Icon Logo Gun Mart

Bush Light Stable Sticks

Bush Light Stable Sticks

Stable Sticks are a new range of rifle shooting supports, available in four design variants. The standard sticks are a regular quad-legged unit, with adjustable height for taking shots with great confidence over terrain where an elevated shooting position is just not possible. Bush Light, Mountain (with three-part instead of two-part extending legs) and a Monteria version is also available. The latter is simply a `V` setup; to give some support to the gun, yet retain greater manoeuvrability and flexibility in quickly changing scenarios. Sticks like these have changed the way I shoot, full stop.

I have been using the ‘Bush Light’ option throughout the winter for some of my night vision forays on vermin and after getting used to the amazing stability a quad stick offers three years ago, it was a refreshing change to move to these lighter weight units. Like all sticks, they assist good stability as an extra ground support when walking but to keep noise to a minimum, they need full set-up to height as soon as you exit the vehicle. Unlike heavier styles, these don’t have the multiple telescopic extension points for ultimate adjustability but with wide separation and angular movement, you can still get them to the correct height. If you are in the mood to permanently customise them, they look like they can be made shorter by removing the feet, cutting the legs and re-fastening the feet with the self-tapping screws through holes you would have to drill in the tubes? The slightly longer 88cm lower legs are your minimum storage and transport dimension if packing light. These slot 60mm firmly inside the top pairs and are secured with solid sprung catches that don’t look like they will fail easily.

One-hand job

Lighter weight makes one-handed manipulation easier and at just under 600-grams, they are approximately half the weight of fully adjustable options. When carried one handed, you notice less strain very quickly. The aluminium leg tubes are 13mm in diameter, so significantly smaller than the 17mm ones elsewhere and bolts look to be M4, rather than M5, with hinges made from polymers rather than aluminium at the joints. Full height of 163cm (64-inches) from the hardanodised aluminium feet to the upper rest is about right for me at 5-foot 11-inches (180cm) but this is also dependant on rifle stock design, spreading the legs wider will lower this and vice versa, where simplicity and speed are paramount. The front leg pairing hinge on a short fibre reinforced injection moulded polymer bridge providing 90mm (3.5-inches)

story continues below...

later support for the forend. It has a rubber inlay to offer some cushioned grip for side to side tracking capability, while aiming without any slippage or noise. The back set meet a crossover half lapped hinge extending to a `V`, into which the rifle stock will sit.

Stick with it

Shooting practice from quad sticks is well-worth the effort because the capability they offer is staggering when you gain confidence, with a touch of delicacy. The lighter build of these Stable Sticks is noticeable in that you get a little more inherent flex from the thinner legs but no more actual wobble if you shoot calmly. It is generally better to broadly spread your legs to get into position on sticks, so that your core bodyweight remains centrally between your feet, rather than bending down at the waist and leaning forward into the gun. The sticks are to support the gun’s weight, not yours. I would suggest the Bush Light Stable Sticks are ideal for those of lighter build, because they will not offer the brutal strength and rigidity of beefier models when walking, but to well-practised shooters the lighter weight is enviable and, to my mind, a little quieter too because of the multiple rubber wrapped points that silence all contact between the tubes.

As always, tipping the gun onto the right foot and sweeping the left back and forth will give mass windage control but I liked the fact that small panning and sweeping adjustment when about to shoot was enabled by the 90mm wide top of the forend with the rubber silencer here too minimising any noise and dampening vibration. Aluminium sticks always get cold to carry and you often see them wrapped in fabric tape to cut both thermal conductivity to the hands and also, the whirring effect you can get from wind flowing across them which may sound daft, but on a gusty day any round tube will resonate irritatingly from the vortex effect and the whirring noise can be quite disconcerting. It is cured with a spiral wrap of fabric tape and well worth the effort.

Conclusion

Although requiring a touch more delicacy in technique, a 50% weight saving is most appreciable. The sticks cope well with heavy night vision kit on your rifle too, just don’t lean too aggressively on them when walking.

  • Bush Light Stable Sticks - image {image:count}

    click on image to enlarge

  • Bush Light Stable Sticks - image {image:count}

    click on image to enlarge

  • Bush Light Stable Sticks - image {image:count}

    click on image to enlarge

  • Bush Light Stable Sticks - image {image:count}

    click on image to enlarge

  • Bush Light Stable Sticks - image {image:count}

    click on image to enlarge

  • Bush Light Stable Sticks - image {image:count}

    click on image to enlarge

gun
features

  • Name: Bush Light Stable Sticks
  • Price: £120
  • Contact: GMK www.gmk.co.uk
Arrow