Shooting Sticks

[Fastrig]

Thanks for posting the video Philip.

I have been considering getting a set of shooting sticks in preparation for my first safari next year. Of the quad shooting sticks I have looked at I have narrowed down to either Viper-Flex Journey vs. Blaser Carbon Shooting Sticks. Does anyone have experiences with both? If so which one would you recommend?

Regards,

These are what I bought and they are excellent sticks.....

https://www.africansportingcreations.com/super-compact-shooting-sticks.html

 

[yhc]

These are what I bought and they are excellent sticks.....

https://www.africansportingcreations.com/super-compact-shooting-sticks.html

Thanks Fastrig. I have looked at those as well but those quad sticks seem more stable than tripods or bipods. Thus narrowed down to those 2 quads I mentioned above.

Regards,

 

[African Sporting Creations]

Philip,

Well done. I have talked to a number or PH's about using sticks and one thing they mention is that if you are on a seven or ten day safari and you take a bad shot you can spend several days tracking that animal until you find it. One PH said his one shot stalks went from about 40% to 75% when he started insisting people used sticks back in the 1970's before they were commercially available.

Now for some shameless promotion.....our average customer has purchased six sets of "disposable" sticks before they invest in a set of ours as they are the only ones on the market covered by an unconditional, lifetime warranty.

Jim

 

[cal]

Philip,

Well done. I have talked to a number or PH's about using sticks and one thing they mention is that if you are on a seven or ten day safari and you take a bad shot you can spend several days tracking that animal until you find it. One PH said his one shot stalks went from about 40% to 75% when he started insisting people used sticks back in the 1970's before they were commercially available.

Now for some shameless promotion.....our average customer has purchased six sets of "disposable" sticks before they invest in a set of ours as they are the only ones on the market covered by an unconditional, lifetime warranty.

Jim

Hi Jim

You have some great products on your site.
Where could I get some of your shooting sticks in South Africa?

 

[Fastrig]

Thanks Fastrig. I have looked at those as well but those quad sticks seem more stable than tripods or bipods. Thus narrowed down to those 2 quads I mentioned above.

Regards,

Looked at the quad sticks but didn't like that you have very little left to right adjustment with them. The traditional sticks give you more leeway in that area and I like that the ones I sent over collapse down to a small bag that I can throw in my duffel or rifle case....good luck!!!

 

[Fastrig]

Philip,

Well done. I have talked to a number or PH's about using sticks and one thing they mention is that if you are on a seven or ten day safari and you take a bad shot you can spend several days tracking that animal until you find it. One PH said his one shot stalks went from about 40% to 75% when he started insisting people used sticks back in the 1970's before they were commercially available.

Now for some shameless promotion.....our average customer has purchased six sets of "disposable" sticks before they invest in a set of ours as they are the only ones on the market covered by an unconditional, lifetime warranty.

Jim

Love my ASC sticks....Worth every penny!! They are going to SA in April

 

[375Fox]

Thanks for posting the video Philip.

I have been considering getting a set of shooting sticks in preparation for my first safari next year. Of the quad shooting sticks I have looked at I have narrowed down to either Viper-Flex Journey vs. Blaser Carbon Shooting Sticks. Does anyone have experiences with both? If so which one would you recommend?

Regards,

I personally like 4 stable sticks because they are good quality at a much better price than viper flex. Viper flex are great sticks. I have not used blaser’s sticks but I would caution you not to buy any quad stick that has a front V. They need to have a flat rest like viper or 4 stable stick. With a flat front rest you use your thumb to slide rifle left or right and it stays in a neutral position. With a front V any left or right adjustments you make put spring tension into the gun and it’s difficult to shoot well. With a little practice quad sticks are quicker to set up than a tripod because there is only 2 points of contact on ground, you do need to do a couple practice sessions with PH not familiar with them at start of hunt. Biggest advantage to them aside from stability is there is no longer any left or right motion, only up or down, so it should only be a good hit or a clean miss, no far back shots.

 

[375Fox]

Looked at the quad sticks but didn't like that you have very little left to right adjustment with them. The traditional sticks give you more leeway in that area and I like that the ones I sent over collapse down to a small bag that I can throw in my duffel or rifle case....good luck!!!

Takes some practice to get use to them, but you actually have a lot of motion once you learn to use them. Part of the advantage of holding the sticks instead of forearm of the gun is the ability to quickly move for major adjustments then you use your thumb in front flat rest for small left and right movements. I’m really confident I can put a quality shot faster on quad sticks than with a tripod.

 

[yhc]

I personally like 4 stable sticks because they are good quality at a much better price than viper flex. Viper flex are great sticks. I have not used blaser’s sticks but I would caution you not to buy any quad stick that has a front V. They need to have a flat rest like viper or 4 stable stick. With a flat front rest you use your thumb to slide rifle left or right and it stays in a neutral position. With a front V any left or right adjustments you make put spring tension into the gun and it’s difficult to shoot well. With a little practice quad sticks are quicker to set up than a tripod because there is only 2 points of contact on ground, you do need to do a couple practice sessions with PH not familiar with them at start of hunt. Biggest advantage to them aside from stability is there is no longer any left or right motion, only up or down, so it should only be a good hit or a clean miss, no far back shots.

