Bipod or Tripod shooting stick?

bonepicker

Very Active Member
Messages
1,328
I have a single leg shooting stick (monopod I guess you'd call it) and I have used it for my boys the last few years and it has been helpful but they have struggled to hold it steady left/right. They have both taken bucks with it but I have had to help hold the stick steady for the shot (which has been cool in its own way) I found the monopod in the woods a few years ago so it has a few issues and it is time to replace it. I am wanting to get one similar to it (a Primos) just in the Bipod or Tripod version. What do you guys recommend? Is it worth the cost and awkwardness for the third leg or is two sufficient? We aren't planning to make any 400-500 yard shots, just something to help them the next few years until their arm strength and confidence improves and something for my daughter who will be 12 next year and will have her first tag.
Thanks!
 
If they're shooting off-hand, the more stability the better. 1 more leg isn't gonna kill you (guessing you would carry it) and will provide them more stability and confidence in their shooting...not to mention potential success/fun.



"...I'd rather be tried by twelve than carried by six..."
 
You may also want to think about a Bog Pod. Maybe a little less cumbersome and I think quieter. My brother in law was clanking around that aluminum Primos during my elk hunt, and I believe the Bog Pod is a plastic composite, but perfectly fine for shooting/hiking.



"...I'd rather be tried by twelve than carried by six..."
 
LAST EDITED ON Oct-11-19 AT 03:30PM (MST)[p]I have used all three types: mono.bi and tri-pod. As I have gotten older my arm strength has declined a lot and the tri=pod BOGPOD is really a great aid. I even use it in my ground blind to set up my rifle or shot gun, works great. My grand daughter hunts with me and it really helps her confidence. She has taken 8 turkeys all with the tri-pod assist.
 
i use bogpod tripod also. I really think the one and two legged things don't help... at all, really. I like to get my breathing out of the equation, back against a rock or tree if possible. I often hold forend of gun against the top of tripod leg with my first two fingers cradling gun and just a pinky or two fingers around leg of tripod. I don't use yoke on top of tripod. Mainly carrying for spotting scope.

Even a tripod won't give me a rock solid rest if the rest of my body is floating around... I practice shooting positions and steadying crosshairs or mz sights continually while hunting so there are no surprises when i need to make a shot.
 
I have a primos tripod trigger stick and it works great. I like the way it is quickly adjustable and is very stable. It is a little cumbersome to carry, so rigged up a sling so that my hands are free when hiking. It also works great to steady my binoculars when glassing for long periods of time.

Jody
 
I have the Bog Pod, and my buddy has the Primos tripod TriggerStick...which I think is pretty slick.

Either way the tripod is much more solid than the bipod in sittibg or standing positions, and would be the way to go in my opinion...especially with the kids.
 
I try my best to get prone. If that's impossible due to brush I often use my spotting scope/tripod. I'm not sure how many antelope I've shot that way. I've been hunting whitetails the past couple years in super tall 4 to 5' tall grass and weeds. I used my spotting scope/tripod setup last year but would really like to switch over to a primos trigger stick. I like how it sets up quickly and quietly with just a pull of the trigger. It is likely another thing to add to my pack and lug around but if sitting a lot it may be worth it!
 
i had the primos trigger stick a while back and it only lasted 2 seasons before the whole thing turned into a piece o ****. They are not built to last and impossible to fix, IMO.
 
I bought a trigger stick and ended up returning it after trying it one day on a whitetail hunt. I found it was less stable than the spotting scope/tripod set up I mentioned in my earlier post. Why carry both!
 
It all depends on the situation but I have been using the tripod more and more these days. I have Bog Pod in both 2 and 3 legs
 
It all depends on the situation but I have been using the tripod more and more these days. I have Bog Pod in both 2 and 3 legs
I have a single leg shooting stick (monopod I guess you'd call it) and I have used it for my boys the last few years and it has been helpful but they have struggled to hold it steady left/right. They have both taken bucks with it but I have had to help hold the stick steady for the shot (which has been cool in its own way) I found the monopod in the woods a few years ago so it has a few issues and it is time to replace it. I am wanting to get one similar to it (a Primos) just in the Bipod or Tripod version. What do you guys recommend? Is it worth the cost and awkwardness for the third leg or is two sufficient? We aren't planning to make any 400-500 yard shots, just something to help them the next few years until their arm strength and confidence improves and something for my daughter who will be 12 next year and will have her first tag.
Thanks!
I've used a Harris Bipod now with the rotating flex to adjust for uneven terrain. Used the regular Harris for sitting & prone. Tough & absolutely reliable in any situation. Great shooting aid I've used since 1980. It turns a tough shot into a dead certain hit ! I never hunt without it on any big game. Fabulous for very deadly accurate shooting especially at long range !! ?? Jerry Gold in Fort Collins, Colorado
 
I understand completely where a Harris bipod would help considerably when hunting areas with tall brush or grass. I recently started hunting whitetails in Nebraska sandhill country where grass is often 3 to 6' tall. We don't move much and spend a lot of time sitting and glassing with shots in the 100 to 400+ yard range. My Nebraska buddy loves his Harris bipod.

