The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Hunting African Big Game Hunting Which shooting sticks are best at a good price pointGo | New | Find | Notify | Tools | Reply | |
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Putting this here because seems shooting sticks are more popular for Africa than stateside. I was thinking about getting some and wondered which ones I should get. I'm thinking bipod probably most practical, I'd like something fairly easy to collapse and carry, and fast to deploy. I'm 6' and want them big enough I'm not hunched over. Thanks guys. Red My rule of life prescribed as an absolutely sacred rite smoking cigars and also the drinking of alcohol before, after and if need be during all meals and in the intervals between them. -Winston Churchill | ||
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Make yoru own. They beat the HELL out of the commercial metal ones. DRSS Kreighoff 470 NE Valmet 412 30/06 & 9.3x74R | |||
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Hi Red, I have the Long Grass, they have different models but mine is the standard ones, they all do the same job without the fancy bits in case they get 'Acquired' whilst in Africa. Cheers, Jeff Gray "Travel Light, Travel Fast and carry a Big Bore" | |||
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Go to "Find" and type "shooting sticks" - there is enough info there to create a commercial directory  | |||
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GET 3 PIECES OF BAMBO AND A DRIVE BELT FOR A VACUUM CLEANER, I MADE MINE WITH 3 LEGS, WORKS WONDERFUL AND VERY LIGHT AND STRONG. JUST AKE A TRIPOD WITH 4 TO 6 INCHES STICKING ABOVE THE BAND | |||
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I used bamboo & bicycle inner tube. Works great. | |||
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[QUOTE]Originally posted by CHAPUISARMES: Hi Red, I have the Long Grass, they have different models but mine is the standard ones, they all do the same job without the fancy bits in case they get 'Acquired' whilst in Africa.[quote] It is called "affirmative shopping!" | |||
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Red, what price point are you looking at? I am a diehard Bog Pod fan because they can be used for more than one purpose, are easily transportable and infinitely adjustable. Wooden dowels and vacuum cleaner belts are certainly cheap but are none of the above. | |||
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+ 1 on the above. I use the Bog-Pod and have found the variability of use to be exceptional. Far more so than the fixed height bipod and adjustable Stoney Point model I have. Von Gruff. | |||
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Unless you are really, really emotionally attached to the particular dowels that you use at home, all you have to transport is the vac-belt/inner-tube/whatever. Get three poles or branches when you get to your destination, and in about thirty seconds you have another tripod, assuming that your PH doesn't already have an acceptable set of sticks already made. It's not rocket science. I have a Bog Pod (very effective and versatile, but heavy and somewhat bulky), a Stoney Point bipod and tripod (lightweight and more compact), and a couple of homemade models. All of them work, but it would be a frosty day in Hawaii before I would even consider dragging any of them halfway around the world for a hunt. Hunting is not target shooting. Dealing with improvised shooting positions and unfamiliar conditions is part of the game, and practice should allow you to do just that. Shooting off a different set of sticks is a piece of cake. John | |||
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Mike Dettorre has a terrific design for making your own super cheap and super quick. He gave me a set a couple years ago and I've left my wood ones at home and used his for guiding locally ever since. BTW - at 6'4" I understand its REALLY a pain to shoot from sticks while squatting so I like tall sticks. BUT... after my first trip to Africa I realized I had to face reality and either take my own sticks or learn to shoot from sticks that weren't set up high enough. I practiced real hard to learn to shoot with my knees unlocked rather than having to fuss with taking the time to readjust the sticks for every shot. It seemed like the practice paid off on several animals where there just wouldn't have been time to re-set the sticks to the "correct" height. | |||
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I made my own set to practice from prior to an August trip to Zim. They are collapsible to fit in a gun case. Plans are available in the Africa forum of 24hourcampfire. | |||
