Thanks Laurie. I have resigned myself to making a plate aluminum base.
Nice chronograph review!
I shoot at a public range from a heavy bench with a thick cast concrete top set on cinder blocks. The benches are nice, but like all the benches I shoot from they are designed so the muzzle extends out past the end of the bench a few inches. Therefore a short tripod or plate base won't work to hold my Labradar; there isn't enough room ahead of the muzzle.
I use the same quality photo tripod I used to use for my old conventional chronograph. I set it up so that two legs are in the dirt ahead of the bench and one leg extends back onto the concrete surface of the firing line. I can position the head to be just ahead of the bench which puts the Labradar exactly abeam of the muzzle. The tripod height is adjustable and I use a ball head for aiming. This set up works great for all the various benches I use since not a single one of them is long enough to properly handle my front and rear rests in a normal position without the barrel extending over the forward edge.
Of course, your situation may be different, so check your muzzle vs bench alignment before you build.
Some of the places I shoot F-class allow me to use my Labradar. At one spot, the unit has to sit out in the grass just forward of the concrete slab from which we fire. It's lower than the slab, so a flat plate would put the unit too low to properly align with my muzzle. So I use another tripod I had on hand, a sturdy short tripod which can support a camera or Labradar up about 24" or, but splaying the legs out nearly horizontally, lower the ball head to within a few inches of the ground. It works great for prone shooting.
If you're set on a base-plate style mount, why not shop around for a thick acrylic cutting board and use that? You will certainly want a ball head for aiming. I hot glued a short piece of brass tubing (available at any hobby shop) to the notch at the top of the Labradar. I slip a plastic straw into the tube to use as a sight; cheap, easy, and won't damage the unit if it falls over.
Also get yourself a photographic quick release plate for the bottom of your Labradar and top of your tripod head. They used to be expensive, but now they're cheap and WAY better than using the 1/4-20 screw every time. You might be able to find a ball head with a quick release unit included.
