I went through the tripod learning experience earlier this year when I converted from using bipods and bags.
Here is the advice I can give:
The whole goal with a tripod is a stable base for shooting your gun. You want the thickest carbon fiber legs you can afford with the fewest humber of segments. The thinner the leg the more likely it is to flex - and not just flex from weight on top of it, but from angular stresses the cantilevered gun places on the base support legs. As far as leg segments, each connection is a potential flexing point so you want to keep that minimized.
I went all in and got a 40mm Leofoto. I may not need all that support and maybe a 36mm or 32mm could do it, but if you have to extend a leg segment realize that the next segment is going to be smaller that the first one and can induce flex. On top of that I got an RRS head that fits the 100mm bowl - and I went with the 55mm ball because I had tried a smaller on and the more friction to hold that ball in place the less the whole rifle wants to continue to move after you've tightened down the ball. Otherwise you have to aim over a foot or more down when you start to tighten the ball and it will still flex past your POA when you let it go.
I'm not saying spend $1K on a setup, so please don't read that into the items I've purchased. What I am getting at is you'll get a sturdier platform if you get the beefier parts. Of course weight could become a factor, but that is very individual.