Thanks for the info re: 4 stable sticks. I just read this was designed by none other than JJ Perodeau. I will look into it further vs. Viper-Flex.

Found another article re: 4 stable sticks I thought it was useful.

4 Stable Sticks review article

Regards,

 

[Fastrig]

Takes some practice to get use to them, but you actually have a lot of motion once you learn to use them. Part of the advantage of holding the sticks instead of forearm of the gun is the ability to quickly move for major adjustments then you use your thumb in front flat rest for small left and right movements. I’m really confident I can put a quality shot faster on quad sticks than with a tripod.

Maybe i didn't give them enough of a chance before I returned them. I do like the ASC sticks a lot though. Glad the stable sticks are working out for you!!!!

 

[African Sporting Creations]

Gentlemen,

Since this has been a topic of conversation in this thread, we are working on a quad bipod that addresses the issues several of you mentioned. We are putting it in our catalog this fall and plan to start shipping them in Q1 2021. It incorporates an investment quality aluminum pivoting mechanism to deploy the second point of contact and we are filing for a patent this week. The pivot head takes almost 90 days to produce and then it has to be machined.

1. It has a new type of top between the front V so you can move point of impact left and right but the gun will not jump out of the crotch on recoil

2. I was shooting in the back yard today and at 50 yards I could hit targets just under 50 feet apart without repositioning the sticks

3. Adjustment does not require a sleeve in the field that is used to depress the beach umbrella type tabs

4. All surfaces have noise bumpers on them and shafts are wood so they do not make any metallic noise even when you plant them in the ground

5. Weigh about half what most quad sticks do at just over 3 pounds.

6. Made in the USA and covered by our unconditional lifetime warranty

If you saw our blast this week, teenager Tyce shot an elk off of our tripod sticks at 338 yards and these are even more stable than those. Stay tuned!

 

[African Sporting Creations]

Hi Jim

You have some great products on your site.
Where could I get some of your shooting sticks in South Africa?

We ship our sticks all over the world and while it costs us more than $75 to send them via UPS (USPS is cheaper but we have no visibility of package once it leaves the USA and they tend to lose quite a few) to SA that is what we charge to get them there. We are thinking about sending a dozen over to Arno Bernard in Bethlehem but that may be after the holidays as we are struggling to keep up with local demand.

 

[rookhawk]

Thanks for posting the video Philip.

I have been considering getting a set of shooting sticks in preparation for my first safari next year. Of the quad shooting sticks I have looked at I have narrowed down to either Viper-Flex Journey vs. Blaser Carbon Shooting Sticks. Does anyone have experiences with both? If so which one would you recommend?

Regards,

Ah shooting sticks.

I have experience with the following:

bipod sticks made from bamboo and tire tubing in Africa. (worked pretty good)
Primos tripod and bipod sticks. (work fine momentarily, until you dent them, or the clutch burns out)
Bogpod
African Sporting Creations take-down tripod stocks (work awesome)

Surely, there has to be a better way than spending $250-$400 on African Sporting Creations shooting sticks, right!!!??? Not really. I've gone through $500 buying the stuff from cabelas and I'm done with that. ASC has a forever warranty on theirs.

In second place from the ASC shooting sticks would be two pieces of bamboo and an old tire inner tube for a cost of $1. And in distant third and fourth place are the piles of other stuff I rattled off.

Unrelated to shooting sticks for safaris, I have used the caldwell tree pod, and regular and magnum gunpods. These are "cradles" quite ideal for new hunters, leopard hunters, children, and the disabled. They work in a ground blind but you don't go running around the woods with a set. All my kids use them for blind hunting with crossbow and rifle.

 

[rookhawk]

Gentlemen,

Since this has been a topic of conversation in this thread, we are working on a quad bipod that addresses the issues several of you mentioned. We are putting it in our catalog this fall and plan to start shipping them in Q1 2021. It incorporates an investment quality aluminum pivoting mechanism to deploy the second point of contact and we are filing for a patent this week. The pivot head takes almost 90 days to produce and then it has to be machined.

1. It has a new type of top between the front V so you can move point of impact left and right but the gun will not jump out of the crotch on recoil

2. I was shooting in the back yard today and at 50 yards I could hit targets just under 50 feet apart without repositioning the sticks

3. Adjustment does not require a sleeve in the field that is used to depress the beach umbrella type tabs

4. All surfaces have noise bumpers on them and shafts are wood so they do not make any metallic noise even when you plant them in the ground

5. Weigh about half what most quad sticks do at just over 3 pounds.

6. Made in the USA and covered by our unconditional lifetime warranty

If you saw our blast this week, teenager Tyce shot an elk off of our tripod sticks at 338 yards and these are even more stable than those. Stay tuned!

