SPOTTING SCOPE STANDS
     I had a Freeland spotting scope stand for well over 30 years. It originally came with an about five pound round lead weight on the bottom of the rod, but that never seemed to do any good so I took it off maybe ten years ago.
     The Freeland stand waved around while shooting from the bench, and offhand without support it is close to unusable.
     A few years ago I bought a camera-type tripod for another spotting scope and found that it was stable from the bench and even offhand. Hanging a gallon of water from the stand gives more stability in windy conditions.
     A few weeks ago I bought another camera-type tripod at the Salvation Army store for $4.99 and put a spotting scope on it.
     This week I sold my Freeland scope stand. Compared to the tripod the Freeland is very heavy, bulky, and waves around something fierce. I don't know why I kept that Freeland stand for all those years when the tripod is so obviously superior. Am I missing something? 
joe b.

The Freeland stand was designed for highpower rifle shooters firing across-the course matches at a time when spotting scopes were light weight and were used only to see the location of the spotter and the value of the shot, not for seeing bullet holes.  Also they had to adjust for prone, sitting, and standing positions.  When used in this matter they are fine, but do not work well for Scheutzen. Camera tripods don't work well for highpower because the won't go low enough for prone or sitting and take up too much room for the space alotted in the firing point.
With the advent of the large objective heavy spotting scopes of today the Freeland stand is nearly obsolete due to it's instability when the scope is at bench or standing heights.
Just my two cents.

Freeland obsolete ? there are an awful lot of them on firing lines more than any other type. Single mast bipod models are the ony way to go self spotting. New made single mast are mostly knock offs on Freelands design. Champion Shooters who owns the Freeland name is making a 1 inch tube stand now with a wide 3 leg base that works good for offhand work. It's too wide for prone though.

On Tripods Bogden, which I think goes under the Italian makers name now Manfrotto is as good as you can get.   

Mine is not the heavy one since I use it under a light scope and I use it in the field too, still very solid and extends high enough you can spot without bending over.  Fluid head made for video camera's is useful moving from target to target.

You can buy Bodgens as heavy as your wallet will allow.

Boats

That's it way the match is shot dictates the right stand.  I end up with more stands than scopes shooting several disiplines and a fair amount of field work with scopes looking at Hawks and other critters.  Good stand that suits the work is half the battle.

I just bought one of Champions 1 inch mast wide base outfits, it's better than my old smaller tube bipod base rig but still not stable by  any defination.  One good thing about the Freelands design is they interchange old parts fit the new parts.  Smallbore prone the bipod with scope mounted low works good

Boats

Freelands heads and accessories will fit right on a piece of pipe that's held by pipe clamp fixtures.  Champions choice sells them in parts you don't have to buy the whole outfit.

Boats

The Freeland scope has a threaded tube at the base that you screwed a plug into.... That thread was intended to hold a Spike that you drove into the ground for stability, in offhand.. Removed the spike, screw in the plug back in, and lower the scope for the sitting and prone positions....Or take tuna fish can fill it with hot lead and insert a 3/8 (?) threaded rod quickly.... Works great....  Tommy

I have a Manifroto (or whatever it is called) tripod.  With a bit of imagination, it can be adjusted for prone or even Schuetzen, providing the space allocated for each shooter is sufficient.  I have one of those video adapters but would not buy another one.