i was looking for a pair of extreme lightweight, no nonsense shooting sticks for competitions and couldn't find what i was looking for and finally decided to make some myself.
I started with a pair of carbon fiber arrows, with inserts and field tips. grabbed some clear vinyl tubing from lowes (sku 22274 around the sticks and 22272 on top). The arrows were $5 ea. The tubes were $0.25/ft.
Two min of assembly:
and they fold up nicely
The fletching is ok as it added a little grip and cushion, but i decided to wrap it loosely in 100mph tape. then added a ring of tape below the hinge to keep it from slipping down if it gets loose.
Now, I just drop the rifle on top of the loop, which holds it up nicely and keeps the weight off the hinge. The field tips on the arrows screw into the inserts and are great for sticking into the dirt. I'm going to some rubber feet on screws so i can swap them out in the unlikely event i need to use them on a wood deck or concrete pad or something.
Another nice thing is how thin and light the sticks are. they are thin enough that i just slide both legs down through two sets of molle loops on my pack. The arrows are 32" tall, so perfect for sitting, but a little short for kneeling.
Finally, the proof is in the pudding... I sat down in tall grass about 550 yards from a full-sized ipsc. Dryfired for a while to get used to the stick, then put 3 rounds on the 6x6" head.
I started with a pair of carbon fiber arrows, with inserts and field tips. grabbed some clear vinyl tubing from lowes (sku 22274 around the sticks and 22272 on top). The arrows were $5 ea. The tubes were $0.25/ft.
Two min of assembly:
and they fold up nicely
The fletching is ok as it added a little grip and cushion, but i decided to wrap it loosely in 100mph tape. then added a ring of tape below the hinge to keep it from slipping down if it gets loose.
Now, I just drop the rifle on top of the loop, which holds it up nicely and keeps the weight off the hinge. The field tips on the arrows screw into the inserts and are great for sticking into the dirt. I'm going to some rubber feet on screws so i can swap them out in the unlikely event i need to use them on a wood deck or concrete pad or something.
Another nice thing is how thin and light the sticks are. they are thin enough that i just slide both legs down through two sets of molle loops on my pack. The arrows are 32" tall, so perfect for sitting, but a little short for kneeling.
Finally, the proof is in the pudding... I sat down in tall grass about 550 yards from a full-sized ipsc. Dryfired for a while to get used to the stick, then put 3 rounds on the 6x6" head.
