Zeroing
A look at the Vortex Radian Carbon Tripod
First Look
As tripods become more popular in the shooting world the Vortex Radian definitely stands out. Being made from mostly carbon fibre it's surprisingly light for such a big tripod, but because of the design it's very stiff and stable. We have used it with various rifles from a lightweight .22 LR to a heavy 6.5x47 in an MDT ACC chassis. Once the rifle is secured on the tripod it feels very secure and there isn’t a worry it will tip over or buckle under the weight of a heavy setup. Aside from performance it also looks brilliant, Vortex have done a good job with the styling and it really fits in with the modern PRS/Long Range image.
What are the specs?
Probably the most important one is the weight, out of the box the tripod comes in at 7.3 pounds or about 3.3 kg. It’s advertised maximum load capacity is 24 kg so even a fully loaded PRS rifle with balance weights will sit comfortably. When the legs are set at their tallest setting it will stand at 67.3 inches, when you collapse it down it is incredibly compact measuring in at only 8.3 inches in height. Getting the legs in and out is very easy with twist leg locks but adjusting the tripod to the perfect height can take some time and is not the quickest process. One of my favourite features is the wide leg angles, you can get a very stable shooting position that’s almost as steady as using a bipod. In a hunting or varminting scenario this could allow you to take a shot which you usually would have to pass on!
What are the features?
A very useful feature which seems to be working its way into a lot of chassis and stock systems is the ARCA swiss rail. ARCA has been used in the camera world for a long time now and has been adopted by various manufacturers to allow shooters to adjust their lower mounting point to a bipod or tripod quickly without having to use allen keys or tools. Another product which does this very well is the MDT Cyke-Pod which is being used on the rifle in the photos above, having this adjustability is a massive game changer as it is very versatile. Once the rifle is fitted to the tripod you can move it backwards and forwards to get your position and balance perfect, then simply unscrew the knobs and the rifle is released very quickly.
The tripod has a ball head fitting so once it has been loosened you can point the rifle in any direction and angle whilst still maintaining a very rigid position. If you already have your elevation fixed but need to pan you can loosen the lower knob which allows you to keep the same position but pan around 360 degrees, the ACRA clamp also has a bubble level which is a nice touch.
Verdict (Pros & Cons)
+ Lightweight & Compact
+ Excellent build quality
+ Easy to use & provides very stable shooting platform
+ Comes with the Vortex VIP lifetime warranty
- Could be considered expensive compared to other systems out there
- Slow to setup in a rush
In conclusion if you’re looking for a very rigid secure shooting system for PRS or vermin control this could well be your answer!
- 20th October 2021