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I am preparing for an upcoming plains game hunt in Namibia. What are everyones thoughts regarding buying a set of shooting sticks from Long Grass or Sporting Wood Creations & taking them with me vs using what the PH has? What are everyones thoughts regarding these two different sets of shooting sticks? | ||
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Use the ones your ph furnishes. We bought a set of sticks from Long Grass a couple of years ago and found they were a bit springy, therefore we never used them, even for practice; made our own from bamboo and inner tube for practice and used the ph furnished ones for the hunt. | |||
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bwoodie, Email your PH and ask him about the construction of his sticks; if aluminium, then the wall thickness will make all the difference, with regard to over flexing. Verbera!, Iugula!, Iugula!!! Blair. | |||
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Bryan, Your Long Grass shooting sticks have a 100% lifetime satisfaction guarantee. If you find they are not to your liking, you may return them - no problem! Melody Rutkowski www.LONG-GRASS.com | |||
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bwoodie , i used a set this whole season , i did 185 days and they held up great , lightweight easy and collapsible for travelling .. if it can stand the abuse of rattling around the truck and being dragged through the bush for 8 months , tey get my vote  "The greatest threat to our wildlife is the thought that someone else will save it” www.facebook.com/ivancartersafrica www.ivancarterwca.org www.ivancarter.com ivan@ivancarter.com | |||
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Ivan, What type/brand of sticks did you use? Brett | |||
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I used Long Grass sticks on both of my Zimbabwe hunts; three buffalo and one tuskless along with several plains game animals. The only problem I had was both my PHs kept the sticks when I left Zim. Paul Smith SCI Life Member NRA Life Member DSC Member Life Member of the "I Can't Wait to Get Back to Africa" Club DRSS I had the privilege to fire E. Hemingway's WR .577NE, E. Keith's WR .470NE, & F. Jamieson's WJJ .500 Jeffery I strongly recommend avoidance of "The Zambezi Safari & Travel Co., Ltd." and "Pisces Sportfishing-Cabo San Lucas" "A failed policy of national defense is its own punishment" Otto von Bismarck | |||
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The most important thing is for you to get a set and PRACTICE with them. Finding out where to position your rifle on the sticks to YOUR best advantage or how far can I really shoot accurately off sticks is something you want to know long before you have a high dollar trophy in front of you and a PH excitedly whispering SHOOT! I shove the rifle into the sticks all the way up to the trigger guard and rest part of my left arm (right handed shooter) on the sticks. Some here will tell you that's WRONG! The point is, FOR ME it works better than any other way anyone has suggest because I've actually tried them all. There is a lot to be said for punching paper at 100 or 200 or 300 yards off sticks, it cuts through the BS about how you should position yourself with the sticks. I made a practice pair out of bamboo from Lowe's garden center and an old bicycle tube. I also tried some telescoping ones. Standing I shot much better off the homemade bamboo sticks as they are more ridged; however, the telescoping ones are great for sitting, far superior to bi-pods, and I use them for gophers, praire dogs, and calling coyotes. | |||
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Well, it seems that I am in the minority regarding the long grass shooting sticks. Glad to hear that they work well for most folks: they just were not rigid enoough for my tastes | |||
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long grass "The greatest threat to our wildlife is the thought that someone else will save it” www.facebook.com/ivancartersafrica www.ivancarterwca.org www.ivancarter.com ivan@ivancarter.com | |||
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Bring the Long Grass sticks. They are probably better then what the PH would provide (if they even have any). And you can always leave them in your gun case if you like the local ones better. I used a set on my Zim hunt. They worked great for me, though seven animals didn't think so much of them. | |||
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TexasZebra - Will they be available to buy at the SCI Reno show this year? | |||
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I also bought long grass shooting sticks. I didn't take them with me but used them to get used to shooting off sticks. They are excellent. | |||
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I have bought and used all kinds of shooting sticks. I have even hauled many of them to Africa, although I knew that the Ph had his own. I will never haul another set of shooting sticks there again, as I have found that every PH that I have hunted with in seven safaris there has provided adequate shooting sticks for me to use. All of them have been homemade, durable, rock solid and very effective. Here at home I have made my own from 6' dowels bought at Home Depot, bicycle tubing from Wal Mart as wraps near the top, and held together by a round vacuum belt. They are cheap, but solid and handy. Friends of mine have made the very same ones from my pattern and have used them to hunt the Western U.S. with great success. Look here on AR for the numerous posts about shooting sticks, including pictures of those made by many of us. Just my 2 cents worth. | |||
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CA Safari Hunter, We will not be at SCI, but will be at the Dallas Safari Convention, the Houston Safari Convention and the NRA Annual Meeting in Phoenix in May. Melody www.LONG-GRASS.com | |||
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I used the long grass sticks in Namibia and loved them. Apparently someone else did too. They were my ph's sticks and were stolen out of the back of the truck while we were getting fuel. Of course, no one saw anything. | |||
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Melody, That is a very stand-up warranty!!! "There are worse memorials to a life well-lived than a pair of elephant tusks." Robert Ruark | |||
