great review , I have been using best fox call quad sticks for almost 10 years now and they are still as good as the day i got them and shot over 1000 foxes with them very happy with them

What speed are you pushing your 150grain?

Thanks for the podcast, an interesting ‘catch-up’. I can appreciate the logic in buying a dedicated vehicle for your stalking especially bearing in mind the number of deer you are now shooting - but as many people have to use the family estate or hatchback for their shooting purposes your comments during the podcast & in the past regarding equipment for estate/hatchbacks & how to cope with a compromise vehicle have been valuable & will be missed.

My rail came loose on my bergara I used a good epoxy on it then torqued it down had no issues since. Also found during the load development it didn't like the bipod couldn't get it to group well at all only 1 that did group was a 130gr bullet. So changed to just shooting over a bag massive improvement. Cheers.

Silly sausages forgot to film the sausage making!! 😂

Where do you get pork fat from or was it just pork mince you used?

Now that you've wet our appetites, definitely need a full tutorial, on sausage stuffing we need to see the fun too 😅.

I have a friend that hunts with it in western Maryland

Twenty five- Oh Six? And British say we butcher the English language? Twenty Five - Ought Six! All talk no action!

Have you managed to get more than 4 fallow in the fridge?

Thanks. I've been looking for something like the viper fix since the day I got my Viperflex Journey. My buttstock is pretty slim (S20)

The sticks are absolutely fine and stable as they are . If you can’t do a staple shot of these with the crap for the back ( give up shooting )

Are we not just over complicating the use of quad stick???? Surely at most sensible ranges the quads can be used as they were originally designed??? I use an extra leg with mine occasionally but only when the range is stretched. Great videos gents not trying to have a moan just my opinion

I have the new rear support on my vipers and it works well. Up to 200m happy to shoot off the std sticks, most shots are 100m or less, maybe 150m. Use the 5th leg for stand and wait stalks or zero check. Paul@testvalleyvenison

For me the beauty of the 5th leg isn’t so much stability but deploying it so the rifle sits there while you’re hands free to scan around.

Really? Not impressed. Too much clutter and faff!

I am amazed at how much gear has become available specially for stalking in recent years, this is just my personal observation but the stalking community seems to be getting bogged down with accessories we didn’t need not so long ago, sticks are one of the most important tools required for stalking apart from the rifle itself but do we really need to have such technology for a basic job, I am still using a set of home made wooden sticks that are well over 20 years old.

I used something similar about 30 years ago with double sticks & rope with knots in it to stop it slipping, cheap as chips & very stable

Could you provide links to the products you are showing please?

Thanks for the update. The idea of those ist really ingenious, but I thougt there are too many delicate parts in them. So I went with the Viper Flex Journey, which are built more simple but seemed more rugged to me.

Useful, thanks. Was thinking about buying some but if they’re going to start falling apart after a couple of years, I think I’ll go with Viper Flex!

Tried them and went back to viperflex, upgrading to their latest carbon ones. Light, solid rest and well made. Paul@testvalleyvenison

homemade quad sticks are better and will only cost about £15 to make from garden canes and afew nuts and bolts and they are so steady for head and kneck shooting

Thanks for the honest review.

As someone just getting into stalking. Aren’t shooting sticks all basically the same?

Glad you're smoothing out the rough areas and the rifle is coming around for you very nice rifle..I actually have several rifles made by this company and they all shoot quite good... THANKS for sharing..

I'm from across the pond and have had some of the same issues with mounting an optic, I've found that the screws that hold the piccatinny rail in place are sometimes too long and even tightened to spec after a few shots come loose, to find this out loosing all the screws then tighten just one screw see if then if the base is tight if it is loosen that screw up and do that for the rest of the screws you may just find some screws are too long.. I found this out after a lot of headaches and frustration... THANKS for sharing.. that rifle can be very accurate...

Nice one gents.Ed has a great setup going to suit every budget.Always has time for you or will eventually return a query.

Great podcast lads. 👍

I don't know where you are hunting but where I come from a head shot is basically unheard of. To much probability of a wounded animal. Also never heard of a butcher refusing a front shoulder shot. Shot placement is the key to the ethical harvest

I would suggest simply scraping the plastic.

Thank your for the nice review. I have a Leica scope and waiting for my Tikka T3x to arrive to my dealer. I almost made a mistake of ordering Sako Optilock mounts, but now I'll be ordering Spuhr. My only question is if the Spuhr mount has a recoil lug corresponding with the opening in Tikka receiver? Thank you again!

As as ba13 owner had same thing.great channel lads always great to see your latest.big fan of the ba 13 got two ..took a bit of fettling but superb now.keep the videos coming pls.

