Steady Stix. An aid for old codgers.

Greetings All,
I was in at Chateau Jeremy's (less imaginative souls call it Rivers to Ranges) the other day and spotted a set of Steady Stix. After the normal period of procrastination I bought them. Steady Stix are a lightweight, collapsible version of the shooting sticks often used in Africa. Long term arthritis has left me with a lack of flexibility, especially in the lower back and neck, so for me a bi-pod is not an option. Dave Scovill, who was for a long time the Editor of Handloader and Rifle magazine used them extensively shooting his lever action rifles so the Stix looked like a good option.
Today I took them up the back with one of the .22's for a test. The Stix are intended to be used sitting and you adjust the height by walking the legs out or in and this worked better than I expected. The Stix also look a bit flimsy but a pretty steady aim was possible. After a few test shots at 50 metres I moved back to 100 metres for which is the rifles zero. Five shots went into about 65 mm from a not to comfortable sitting position on a slope. 65 mm may not sound all that flash at 100 metres but it is considerably better than I can do sitting without the Stix. We have a range day this Sunday so some testing with some of the centre fires will be on the menu. I just need to find some more old codger accessible likely spots for a bit of sit and watch.
Regards Grandpamac.

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Originally Posted by grandpamac

Greetings All,
I was in at Chateau Jeremy's (less imaginative souls call it Rivers to Ranges) the other day and spotted a set of Steady Stix. After the normal period of procrastination I bought them. Steady Stix are a lightweight, collapsible version of the shooting sticks often used in Africa. Long term arthritis has left me with a lack of flexibility, especially in the lower back and neck, so for me a bi-pod is not an option. Dave Scovill, who was for a long time the Editor of Handloader and Rifle magazine used them extensively shooting his lever action rifles so the Stix looked like a good option.
Today I took them up the back with one of the .22's for a test. The Stix are intended to be used sitting and you adjust the height by walking the legs out or in and this worked better than I expected. The Stix also look a bit flimsy but a pretty steady aim was possible. After a few test shots at 50 metres I moved back to 100 metres for which is the rifles zero. Five shots went into about 65 mm from a not to comfortable sitting position on a slope. 65 mm may not sound all that flash at 100 metres but it is considerably better than I can do sitting without the Stix. We have a range day this Sunday so some testing with some of the centre fires will be on the menu. I just need to find some more old codger accessible likely spots for a bit of sit and watch.
Regards Grandpamac.

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With the proliferation of quality lightweight tripods, I've been contemplating setting up a tripod for shooting in tussock country. A Sirui CF model is only about 200g heavier than my atlas and can be used for both spotter and binos. Ive had several shots recently (1 steep up hill, one across gully on a steep face) where I have had to improvise a less than ideal prone shooting position, one of which lead to me now having a scar over my right eyebrow. Both would have been a piece of piss from a stable seated position

I own a Primos tripod trigger stick. Not heavy to carry and solid as from a standing shot right down to a low/prone shot

Comes with a quick-fit camera/scope fitting too.

There’s a cheaper copy available ex an Ozzie supplier someone posted on here just recently

Thanks for your post Nick-D,
20 years ago I probably have gone for a tripod had they been available. These days advancing age together with decreasing mobility means that the light weight (a little over 200 grams) makes them a better option for me at least for the moment. Welcome to the Weatherby eye brow club. I've had a few whacks but my son had a similar experience to yours. He dropped out of the mist and spotted a deer quite close, took a shot from a less than stable position. Cut one. Recovered from that and here was a deer standing in much the same spot. Cut two. Over to the deer. 2 deer! After a round trip back to his camp to get his pack, a butchery session and the walk out he arrived at my place with a liver for me and a pack that weighed 35 kg. Good thing they were not reds. The .300 Win Mag was sold.
Regards Grandpamac.

Pretty sure I spotted one of those Primos trigger stick in a H& F store recently. It had a $200 tag on it . Was I seeing right, cos I looked away pretty smartly.

Primos knock-off: https://www.xhunter.com.au/products/...r-tripod-stick

Recommended, especially at that price.

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Originally Posted by Woody

Pretty sure I spotted one of those Primos trigger stick in a H& F store recently. It had a $200 tag on it . Was I seeing right, cos I looked away pretty smartly.

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The tripods are $400!

@MB
Thankyou.

