By Jeff Johsnton, FE Hunting & Shooting Editor
There’s a funny little genius of a man named Rob Gearing who hunts, fishes, and parties across the globe like a madman who’s financially stable now that his kids are grown. He’s an Englishman-entrepreneur, as his accent clearly portends, but he spends much time stateside, selling his rifle rest apparati to those of us who believe being rock-steady from any conceivable shooting position is worth the hefty prices his stuff commands. He does this only to finance his adventures the following season. That’s what makes him so likable.
Honestly, I rolled my eyes when I first heard of the $1,000 to $1,500 Spartan Precision tripods he pushes, but then I met the man, saw his passion, and subsequently examined the quality of the goods. The prices started to seem a little more reasonable once I realized the tripods double as a camera/spotting scope tripod and also hiking poles. These days, if I’m predicting a hunt where a 500-yard plus shot is possible, I don’t leave without an Ascent tripod strapped to my pack. If you can afford a sheep hunt, you can hardly afford not to pack one. At least that’s what I think, having never been on a sheep hunt.
Alas, Rob’s no fool. He knew he was selling to a tiny market, and so he got busy making tools that the rest of us need and can afford. Spartan’s Javelin Lite carbon-fiber bipod is simply a better mousetrap than the unwieldy Harris contraptions of old. The Javelin weighs just 4.8 ounces, is designed to be carried in a pocket, and snaps onto any rifle magnetically. It expands in an instant, then pivots, rotates, and locks in place to provide a steady rest where there was not one before. It’s $150.
But there’s no rest for the Englishman’s mind. Perhaps my favorite new Spartan product is a flexible, telescoping bipod officially called the Springbok, but that his buddies call “The Chopsticks of Death.” Held in the hand by the flexible rubber hinge, it looks and moves almost like chopsticks. But he said when he snaps it on his rifle, deer just die. (He also said that sometimes it might take them a while, but eventually they do.) These chopsticks are meant for prone or kneeling positions mainly for spot-and-stalk hunts, but I’ve found that they are perfect for turkey and coyote hunting where I often sit down to call, but also must be able to move the gun as a coyote slinks in. Its carbon-fiber legs adjust to the right height with a twist of their locking collars. Like the bipods and tripods, it quickly attaches to your rifle or shotgun by multiple means such as a pic rail, M-lok, Arca rail or sling stud hole, all with just an Allen wrench.
If you see Rob at a fishing lodge somewhere or at a tradeshow, tell him you’re thinking about buying one of his tripods if only out of charity to fund his addiction. Then make him buy you a drink.
Cost: $200
Pros: flexible; adaptable; easy to carry; can be used as a billy club in a pinch
Cons: If you buy it, know that your money is not going to an orphanage in London; it’s going to fund Rob’s next adventure in who the hell knows where.