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I think carrying any 6 ft item across to africa is an "airport pain in th a** I am sure the long grass products are of incredible high quality... I myself use a $10 pair I made from 3 bamboo sticks fron home depot and a vacuum cleaner belt. There is a unique thing about Africa that I have not been able to discern... It seems many hunters are satisfied with an Uncle Mike's 12.99 ammo nylon belt pouch for all their North American hunting...but once they go to Africa...they need a $60 leather ammo belt pouch. Mike 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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They are made to hold your rifle still, not for you to lean your weight on. Keith IGNORE YOUR RIGHTS AND THEY'LL GO AWAY!!! ------------------------------------ We Band of Bubbas & STC Hunting Club, The Whomper Club | |||
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Take your favorites. I took Long Grass. Check each day to be sure the two sections are tight together. ............................................. | |||
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I bought a nice leather ammo carrier and used it one day. Seems leather rubs against leather when you move in a lion blind causing too much noise. Put on my Texas Hunt Co. 5 shell-holder and no more problems. Simple and works great. Will get a canvas belt next time to go with it. Dutch | |||
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I've had good success with the stoney point tripod. Leaning into the sticks slightly works for me as well. I guess we are all a bit different and you can bet the PH will have something different than what you have practiced with. | |||
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Exactly! I built the bamboo and vacuum cleaner belt sticks and practiced on them for months...having 3 legs, they were rock steady. My PH in Namibia used a store-bought 2 legged variety. I never got to use them until a couple of gemsbok was loping broadside 70 yards in front of us. Compared to my 3 legged sticks, using his was like shooting freehand. So if you can, find out what your PH carries and practice off the same style, then let yours at home. | |||
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Check out the thread I started on Bog Pod in Africa. (Page 2 now I think) I'll have a set this next week. I have seen a set, they appeared very sturdy, collapsable, so the idea is to practice over here with them and take them with me. I don't know how practicing before the trip with any make or model you can come up with then go try shooting whatever is available when you get to Africa makes much sense? Kinda like practicing with an NFL football, then finding out you will be using a rugby type ball for the game!! Larry Sellers SCI Life Member | |||
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For those of you in West Texas, New Mexico or Arizona, I think you could make a good set from sotol stalks. I did not think about it when we were out in the Davis Mountains recently, just picked up a couple of stalks to use as walking sticks, one was long and slim, had I picked up a couple more I could have had a sturdy, light weight set of shooting sticks....I think??? Any of you all tried this?? SIC TRANSIT GLORIA MUNDI | |||
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Bipods are shaky and monopods are worse. Unless you practice a lot. you'll wander all over the place. The "African shooting sticks" I've seen advertised in the states are priced outrageously. Rediculous. Make a set with three straight saplings and a vacuum cleaner belt. Three hundred bucks for shooting sticks? Gimmie a break. | |||
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This is Jim from African Sporting Creations (formerly Sporting Wood Creations). Making shooting sticks for me is a hobby that has gotten completely out of control. I came back from Zim in 1998 and looked for a set of wooden shooting sticks and after coming up empty decided to make my own. My goal was to make the very best ones available without regard to cost. For example, the 6 aluminum connector components we designed are milled on a CNC machine and have three points of contact for unmatched rigidity and a rubber gasket that compresses with the last 1/4 turn so it will not vibrate loose in the back of a safari vehicle. Are they expensive? Well that depends on your perspective. The connectors alone on our premium models cost more than others sell their sticks for but you will get to hand them down to your grandchildren and the legs will not come apart unintentionally. If you ever have a failure and blow a hunt as several of our customers have done with other models the $100 or so saved will never be remembered. We offer two models: one that starts in the low $100 range that we just developed as an entry level offering and another that starts in the low $200 range with the big difference being the type of connector used, the option of exotic woods and tops. Please note the largest retailer in South Africa who has tried them all now promotes our premium offerring. They found that the dryness of the karoo did not effect our sticks at all as they have metal to metal contact and the sand did not seize up the adjustment mechanism. If you want to look at a set before deciding we are more than willing to send out a set for inspection. Compare them side by side to other options and make an informed decision. Go to our site if you want to learn more and feel free to ask any questions. Jim www.africansc.com | |||
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Very important question since this will be your shooring platform for trophies of a life time. If another client has given your PH a set of sticks then he may have a decent set, if not the PH will have a make-shift set. Even if you contact your PH he will tell you he has them. Take your own. FWIW, I use the Stoney Point Polecat tripod. Compact, adjustable, and rigid. Fast and easy to deploy. | |||
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Long Grass have my vote as well, the simple set with copper/brass(??) sleeves to join them together. I have used them for 3 or 4 years and found them great. Trackers managed to bust mine this year (sticking out on spare tyre of truck and a tree caught them), but I will certainly be getting another set in Dallas. | |||
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Bwoodie, Try both 2 and 2-stick set-ups. I'm used to the 2 stick "bipod". I learned long ago to put up my front wrist in the V, take a step back, and lean into the sticks....much more rigid. Seems most PHs use the 3 leg variety now..much harder to move the rifle position as the animal moves. | |||
