Service Rifle Shooters Scope Stand ?

[Weez556]

What seems to work best I have a Chamoion's Choice heavy duty bipod stand now.
But bipod stand does not seem to be the most stable in wind or on uneven ground.
So you guys that have tri-pod stands how do you like them ? I am thinking about ordering a CC hd tri-pod stand CC920B $76.00.
Thanks

[PhillipM]

I'm new to this too and just received the Jim Owen's scope stand. It is not a thing of art but it WORKS WELL. It has a much larger tripod area than the others and I found once I set it for prone with all the sections collapsed I could raise it for scoring and when needed to go back prone, I just collapsed it and it looked good.

Jim Owens said I was one of the eight for the previous batch so you should call him. If money were no object, I'd buy a Giraud, just cause he's a heck of a nice guy. His products need no pimping.

[C5M1]

I added lead weight to the bottom of mine. Filled a tuna can with lead and an appropriate sized nut to screw on to the bottom of the stand. Worked well.. Heavy sumbeach though.


regards, dennis

[Maury Krupp]

I really like my Ray-Vin. It's light but stable, compact, and simple to adjust with very few moving parts to adjust (or get out of adjustment).

Since Ray and Ruby retired Creedmoor has taken over production. They made a few changes and upped the price a bit but it's still a great stand.

I've had both a Freeland bipod and tripod; never really liked either one. I bought the tripod hoping it'd be more stable than the bipod but it wasn't. Adding the weight made the whole thing a chore to carry. The 5/8in pole is too skinny to be stable with even a mid-size scope. The plethora of allen screws and jam nuts always seemed to work loose or get too tight. Adjusting it in position was a PITA. The knobs always seemed to catch on something. Neither the bipod nor tripod folded up very well for transport.

The Freeland was one of the first true scope stands and they do work (after a fashion) so you still see them. But the design and materials are dated; there are some much better stands out there. Look around at matches and ask the owners if you can take each one for a test drive. Then make your decision.

Maury

[Jim in Salt Lake]

My first scope stand was an old Freeland bipod stand, much like your Champions Choice. I have the Freeland weight, too. Works ok, but tippy and HEAVY. I bought the tripod base you're contemplating and it has cured all of the bipod problems. One of my junior shooters uses it now and the $76 was well spent. Myself, I use a Creedmoor stand, their $200 model. Not real happy with it, it's on a par with my old Freeland now that it has the tripod base. As Maury says, neither is the easiest to adjust in position. I may treat myself to a Ray Vin at Christmas but I'm keeping both old stands for junior shooters.

[John Kepler]

I added lead weight to the bottom of mine. Filled a tuna can with lead and an appropriate sized nut to screw on to the bottom of the stand. Worked well.. Heavy sumbeach though.


regards, dennis

HEY! I have the patent on that! I'm prepared to discuss the exorbitant licensing fee with you at your convenience!<BG>

Frankly, the weight and a spike I made seem to make my old Freeland base work just fine...even with a larger scope than the old Bushnell I bought it for! On the other hand.....if I get a new scope-stand.....it'll be one of the Ray-Vin's They are REALLY nice!

[gwp]

After a bi-pod blew over and damaged the sunshade on my scope I purchased a Freeland International. I think that was what they called the stand with the 2” center tube and the three 16” legs. Nothing would move that stand. It was heavy and my mortar friends hated the noise it made. They said they thought it sounded like a mortar tube from the echo from 2" center tube.

I gave up using the Freeland stand because it was too cumbersome for match work in all but the windiest conditions. I use the Jim Owen's scope stand now and it is compact and works very well for all but the largest scopes.

[MikeT]

The bottom spike on my Freeland stand really added greatly to its stability. I use it with a Kowa 82mm scope and have few problems.

[dcat]

I bought Doug Giraud's stand years ago for my Kowa 82mm and have not looked back.

[Ltdave]

my reply is almost word for word of what Maury said!