Yes the primos tripod is an investment but worth it. Craig at Southern Adventure in Invercargill may be able to sharpen that price

Have a set of collapsible shooting sticks in the side of my pack this time of year. It doesn't take very long grass to make a bipod useless when shooting rabbits.
Real bonus is how fast they are to set up, and how little room they take up when packed away.

I use 2 manuka sticks for spotlighting. Sitting behind a frame pack makes a good rest on the tops.

Yep,couple of sticks or 1 with a small branch on it works for me.

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Originally Posted by grandpamac

Thanks for your post Nick-D,
20 years ago I probably have gone for a tripod had they been available. These days advancing age together with decreasing mobility means that the light weight (a little over 200 grams) makes them a better option for me at least for the moment. Welcome to the Weatherby eye brow club. I've had a few whacks but my son had a similar experience to yours. He dropped out of the mist and spotted a deer quite close, took a shot from a less than stable position. Cut one. Recovered from that and here was a deer standing in much the same spot. Cut two. Over to the deer. 2 deer! After a round trip back to his camp to get his pack, a butchery session and the walk out he arrived at my place with a liver for me and a pack that weighed 35 kg. Good thing they were not reds. The .300 Win Mag was sold.
Regards Grandpamac.

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It must have been a Leupold scope. The end of the eyepiece / diopter is ground sharper than a kitchen knife FFS. Buy the boy a Kahles

I use a piece of rubber bungy on landing nets and rod tubes, so they can be carried over both shoulders even with a day pack. Bungy is much better than a sling. As an idea how would it work to carry the 'Stix' in a piece of DWV PVC pipe, as carrying them seems to be the only downside ??

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I use a pair of steady sticks 1m tall for kneeling shots, cross hill or down hill. Shot a fallow buck at 175m in January, downhill off them with the 270.
I use them a lot for shooting Roos, so used to them.
I have a pair of standing sticks for roo shooting. They can be used for sitting, kneeling etc too. For Pest control shooting mainly because of the hassle of setting them up but very good for rabbits and roos in long grass or tussock, esp if shooting up or downhill on steep angles.
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I think all this very much depends on what you're up to. I wouldn't be without my quad sticks for rabbit hunting and my cheapo tripod is great for shooting pigs on a farm at night. Would I want to carry either through the bush, or up a mountain? No!

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Originally Posted by MB

I think all this very much depends on what you're up to. I wouldn't be without my quad sticks for rabbit hunting and my cheapo tripod is great for shooting pigs on a farm at night. Would I want to carry either through the bush, or up a mountain? No!

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I've started using walking poles. I use one to hold up my Lanshan 1 tent and the other makes a great bino rest when glassing.

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Originally Posted by Huntfisheat

I've taken to using walking poles to ease the load on my hips and ankles..

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I'm sure i read somewhere that using 2 walking poles takes 25% of the stress (on the legs and body) away, That's pretty significant!

I would vouch for that :)

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Originally Posted by bumblefoot

I'm sure i read somewhere that using 2 walking poles takes 25% of the stress (on the legs and body) away, That's pretty significant!

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Yeah man. They are pretty mean. You feel like a Nancy at first but that quickly fades when you notice how good they are. Saves the knees big time, especially on the downhill

After spending much time suffering and reading reviews and sorting out the nonsense.
I came to two choices stealthpodx and viper flex both have a price tags, but in the end I went with viper flex sold here out of kaikoura.
They just seemed more stable for the shooting I am doing at present.
I have no natural forward hold left and was using a mono pod tentman+ had made me. This helped me alot, but I wasn't quite steady enough !the viper flex took the wobble out. I am still adapting to them but they have increased the telly and I am pleased enough with them.
I went for the cheaper set made of aluminum ! they also make aluminium rapt in carbon fiber I think.
I was going to build my own but the savings and finding material wasn't worth it in the end.
Plus they arrived with in a two day period.
I shoot minute of rabbit no problem standing, which is when they are first seen. I was losing to many getting prone off the bipod, when setting up they knew it and took off. The unit allows me quick setup with out to much movement.
KH

Who in Kaikoura sells Viper-Flex and which model.

I have a set of Viper-Flex Journey, but bought them years ago off one of the guys who makes them who was out here trying to find a distributor.

Great on flat ground, not so good on the hills.