Thread: Tripod attachment point on forend

For those that sometimes shoot off a tripod,where do you find the best position is to mount to the forend?
Further back towards the front action screw or closer to the front swivel?
Any advantages/disadvantages either way?
Cheers.

Originally Posted by 2ndSouthCanterbury

For those that sometimes shoot off a tripod,where do you find the best position is to mount to the forend?
Further back towards the front action screw or closer to the front swivel?
Any advantages/disadvantages either way?
Cheers.

Depends on shooting position, but the further back towards the mag well you mount it the more it is likely to be influenced by wobbles.
I used to mount 2 Spartan flush cups in my stocks, one as far forward as possible for use when prone or sitting on a steep face, and one back closer to the mag well for standing shots (bearing in mind that a standing shot unsupported should be kept to closer targets due to being less stable).
I almost never used the flush cup closest to the mag well other than for practice but happy to have it for that one time it may come in use.
If I set up another long range rifle I will do it the same.
You can still shoot standing off the front flush cup but you must support the rifle, where if you had a mid mounted flush cup you wouldn't need to support it.
I did see a guy on YouTube using a tripod with a set of shooting sticks to support the butt that looked to work very well but more crap to carry (something to bear in mind).

I'd mount the tripod closed to the center of mass of the rfile for competitions so my body don't need to support the weight of the rifle (they are heavy and around 8-10kg).

I tend to be more stable when shooting with the rifle closer to the action screw. Tried it at the muzzle end of the stock, but it wasn't as comfortable a shooting position. i.e. off hand was a stretch to adjust the ball head, and providing stable support to the butt of the rifle was all me.
Having a sturdy tripod with a solid mounting solution, meant that having the tripod near the center of mass left me free to just make very minor adjustments, and not influence the shot too much with my body weight / position.
I have a lull length arca rail on my rifle, so have tried a few different positions along the rail to see what worked best for me.

The further forward from the rifle's balance point, the more the weight of the rifle is acting as a lever trying to a) rip the pic rail / arca rail / spigot out of the stock and b) make the whole thing fall over if you take your hands away.

Fitted the Piccaninny rail yesterday at the for-end, went for a walk today and took my first animal using a rifle that I had never fired off a bipod before and that I only sighted in last week using sand bags as a rest. For prone shots my vote is at the front.

Originally Posted by Happy Jack

Fitted the Piccaninny rail yesterday at the for-end, went for a walk today and took my first animal using a rifle that I had never fired off a bipod before and that I only sighted in last week using sand bags as a rest. For prone shots my vote is at the front.

Agree. Bipod should be attached to the forend. Not many people are going to disagree that for prone shots a tripod (3 legs) is not the best option. For standing shots, completely different story.