The legs get plenty tall. I\u2019d need to be 6\u20192\u2033 to shoulder this.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nGetting 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!<\/p>\n
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\u2019re standing, sitting or kneeling.<\/p>\nThe legs themselves have a button lock, allowing you to precisely set how wide you want them for support.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nBefore I had really found the Deathgrip\u2019s 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.<\/p>\nThe legs lock into place solidly, giving you a stable firing platform whether you\u2019re standing, sitting or kneeling.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nIn the Field<\/strong><\/h3>\nA 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.<\/p>\nBarely seen in this photo, a coyote breathing his last breath.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nTaking only seconds to set up the tripod, I dropped my rifle into the saddle and tightened it up.\u00a0 The shot couldn\u2019t have been easier, the rifle held securely in the clamp and steady as a rock.<\/p>\nThe author scored on this coyote thanks to his .308\/Deathgrip tripod combo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nNot 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.<\/p>\n
We hiked through brush and woods every day for hours. At night we\u2019d 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.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\nFirst deer, going down.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nI\u2019ve never hunted using a blind of any kind. It\u2019s 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.<\/p>\nVertical adjustment is more than ample, if you need to shoot the moon.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nI\u2019ve 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\u2019m over 40 now, and unless someone\u2019s shooting at me, I\u2019m happy to fire from a standing position. The Deathgrip makes that a reality, providing a very stable base.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s true! It\u2019s also true that many of those tripods cost $500 more than the Deathgrip. The Deathgrip has an MSRP of $199<\/strong> but can be found in some stores and online for as low as $148<\/strong>.<\/p>\nThe ball level shows just how far off you are<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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