RRS tripod recommendation

[Midas11]

I've learned the lessons from the book of Buy Once, Cry Once and the RRS TFCT Anvil 30 system seems to have the functions and conveniences that I want.

Intended use is 2/3 hunting/glassing/outdoor photography, 1/3 range/competition.
I'm short stature and medium build so extended height is not needed, lighter weight preferred but not the only factor.
Not interested in the Innorel/Artcise tripod/ball heads. The new Anvil 30s with the arca + picatinny mounting system and tripods with slim packing diameter tickles my fancy.

My uninformed/initial thoughts:
I like the -14L but with a 50 lbs load rating, will it be stable enough for a 15 lbs game gun and shoulder pressure in odd positions?
The -24L has the balance and a higher load rating but the added max height isn't needed and added weight isn't ideal.
The -33 is very stout, doesn't have the added height and is nearly the same weight as the -24L, but the drawback is that the collapsed height is longer than the two previously mentioned.

Recommendations on the best option above or any other RRS tripod + Anvil 30 setup appreciated.

Cheers and happy shooting.

 

[Kevin]

I had to look up to see what you are talking about. Wow! Do you think you would use something like that enough to get your money’s worth?

I still can’t understand, is this a tripod for a rifle, or just a spotting scope?

Have you looked at B&H? They have some pretty nice carbon fiber tripods for photography. And the same features you say, small packing diameter, lightweight etc. Then just get a specialized mounting head on the tripod.

Just a thought, not trying to talk you out of anything. But the prices on the RRS tripod would make me question very hard if it’s worth it or not.

 

[turd]

"Please help me not hate this thing, or find something else that fits my use-case.

I'll be the first to admit I bought the Anvil 30 purely because of the hype. Everyone was saying it was the next iteration of the already top-tier RRS offerings, and it was unobtanium, so I snatched one when I saw it. Woof. The $70 Chinesium ball head I bought to put on my loaner tripod is better in almost every way.

Cons:

• The Anvil 30's panning is the furthest thing from smooth and consistent.
• The friction lever has essentially three settings: (1) the gun will be so unstable it's unusable, (2) the gun will kinda pan but the ballhead will make noise as you do so and the lever is sticking out 90 and getting in the way, and (3) the gun is rock solidly locked into place. I've tried timing it based on RRS's videos. No worky.
• The rail clamp chatters when the tripod is carried on hikes with a sling.
• It is quite difficult to get the dovetail seated into the Anvil quickly in the dark, even after lots of practice.
• The panning lever gets in the way of a VFG on a 12" rail with a 30 round mag. There's really only two places the RRS dovetail clamp can go. Both are suboptimal.

Pros:

• The Anvil 30 is rock solid for glassing.
• It's light-weight compared to other market offerings.

I have never in my life spent this much money on a shooting accessory sight unseen. I was expecting it to blow my socks off. It's been a total disappointment. Am I just not using the product as intended? Should I get a RRS ballhead instead? 80% of what I do is spot-and-stalk hog hunting. The other 20% is target shooting on steel.
I'm all ears. Please give me your thoughts."
www.snipershide.com/shooting/threads/help-me-not-hate-my-rrs-anvil-30.7066058


Found these comments when I searched for it to see what the big deal is.