RRS (Really Right Stuff) has a reputation for making some of the best tripods on the market. And some of the most expensive ones. Part of the cost is because their tripods and tripod heads are 100% made the U.S.A. and not China like most other brands. But mush of it is simply due to how much better built their gear is.
RRS tripods are so over-built and rugged, they are not only well known to lanscape and atrophotographers (who need rock solid tripods to take the sharpest images), but they’re the brand of choice among long-rang target shooters. RRS sent me their BH55 precision tripod ballhead to test and evaluate. I was curious to see if a BH55 was good enough to turn an old photo tripod into a shooting platform?
Out of the box, the BH55 is heavy and solid. It’s by far the heaviest tripod head I’ve used outside of heavy duty 35mm motion picture pan heads. The design is top notic and over-built, offering large diameter knobs to allow me to transfer more torque from my hands.
Heavy duty construction is required in a shooting tripod because the weight of the rifle on the tripod is often not the strongest force exerted on the mechanism. Firearms also produce recoil which is often multiple times more force than gravity. Moreover, a tripod head needs to be unwavering to allow repeatability in follow up shots using magnified optics.
For this test, I used a +20 year old photo/video tripod. I replaced the pan head with a BH55 using the tripod’s 3/8″ screw. This heavy all-metal tripod could handle the weight of a 10lb rifle but the legs aren’t able to splay out more than 20-30º so it is not as stable as shooting tripod with a wider stance. Furthermore, to achieve standing height, the center post has to be raised to max height, further destabilizing its center of gravity.
For the test I would be using my DMR style 5.56mm AR rifle with an ARCA-Swiss adapter plate. The BH55 has RRS’ patented Picatinny compatible ARC-Swiss mount which allows you to clamp down any rifle with a Picatinny 1913 rail. This is particularly handy for AR pattern rifles. This innovative design was created by RRS and not licensed to any other manufacturer, so if you see this feature on any other tripod head, they are illegally selling it in the U.S. (and there is ongoing litigation against some Chinese brands selling in the US).
Mounted on the BH55, my rifle was sold and secure despite the tripods less than ideal geometry. Shooting from it felt much more wobbly than shooting off one of my hunting tripods but was manageable. Follow up shots too a fraction longer to line up but the overall experience was far less severe than I imagined.
At 75yrds, my 5 shots groups were nearly identical to arm rested bench shots at about 2.5 MOA. While an old photo tripod isn’t ideal was hunting tripod, the experiment was a success. The heart of a good tripod is the ballhead. And while the BH55 is an expensive ballhead to be sure, it appears to be worth it.
RETAIL SOURCES
Amazon #commission: https://amzn.to/453aPpn
Adorama Camera #commission: adorama.rfvk.net/WqgVVn
MANUFACTURER SPECS
Base Mount | 3/8″-16 Female |
Camera Mounting Screw | 1/4″-20 Male |
Quick Release Plate Type | Arca-Type |
Load Capacity | 50 lb / 23 kg |
Weight | 2 lb / 0.91 kg |
Head
Head Type | Ball Head |
Base Mount | 3/8″-16 Female |
Camera Mounting Screw | 1/4″-20 Male |
Quick Release Plate Type | Arca-Type |
Number of Bubble Levels | 1 |
Friction Control | Yes |
Independent Pan Lock | Yes |
Ball Sphere Diameter | 2.2″ / 55.88 mm |
Pan & Tilt Range
Lateral Tilt | -45° to +45° |
Vertical Tilt | +90° to 0° |
Panning Range | 360° |
General
Load Capacity | 50 lb / 23 kg |
Weight | 2 lb / 0.91 kg |