What ball head ?

Shooter222

Custom Call Maker
I bought a predator tactics tripod this spring and I really like the weight Savings of it.
I had been using a big death grip tripod previously.

My problem is that I have trashed the ball head in 15 nights.

Any recommendations on a good ball head with Swiss arca mount on top?
 
I like my bh55 I've got a couple seasons on it now. Like you I had some cheaper ones and they just junk out pretty quick.
 
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No doubt the BH55 is a super ball head and should give you several decades of great service. That said, the cost is around $500. For the past year I've been running the Leofoto LH-55, which in my opinion, is a direct chicom knockoff of the Really Right Stuff BH-55.

I was told of the LH55 from a photographer's website, where the BH55 was the mainstay but for the last couple years the beginners were going with the LH55 due to price with no downside to it, as it's every-bit as solid as the BH55. I purchased the LH55 from B&H Photo. Now to be fair, I purchased this prior to the chicom virus, as I now try not to purchase anything from china, so that could be a consideration to consider spending more on the BH55.

I've used the Leofoto LH-55 for maybe 160 hours this summer in the prairie dog towns with the Slik Pro 700 DX tripod legs and I couldn't be happier. This is my first time using a ball head, so I took the experiences of photographers with big arse photo lens in making my decision. Took me an hour or so to get the "feel" to use it properly while moving my AR up and down and side to side, while sitting in a chair.

I found it to be as stable as a solid bench relative to accurate shooting, as my groups on paper in the field using the tripod setup prior to sitting up in the prairie dog towns were the same MOA & POI as when shooting from a bench at the indoor range (100 yards). I don't think you can ask for more than that from a tripod mount.
 
The BH55 is a top tier ballhead and you probably won't be disappointed with the quality. I have used one and it is definitely nice but at about $500 it is on the pricey side.
As far as less expensive heads go I've never used a Leofoto but I have used a similar head, Creatac SBH50D. Nice and solid for about $165.00. They also make a 70D model that is even heaver for about $270.00.
I still use an older Italian made Manfrotto 065 and have zero complaints but I don't have any experience with the newer models.
 
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In my opinion you need to spend some time getting your gun pretty much perfectly balanced on the pod so you can run your ball head very loose. Obviously the looser you run the ball head the less they'll chatter and the smoother they operate. When I let go of my gun it just sits there the butt doesn't fall down. I did some machining on a rail that I have mounted on the underside of my handguard. I have it pushed all the way back to the takedown lug on the front of the lower and I use longer screws to go through it and the hand guard screws. It moves the rifle way forward and it balances great with my radius on the front. It is a Bear Creek Arsenal 243-20-in ambidextrous charging upper. A little heavier barrel would help with the balancing if you didn't have a radius rangefinder.
 
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Thanks for all the great advice and ideas.
I will look at the LH-55 and Creatac SBH50D. I will have to replace mine soon. It’s to the point when I snug down the tension it twists the rifle. I like to tighten down before I shoot, helps me be more steady.

I will look at how I can move my Swiss mount closer to take down pin. That’s a really good idea.
My gun is a AR with a 20” BCA 6.5 grendel upper. If I had to guess my Swiss mount is prolly 4-6 inches forward of mag well.
I think it’s far back as my mlok rail is slotted. I may have to do some modifications to help balance it.
 
My handguard is m-lok but what I ended up doing was redrilling the rear hole on a keymod rail that I happened to have. I milled the little keymod tangs off of the bottom. if you need pictures I can take some I've got a new phone and I don't think I have any of the pictures on this phone.


I just went down and snapped a few pictures of it I would post them here but I don't know how. If anybody wants pictures just PM me.
 
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Here's how to post pictures on this site. Download a free copy of an image hosting and sharing site, I use imgur. If you download and install imgur you can upload pictures from your computer, once downloaded you click on the picture and you'll see various copy methods on the far right - click copy where it says BBCode - then paste it where ever you want on your PM post - take a look on preview to see if that's where you want the picture then hit send. No need to bother with any of the icons on top of your box for typing - just copy & paste.

Myself, I have no major concern getting my rail next to the mag well - I get it as close as possible, which is 2 inches on one rifle and 2.25 inches on the other. My rifle will stay put on the tripod under all conditions, in my experience so far. Winds gusting to 20 mph and my setup was solid.

When I move my rifle on the ball head, it's smooth and makes no sound whatsoever. The adjustment on the ball head allows you to adjust the friction to your liking and holds it - you can tighten it down so you can't swivel the rifle without swiveling the entire tripod!

Depending on your hide, you can attach your ball head at the point closest to the end of your barrel and the rifle will remain level - just need the proper adjustment of the tripod legs. Here's my mounting set up.

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Originally Posted By: Shooter222Thanks for all the great advice and ideas.
I will look at the LH-55 and Creatac SBH50D. I will have to replace mine soon. It’s to the point when I snug down the tension it twists the rifle. I like to tighten down before I shoot, helps me be more steady.





A quality ball head will make a big difference in how smooth the pan/tilt will be and how much steadier your rifle will be. I would not want a ball head that I had to lock before I shoot. That would be a major pain to have to do that and how would you make a follow up shot if the coyote does not fall DRT.
I've never used a Predator Tactics ball head but if you have to lock it before you shoot and it is failing after 15 nights I think that you definitely need a better ball head.
 
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There is a pik of my setup.

Thanks for better explaining the picture posting process .

I should clarify that I don’t “lock it down”, it’s a twist knob just like most other tripods. I just prefer to tighten it to be more steady. I do not like that it is starting to cant the rifle when I tighten it. It didn’t do this when new. That’s why I’m looking to replace it.
 
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