Best scope stands for F-Class and spotting scopes with best eye relief?

[dennymac]

Good afternoon, folks. If I may be so bold, I manufacture what I think is a fine Spotting Scope Stand. Take a look at the Super Spotter Scope Stand from www.gearbuggy.com
It comes with a lifetime warranty, and the possibility of special options for special people. The Masts are 1.25 inches in diameter and are stainless steel. The Base, Legs, and Head Assembly are billet aluminum. There are options for longer Spools to move the scope farther from the Mast. It will handle absolutely any scope on the market. Contact me with questions or comments. Best of luck, and have a great day. Wayne McLeod

 

[SEB-USA]

TSN-82SV.
Sorry I failed to give the specific one earlier.

Ernie what scope did you choose? What stand? How you like it?

 

[Laurie]

Very low stands with offset feet and a counterbalance are the 'in-thing' in our F league.

http://www.dolphinguncompany.co.uk/index.php/our-products/rifle-parts/new-dolphin-gun-scope-stands

Apart from Bisley in some summer conditions, we don't do that much mirage chasing in the UK. Most people use a scope with a low mag, wide-angle eyepiece to watch a particular wind-flag, group of flags, or the target line.

 

[Ont0001]

I know it's an old post... resurrected to add some new developments (neat stands)...
I thought I'd add an idea I'm trying to work with.
When I purchased my spotter, I thought get the best I could afford and found a Zeiss 20-60x80 . Quite excellent glass ... however I found it bulky and at even the lowest power of 20, it has a smaller than desired eye relief and field of view.
Tried to use it alongside my F Open set up and gave up for the above reasons. It's a great spotter but not what I wanted for prone use alongside my rifle/rest set up.
Since then I have played with an older Leup Mk 4 straight 10 power rifle scope I had.
Smaller,lighter and has a constant 4 inch eye relief. With side focus it can achieve what my full sized spotter could not. Additionally ,the mildot crosshair provides a "gauge" to work with flags and mirage waves. It can be "tucked in" closer to my shooting position better than the full sized spotting scope and at 10 power ,there is enough field of view to gather a lot more "info".
I haven't made it a habit yet of using a spotter alongside my rifle scope,but realize that the advantages are there and will be working on it.
Just an idea for those that may have the same issue's I've had with a full sized spotting scope and want to consider a smaller package.
Will see how it works out next summer...
Regards
Gord O

 

[Laurie]

When I purchased my spotter, I thought get the best I could afford and found a Zeiss 20-60x80 . Quite excellent glass ... however I found it bulky and at even the lowest power of 20, it has a smaller than desired eye relief and field of view. [Ont0001]

Same here, a big Swarovski in my case. My second and better choice was a secondhand compact Opticron GS52 GA ED which came with a variable power eyepiece that proved too high magnification even on its lowest setting. A fixed 15X wide-angle eyepiece, the lowest Opticron offer replaced it and made the scope better for this purpose. Even so, something offering around 10-12X would be better still IMO. 15X provides a good wide FOV of the target line at 1,000, but is too restrictive even at 800 yards never mind still shorter distances. It's as solid as a rock on a heavy Ewing stand, but the Dolphin type I supplied the link for would be better still as this setup allows the scope eyepiece to be positioned very close to the non-shooting eye without getting in the way of the front-rest.

 

[Turbulent Turtle]

Laurie, I like the concept of the Dolphin with the offset feet. My current tripod simply gets in the way of my position. I tried one of those with only two feet at 90 degrees from one another. The one I bought is a little unstable and still manages to get a foot to crowd me once in position. I realize I'm a big tall guy who occupies a lot of space but there's got to be a way and that Dolphin looks interesting.

 

[Laurie]

As well as being a mainstay of the GB F-Class league scene (runner-up to Des Parr in this year's 'open' class and organiser of the three annual Bisley league rounds) Mik Mak (Mik Maksimovic), the man behind Dolphin is a really fine designer, engineer, manufacturer, and gunsmith. His product range seems to grow almost weekly - really good stuff and well made too.

 

[jnyfeler]

As far as stands, the Giraud Tool stand is a very good one:

http://giraudtool.com/prod01.htm

+1. Easy to adjust the elevation and left/right when slung up in position. Also, folding and unfolding the legs means touching each leg one time instead of two like some stands.

Jeff

 

[Alex Wheeler]

Anyone ever try a Manfrotto with its horizontal center column?

 

[Alex Wheeler]

Like this. Then you also have a more stable tripod for scoring.

 

[BT1]

A bit heavy, but with the offset post and polecat would seem hard to beat. The feet are finally away from my elbow. Freelands 1" dia. stand from Champion Shooters Supply. The leveling option and long feet are a great addition. With an old Kowa TSN-1 & a new 25X long eye relief lens makes for a great setup prone or switch to the tall pole for scoring very quickly. Need a cart at the line anyway, so the extra weight is not too bad. This rig is very stable.

Steve

 

[Warren Dean]

Here's another option....

 

[memilanuk]

Another version of the Manfrotto tripod setup...