The Chief Leveling Base

This is just what I needed! As a photographer/predator hunter, I was already outfitted with a couple of robust tripods, and I have been using both a Wimberly gimbal and Really Right Stuff (RRS) ball head for photography. Neither of those heads is exactly optimal for mounting a rifle to, especially if the person on the rifle happens to be a 7/8 year-old trying to harvest a deer, but even for the standard user, they are not quite the perfect tool for the job. Enter The Chief Leveling Base. The person on the rifle can easily hang onto the rifle with one hand, manipulate the twist knob of the base, and get lined up on your target before locking it back down with ease. When I saw this concept, I knew it was the answer to the frustrations I had with the other platforms, and it has proven to be good to go. One item to note for those of you who might already have some camera tripod accessories though–I have discovered that the Arca Swiss BRAND plates do not completely match the profile of the Really Right Stuff or Wimberly ones…to the point that the Chief will not lock down on the Arca Swiss manufactured plates. I thought I would be able to retrofit one with M-lok bolts to make it work with the Chief, but since the head does not contact it in all the right places, that plate is out of play. It was not until I compared the heights of the RRS ball head and the Chief that I was able to notice that the Chief clamps are ever so slightly shorter than the RRS. So I would suggest to any DIY-minded folks out there to either purchase the Warrior plates (that are already outfitted with M-lok bolts even for a great price) or RRS used plates (which seem to run the same or higher prices and do not have the holes or M-lok bolts already). The other thing to note is, as I mentioned, the tripod I am running is manufactured by a different company, and due to my experience in the photography equipment arena, I was able to deduce that the Chief base should be compatible with my current gear. A simple swap of the included “bowl” with the one that came with my tripod, and bam, I am in business! I am by no means trying to convince folks to look for a lesser quality tripod than what Warrior Tripods offers, but if you happen to have a photography tripod and think that you have to sell it to get one that is compatible with this head, do a little research and verify whether you could do something similar to what I did. I just wanted to share my experiences, and I urge anyone considering this tripod head to look hard at it before considering other platforms that do not fit the bill quite as well.