Airgun World – Summer 2019

ww.airgunshooting.co.uk AIRGUN WORLD 71

I

’m always interested in anything that helps
me to hit my target more often, and it seems
these days my target is mostly a squirrel’s
head. Actually, that’s not quite correct. My real
target is a squirrel’s brain, which I’m reliably
informed is about the size of a small grape – in
other words, a very small target indeed! To
make the test tougher still, squirrels live in a
3D world where they can be found at almost
any range and angle, so they rarely present a
straightforward shot.
Until very recently, my practice has been to
spot my quarry, inch up to the nearest sturdy
tree and then use it to stabilise my aim, and to
be fair, it’s been pretty successful over the last
40 years. However, it was not without its
failings, most notably that in moving toward a
support tree, my moment has given me away
and the squirrel has run. Another problem is
when there simply isn’t a suitable support tree
to be found.
I’d seen the Rifleman 2 tripod from UK
Shoot Warehouse at shows, and was keen to
see how one would work for my needs. There
are plenty of shooting supports out there, but
this one had a feature that I thought would
work for me; i.e. at full extension, the cradle
that holds your fore end is 70” high, so it
offers superb support for highly elevated shots.
Equally, the legs can be spread wide to make
a support that works from the sitting position.

INDEPENDENT RELEASE
The trigger system that unlocks the legs to
adjust their height is superb, and fantastically
useful in the field.

One quick press releases the legs, which can

hen be set to any height you like. Further,

hey can be set to become fully stable on the

most uneven ground because each leg

unlocks and locks again independently of the

others. As you release the trigger, it

automatically locks the legs wherever they are.

It’s quick, easy and importantly, silent.

After a little practice to make myself familiar

with the system, I set off to look for squirrels. I

know that using bait stations is the most

efficient way of tackling the grey squirrel

problem, but I enjoy a bit of ‘spot and stalk’ in

THE RIFLEMAN 2 TRIPOD

ABLE TO BE STABLE

Just how useful is the Rifleman 2 tripod? Ask Phill Price!

»

Spreading my stance

helps to aid stability.

The rubber feet

gripped on both

hard and soft

surfaces. As you press the trigger, the legs

instantly unlock.