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P.S. Somebody posted above about expecting sticks to be a dead rest, leaning too heavily on them etc. This a common mistake, they are an aid to offhand shooting - not a dead rest - and if used as such are great. If you bear down on them they will appear unsteady/flimsy. IMO the way to use them is set fore-end in the fork, hold hand around fork with index finger over the rifle, loose and easy. Don't take a death grip of the sticks or the rifle and don't lean down on them. As someone else said above, of course use them how you feel most comfortable, but if you are starting out with sticks I recommend the above. | |||
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I guess the old saying of "If you've got it flaunt it" applies to shooting sticks also. No offense to anyone who manufactures them and posts here, but $100 or $200 shooting sticks complete with zebra skin covering, exotic hardwood legs, and milled stainless steel or brass connectors will not make you shoot any better than a pair of $10 homemade sticks. I hunted North American big game for almost 40 years in 3 western states plus Alaska and two hunts in Canada killing 15 different species of well over 100 big game animals, including several that qualify for B&C record books, before I ever knew what shooting sticks were. I have almost always found a rock, a tree, or used a tight sling from a sitting or prone position to make a steady shot. I also have a Harris bipod that I have used occasionally. I have only hunted in Africa three times but have hunted with 7 or 8 different PH's. One had shooting sticks made from 3/4" x 6' hardwood dowels, the rest either didn't have any or had ones made from bamboo or some local semi-straight wood. I also made a 3' bipod in Zimbabwe from mopane saplings, parachute cord and an old sock. Prior to my last hunt in South Africa, I made some shooting sticks for practicing at home from three 6' bamboo sticks from Lowe's and an old inner tube from a local tire store. Cost was less than $10, and it is as steady as any shooting stick on the market. I used these for weekly practice with both my .375 and .22 LR for several months prior to going to Africa. My biggest problem with using any shooting sticks while standing is my right elbow (I'm right handed). Unless I can rest my right elbow against something solid, it's only a two point rest, and not as steady as a three point rest. NRA Endowment Life Member | |||
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Once you arrive to hunt, you'll want to check the zero on your scope. Then, IF you are going to use someone's shooting sticks you have never shot off of before, check to see if your zero is the same. Better to find out now if all is indeed OK. Jack Hood DRSS | |||
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buffybr, some of the PH's over there crouch down a little bit so you have a rest for your right elbow when shooting off sticks. Dirk de Bod, the SCI PH of the Year and one of our Pro Staffers has used this to great effect. Jim | |||
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My biggest problem with using any shooting sticks while standing is my right elbow (I'm right handed). Unless I can rest my right elbow against something solid, it's only a two point rest, and not as steady as a three point rest.[/QUOTE] As per the poster above, ask the PH to hold the sticks with both hands at the fork, straight arms and legs spread and a slight crouch. I do this for hunters particularly on longer shots, and the hunter's right elbow rests easily on my shoulder, giving you that third point. Works very well, only hassle is if you have a muzzle brake PH can't block his ears, but I tuck my left ear against my shoulder in this instance. | |||
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Before my one-and-only African trip I was getting a little obsessive about several things, one of which was the use of shooting sticks. I bought a Bog-Pod, made two sets myself out of dowels and bamboo, practiced just about every position that I saw recommended, and pestered this forum with questions about proper form, should I bring a set on the trip, etc. Eventually one or two of the more experienced guys said, in essence, "relax, sticks are sticks, just enjoy yourself". I wound up using the PH's sticks without any problems whatsoever. I brought along a few short pieces of garden hose and rubber tape just in case the sticks needed a bit of padding, and didn't need any of it. Using the camouflaged, aluminum-and-rubber Bog-Pod would have, for me, lessened the African experience. The home-made tripods I used, made of local materials by local hands, were perfect. I'm sorry, but the idea of buying elaborate and expensive sticks and then schlepping them halfway around the world strikes me as not only ridiculous but actually detracts from the whole hunt...but if the idea of having these carriage-trade tripods appeals to you, why not go for it? The whole idea is to have fun! The most memorable shots were the offhand ones. | |||
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The key with sticks,ANY STICKS is to practice with the ones you will be using. For this reason I think it wise to have a set you own and are comfortable with and carry them to Africa. Your PH wants you to shoot well and be comfortable, and if your sticks give you a edge, he will be happy to carry them ! I shot a feral hog off a pair of Jims sticks yesterday doing what I preach---practice!!! Research for yourself, but invest in a set for yourself. Good shooting Dave Fulson | |||
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Well said!!! | |||
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Here is my 2 cents worth. My shooting sticks are made with two 3/4" dowells about 6' in length. They are then tied 5 "s from the top. Below the join, I have tied a 12" length of nylon cord. This cord is loose enough to slide up or down, yet tight enough so as not to be able to move freely and allows the sticks to be opened at the correct height for the shooter. Having a two stick set allows the shooter to raise or lower his rifle by stepping forward or back and it is much easier to move the point of aim laterally.Doug. SUSTAINABLY HUNTING THE BLUE PLANET! "Political language is designed to make lies sound truthful, murder respectable and to give an appearence of solidity to pure wind." Dr J A du Plessis | |||
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