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I'm doing a lot of practice off of sticks in preparation for my first African trip, and I've been using both a homemade set (three dowels and a rubber band) as well as a Bog Pod tripod (which I personally think is the most wretched, heavy, bulky, overweight user-unfriendly piece of crap gear I've ever used...but it was a gift, so...). How do you set them up? Are they placed with two legs toward the target, and one leg back toward the shooter, or two legs back and one forward. My best results seem to be with one forward, but I want to use them as the PH will. And is there any point in bringing my own, or should I just use what he has? I do notice a bit of shift in POI between the two I'm playing with, but personally don't think I need to carry along my own. I also find that I do better with the forearm directly on the sticks, my hand holding the joint below and with one finger helping to hold the gun down. This is okay on mine (both are rubber-padded) and I'm actually considering bringing some rubber electrical tape on my hunt to wrap around the tops of the provided sticks. Or am I just going crazy?  Any thoughts would be appreciated. John | ||
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You are going crazy...the sticks will get set up...however the get set up... When you get to africa...check zero on your rifle from "the bench" then practice a shot or two off the sticks to see which grip is most comfortable. If you get to worried about exactly how everything is...you are falling inot the same bad habits as "only being able to shoot from the bench" Mike Legistine actu quod scripsi? Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue.  What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
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I practiced long and hard with home made tripod sticks. I got used to them. When I got to Namibia my PH used bipod sticks. Steady side to side, but infinite movement fore and aft. Since then my recommendation has been to practice off bipod sticks. Then there's no need worrying how they're set up for the actual shot. | |||
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If you are going to use sticks make sure that they are high enough that you don't need to bend your knees.It's hard to get a good HOLD on the target with your knees bended. | |||
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I would practice shooting from the off-hand and sitting positions without the aid of sticks. When you get to Africa and your PH positions the sticks (either bipod or tripod) for you to shoot from then you'll say - "Wow, this is steadier than shooting off-hand!". As a hunter, you know that it'll not always be practical to use the sticks so practicing off-hand and sitting will serve you well in the field. Namibiahunter  . | |||
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Sticks definitely have a place in hunting, in Africa and elsewhere. The best suggestion I have received though has come from several sources, "Practice, Practice, Practice!" And that includes offhand, kneeling, sitting, odd rests, and yes, with the sticks. The only serious trophies I have taken from sticks are a Blue Wildebeest and a Waterbuck. The top trophies for me have both been snapshots 125 yards off hand Kudu, and 25 yards in heavy brush Nyala. The key word is practice in whatever hunting you are doing, and when you think you've done enough, you still should burn a bit more powder! LLS | |||
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The new Bog Pod with the swivel, U shaped head is really awesome. I am shooting extremely well from this unit and will take and use it in Moz next Sept. I find it a lot better than the other home made sticks I've tried and the sticks over in Africa. The fact that you can use the Pod sitting, knelling or standing gives it far more flexibility that conventional stand up only sticks. Folds down neatly to fit into my Tuff Pak, returns to zero if you will with the marked increments on the legs, good to go in a heartbeat. To each his own, but have found my shooting aid of choice. Larry Sellers SCI Life Member | |||
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jwm One stick forward, the other two so that - (a) two stubs are to the right of fore-end (b) one stub can be gripped together with fore-end of rifle -- I'm a "righty" (c) you can take a normal off-hand stance with left stick to the outside of your left leg, and the right stick just outside your right leg Barry _______________________ | |||
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On tripod, one forward, two back. Used to shoot bipod sticks only. Used tripod in Tanzania last year and I've switched for good. Much steadier. | |||
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Sorry, didn't comment on stick position as asked by the poster. I prefer to have one leg at the 9 o'clock position, directly under my left hand (right hand shooter), so I guess that puts the other two at around 1 o'clock and 5 o'clock. I just like the steady feel of the leg directly under my hand/wrist of the supporting left arm. Just the way I do it, the secret is to experiment and find the one that you like and practice it over and over. Larry Sellers SCI Life Member | |||
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Use 2 sets. One set for rifle. The other for your shooting shoulder elbow.Like a bench rest if you support the elbow. Not much more trouble to carry two sets.really improves your shooting. | |||
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On your homemade sticks wrap the tops with bicycle tubing. Cut it in strips and wrap it tight. And, I use a vaccum belt rather than a large rubber band.   | |||
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One suggestion: 2 of 3 Buff I have shot were after running 3-400 yards. Practice running and making your shot. Breathing control is an important part of the shot, not just stick set-up. Jim | |||
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+2 on the breathing control. Also, shoot when it's windy; it can blow you around on the sticks if you have bad technique. analog_peninsula ----------------------- It takes character to withstand the rigors of indolence. | |||
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I too picked up a Bog Pod in prep for my upcoming hunt to practice. I find the thing to be alright but not as great as some on here make it sound. Personally I'd rathet lean my forearm against a tree then use the bog pod but that isn't usually an option in a lot of hunting situations. | |||
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Part of me is laughing here, not only at the responses, but at the original question, and I'm laughing mostly at myself. These questions seem EERILY familiar and almost word-for-word the exact same questions I was pestering you all with a year and a half ago. JWM - do what everyone here eventually kept telling me - RELAX!  Don't sweat the small stuff - I practiced with some home-made sticks that were not that great, but they got me up off my ass and away from the bench I was used to. You don't have to stay MOA from the sticks - just hit an 8" pie plate at 200 yards and you'll be just fine. The sticks you'll probably be using in-country will be a LOT better than what you have, and they will be put down for you, but not always exactly the same way. Shoot with them the way you are most comfortable with - I almost always had mine with the handrest of my rifle stock on top of the meeting point of the sticks, and used my left hand to help steady the sticks.The most important lesson that I learned, though, was take the shot as quickly as you get on target - don't hesitate, don't jerk the rifle, keep on a low mag for most shots - but when you get the crosshairs on target and on the area you are aiming for, take the shot - the longer you wait and hesitate, the worse the shot may end up being, plus it gives the animal too much time to move or run off. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorius triumphs, even though checkered by failure... than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat. - Theodore Roosevelt | |||
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