It has taken me a long time to come around to the fact that shooting tripods have a lot of utility. I started looking into getting one, and was blown away by the variety of mounts, adaptors, and head types. Coming across the Bog Deathgrip meant I had found an all-in-one starter option. How has it held up for me? Read on.
First lets take a quick look at the facts.
Tech Specs
- Tilt adjustment lever controls up to 25 degrees of cant forwards and back and the head pans 360 degrees with tension adjustment
- No-slip lever locks provide faster locking and release
- High-density foam grips
- Lightweight aluminum legs, from 7 inches to 59 inches height adjustment
- Weighs 8.5 pounds (aluminum)
- The adjustable saddle tightens to a wide variety of firearms.
Practical Applications
As far as tripods go, the Deathgrip is pretty basic. Other tripods have more adjustability and versatility. That comes at the cost of simplicity. The one common word I keep coming back to regarding the Deathgrip, is simple, for better or for worse. That’s not to say this unit lacks features you’d expect though.
Getting the Deathgrip in action is easy. Pop the legs out, adjust them to height, toss your rifle into the saddle, then tighten it down. Mighty easy!
The legs themselves have a button lock, allowing you to determine if the legs get spread out to a modest stance (85 degrees, near vertical), or as wide as prom night (20 degrees from horizontal degrees). The legs lock into place solidly, giving you a stable firing platform whether you’re standing, sitting or kneeling.
Before I had really found the Deathgrip’s niche, I had used it at the range a few times, finding it handy in a number of ways. First, zeroing my rifle was faster and easier than ever before, as I was able to go hands-free at any moment. Second, the rifle stayed in a safe spot, not needing to be leaned up against a fence while I was setting up targets or taking notes. Finally, the rifle itself was held extremely steady.
In the Field
A few months later, a neighbor called. He was having coyote troubles every day and wanted to show me the hillside he regularly saw them on. As we stood in chest high brush, I spotted a coyote more than 200 yards away sunning himself. I grabbed a bolt-action .308 and the Deathgrip tripod. At that range (and with blustery winds), a standing shot would have been a bit of a challenge.
Taking only seconds to set up the tripod, I dropped my rifle into the saddle and tightened it up. The shot couldn’t have been easier, the rifle held securely in the clamp and steady as a rock.
Not long after that, I was back in Alaska to visit my old hometown, and to do some hunting. I took a young man out on a hunt. He had practiced out to 100 yards offhand and was marginally accurate at that range, due to the weight of his rifle. He had memorized bullet drop well past that however.
We hiked through brush and woods every day for hours. At night we’d return to the cabin where the Deathgrip tripod sat on the covered porch. This was a safe spot to keep a rifle, as well as providing easy visual overwatch anytime someone wanted to scan the area as we wound down for the evening. Sure enough, with only a bit of legal light left one evening, a buck came out of the woodline 125 yards from where we sat. The young hunter was able to make an easy one shot kill, putting the bullet exactly where he wanted and dropping the buck using the tripod as his rest.
I’ve never hunted using a blind of any kind. It’s not an ethical or moral choice, just a byproduct of growing up in Southeast Alaska, hunting in the Tongass National Forest (~16.7 million acres) and not knowing about the public/private land struggle until I moved south and how being better hidden when hunting can help in open, well-trafficked areas. Now I realize how many people have to use (or like to use) blinds, and the Deathgrip tripod makes a lot of sense in that application.
I’ve also done a fair amount of long distance shooting, always from the prone. This is because my education on the matter came courtesy of Uncle Sam, where most long distance shooting is done in the dirt. I’m over 40 now, and unless someone’s shooting at me, I’m happy to fire from a standing position. The Deathgrip makes that a reality, providing a very stable base.
More discerning users will point out that the Deathgrip is pretty heavy. It also lacks a ball-mounted head, which would allow for more mobility of the saddle and an easier time leveling the gun without adjusting the legs. You know what? It’s true! It’s also true that many of those tripods cost $500 more than the Deathgrip. The Deathgrip has an MSRP of $199 but can be found in some stores and online for as low as $148.
Bottom Line
If you want to hike all over God’s creation chasing after mountain goats, I’m fairly sure the 8.5 lbs heft of the Deathgrip is going to turn you off. If you want to try shooting from a tripod and aren’t certain what you need however, the Deathgrip is a great place to start. If you’re looking for a good tripod to drop into your blind or work on 500-yard shots, you’re going to be hard pressed to find a better bargain. The carbon fiber version is a pound lighter, but $130 more expensive.
Get Yours
BOG Deathgrip Tripod
MSRP: $199
Street Price: $148
Website: www.boghunt.com
Read more reviews from this author at Jens “Rex Nanorum” Hammer or follow him on Instagram at @Rexnanorum.
Read the full article here
