I have had my eye on a H&K PSG1 tripod for a while, but figured I could do better. I completed the first prototype-
The basic tripod is similar to the H&K, but larger and somewhat beefier. My intention was to be able to shoot comfortably while sitting on the ground. For me, that puts the handguard of the rifle 23" above the ground.
The legs are just threaded in, instead of the Gardini single-screw system. The everything is aluminum or stainless steel, except for the friction surfaces and "V" of the rest attachment, which are carbon or carbon/kevlar. The adjustment points have the threaded handle pulling on a ring encircling the stainless rod, which I don't know the proper term for, but seems to give consistent friction through the whole range of motion, and lets it lock very securely without damaging the rod.
There is a further assembly that is able to hold the rifle securely, with a further adjustment up and down.
The clamping surfaces are delrin covered with long use velcro, so I can add wedges or odd shapes for irregularly shaped guns.
The anodizing is sort of irregular, as I used different grades of aluminum alloy, and was experimenting with masking. The legs are hard anodized.
All the components use standard 3/8-16 threads and identical alignment pin spacing, so they can be attached in different orders, and so that photographic equipment can be mounted as well.
The next version will be more streamlined and compact. This one sort of evolved, so it lacks elegance of design. But it is stable enough for my personal use around the ranch.
Anyhow, I have been fiddling with this for several months in idle moments, and used it for the first time today.
The basic tripod is similar to the H&K, but larger and somewhat beefier. My intention was to be able to shoot comfortably while sitting on the ground. For me, that puts the handguard of the rifle 23" above the ground.
The legs are just threaded in, instead of the Gardini single-screw system. The everything is aluminum or stainless steel, except for the friction surfaces and "V" of the rest attachment, which are carbon or carbon/kevlar. The adjustment points have the threaded handle pulling on a ring encircling the stainless rod, which I don't know the proper term for, but seems to give consistent friction through the whole range of motion, and lets it lock very securely without damaging the rod.
There is a further assembly that is able to hold the rifle securely, with a further adjustment up and down.
The clamping surfaces are delrin covered with long use velcro, so I can add wedges or odd shapes for irregularly shaped guns.
The anodizing is sort of irregular, as I used different grades of aluminum alloy, and was experimenting with masking. The legs are hard anodized.
All the components use standard 3/8-16 threads and identical alignment pin spacing, so they can be attached in different orders, and so that photographic equipment can be mounted as well.
The next version will be more streamlined and compact. This one sort of evolved, so it lacks elegance of design. But it is stable enough for my personal use around the ranch.
Anyhow, I have been fiddling with this for several months in idle moments, and used it for the first time today.
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