Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Show Off Your Spotting-Scope Tripods And Stands Solutions

I recently had to throw away my dad's old Tasco spotting scope, there was just no saving it... And even though I never used it - I did finally decide to buy my own due to my eyesight getting a little worse and worse. So I picked up a Vortex Diamondback 20-60 angled lense, on sale.

But a big thing for me is that 99% of my shooting is from a bench or table, and I don't want to lug around to much in the way of tripod or some other stand, I wanted something that could just fit right into the bag the Vortex came with and wouldn't add much weight overall. So, here's my solution:

ONE Zeadio "Metal" Mini-Tripod (I stress the metal part, it is....mostly. But it's pretty light and thin, cheap enough and works at least as a prototype for as long as it lasts.) And ONE Neewer 50mm Tripod Leveling Base. Now, it took me hours to find the smallest leveling base I could - the Neewer, because there aren't a lot of options, and most them are large and expensive. I need some measure of tilt fixing for the spotting scope, and I didn't want to carry around shims, nor is the tripod adjustable. And I have to say, the Neewer product is really nice for its price. 12 degrees isn't much, but it is enough.

So, it all fits in the scope bag and doesn't add much weight. I'll still need a larger more traditional tripod setup for when there's no table room available however. Overall though, I am pretty damn well pleased with how it turned out. It's fairly stable, very light weight, and very, very compact. I have more complaints about the Vortex scope (the cap doesn't stay on very well on the objective lens... The eye piece cover takes to long to unscrew, they should have turned the mounting base 180 so that it could be rotated ALL the way around the body to any position including 'over' the body,small eyepiece, pretty [bleep] eye relief, small eyebox,) than I do about the 'chinesium' tripod and head.



So, anyone got any efficient, funky, or other setups you want to share?

Huh.
That's a clamp.

nice.

Heres what I made

If you really want to cut down on gear to lug around to range, just use sandbags with your angled scope. Assuming your range has stacks of sandbags, for members to use?

When digiscoping with an SLR camera was still a thing, it was not uncommon to remove the scope from the tripod and place it with camera attached on a photo shooting bag atop a solid object like a large rock. A solid shooting bench would work too.

A bagged scope can be surprisingly stable compared to even the best tripods. Actually quite a bit better in terms of vibration, if atop a solid object. Not as convenient for panning or adjustments though.

No sandbags at the ranges I go to. Ah, I see a Triclops is here.

That is is a bloody good idea.

Huntsman do those stored rifles point at your belly when you are shooting?

Yeah, but as you can see, the bolts are open......

I use an old brake drum with a $15 mallwart fluid head bolted on.

With my Marty Feldman eyes! Hahahaha

But actually, I glass with my binoculars, and if I see something that needs a closer inspection, I just turn my head and look through the spotter.

a good idea, bit bulky, but it seems effective in that regard.

Fair enough. Tabletop tripods are dirt cheap and readily available. I wouldn't go too crazy or spend much for that use. No need to overthink or reinvent the wheel.

I've tried a few cheap tabletop tripods, and returned them all.

All perfectly functional, but just not quite what I want.

I'll probably look into Manfrotto mini/tabletop tripods, a friend of mine who does a lot of photography swears by them.

Such a thing as overthinking schidt?

Very...vintage.

flagstaff,
You should patent that invention! That is a GOOD idea...! I never thought of that.
Brittman

I also have the vintage Freeland stands one of which was given to me from a friend from scout sniper school in Viet Nam has the msn on it

Hmm, there's a name I think I know.

But now, spill the beans on that clamp setup, the range, and how the mosquitoes are?