The Richard Utting Blog - October Edition
A very busy few weeks of late with lots of Ballistics training day guys bringing all sorts of interesting rifles along.
Most interesting on the accessories front has been the new tripod from Vanguard.
With more and more folks, myself very much included, using tripods with ARCA ball heads to shoot their rifles off a quality tripod is essential. Doubly so for me as my spotting scope also fits on the ARCA tripod and is used for hours at a time.
When it comes to tripods, there are a few quality ones out there and then you can simply attach whatever head you wish to it, be that say a classic Manfrotto camera ball head, a larger video version etc. I have found that a very large ball is better for heavy rifles and I use the Highlights E4 55mm version for my rifles. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. First the tripod. This needs to be: light, tough, very stable, tight in its joints so it doesn’t wobble around, silent, portable and not a million dollars.
One of the main choices has always been ally or carbon. Many carbon tripods are over £500 before you add the ball head.
What Vanguard have done is remarkable! They’ve made a beautiful, well-thought-out carbon tripod for £400. BUT it also comes with a rifle-clamp for that money. In common shooting parlance, this is their take on the “Hog Saddle,” which are over £300 on their own.
I personally only use this type of clamp for testing optics in and I firmly believe that stopping the rifle’s recoil is trouble. I use ARCA and let the rifle slide under recoil, which ARCA permits while still holding the rifle safely. Anyway, whether you choose ARCA plate on your rifle’s underside or to clamp it in the rifle clamp provided, this Vanguard tripod bundle is frankly remarkable value for money. The tripod is certainly worth the price of entry on its own but the fact that it comes with a very sturdy rifle clamp (scope clamp for me!) is truly tremendous value.
Should you choose to clamp the rifle in the rifle clamp provided, there is on this tripod a rather clever and very sturdy built-in angle adjuster, similar to what a ball-head would normally provide (at great extra cost). The quality of the clamps and adjusters is absolutely first-rate!
What I do, personally, is use my favoured ARCA ball head on top of the Vanguard tripod. I’ve removed the rifle clamp component and fitted it to an old tripod for scope comparison duties.
What a lovely product at a great price! I love promoting stuff like this – get a premium product and a bargain – what’s not to love?
I’ve also been doing a lot with the Leica 2800.com rangefinder. This, like the Vortex AB binos, talks to Kestrel AB and sends not only range and inclination but also DOF/Azimuth. This, on the Kestrel for now (not yet supported by the lovely Garmin 901), allows relative wind angles with DOF, which is extremely cool and efficient.
Also very exciting is the launch of the Delta Stryker mini-scopes. Now the Strykers are deservedly one of the top-selling premium scopes in the UK, offering top-tier glass and mechanics with cleverly designed turrets and rets. There aren’t more than a handful of better scopes in existence and they’re often above £1000 more expensive. The new models have caused quite a stir and they’re also in an area where there’s a bit of a hole in the market. I’m talking about a 3.5-21x44 compact 34mm dialler and a 1-10x28 ultra-compact, again 34mm.
These are fully-featured and then some, including the distinctive ultra-sharp but still high-contrast Japanese glass, massive adjustment range, mega toughness and reliability (Strykers have proven to be amongst the most bulletproof optics in the world – I frequently see them in service on magnum rifles for use on my mile or 2k+ targets). There aren’t many full no-holds-barred premium diallers in the slightly more compact size, things like the very nice Valada Mini 4-5-28, for example. This is a most welcome addition and gives nothing up to its big brothers, the 4.5-30x56 FFP and 5-50x56 SFP, but saves a lot of bulk and weight.
The compact 1-10 is very noteworthy for its magnificent reticle design. At low mags, the CQB ring is wide and strong and fully lit but as you zoom in for more precise work, that bulky kill ring is no longer visible (you’ve zoomed through it) leaving visible a more regular detailed ret for precise shooting. Other clever features are the very versatile parallax range (literally from your toes to infinity) and the clever lo-pro turrets (clearly marked but not too tall to get in the way and easily push down to lock to avoid accidental knocks). At 1x it is so bright and clear and even both-eyes-open shooting is natural and easy.
Both are profoundly versatile optics. The older I get, the more I realise that folks are using too much scope on a lot of rifles. Our obsession with accuracy at the range makes us want to zoom in to the single bullet hole but then much of our actual shooting in the field, we have a minimum magnification that’s too high. Go lamping with a 1-10x scope and you’ll thank me…
EQUIPMENT
Delta Stryker - Various at Optics Warehouse
Garmin Foretrex 901 Ballistic Edition Wrist-mounted GPS Navigator with Strap
Tier One - Various at Optics Warehouse
Valdada Mini G2 4.5-28x50 FFP Illuminated MOA ¼ MOA 34mm Zero Stop Rifle Scope
Vanguard Endeavor GM-70 Aluminium Rifle Tripod Clamp
Vanguard Endeavor L 303CGM Gun Pod Carbon Shooting Rest Bowl Head Tripod System (Arca Compat)
Vortex Fury HD 5000 AB 10x42 Laser Range finding Binocular
BRANDS
As always, another brilliant blog from Richard Utting. Thank you Richard. Be sure to visit his page at SharpShootingUK.
