Shooting sticks

[James Kopp]

Lets talk shooting sticks.....So first who used them and why? Secondly.... anyone making their own at this point i would love to see them. I am thinking of making shooting sticks for the range...

Let's see those sticks......

 

[bpd303]

As a matter of fact, yes I do use sticks occasionally and make my own that are adjustable. They are made out of black bamboo that grows on the property, light weight, strong and adjustable. Very simple with a piece of bicycle inner tube or Velcro that slides up & down for whatever height I need. I hold at the X and cradle the forearm of the rifle on my hand.

Edit: Some form of rifle rest have been in use since the invention of the rifle itself, Musketeers using them comes to mind.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musketeer

 

[Rifleman1776]

I used them considerably for buffalo matches at Friendship. Simple to make. Just screw two 1"X2" pieces of wood together. The bottom end can be cut at an angle to help bite into ground. A piece of leather or cloth laid over the cross can help protect the barrel or stock wood. Be advise, these matches require a lot of getting down and getting up. It is a young mans game. Some stand up matches are getting popular. That may be what BPD made his for.

 

[wiscoaster]

I like the idea of making your own. I bought a couple of those fancy spring-loaded push-button-extend sticks, one bipod and one monopod, and didn't like either one. Too hard to get the length just right. And they're expensive. Waste of money IMO.

 

[SOLANCO]

In the field I do not fire a rifle without an improvised rest. I miss using a sling as we were trained to do in basic, but putting the hardware on a long rifle would be an obscenity.

 

[Trigger]

https://www.amazon.com/Allen-Company-Adjustable-mono-pod-shooting/dp/B000AU4RTU

You can stick it in the ground. kinda nice to use as a support when posted standing or sitting back.. just holding agun ready for a while gets tiresome....

It is light and easy to pack..

 

[wiscoaster]

https://www.amazon.com/Allen-Company-Adjustable-mono-pod-shooting/dp/B000AU4RTU

You can stick it in the ground. kinda nice to use as a support when posted standing or sitting back.. just holding agun ready for a while gets tiresome....

It is light and easy to pack..

That's one of them I bought (except the version with the rubber foot) that I didn't like, for reasons previously mentioned. So give it a try and your results may differ.

 

[wiscoaster]

I think if you're going to use shooting sticks, a tripod setup provides the stablest platform, and a tripod can be fabricated in the manner described in post #2, above.

 

[longcruise]

I made a bipod out of two 6' 1 x 2s with the bolt near the top and padded with leather. Took all the corners down for weight savings and rounded a long area for a handle since I need a walking stick in the woods. It worked very well for shooting from a standing position and was perfect for antelope hunting. Then I forgot it at the range one day. I'm thinking about making another. Very simple and easy to make.

 

[Eric Krewson]

I have used a bamboo set for years but had a bad habit of leaving my hunting spot after dark and forgetting to take my sticks home with me. My last set is somewhere in the woods but I haven't been able to find them.

I made another set; I had a red oak board that I ripped into slats to make my current shooting sticks.

I found the top pinched my gun too much so I hollowed them out a little and added Velcro. I cut off the tips to lower the weight of the sticks. There is a wingnut on the other side to loosen when I want to fold them up.

I put some ramrod pieces in the legs to make them more secure on uneven ground.

Nice shooting sticks, I hunted all year with these and never left them the woods. I sit on a Millenium strap on hunting chair, these are set at the perfect shooting height. I am a lousy off hand shot and really need these.

 

[longcruise]

I found the top pinched my gun too much so I hollowed them out a little and added Velcro. I cut off the tips to lower the weight of the sticks. There is a wingnut on the ot

Now that gave me one of those "why didn't I think of that" moments.

 

[Herb]

Here is my shooting stick. The third leg steadies it. And one shot at 100 yards.

 

[wiscoaster]

Here is my shooting stick. The third leg steadies it. And one shot at 100 yards.

I really like that concept. I think I'm going to have to make myself one like that.

 

[Phil Coffins]

My cross sticks are bound with soft leather. When the legs are together either can be adjusted for height to match my position and even compensate for un-level ground. When the legs are spread they are tight enough to hold a heavy rifle. The steel pegs at the foot grips the ground.
IMG_0547 by Oliver Sudden, on Flickr

 

[azmntman]

I too ALWAYS steady my rifle in the field, a tree will work, in the blind I found a perfect set for under $20.00 at Cal Ranch and they adjust for a perfect fit with my fat rase in a chair in a blind in the woods in elk season in AZ in all weather in a good mood in a .......

 

[azmntman]

NOTE: they take some work and practice to be silent. This years deer set a mule deer speed record when the rifle scraped against the top post when I ost looked like an antelope. Would have loved to take home those horns. Maybe next (this) year??

 

[Ohio Rusty]

The sticks make the barrel adjustable up or down. The sticks also create a quiet and stable platform without needing a table or bench.
Ohio Rusty ><>

 

[Herb]

Here is my shooting stick. The third leg steadies it. And one shot at 100 yards.

I was not able to post these photos enlarged. Can anyone enlarge them? Thanks

 

[wiscoaster]

I was not able to post these photos enlarged. Can anyone enlarge them? Thanks

Here, I copied one and reposted full-sized for you. You just have to select in the insert dialogue to insert the full image:

 

[SOLANCO]

I am a stubborn sort. Do not want to carry the luxury of something that should come from my ingenuity.