No one who wants to hit his game exactly right and kill it cleanly should spurn the use of a rest—any rest, just so it is solid,” wrote Jack O’Connor in his classic treatise The Art of Hunting Big Game in North America. Trouble is, a solid rest is not always readily available in some types of terrain. Carrying a rest with you, however, guarantees you’ll have one when it comes time to take a shot, and Rock Steady Shooting Sticks from Shooters Ridge provide stability in a portable package.
The collapsible sticks are available in two sizes, to steady shots taken while standing, sitting or kneeling. Since I prefer the latter two positions when shooting, I carry the sitting/kneeling sticks. They unfold from an easy-to-tote 13 1/2 inches to form a bipod 38 inches long. Height is inherently adjustable upon setup, since simply spreading the legs of the bipod apart lowers it.
Each leg is constructed of a 3/8-inch aluminum tube, anodized matte black and divided into three sections connected by an internal elastic cord. The lower ends of the first two sections are narrowed to allow them to nest inside the upper ends of sections that follow. External rubber ferrules reinforce the areas where the sections meet, locking them in position in a snug pocket and covering each joint. The sturdy system comes together like poles that frame a dome tent.
A tapered point on the bottom of each leg digs into the ground, preventing the bipod from spreading apart under pressure. I set up the sticks and leaned down on them with all 210 pounds of my weight. Although the legs flexed slightly from the force, they didn’t slip out from under me, and their sections stayed together. Rest assured the sticks can solidly support any firearm you would want to carry and keep it that way through recoil.
Each leg is divided into three sections held together by an elastic cord. The sticks fold up to just 13 1/2 inches long and are easy to carry in a supplied nylon pouch.
The sticks cradle your gun with rubber handles 4 1/2 inches long and 5/8 inch in diameter. While not exactly tacky, the rubber’s surface provides enough friction to grab onto wood and synthetic stocks, and it will not mar the finish. The handles cap both sticks and are connected by a 3/8-inch-thick rubber crosspiece, forming a single unit. This bridge is what makes the sticks a bipod, serving as a flexible pivot point to allow the two legs to form a wide-bottomed “X.”
In the collapsed position, the sticks fit into a nylon pouch provided for easy transport. The pouch features a wide belt loop that will also accommodate pack straps. A section of shock cord attached to the rubber handles wraps around the sticks to bind the collapsed sections together. Slim, and weighing only 7 ounces, they are not a burden.
I carried them cinched to my pack over the tundra of Nunavik, Quebec, while chasing caribou until I happened upon a good bull. It was relatively easy to stalk within range, but when the bull all at once decided to forgo its breakfast of lichen and resume its migratory march, it quickly put some distance between us. A hunting partner ranged the bull at 184 yards—not an extremely long shot, but not one I’d want to have to make offhand, either. The sticks practically came together by themselves thanks to their stiff elastic cord, and my rifle comfortably settled into the instant bipod. I hit the bull “exactly right,” as O’Connor would say, and it took but three steps before toppling over.
There is merit in being able to accurately shoot offhand, but in many cases using a rest will improve your chances of taking game. Shooters Ridge Rock Steady Shooting Sticks are a convenient way to make shots count.
—Adam Heggenstaller