nightstaker tripods

duck

Active member
has anybody had trouble with the bolt that holds the ball swivel to tripod legs, i have been having trouble getting it to stay tight was acting up to night real sloppy was caring my rifle across my shoulder with tripod on my shoulder and all of a sudden rifle with thermal went crashing down to ground i was pissed found out bolt stripped out of the round part that holds everything together. cant see any way to get bolt or round piece out does anybody know if them parts or replacable or is the whole tripod trashed
 
Contact Tom Austin at Night Goggles. I had a Night Stalker tripod that failed and he sent me a new one. At that time no replacement parts were available but that might have changed.
 
The question you have to ask yourself now is are you willing to trust a $200.00 Chinese camera tripod/ballhead combo to support a $4,000.00-$10,000 rifle/thermal?
 
I also had the Night Stalker break on me. One of the parts on the legs snapped, it would no longer keep it locked. Hadn’t used it very much & Tom sent a new tripod.

Previous to that a Primos Jim Shockey tripod dropped my rifle twice. That’s why I bought the Night Stalker.

I’ve always been a believer in buying USA made products & after some discussion with 1trkyhntr I bought a USA MADE RRS tripod. BIG BUCKS but not compared to my rifle & scope !!! Just like all the rest of our toys, feel the sting once !!

Good luck !
 
Parts availability is an issue to consider, whether it is a tripod or any other item.
One problem with buying Chinese products is that even though they might offer an attractive warranty, the company might change their name and are "out of business" so the warranty won't be honored and replacement parts are not available. One tactic that Chinese companies use to avoid law suits and claims is to simply change their name and move across the street. They still produce the same crappy product but under a different name.

Enough of that off topic rant. As far as tripods go IMO the USA made RRS is the best tripod available for a weapon mount. They have developed a line specifically for shooters, the SOAR series. But they are not cheap. Truth is a lot of people simply cannot afford, or maybe justify, a $1000.00+ tripod. There are a few less expensive imported tripods that are not made in China.

Feisol is one to consider. Their 3372 model is a real workhorse. They are made in Taiwan.
Parts are available.

Manfrotto tripods are made in Italy, at least they used to be. I owned an aluminum Pro 055 for years and it never failed in any way and my buddy is still using it. Parts are available.

Slik manufactures their tripods in Taiwan. I have an aluminum Slik 700 and IMO it is the best value available in a budget tripod. They also make carbon fiber models abut I have never used one of those.

These are the only three imported but not Chinese tripods that I have experience with.

I have owned two Chinese tripods, both were advertised as being designed for shooters but I did not see what made them any different from a budget camera tripod other than a piece of camo padding added to the legs. One broke, I sent the other one down the road, for free.
 
Originally Posted By: 1trkyhntrThe question you have to ask yourself now is are you willing to trust a $200.00 Chinese camera tripod/ballhead combo to support a $4,000.00-$10,000 rifle/thermal?


...yep...not all tripods are created equal.

Most of these "inexpensive" tripods barely support safely cameras that they are actually made for.
Throw an unbalanced platform on it...bump it...set it on unlevel ground... is a recipe for disaster..I don't care if it's a $500 thermal and a $300 gun. Even a balanced platform.

Will the inexpensive tripod/head/clamp take throwing it on your shoulder with the gun on it...stand after stand week/month/years...probably not years..if a year.

Many folk have other financial obligations and can't/won't cough up $800-1200+ for a quality shooting tripod system. That's ok..but stability..comfort, quality and safety come at a little higher price...
 
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