The Sniper Saddle

The "Sniper Saddle"

22 April 2000By peteR

Sitting position with tripod mounted Sniper Saddle

Followers of Sniper Country's Duty Roster are very familiar with Mr. Kent Gooch andsome of his wisdom gathered over many years both as a sniper and sniper instructor in theUS military. Kent is also without any doubt Sniper Country's greatest proponent of the useof a camera tripod for rifle support in the field by both sharpshooters and snipers. When hespeaks of such gear, tactics, and techniques all present should seriously listen and takeheed of Mister Gooch's advice.

The tripod provides any number of benefits over the folding bipod or cross sticksworthy of merit. Properly camouflaged and equipped with an adapter to correctly fit therifle's forearm, the tripod is real hard to beat. Height adjustments can be made quickly forlevels above those of the folding bipods, terrain inclines can be compensated for, and thethree legs provide a far greater support platform, plus panning the rifle on a moving targetcan be done quickly, smoothly, and effectively.

The tripod can be placed horizontally on the ground with an adapter providing astable base to create an even lower signature than even a Harris BR-5 series rest. Its usedin a manner similar to the British "Hawkins" position which calls for resting the stock toe onthe ground and using the support fist as a rest under the rifle's forearm.

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Sniper Saddle Basic Components

When mention was made by Mister Gooch of a tripod adapter constructed from apiece of PVC pipe lined with carpet, I figured there might be a better mousetrap and beganto cogitate on the subject while rummaging through my pile of scraps from other little NuttyProfessor type projects. In a matter of an hour I had assembled all the necessary bits andpieces to begin fabrication.

So we will give the camera tripod equipped with the adapter bracket for the rifle'sforearm a trendy new name hereby dubbing it the "Sniper-Saddle" and also give up somemanufacturing tips should you want to make one, and be the very first on your block tohave one and spread the word. And by all means feel Totally Free to make anymodifications or revisions to the ones supplied here - your creativity is the limit.

Tripods are variable in quality and price. The version shown in the photos is a RitzCamera Quantaray Sale of the Month bought for about $20.00 if memory serves me. It alsoserves additional duty as a stand for my Oehler 35P chronograph during test andevaluation periods. I gave it a coat of 99 cent Wal-Mart Camoflage paint to give it thedesired flat look.

Get whatever brand you want, just make sure it seems sturdy enough for your use. My tripod expands to 48" maximum height, and collapses down to between 17-18 inches. Brand isn't real important unless you simply "Have to have the very best" at which point aphone call to a couple of photo stores will give you an idea how pricey brands at the top ofthe line like Bogen can become.

The key for us is the package must be small, portable, and readily packable in eithera drag bag or discretely "wrapped and strapped" to a pack.

Tripod/Saddle ready for attachment to Eagle Drag Bag

The original prototype "Sniper Saddle-1" was fabricated from a piece of 4" wide, 11/4" deep aluminum "U" channel cut to a length of 2" long. Once cut to size and the edgesdeburred, an "X" was lightly scribed across the base and a #30 bit used to drill a pilot hole.The hole was then tapped with a standard 1/4"-20 thread. This thread pitch was selectedas it is pretty much the Universal standard for photographic equipment.

A couple of 1/4-20 stainless steel knurled thumb nuts was purchased from ReidTools to secure the Sniper Saddle and tripod components together. I suppose Hook andPile, Dzus fasteners, detent type pull pins or whatever could be used for attachment.


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The decision for a 2" length had to do with portability and bulk reduction in the field.

All of the second generation prototypes Sniper Saddle 2 were cut to a 4" x 4" squareto give a larger surface area for the forearm. This was based on a recomendation by MikeMiller after trying the first version.

Rear oblique view of Sniper Saddle

The first step is to cut the aluminum channel to length and then draw file or sand theedges smooth. The interior surfaces are then lightly scuffed with sandpaper to give theadhesive a good bond. This breaks through any clear coat finish that may have beenapplied.

The neoprene foam rubber for the liner came from a scrap source and the sheet wasapproximately 48" wide by 72" long. If you cannot find sheet neoprene rubber, pieces of3/8" thick GI sleeping mat pads can be used. The rubber is cut into pieces approximately5" x 7" and pre-fitted to the channel.

I then grabbed a tube of Permatex #80B Super Weatherstrip Adhesive and coatedthe entire interior surface of the channel and the piece of 3/8" thick closed cell neoprenerubber was then carefully pressed into place. The later models used a industrial grade ofContact Cement for better economy. Allow the cement to dry for about fifteen to twentyminutes to give it some tack and then press the foam into place.

A wood block cut to 2 3/4" long x 3" wide by 1" thick was C-clamped to hold therubber liner in place until the adhesive had completely dried (approx. 24 hrs). I thenswiped a "Ginsu" type knife from the kitchen and trimmed off the excess neoprene startingwith the vertical ends (cutting from the base to the top using the channel edge as a guide)and then paring away the top from the center with two center to end cuts.

Later versions were placed in a Black and Decker WorkMate and clamped to spreadthe adhesive and provide more uniform pressure during the drying process.

You may find that placing the Sniper Saddle into the freezer and then using theserrated blade will make the rubber or foam far easier to trim evenly. The exposedneoprene was then coated with some black Tandy Leather "Edge Dressing" to seal up theopen cells after it returned to room temperature, which was probably overkill on my part.


