R5m Slug shooting , Stock fell apart and only half stock remained on tripod

Here's my method of attaching in R5M to a tripod. I use an ARCA base and a gimbal head on a tripod. In order to balance the gun perfectly I added a 7 pound steel weight to the front of the gun. The gun has a full length Anschutz rail on the bottom. I filled the lightning cutouts of stock with epoxied wood and I milled out the bottom to fit the rail. The rail allows me to attach a bipod, this counterweight for tripod use, or a heavy flat base for using on a front rest.

My first attempt was using my ARCA B1 ball head without the counter weight and I found hard to point and backend heavy and hard to keep the gun level. Tighten the head enough to hold the gun and it is too hard to move. With a gimbal head it balances perfectly is very stable and can be easily be aimed in any direction. Wherever I point the gun it stays put by itself with very little force needed to move it and once the base is level you can moving the gun anywhere without worrying about losing level.

I'm using an inexpensive cheap Chinese gimbal head. It's not ideal I have to tighten the horizontal and vertical movements to reduce the slop in the system. Even with the movement tightened it works perfectly. If I ever get really bored and have extra time to kill during the shutdown I can build a ball bearing gimbal head it would be super smooth to move, but this one is plenty stable and smooth. Only negative is it's not light so not going to work for field use.

Lou,

The way you are supporting the entire weight of the gun on that forward mount might have caused that to happen. Sorta like the “Tail wagging the dog”.

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Agreed. That is way too much weight supported way far forward creating a huge lever arm. The stock was never designed for that. 

It reminds me of people who had a similar problem with their SLR cameras. There is a tripod mount underneath the camera that is designed to hold the camera's weight in mostly compression. Someone designed a ring that mounted to that tripod mount to hang the camera from. Then people carried the camera with 5 lb lenses on it and the mounts would tear out of the bottom of the camera body.

Here's my method of attaching in R5M to a tripod. I use an ARCA base and a gimbal head on a tripod. In order to balance the gun perfectly I added a 7 pound steel weight to the front of the gun. The gun has a full length Anschutz rail on the bottom. I filled the lightning cutouts of stock with epoxied wood and I milled out the bottom to fit the rail. The rail allows me to attach a bipod, this counterweight for tripod use, or a heavy flat base for using on a front rest.

My first attempt was using my ARCA B1 ball head without the counter weight and I found hard to point and backend heavy and hard to keep the gun level. Tighten the head enough to hold the gun and it is too hard to move. With a gimbal head it balances perfectly is very stable and can be easily be aimed in any direction. Wherever I point the gun it stays put by itself with very little force needed to move it and once the base is level you can moving the gun anywhere without worrying about losing level.

I'm using an inexpensive cheap Chinese gimbal head. It's not ideal I have to tighten the horizontal and vertical movements to reduce the slop in the system. Even with the movement tightened it works perfectly. If I ever get really bored and have extra time to kill during the shutdown I can build a ball bearing gimbal head it would be super smooth to move, but this one is plenty stable and smooth. Only negative is it's not light so not going to work for field use.

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I have the same gimbal head and same scale.

Almost installed a similar m-loc channel on my gun but decided it was too much work and just ended up fastening the picatinny with a couple wood screws. Mine isn't nearly as far forward though.

Also, I use a clamp mount in the field...the Bog Deathgrip that comes with a tripod. It isn't the lightest tripod for schlepping around, but works well.

https://www.boghunt.com/gear/pods-and-sticks/tripods/deathgrip-tripod/1099442.html#gclid=CjwKCAjw7LX0BRBiEiwA__gNwyR3PAShf5Hbf_jWl08hHt6ajvgwe9MxQ5-4uk3uOb-YTHyb4LfnARoCP7EQAvD_BwE&start=1

Great gun! That plastic stock is made for its light weight. No as durable as the laminate one that can be drove over. That counter weight is an awsome idea!

Did anyone actually watch the torture the stock was put through in testing on Eds video? I do not believe that the mounting method was at fault. There was a molding problem with that particular stock.

Great gun! That plastic stock is made for its light weight. No as durable as the laminate one that can be drove over. That counter weight is an awsome idea!

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It's actually a little heavier than the walnut stock by a couple of ounces, but right in between the walnut and laminate.

synthetic stocks are great but brittle like styrofome in thinner areas

How could shooting while sitting behind a tripod be any more stressful than laying on your belly with the gun attached to a bipod?

If anything, the stock would be under less stress on the tripod.

How could shooting while sitting behind a tripod be any more stressful than laying on your belly with the gun attached to a bipod?

If anything, the stock would be under less stress on the tripod.

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FYI, I'm a mechanical engineer so forgive me if I lapse into engineer speak.

There are several factors in play. 

Probably the most important is the total deflection (strain) is limited when in the prone position because it's under compression and stops when it runs into the metal air tube. More strain equals higher stresses.

Secondly most materials are stronger in compression than tension. There is a huge tensile load when supported on the tripod like that.

Suffice to say it isn't a good idea to suspend the center of mass far from the mounting point. That creates huge loads. 

I don't see where it was said the gun was "suspended" horizontally solely from the contact at the tripod with the butt end un-supported.

If it was, that is a pretty impressive tripod to not topple over.

I have the same gimbal head and same scale.

Almost installed a similar m-loc channel on my gun but decided it was too much work and just ended up fastening the picatinny with a couple wood screws. Mine isn't nearly as far forward though.

Also, I use a clamp mount in the field...the Bog Deathgrip that comes with a tripod. It isn't the lightest tripod for schlepping around, but works well.

https://www.boghunt.com/gear/pods-and-sticks/tripods/deathgrip-tripod/1099442.html#gclid=CjwKCAjw7LX0BRBiEiwA__gNwyR3PAShf5Hbf_jWl08hHt6ajvgwe9MxQ5-4uk3uOb-YTHyb4LfnARoCP7EQAvD_BwE&start=1

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Daniel great minds think alike! Yes cutting out the stock for the full length rail was a lot of work to do well. I had to fill the stock hole to give more support and to add places for screws holes, then glued a fixture to hold the stock to mill out the channel. Then I had to cut off the fixture. I went with an Anschutz rail because that's what my TRG-22 has so I can share the accessories. I like the Anschutz rail because it doesn't protrude like a Picatinny rail does and it lighter in weight adding less than 0.26 lbs.

Back in my photography days a gimbal head was synonymous with Wembley, but they cost much more. I'm surprised how well this cheap gimbal head works when the gun is balanced. This setup is second only to using a seated at a bench or bipod prone, but at less comfortable. I use the tripod sitting in a chair. You can easily move in any direction and the cross hairs are stable. The heavy weights at large effective offsets from the pivot point greatly enhances the stability because of the increased inertia. I have a leveling base on the tripod so it is easy to get the gun level so no matter how much or where I point the gun the gun is always level, otherwise you have to fiddle with the 3 legs. This wasn't the case when I was using my high end Arca B1 ball head. With the ball head it was easy to get the gun tilted from level if you don't pay attention which can throw your shots off.

That said, it is heavy and I would never think about using it in the field, but if you are shooting from a fixed location for a long time where you want a comfortable seat while being able easily move the aiming points this is a winner. Like for picking off pests.