Doesn't look very robust to me in terms of the moulding. I would fit a metal self tapping stud into a drilled hole with epoxy instead. You could then just dress off the moulded bit completely. Paul@testvalleyvenison

I think a good way to go is to have a similar model like we have in pest control ie we need to ensure if we want to be apart of the BPCA we need to do CPD and gain 24 points minimum a year. This can be gained by , further training, workshops, breakfast meetings, even podcasts like this would count. It all proves your keeping your knowledge up to speed. So if BASC, BDS, NGO etc laid on more small bite training in certain areas of deer management, you keep your DSC2 if you get your yearly points.

Not a fan of head shots, seen too many people get them wrong. Problem is, the deer's head never stays still for that long, and what might have been a killing shot when you pulled the trigger can end up with the bullet hitting the jaw area, leaving an animal that is still mobile, making the coup de grace a lot harder. I neck shoot, if required, but keep it to around 100m and aim just above the middle line of the neck. But for me, it's primarily, up the front leg and behind the shoulder point of aim. Good, honest video, yep love that Merkel K3 too. But, it all really comes down to your shooting ability, which needs confidence, good technique and practice!

I head/neck shot out to 250m in varying scenarios but I've done a lot of range work and I've my ballistics data really well dialled in, and only while in very stable conditions. I'd usually keep these shots inside 150m.

too many people telling other people how to shoot and why, co-dependency dis-order to the max in these comments

If you cannot hit a 2" target from 100 meters every time then you should not be shooting game.

Hunting must be humane. How can a butcher dictate how a deer is shot humanely?

Personally I don’t do head or neck shots, in my opinion the margin of injury is way too high. What I find quite interesting that 47% percent do head or neck shots , how many of these are selling the carcasses to game dealer. Who are implementing that high risk of an inhumane kill is ok just justifying for sake of meat loss. As you’re using a kipplauf and maybe like of German traditions ,if you have the change speak to German hunters ask them what they think of headshots 😉

Do we know the procedure following a call to the apha is? What will they want the stalker to do with the carcass? Many will be in my position were as a recreation stalker we have nowhere to store a carcass not fit for consumption Or even want to take it home

Thoughts on high shoulder?

If thats your group at 150m then i would seriously check your kit. Do you load you own ammo? I check zero at 120m and 235m (with a 1.25 MOA adjustment) and if its not within 1" at 235 then i question why..... Range time is key to shooting with confidence and respect for your quarry.... only headshoot at 70m-130m with fifth leg quad sticks. One thing to be aware of is that the head on an animal can move so quickly; its very easy to mess it up, so you need experience and guidance from folk who know the techniques and how to read/assess the deer before taking a shot to the head. 🙂

Not trying to be negative but, a deers head can move and turn at any time. Those targets are static

This all depends on the abilities of the individual shooter. Everyone is not the same. We all have our own comfort zone and should know our own limitations. For deer management in my park I have always headshot as that is the requirement from the owner and is the most humane kill. To ensure I can do this correctly I reload my own ammunition, tailored to suit the rifle I am shooting with a bullet that is suitable for the job (that wouldn't be suitable for body shooting). I spend a lot of time developing loads for the job. I clean my rifles systematically and regularly. I zero check my rifles regularly. I shoot using my own set-up methods to give the best chance of accuracy. I never head shoot face on and only go for side on or back of the head. Regarding neck shots, I only ever high neck shoot. Low neck shooting gives too much of an unclear sight picture. High neck shooting is easier to define the correct kill zone. Lastly there is practice and experience. I've been managing that park since January 2007. To this date I have shot 896 deer, all head shot. After that many deer you have an instinct and a 'feel' when a potential shot is achievable or just doesn't feel right. When people say "you cannot head shoot deer" or "don't do it" they are either talking about themselves or people who don't have the ability to do it. In that context they are correct. There are shooters out there with the skills and ability to head shoot. You have to know your own limitations.

Simple, don’t do it. Crazy idea. Neck shooting within 100 yards ok from a very steady rest. Head shots are way too risky, the head is the first thing to move. Paper targets are not an indicator of real stalking circumstances.

Modern technology such as 5 leg shooting sticks provide ample steadiness. I personally only headshot out to 100 meter max. Neck shot 150 meters at a push. It all depends on your situation. Wind, rain, temperature (the shakes), prone or standing, calmness. If I’m feeling off then il stick to H&L. I do tend to high neck shot an awful lot in woodland though.

Hi - I've replied to your question a couple of times but it doesn't appear below for some reason. I think there is more margin for error with a neck shot, which may explain why your poll results suggest that neck shots are more popular than head shots.

Even if you are comfortable about reliably hitting a target that size at up to, say, 150 metres, it would take very little movement of the head to turn a killing shot into a wounding shot with potentially disastrous consequences. More room for error with a neck shot I would have thought.