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After drying, the foam was masking taped off ( to avoid spray paint solvent carriers)and given two base coats of either Olive Drab or indoor/outdoor flat black enamel paint.

"Mister" Gooch was then sent a second generation prototype version made from aslightly larger 4"x 4" piece of the same stock for him to evaluate and give me his thoughts. Kent and gunsmith pal "Kudu" looked over the prototype design and came up with someslight modifications to the attachment system, allowing it to work with a QD tripod shoeadapter.

In fact, Kent even requested an additional pair after I gave him the 3rd generationversion at The Carlos N Hathcock II Memorial Sniper Match and one was promptlyliberated by Rod Ryan for his use.

Feedback:

The versions have been extensively tested by Mr Gooch. Additional prototypes havebeen sent to three other familiar names on The Duty Roster; Mr. Rick Boucher at Ft. Bragg,NC., Mike Miller of Tactical Intervention Specialists, and Bruce Robinson of Mil DotMaster fame, were also sent, or personally hand delivered, one each to wring out duringsniper training classes for test and evaluation.

I have included some of their E-mails (with permission) on the prototype SniperSaddles. The one thing found lacking by all the Beta Testers is some type of cordura coverto prevent deterioration of the neoprene.

Subj: Re: sniper saddleDate: 5/27/99 12:01:14 PM Pacific Daylight TimeFrom: RBowcherTo: PngreiffPete

Sorry this took so long to get back to you but my brain is trying to function on multipleplanes of late and it is not working well. Used the saddle under quite a number ofcircumstances with monopod, window mount, and tripod of various lengths. The saddlecould probably be cut in half as far as length goes. Had trouble with it trapping theforestock during tracking of a target. The neoprene definitely needs to be covered withsomething such as cordura or the like. It began deteriorating on the range due to theabrasive effects of sand in this area.

I like the ability to support the weapon on the forestock point of your choice allowingfor stability on the end or movement for tracking near the floor plate. Problems would ariseon the width since there is such a variety of widths on the forestock from weapon type toweapon type.

The concept is a sound one, but I am worried that you would have problems sellinga lot of them due to the limited applications and the ability of the sniper to make his own to


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his requirements.

Rick

Re: Rifle Tripods

Contact <[email protected]> and ask him about his adapter that turns acamera tripod into a neat rifle rest. He gave me a sample at Hathcock II and it works great! Waiting for my friend on the ABQ PD to get back so's he can evaluate it also.

Sorry it took so long to comment on this fine piece of gear, Pete. Only got back toNM a few weeks ago and it took this long to get to the range.

I'm interested in the FAL Postal Match, if we can shoot for smallest 10 shot groups!Send rules to my e-mail. I'll pass them on to Jarrett and other interested parties!

Best Regards....Bruce Robinson <[email protected]>Los Lunas, NM, USA - Friday, November 19, 1999 at 06:35:17

Got Pete's Tripod Mount and like the thing. I will say that this is perfect for Urban L.E.work. Get one and you will be happy.

Mike M. <[email protected]>Calif, USA - Friday, January 22, 1999 at 16:34:04 (ZULU)

The next version, 3rd Generation was made from a piece of 4" black PVC pipecoupling sawn in half lengthwise. The annular ring in the center of the coupling had to beground out with a Moto-Tool, this also served to roughen up the interior for the adhesive tobond the components together.

PVC Sniper Saddle on tripod


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The next problem to be tackled dealt with how to secure the saddle to the tripod asPVC is fairly soft plastic. The perceived problem with threads stripping out from the plasticwas resolved before I even left the store to begin prototype fabrication with the purchase ofsome "Tee" nut inserts found in the Fastener-Nuts & Bolts section of the hardware store.

The spikes (for affixing in the Tee Nut in wood objects) were hammered flat in a jigmade from bar stock with a hole bored in the center.

A 5/16" diameter hole was bored approximately TDC in the PVC casing, and themodified Tee Nut flange glued from the inside with a gob of J-B Weld. The epoxy wascarefully smeared around it and then left to dry.

Once hardened the J-B epoxy and the slight the protrusion of the "Tee" nut wasfeathered down flush with the body using a Moto tool to prevent a bump from showingthrough the foam. The tip was also draw filed even with the outside edge of the coupler.

A piece of 3/8" neoprene foam was then glued to the inside of the housing withcontact cement and after drying pared down with the Ginsu knife. The edges were thencarefully rounded off with a combination Belt/Disc sander, and then the entire unit given acouple coats of primer and OD camoflage paint purchased at Wal-Mart.

What now?

This is still an ongoing project, and changes and updates will probably occur andthen be incorporated into the original design.

From here all you need to do is camo the Sniper-Saddle to taste with "fake-rock"paint , Burlap, or the color du-jour and you're done. Now take it in the field and Practice,Practice, Practice.

You will not be sorry.

More Photos:

37Kb: Clamp until glue dries throughly38Kb: Trim the shorts ends first!36Kb: Next trim the "long" ends38Kb: Tape off exposed surfaces-Prime-Paint!30Kb: Ready to paint or ghillie Sniper Saddle

Parts Sources

Shupan Aluminum Sales2040 Olmstead P.O. Box 3146 Kalamazoo, MI.


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490003-3146phone 1- 800-531-3434

Reid Tool Supply Company2265 Black Creek Road, Muskegom, MI.49499-2684phone 1-800-253-0421Website: http://www.reidtool.com

Wal-Mart

Lowes Hardware

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