I used to have a Harris bipod on my rifle when a kid but as I grow older I took it off. I'm not getting any younger and I'm always searching for ways to loose weight off the gear I'm hauling up and down hills. If hiking miles upon miles in open country I can usually find a spot to lay prone and shoot off my backpack. Nebraska's tall grass hill country has been the exception where I really think a taller bipod attached to the rifle would be worth hauling around.
 
I have no experience with them but i'm thinking a tripod will work better for your kids. It's what you see guides use for their clients.
 
I do a lot of practice with a 22 for months before a hunt. I did a test 1 year with all kinds of sticks, by far Tri pods won out. But like you I don't want the weight, so I made these out of 2 pair. (I will post picture later) folds up, light weight, & at least for me, by far the most accurate.
 
20200728_111741.jpg
 
I have tried a few types, if you are not getting one that locks on to the gun I think you are going to have just as much wobble and jitter as you would free hand, you can can just sit there for longer. I have had the best accuracy off my knee using the frame of the pack. I understand if that's not an options but practicing with sticks is just as valuable as practicing free hand.

Just don't teach them to shoot off the bench it builds a fake sense of confidence, when the are in the field there are no benches.
 
I recently decided to upgrade from the Stoney Point folding sticks that I have successfully used for many years. I looked, thought, looked some more, and thought some more before finally choosing the Bog Tripod over the Trigger Stick. Now after using it awhile I am very happy with my choice. It is solid and works great for me. It has far less mechanically to fail me in the field than the trigger stick. You can make a lot of height adjustment very quickly by just spreading the legs a little.
The third leg may add a little bit of weight but what you can get in exchange is well worth it. I like to sit cross legged with one of the legs angling toward me to brace my leg against with my elbow on that knee. Pulling that setup into my shoulder gives a good stable shooting platform.
I know we each have our favorite setup but whichever you choose, use it and play with it even in the backyard with an empty chamber until it becomes quick and second nature.
Now with all that said, when hunting in the high country I still love to throw down my backpack and shoot off it ?
 
I use a Primos Trigger Stick Tripod. I mostly hunt with my kids and I carry the tripod while they carry the rifle. I can quickly deploy it for a stable rest. The thing I love most about it is that it is self leveling. When you are hunting mountain country all you have to do is pull the trigger and the legs stay on the ground while you level the shooting rest on top. It is instantly adjustable for height and hill slope. I agree with other posters that it is not as durable as it should be and the epoxy holding the joint in one of the legs came apart on mine last weekend and needs to be repaired.
 
If you are hunting open or steep country where there isn't tall brush or grass to worry about I'd just use a backpack and shoot from prone position. The closer you are to the ground the less chance for a screwy shot! Also, if you hunt in wind (it always blows in Wyo and elsewhere) it helps to be close to the ground as possible! I just shot a muley buck in tall brush off the top of my spotting scope on a tripod. The older I get the less weight and bulk I want to lug around all day. Shooting sticks are just one more thing to carry around. A bipod on your rifle is also a chunk of weight to carry on your shoulders up and down the hills all day long. Obviously if you are hunting from a truck weight and bulk won't matter.
 
I have a set of trigger sticks, but they are heavy and I generally only use those on the ranch for white tail. When I'm mountain hunting I prefer my stoney point folding bipod with a third leg added. The third leg can get awkward and a lot of times getting in the way if you have to make a quick shot, but definitely adds a lot of stability if you have the time to get it set up right. What I do is put a few wraps of electrical tape on one of the legs and use it to secure the 3rd leg to it while I'm walking. That way if I walk up on something and need to make a quick shot it's easy to spread the legs and use the bipod. If I set up somewhere I'll unwrap the third leg and set the tripod up for better stability. This system has worked very well for me in the past.
 
Just saw that this came back around this year, thanks for all the replies! As an update, I went with the Primos Trigger Stick Tripod. Hard to believe that it's been a year already! We put a lot of miles in on that hunt but we finally got a group of elk crossing through an opening in the timber. They had no idea we were there and my son made a beautiful shot from the tripod and got his elk. I was very pleased. It is a little heavy and cumbersome if you were to haul it around on your own but I carried it because I didn't have a tag so it all worked out great! The metal legs made a tinging sound when brush or sticks hit or scraped them but I wrapped them in camo duct tape and solved that. Thanks!
 

Click-a-Pic ... Details & Bigger Photos
Back
Top Bottom