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[quote]Unless you are really, really emotionally attached to the particular dowels that you use at home, all you have to transport is the vac-belt/inner-tube/whatever. Get three poles or branches when you get to your destination, and in about thirty seconds you have another tripod, assuming that your PH doesn't already have an acceptable set of sticks already made. It's not rocket science. At 31 inches and 40 ounces are they really that heavy and bulky? As for finding good sticks when you get there, best of luck. Maybe it will happen, maybe it wont. If I had not brought my Bog Pod on my last trip I would have had to use the PHs bipod made of two fiberglass stakes lashed together with duct tape. No thanks. You are correct, hunting isn't shooting and people should practice. To me practice involves replicating the conditions as closely as possible. I got really lucky and talked the owner of the indoor rifle range a mile from m house to let me shoot off my sticks (before that it was a 120 mile round trip to a place that would let me do it). I practice twice weekly using a dozen rounds at a time. I also shoot offhand and kneeling. As a hunter I feel the moral obligation to do everything I can to ensure a clean humane kill. As a matter of fact, my upcoming trip to Namibia makes bringing my own firearms impossible, so I am renting a rifle. The place I am going to has a nice selection of Steyr and Sauer rifles with Zeiss scopes. Obviously I cant practice with the rifle but I can practice with my Bog Pod. Part of the trip is a photo safari so the Bog Pod is also my SLR tripod, spotting scope mount, and video camera mount. Collapsed as a monopod it will also me to use it to take more steady camera shots out of the open Land Rover. Very helpful for getting sharper shots with zoom lenses at animals far away. As shooting sticks you can choose between three different heads to suit your needs. If you like wooden sticks then be my guest but I am taking a Bog Pod halfway around the world and through 3 countries and glad to do so. | |||
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I have used about all of them and the current Bog Pod works best for me. I do not find it heavy or cumbersome at all and it serves double duty as my walking stick/binos rest/camera rest. In rough terrain, mountains and stream crossings, I am really glad I have it. It has saved me from a lot of falls. After a bit of practice, you should be able to shoot off your sticks as good as you shoot of the bench at reasonable hunting distances. | |||
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Kyler: Could you please share Mike's design for his sticks with us? Thanks. | |||
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For crying outloud guys, It's just two or three sticks and a little inner tube. I personaly like just two sticks instead of three much quicker on the set up. Bamboo is what I made mine out of. Guess being a farm kid has lots of advantages. | |||
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two lightweight metal but plastic coated gardening stakes from Home Depot they come in six foot lengths. 1 round vacuum cleaner belt. Twist the belt tight over the top of both sticks and then roll down about six inches. I had some spare camo duct tape so I ran it down the sticks just for grins. Run it length wise and it will only take 12 ft of tape. You can also use brown duct tape. I like these stick a lot because they are very easy to lose... Careful now the stakes are $3.57 each and the vacuum cleaner belt are two for $3.99 (make sure they are round and not flat). So for $18.27 plus tax you can have two sets of shooting sticks that you can cut to length. So at $9.14 (now I know it doesn't include the duct tape) they certainly don't have the CDI (Chicks Dig It) of the $145 Longgrass ones but I also don't use $70 leather ammo pouches either. Just a low brow cretin I guess.  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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Thanks Mike and guys, I'm gonna go that route first, make my own and see how they work out, if I like using them, if it's comfortable. why spend a lot of money I can spend on other stuff right? Red My rule of life prescribed as an absolutely sacred rite smoking cigars and also the drinking of alcohol before, after and if need be during all meals and in the intervals between them. -Winston Churchill | |||
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I agree that the Bog Pod is not too heavy or clumsy to use in the field..in fact, I think that it works very well. However, in a world where people agonize over ounces of weight in a gun, where you need to minimize the weight of your checked luggage to an ever-increasing extent, and where my take-down gun case is crammed to capacity...then, yes, 31 inches is too bulky and 2 1/2 pounds is way too heavy for me to pack sticks on the plane. But you're right, to each his own. If part of your trip is devoted to serious photography, using the Bog Pod as a photo tripod sounds like a great idea. John | |||
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+1 I have been using DIY jobs for years and they work well but I recently bought mysel a re-legged devil Bog Pod. It is close to perfection. Cheers. | |||
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On my last hunt the PH used a red-legged Bog Pod, worked great. Mike | |||
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Mike: Your, What I have learned on AR list is getting longer. Paul K Take Trophies - Leave Brass | |||
