DIY tripod

[TOObuilder]

With all the interest in shooting tripods, I thought I would show how I did one on the cheap. Yes, I’m admittedly a cheapskate when it comes to certain things and there is no way I would ever lay out many hundreds of dollars for a shooting tripod. I am not disputing that those very expensive ball head carbon fiber tripods are nice, I would just never lay out that kind of cash for one.

When I saw this DeWalt brand laser level tripod on sale for 50 bucks I figured why not try it. I picked up a 55 mm ball head on Amazon for $110 so I’ve got a total of $160 invested into this. This is not a tripod set up that I would want to pack in on a hunt. I will be using mine for shooting prairie dogs and gophers. We typically strap our gear to the racks of a four wheeler or throw it in the box of a side-by-side and drive out to the prairie dog town and set up. I also have a bog pod and it’s certainly not as light as that and doesn’t fold up into as compact of a package, but I feel it will serve my purpose just fine and it seems very stable.

 

[varmintshooter]

I think that will work nicely for what you use it for, I had something like it when I started out with tripods. I also think that most guys that want a tripod for hunting, coyote for example, want something lite weight. Something else to consider is a leveling head rather than a ballhead. Again yours looks pretty good for the money.

 

[Bottom Fodder]

I’m not a tripod shooter so I don’t know, does the gun attached to the tripod affect the accuracy? Would you shoot a somewhat heavy recoil none muzzle break gun that way?

 

[TOObuilder]

I used the Bog pod tripod on two prairie dog hunts last summer. I'm thinking the dogs would confirm that shooting from a tripod has no adverse effect on accuracy!

So far I have just shot 223 AR's and a 22-250 bolt gun from my tripod but I can't see that there would be a problem with heavier recoiling rifles. That's my Seekins HIT 6.5PRC in the picture. I haven't shot it from the tripod yet, I just wanted to see how it felt mounted on that ball head. I'll probably give it a try in the next couple days and see how it feels.

 

[Treerat-sniper]

About 20 years ago I took a 1/4" aluminum plate, tapped it for 1/4-20 strapped on a owl ear bag and attached it to an old camera tripod. Used it for g-hogs for a bit & went back to my cheap homemade shooting sticks.

 

[K9TXS]

When I first started hunting PD I used a rotating table that I could sit at. Worked really well, rotated 360*. The draw back was moving from one location to another. This took awhile, loading, unloading, setup, etc., etc..

I like to move around when the PD's are down due to lots of shooting and or wind conditions. I then switched to a tripod. For me and my type of PD hunting it works really well. I have a cart that I can put my gear in and move any where I need to in a very short time period. Easy setup and takedown.

I also tried the ball head and arca rail. They both worked well, but there must be a better way. When shooting from a tripod and the rifle is attached the the ball head or arca rail, the tripod moves slightly during recoil. I hunt alone so I needed to be able to see my hits and misses.

I then went to a Armageddon Fat Bag.

The fat bag is attached to an aluminum plate with an arca rail which attaches to the tripod. Now the tripod doesn't move when the shot is fired since the rifle is no longer attached to the tripod. I can stand to make the shot or sit to make the shot, either way it's a great setup for me plus it allows me to see hits and misses.

I looked at the same tripod you're using, but at the time saw Leofoto was having a sale at the time and went with their inverted tripod.

You have a very good setup! I would just add a fat bag.

The cart you see is how I move from one spot to another. I can always take a shot from the cart when needed.

 

[K22]

About 20 years ago I took a 1/4" aluminum plate, tapped it for 1/4-20 strapped on a owl ear bag and attached it to an old camera tripod. Used it for g-hogs for a bit & went back to my cheap homemade shooting sticks.

The OP should be commended for his innovation. Good Job!

While a little challenging to master, I also found that shooting cross sticks are effective, easy to transport in the field and deploy rapidly. I've taken over 2,000 groundhog and 100 predators with them.

 

[TOObuilder]

I tried the new tripod set up with both my 6.5 PRC and 223 AR15. Tripods are never going to be as stable as shooting off a good solid bench but I find them totally acceptable for field use and this one should work great for prairie dogs and gophers. I don’t find recoil to be an issue at all, but I am shooting suppressed. I could absolutely see every heartbeat, but I’m betting that’s just the case with shooting off any tripod.

If you don’t mind a little bulkier set up then those fancy, expensive carbon fiber tripods then I think this is a really good option for doing it on the cheap!

 

[Rick Richard]

I just ordered a Zero Fox Given ball head with the adapter for a Bog tripod I had laying around. We will see how it works when she gets here.

 

[Varmint Shooter]

If you don't mind a little bulkier set up

Mine is like Toobuilder's with the addition of an extension for a range finder.
Great for chuck hunting in the high country over looking rock out cropings.

 

[ricco1949]

I tried the new tripod set up with both my 6.5 PRC and 223 AR15. Tripods are never going to be as stable as shooting off a good solid bench but I find them totally acceptable for field use and this one should work great for prairie dogs and gophers. I don’t find recoil to be an issue at all, but I am shooting suppressed. I could absolutely see every heartbeat, but I’m betting that’s just the case with shooting off any tripod.

If you don’t mind a little bulkier set up then those fancy, expensive carbon fiber tripods then I think this is a really good option for doing it on the cheap!

Definitely minute of PD....nice set up.

 

[ricco1949]

I’m not a tripod shooter so I don’t know, does the gun attached to the tripod affect the accuracy? Would you shoot a somewhat heavy recoil none muzzle break gun that way?

When I attached a camera ball head to the deck my Polaris 6X6 I was concerned about the stationary attachment with zero recoil slide.

I kept the arca rail loose to allow it to slide in the ball head initially.

I found that was not necessary, it shot equally well with it hard mounted.