I hunt with some friends that are professional guides. They have all the right gear, know how to use them, and are excellent at what they do. It's hard for me to impress them, but I think I just did.

Preface:

The standard equipment they all use is the Manfrotto Professional tripod, a Manfrotto quick release head, Zeiss binos, and Swarovski spotting scopes. Excellent optics and a super stable base, makes for an easier time when glassing ridges past 400 yards. When glassing, they have to swap between spotting scope and binos frequently. Therefore, they use quick release adapter plate.






Source: WarehouseExpress.Com

On our last hunt we had a nice size deer out at 375 yards. The winds were around 7mph and the shot would have been an easy one if it wasn't for the fact the deer was bedded down. We needed a precision shot. Long story short, we missed. The platform we used was not stable enough and we were shooting at a downward angle into a valley. After we all calmed down one of the guides said, "Dang! Wouldn't it be nice if we could lock our rifles into the tripod, like we do our optics?!? The tripod is stable as heck! I wish we could be that stable at all times!" He said it as a joke, but it got me thinking... he was right!

Present time:

I researched a LOT of tripod based shooting systems. Most of them required their own tripod. Of the ones that adapted to my existing tripod, they were BIG and bulky to carry around. Sure, they were super stable, but it took time to get it installed on the tripod and time to lock your gun in. They were also expensive. Most started around $200 ($300 with the tripod).



Source: TigerValley.Com

It had promise. Basically, it had the quick release base attached to its rifle mounting plate. Your rifle goes into the "taco shell" mount and you tighten it down using the two round knobs. Simple. $200. Not bad. Still, slow. As I thought it out some more, I figured that I don't NEED all that crap on there. I really just need to get a quick release plate ON my rifle.

So, I starting seriously looking at how to modify the quick release plate to be adapted "directly" on the rifle. This way, I can just pop off the optics off the tripod, then pop on the rifle.

Solution:

I'm going to mount a quick release plate ON my rifle.

My savage has two stock bolts that attach the stock to the rifle’s receiver. The front bolt is almost exactly in the middle of the rifle. The rifle is 43” from muzzle to recoil pad. The front bolt sits at 21” from the rear. This is a good thing! Most of the weight is at the rear, so having this farther back helps in weight distribution. At the front bolt, the stock is fairly flat. There is enough meat there so if I chose, I could sand it down a little to make it super flat.



The threaded bolt on the quick release plate is way too short (and not the right thread pitch). The front stock bolt is recessed into the stock. So, it’s too short. It’s about ¼” too short. I’m actually going to need a bolt that is 3/8” longer because I need to add a washer as the hole in the plate is bigger than the bolt (unless the new bolt has a wider head, then just ¼”).

I took my front stock bolt to ACE Hardware. Once I identified the thread pitch I was able to find a 1.5" length bolt with the matching thread pitch of 1/4"x28. I also found a small crush washer that fit perfectly into the recessed hole on the bottom of the mounting plate. The bolt was 33cents, the washer was 9cents.

I had an extra quick release plate for my tripod. I purchased it off eBay last year for $10.00 + free shipping. I removed the snap ring and removed the bolt. Then, placed the crush washer in place, and screwed in the bolt. The bolt head was a 7/16.




Results:

Now, I have a balanced tripod quick release system that can pan 360 degrees, 80 degrees of vertical adjustment, and can be locked into any position. When predator hunting, I can use a 2nd tripod and leave my rifle installed and ready to shoot.

Total cost: Just a bit over $10.42.





Next Project:

Mounting a quick release adapter to fit a picatinny rail for my AR system.

Nicely done.

Range Report

The conditions today were not ideal. The humidity was high, the temperature was around 109 degrees, and wind was coming from the SE at around 15mph.

I set up the tripod for a standing shot. This is what I would be using it for when I'm out hunting. I figured this would be the worst I would be. On the field, if I had the opportunity to shoot in a crouched or prone position, the groupings would be better.

I used my Savage 111 in 30-06 with a 14x scope as my test rifle for the Quick Release Plate. It took a little getting use to. I end up having to re-zero my scope as it was off by 1/2moa elevation and windage. In doing the re-zero, I was in a prone position.



I ended up taking five 5-shot groups at 115 yards. Point of hold was center of target. Based on the conditions, I think it went pretty well. The rifle shot consistantly. Afterwards, I checked the Quick Release Plate and it was still attached securely to the rifle.

This photo was of my last shot grouping. Remember: I was shooting standing up.



Do I think this project was a success? Yup. With practice, I think I would be a lot better. :)

Have you spent any more time with this, Jimmy?

It was built, shot, and works great for 1-shot long range shoots. Unfortunately, follow up shots were difficult. So, this was really only good for one precise shot. Luckily, that's all I need. Ha ha. :p

Take a look at the last target with the 4 shot group. 3 shots within 1 inch. The one shot outside the group was my cold bore shot.

I changed the design. See the new post here: Revised: Sturdy shooting base off a tripod