worked for us in Namibia.

I've seen it done with painted dowels, say 5/8", or with aluminum arrow shafts, they come in camo and are around 32" long. In either case, use a section of bike inner tube to form a ring, insert one stick from either side, and twist.

You should point the ends somewhat to get them to dig in nicely. (The arrow shafts already have a cone on one end).

You can save yourself the trouble by buying a set of the dowel version already made on our website. They are not the stand-up length, they will work for sitting or kneeling.