AA Tripod

[brown30]

I'm thinking of getting an MG42 AA tripod, but are they sturdy enough to shoot a 1919a4 from ?? I would like to be able to stand and shoot, any one selling them for a reasonable price??

[Slick]

They do just fine when set up properly. I extend two legs out further to the rear and leave one in the front set shorter and more vertical and it levels out well.

I also cut off the original top and welded on the top portion of one of Rich’s “econo-pintles” and that keeps it down lower and makes it more stable with the added weight of Rich’s M2A4 dual can adaptor. Since this adaptor has extra width to clear the M2 tripod, it also permits it to sit extra low on the MG-42 pod and clear the splayed out legs.

I like the added safety in using Rich’s T&E as it prevents the gun from accidentally swinging around too far. Here’s how mine came out->

http://i311.photobucket.com/albums/kk445/snot-rocket/LowPod2.jpg

Oh yeah - I think InterOrdinance probably has the best supply & prices on the MG-42 AA pods..

[anm2_man]

Those TPod work really good here is a pic of mine:

http://i37.tinypic.com/54g8cg.jpg


Its on one of Rich's great adaptors

[1919_4_ME]

Shooting with an AA all by itself unsupported can be a REAL pain in the butt. The best thing to do if you decide you want to stand and shoot is to use one of my (AA Stabilizer kits) with your AA tripod. What this device does is basically pulls the your AA legs inward so they stay locked in place. It also comes with a leg stake kit so you can stake them into the ground, this will keep your legs from walking while your shooting which can cuase the legs to eventually unlock while you are shooting, this happens alot with AA owners.:abused1:
Another option if you want a super rock solid AA Tripod platform is to look into getting one my custom modfied (AA heavy Tripods). These basically take it to another level of stability and come with a built-in leg stabilizer kit. Everything on this is heavy duty and the legs on it are much heavier which will give you a more stable platform to shoot from. They are a little more expensive ($350) but you will glad you got it.:wink:
Also the BEST place to get a stock AA tripod is Interordnance OR if you decide you want the AA Heavy Tripod I have those in stock as well.:cool:

[anm2_man]

Are the legs on your heavy duty AA tripod collapsible ?

[Kali Komrade]

Yup I think he built it that way here's a picture of the two laying side by side...

http://shoot1919a4.com/v-web/productpage/images/mg3th.jpg

[1919_4_ME]

Roger,
The legs do retrack inwards to the stow position but as you can see by the pic there at a fixed length. The length of the legs was determined to be the best overall height to shoot from and plus you can adjust the height by simply locking the legs inward for added height or spreading them out all the way to get you very low to the ground (where you can sit in a chair). So the AA tripod is adjustable as far as height goes but the legs are not teloscopic.:smile:

[anm2_man]

Rich

Ok I see that now. But that can be an issue if your not on level ground.
You could end giving up height vs lopsided.

Roger

[1919_4_ME]

Yea Roger you would want to find some even solid ground before setting this up and you really wouldnt want to shoot on the side of a hillside thats already uneven (pot holes and such).If it is I would recommend using a shovel to build up that are a little before setting up. This tripod does set up nicley on hard packed dirt and those spiked feet really dig in making this a super rock solid platform to shoot from.:cool:

[brown30]

hey slick, when your gun ejects the shells do they fall on the T&E arm and bounce around????? i can't decide on a set-up like yours or the one with the shell catcher.

[Kali Komrade]

Well... If you like Slicks setup but want the shell catching capabilities I'd suggest the Gen II AA tripod adapter... It works great and has a small foot print... The one ANM2man posted is similar to the Gen II mount but his was custom built for the ANM2... Rich eliminated the T&E on the spring adapter to give the gun a little more range in motion...

or The M12 is a nice unit if you have an M2 tripod already... I have both and can't decide which I like more...:green:

[Dan Wilson]

Rich has a setup that has springs instead of T&E but it also has a port for the brass and a brass chute and storage bucket. I don't have a pic of the whole thing set up but works great.

Dan

[Slick]

hey slick, when your gun ejects the shells do they fall on the T&E arm and bounce around????? i can't decide on a set-up like yours or the one with the shell catcher.

To be honest, I had the dual-can adaptor first and fired it off my RGuns MG-42 AA mount that has the pintle up higher. It was stable so long as the legs were spread out pretty good - but I thought if I could lower the pintle that it would be even more stable and there was a good sale on like-new AA pods for $99 - so I picked up a spare and using one of the top portions of Rich's "econo-pintle", I trimmed the stub and welded it on like so->

http://i311.photobucket.com/albums/kk445/snot-rocket/MG42AA1z.jpg

I took it out shooting and the lower mount really helped improve the stability. I didn't have the T&E yet and kind of got tired of the gun "flopping around" and somtimes spinning if I wasn't holding onto it.

So my next move was to order the T&E. IIRC, I think I trimmed a little length off somewhere to make the adjustments more suitable for my setup - but it was a super easy task and took just a few minutes with a cutting wheel. I hate to admit it, but I have not had the opportunity to get the gun back out to fire it since installing the T&E - so I can't really give you a good answer. I did consider whether or not the shells hitting the T&E would create any kind of problem and decided that if it bothered me, that I'd simply install a small piece of sheet-metal in the channel where the shells drop through so that they could be directed away from the T&E - so I really don't think there would be much in the way of a problem that couldn't be easily addressed.

I like the way the new trpod worked out enough, that I'll probably cut the stub off the RGuns pod and reweld it down lower like on my newer tripod. When I get caught up buying things that are more likely to be banned by our incoming over-lord, then I'll probably be picking up one of Rich's leg-stabilizer kits to really make things solid.

[brown30]

hey slick, is the rguns you refer to in carpentersville, illinois ????

[Kali Komrade]

I don't think those setups are available anymore like that and from what I hear the ammo cans could shake loose which kinda made them a little unpopular... I do have to say the way Rich builds a lot of his mounts with the shell deflector built in works out really great if you get a malfunction... Its better it hit the adapter than the operator... Also the cans Either fit into the tray or are pinned in so they don't come loose while shooting... As for the AA tripod if the heavy tripod is not your flavor go with a standard tripod and get the leg stake and adjuster kit you won't go wrong... In the end the expense is worth it...

[Slick]

hey slick, is the rguns you refer to in carpentersville, illinois ????

Yes - that's the place. I bought it very early on along with 4K links, a T&E, and the tripod altogether when they shipped for a flat $10.

Back then I didn't know about the other options avalable and wound up paying too much for the tripod. Like Kali says, the "can-holder" is nothing more than a latch from an ammo can welded to a short piece of angle-iron. About half-way through a can - the can simply falls off because the attachment points are too flimsy.

If I had it to do over, I'd buy one of Rich's mondo-tripods and the M2A4 dual-can mount and cut the stub as I did on my second AA pod. The M2A4 can mount will work perfect with BOTH the M2 tripon as well as down low on the MG-42 AA pod because of the extra width for clearing the sides of the M2.

[Fishpaw]

Also, dont forget the AA tripods have a hook on the bottom of the center shaft. I hang a 25 pound bag of shotgun shot off of it and it gives a lot of stability. An ammo can full of ammo or whatever weight will also work.