Monte’s Manfrotto — F-Class Spotting Scope Stand
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Here’s a very interesting spotting scope stand, from Forum member (and ace F-Class shooter) Monte Milanuk. You can see this stable rig can be adjusted super-low for prone shooting. The components are from Italian photography accessory maker Manfrotto (but it’s not as expensive as you might think).
Monte tells us about his spotting scope stand, which is really a conventional photography tripod adjusted to a very low position, with a special head:
This stand has a Manfrotto 322RC2 pistol-grip head to make positioning easier. It actually goes even lower, and much, much higher. Both the head and the tripod are about $170-ish each, so it’s a bit more expensive than a Ray-Vin, a little less than a Creedmoor Polecat, and a whole lot more flexible overall.
This Manfrotto 055XPROB Pro Tripod is actually a little on the big side – probably should have gone with a Manfrotto 190 model (couple inches shorter on the legs) so it can be a bit of a hassle to set up when you have to shoot two-to-a-mound a la Fullbore.
It’s probably not as [expensive] as you might think… a Ray-Vin F-Class stand (without head) is about $170 from Creedmoor Sports. A Ray-Vin stand head is $150, plus the outrigger attachment is another $100+. I’ve got two of them downstairs for when I used to shoot conventional prone[.]
Comments from Facebook Fans:
Pretty high end setup, should work well for prone, not sure about other positions. — John T.
An excellent and sturdy Manfrotto stand. I have one that I use not only for a spotting scope but to mount the rifle on when allowed for unknown distance tactical matches.–Dennis Santiago
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Tags: Creedmoor Sports, F-Class, Manfrotto, Monte Milanuk, Pistol Grip, Prone Shooting, Ray-Vin, Tripod
I’ve used Manfrotto’s products literally for years but for photography, not shooting. None have been a disappointment save for Very Last Item, a QR mount; steel thread adapter bushing disintegrated after a couple uses. Otherwise my only comment is that Monte’s rig would be trouble where firing points are fairly narrow.
purchased this setup, current version in 2018
I like the stability and the ability to accommodate wildly varying terrain but for F-class, i find that it does take up too much real estate, is too time-consuming to set up and you must make sure you get the right head (light or heavy) to match the weight of your scope plus cover. I purchased the lighter head that is specified for 4 pounds and, with my 82SV (4lb 4oz plus cover), the ball head will slip.