The BOG DeathGrip clamping tripod is the most solidly supportive tripod I’ve ever shot from and it has features that were clearly specified by people who know tripods as well as shooting.
Starting at the top, you’ve got the DeathGrip head, a large clamp to hold your rifle. One large knob closes both sides of the clamp around your rifle’s stock and, unless the rifle is severely unbalanced, it doesn’t need to be on the point of balance. The clamp is wide enough to accept every rifle I can think of and closes to about 33mm wide.
The head pivots up and down and rotates 360 degrees so any target is within its range of movement.
The critical thing is to set the tripod’s legs so the head’s base is perfectly horizontal, but a spirit level helps you achieve it. This keeps your rifle on the level wherever you point it.
Tensioning knobs allow you to torque the resistance to movement as tightly or loosely as you like.
At the top of each leg, a bright red button pushes through a lock in steps, providing angles at which the legs can be splayed: a narrow 20 degrees, medium 45 degrees and ultra-wide 85 degrees. These are quick, convenient adjustments.
The legs extended in three sections using cammed clamps to lock them at whatever length you choose.Â
With legs fully extended and set at 20 degrees, the base of the DeathGrip is 148cm high, which is comfortable for me, at 163cm (6ft) tall, to shoot from. There’s no centre pole to raise the rifle further.
The advantage of deleting the centre pole is that the BOG’s legs can be splayed fully out at 85 degrees so the rifle is almost on the ground. You can use this tripod from the lying position.
The feet feature sharp little tips to dig into soft ground for extra stability, with rubber plugs threaded over the top of them which you can spin down to cover the points when you’re on hard or vulnerable surfaces.
The whole BOG DeathGrip is oversize and strong. Nothing feels flimsy at all.Â
This aluminium-legged version weighs almost 3.9kg, so it’s as portable as a typical hunting rifle, but it’s not as simple as slinging it over your shoulder like the rifle. I strapped it to a pack and carted it from stand to stand without much complaint.
When shooting with it, it worked. It’s very stable, as I said, and getting on target wasn’t hard.
I checked the rifle’s sighting on the tripod and was pleased to see its point of impact was the same as when I’d done it on bags.
My accuracy in the field was definitely improved by the BOG’s support, and the flexibility of movement meant I only once failed to get a shot at a fox that I think I may otherwise have fired at.
The BOG DeathGrip clamping tripod with aluminium legs sells for around the $400 mark. Find out more on the NIOA website.
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