Introduction to the UD Carbon Tripod
A year ago, in March 2024, I was honored to attend a class called Beyond the Basics. (See my blog post dated March 18, 2024). Long story short, and trust me it’s long but well worth the story, I learned I’m not an MOA shooter. Sure laying on my belly, no wind, no care in the world, I can take my rifles and punch holes all day that are subMOA. But the reality is the work that I’m doing, those conditions will neve exist. I realized very quickly, in the class, that the equipment I’d purchased, a $250 tripod off Amazon, was not going to be sufficient for my needs. It was at this time that I began my search for the right solution.
Now I won’t lie in saying that Ultradyne was my last choice internet find, that came swooping in at the last minute. (All though it makes for a dramatic story.) Reality is the moment I started my search, I knew Ultradyne was going to be the tripod I compared all my other options against. I know that sounds like I’m biased before the process even started, but just based on the Ultradyne products I already owned and the customer service I’d already experienced, it was going to be very difficult for most other companies to compete, in my mind.
So the selection process. First, I knew the tripod was going to need to have a minimum max height of at least 72 inches, because I’m 6’4” tall. Next I wanted a ball head with an ARCA mount that would be easily adjusted with my off gun hand, while hooked into the gun on the tripod. I also wanted it to be carbon fiber with quickly deployable legs that would use a twist knob tensioner vs the flick switch type. Based on my desires you can imagine how short, pun intended, most tripods fell in my list. So once it was decided, I reached out to Ultradyne and got my tripod coming.
Upon arrival I noted the packaging was what I expected, meaning care was taken to make sure it was not damaged during transit. Inside my packaging I found the center mount with the ball head, the tripod itself, and a nice carry bag. I immediately assembled the tripod, mounted the MLOK ARCA rail I’d purchased for my AR-15, and began to “play around” with everything in my garage. The first thing I noticed was how slim the MLOK ARCA rail was, once mounted to my AR. In handling my rifle I did not feel like it stuck out from my handguard causing me to change my grip. This was a big concern I had, as most ARCA rails just don’t flow with the lines of MLOK rails. I also noted that it appeared to be a little thicker, as in heavy duty, but the weight seemed to be less, compared to a couple other ARCA rails I’d seen.
Next I began to “play” with the tripod. Of course the first thing I wanted to verify is that it would get tall enough for my needs. So I extended all the legs to max extension, then I extended the centerpiece to max extension. Without even mounting the rifle I knew it was going to work, as it was as tall as my head. So I adjusted my center down, to right at the width of my fist, mounted my rifle and walla, the perfect height. I was able to stand behind the rifle with the perfect cheek weld. Once I established this position, I began breaking down the tripod and setting the tripod up, trying to build some great habits on deploying the tripod efficiently. This is where the turning tension knobs really begin to shine. For those who’ve not deployed a tripod, the best method to deploy the legs is to hold the tripod with your non-dominant hand. Then with your dominant hand twist all three tension knobs away from you, this will take tension off the legs. Then starting with the bottom leg, pull away from the center of the tripod, this will extend all legs to their max length. Once you’ve reached max length you reach up and twist the first knob toward you, locking the tension, and work your way back toward the center until all legs are tight. This will then put you back at the center of the tripod so you can repeat the process to deploy the remaining legs. After doing this a few times, no lie like 20 or more for me, I began to become fairly proficient and speedy. I then began to incorporate the addition of adjusting the center piece, and eventually started mounting the rifle in place. (Look not all training is sexy shooting on the range.) From there I mounted my rifle and began to do some non-firing exercises of trying to hold position and present a perfect trigger press.
Fast forward to January, due to some weather issues the nation has been seeing. A couple of my teammates and I decided to squeeze in some training. We ran out to our local gun club and verified some zeros. Once done we broke out the tripod. Now the day wasn’t perfect, but the wind was at least from behind us at 3-4 mph, with gusts to 5-7 mph. While this made for little effect on the flight, it did make standing challenging. I mounted my DMR, an 18” Ruger MPR with a Q Trash Panda suppressor, and a Sig Tango 2-12X44 MIL scope, running 75 Grain Hornady Black BTHP, into the ARCA atop the Ultradyne Tripod. I started with a very large piece of steel at 100 yards. Even with the wind creating a GIANT wobble, the first few shots at 100 were very easy. I next dialed .5 mil into my optic and switched to a slightly smaller target at 200 yards. I hooked into my sling, stabilized the wobble, and slowly pressed the trigger. Through the scope I saw the target swing and then heard the familiar sound of steel being struck by a 75 grain bullet at 2600 fps. I repeated the process several times at 200, before dialing .14 mil into my optic and switching to a target at 300 yards. Even with the wind gusting, fighting through the wobble and settling into the rifle and tripod, hits came with very little effort.
In the end this tripod has been a game changer for me. In the line of work I’m doing, laying flat on the ground in perfect conditions is just not going to happen. Most likely I’ll be working from a tripod position, standing, kneeling, sitting, or vehicle. One will have to deploy the tripod quickly, and most likely will be in position for some time. Having the Ultradyne Tripod, as one of our tools, will help make this job easier.