TargetTalk

4-H can be poor.
Here's a link to some ideas for an offhand stand you can make for about $25

http://www.vc4hss.com/_Coaches/images/Offhand_Stand.pdf

Thanks for the tip. I'm also a 4-H coach and money is always tight. Have you got plans for a scope holder. We have bought several and they cost about $135 each.


Thanks,
David Haire
4-H Coach in Tifton, Georgia

Here's another one that I found. Looks like it will work, too. It's from the NRA.

http://www.nrahq.org/compete/rules_imag ... gstand.pdf

Jim

Here's another one that I found. Looks like it will work, too. It's from the NRA.

To Jim: I built a few of the NRA stands, and my kids were always knocking them over ... thats where the bucket idea came from ... something to make the base more stable. I also have kids in various sizes and needed adjustability, so that's where the paint pole came from. But the basis for mine are indeed the stand you mention.

Have you got plans for a scope holder

To David: Since my 9 & 10 year olds are a bit klutzy sometimes, I decided rather than make a scope holder, I'd just get the Freeland stands with the tripod bases. ... The hard part of making your own is getting a good scope head made. I cut cost in this area by getting the Brenzovich 20x60 spotting scopes. They are great even for BB gun ranges (5 yds), and if they go over I'll only lament $125. Many of the JROTC programs here in NM are beginning to buy these. My kids like them. I started out with the $9 WalMart type binocs, but all you need is one drop and you see double out of those. Some areas it does not pay to try and cut the costs. (I'm learning those by trial & error! ;-) )

Just a thought:
How about using old (folding) tripods used for holding up the screens for showing home movies or tripods used for hairdriers? That way the stand is adjustable in hight while beeing lightweight.

Albert (The Netherlands)

Albert:How about using old (folding) tripods used for holding up the screens

I find the daunting part is not the silly pole, but the scope head. I want something that is easily adjustable for height and then fine tunable in AZ & EL with one hand. Looking at the commercial ones, I just don't have the time or the equipment to machine something like those.

There's a difference between an OFFHAND STAND and a SCOPE Stand! Tripods make lousy scope stands because you can't get low enough for prone (without doing terrible things to the tripod!)

Tripods, however, make nice simple offhand stands, and are available for cheap nearly everywhere a bigbox store is. Just don't go for the very cheapest because they are really poorly built!