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Bog Pod for me. It can be used standing, kneeling, sitting on your butt as a shooting platform. Other uses include camera, bino or spotting scope base, walking stick, emergency splint material, etc. This device far exceeds the uses of the "common", crooked, flimsy, sticks you find in most African hunting camps. Fits right in my Tuff Pak, and my Eberlestock backpack for mountain hunting here in New Mexico as well. JMHO! Happy 4th of July everyone. Let's make sure we continue to have this privilege of independence by showing up for the next election. Larry Sellers SCI Life Member | |||
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I have a few bipod / tripods, but now that I have the red legged Bog Pod the others are collecting dust. They are only slightly heavier, but seem much more stable than my others. DSC Life Member NRA Life Member | |||
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Paul K, Everybody on AR just keeps getting smarter and smarter. 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 just received my 2d Bog Pod from Cabelas. My PH in Namibia coveted my first one so I left it with him last month. I also have a set of bamboo sticks but for kneeling and sitting they don't work so well. Regards, Don Trust only those who stand to lose as much as you do when things go wrong. | |||
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The two best sets of shooting sticks I have seen were Zayne van der Merwe and Neil Duckworth's. The only reason they were the best is because I was using them in Africa. My other two trips I never used the shooting sticks. Do not over think this, keep it simple. Zayne used three legged sticks, Neil two leg. they all work. When I first started I got caught up in the hype and bought a pair of Long Grass shooting sticks. Save your money they are too flimsy. | |||
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On safaris 15 & 16 in South Africa and Namibia in April I used bamboo self fashioned sticks provided my my PH's. OK, they work but in the VERY steep terrain of Bobmazi Wilderness, a spectacular place on the East Cape, the tripod bamooo just didn't work well, too light and flimsey to be real stable, and very difficult to place quickly on steep terrain...frankly, I didn't use them in Namibia on Dik-Dik and common Duiker, quick shooting required so no rest!! I just purchased a set of Stoney Point Safari Bi-pod sticks for the upcoming Eastern Oregon Invitational double shoot. One, they require bi-pod only if used, Two the Bog-Pods are too heavy, and Three Long Grass just too expensive. I am anxious to give them a try next week! 470EDDY | |||
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Just curious? Have you ever weighed the Stoney Point and Bog Pod sticks? If so what is the actual difference in weight of the two. Thanks. Larry Sellers SCI Life Member
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Larry; Stoney Point Safari Stix-Camo Bipod 19 oz Bog Pod- Tall Bi-28oz and tri-40oz 470EDDY | |||
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Dago Red, if you want to try my Long Grass shooting sticks and see if they work for you, shoot me a PM. i will throw them in the truck and you can pick them up at Clovis Hospital Vote Trump- Putin’s best friend… To quote a former AND CURRENT Trumpiteer - DUMP TRUMP | |||
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I have been using the Primos Trigger stick tripod - so far, so good. | |||
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Thats a pretty standard design commanly made and used for stalking here in the UK... If you can get some lambing rubbers or anything similar and slide two or three down each leg, its stops the legs inadvertently clattering together. Although i started with homemade sticks like that, these days I prefer similar telescopic sticks simply as they make shooting from different positions easier, and are also easier to pack and transport.. The real trick with any set of sticks though is to practice shooting off them until there use is second nature.. | |||
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Judging by the gap at the top and the thickness, one could hold a recoiless rifle with those boys. | |||
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Thanks for the info 470. I have to use a tripod type setup myself, just could not get as steady as needed with a bipod arrangement. Larry Sellers SCI Life Member
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The best price I have found are those provided for free by my PH.....when discovering I was 6'-4" once upon a time, the tracker was sent to cut some "sticks" and behold, the next morning, sticks that fit me appeared!. I practice on a homemade set of hickory....tripods....must be a cheap bastard! | |||
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I made 2 sets of the DIY sticks, one bipod and one tripod. I ask my PH before each trip which type they'll have and do my practicing accordingly. I also put some tennis racquet grip tape on the top of the sticks to reduce wear/scratching on the rifle fore-end. Caleb | |||
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