Hi Jim @African Sporting Creations I'm pleased to report my 8 year old drew a New Mexico Oryx tag and shot his record book oryx at 244 yards off your sticks. This year, he's 9, and he went back to the same area of New Mexico and shot a record book pronghorn antelope with your sticks at 198 yards. So, they work pretty well.

I used your sticks on pronghorn too...took me two shots, but I was under immense pressure having watched my kid slam a record animal 2 hours earlier...I choked with performance anxiety...took a couple bullets!

What is great about ASC sticks is you can have a kid using them one minute (or an adult kneeling) and a 30 second swap-out of legs can make it suitable for standing or for an adult vs kid. Pretty cool. And they fit in a gun case for airline travel to Africa!

You get what you pay for.

Epilogue: When you get an animal down and you're trying to field dress it or deal with photos, where is your gun and sticks? Are they lying on the dirt and gravel? Probably if you're using bogpods or primos sticks. With ASC tripod shooting sticks, they are erected and the gun is slung over the tripod whether for photos or for temporary storage. You also tend to throw your jacket over them during lunch, and your ammo belt, and and and.

 

[African Sporting Creations]

Fastrig and Rookhawk,

Thank you for your kind words. We love the stories our customers share and and I have "hunted" with them all over the world as a result!

Best Regards,

Jim

 

[375Fox]

Gentlemen,

Since this has been a topic of conversation in this thread, we are working on a quad bipod that addresses the issues several of you mentioned. We are putting it in our catalog this fall and plan to start shipping them in Q1 2021. It incorporates an investment quality aluminum pivoting mechanism to deploy the second point of contact and we are filing for a patent this week. The pivot head takes almost 90 days to produce and then it has to be machined.

1. It has a new type of top between the front V so you can move point of impact left and right but the gun will not jump out of the crotch on recoil

2. I was shooting in the back yard today and at 50 yards I could hit targets just under 50 feet apart without repositioning the sticks

3. Adjustment does not require a sleeve in the field that is used to depress the beach umbrella type tabs

4. All surfaces have noise bumpers on them and shafts are wood so they do not make any metallic noise even when you plant them in the ground

5. Weigh about half what most quad sticks do at just over 3 pounds.

6. Made in the USA and covered by our unconditional lifetime warranty

If you saw our blast this week, teenager Tyce shot an elk off of our tripod sticks at 338 yards and these are even more stable than those. Stay tuned!

After you have filed your patent, could you put a picture of your quad sticks up? I’d be interested to see your design.

 

[yhc]

Gentlemen,

Since this has been a topic of conversation in this thread, we are working on a quad bipod that addresses the issues several of you mentioned. We are putting it in our catalog this fall and plan to start shipping them in Q1 2021. It incorporates an investment quality aluminum pivoting mechanism to deploy the second point of contact and we are filing for a patent this week. The pivot head takes almost 90 days to produce and then it has to be machined.

1. It has a new type of top between the front V so you can move point of impact left and right but the gun will not jump out of the crotch on recoil

2. I was shooting in the back yard today and at 50 yards I could hit targets just under 50 feet apart without repositioning the sticks

3. Adjustment does not require a sleeve in the field that is used to depress the beach umbrella type tabs

4. All surfaces have noise bumpers on them and shafts are wood so they do not make any metallic noise even when you plant them in the ground

5. Weigh about half what most quad sticks do at just over 3 pounds.

6. Made in the USA and covered by our unconditional lifetime warranty

If you saw our blast this week, teenager Tyce shot an elk off of our tripod sticks at 338 yards and these are even more stable than those. Stay tuned!

I second the request for a picture once you sort out your patent later this week. Also I would like to know what your projected MSRP for the quad sticks is. Thanks Jim @African Sporting Creations.

 

[Philip Glass]

Without a doubt you will have to practice shooting off sticks for Africa. Here in the UK we regularly shoot off sticks so it is never a problem, much to the surprise of some P.H,s . There is no big secret other than , I would advise not trying to hold too long on target.
MarkCZ

Thanks Mark and good point.

 

[Philip Glass]

Excellent reminder of a critical training item!
My granddaughter and I go to the range about once a month. One of the things she really enjoys is shooting a gong off sticks at the 100 meter range. I think the 6” gongs give her instant feedback making it more fun than targets.

I agree it is so much fun shooting gongs from the sticks. And what better training!

 

[Philip Glass]

Look for Viperflex sticks, the Ferrari of quad shooting sticks. Made in Denmark, sold in the US by, I think, Holland Gun Company. Not too sure about the name. An American client of mine used them, called me some months later to find where he could buy them Stateside. I gather he’s very happy with them.

Yes the Viperflex sticks are really good