Hey all,

I have looking at a bog pod death grip for my wife during late muzzleloader season. Holds the rifle tight and in place so it seems for quick adjustments. has anyone tried it with a contender or specialty pistol? I wonder how much shake the platform will take out of your shot if you don't have 3 points of contact.
since there isn't an aftermarket solution for steady pistol shooting from a tripod for ground hunting or a blind, wondering if this would fill the bill.

There was another thread talking about this over the last week that has several good suggestions. I think the death grip would be too difficult to move/shift side to side to account for deer movement. To expound on the method I mentioned there, I find that a flat topped tripod (with our without the head screw or hole, i use a bog-pod) with one of the W-Gear Claw Bags works very well with a contender/encore pistol. The claws fit around (and grips) the tripod head and give me a stable (and deformable) surface that I find to work well when sitting in a chair shooting out the window of a soft cover blind with a metal frame (muddy 360). The bag is large enough that the gun will sit stably on the surface by itself. It is deformable enough that with a little twist of the wrist, I can tip the muzzle up and down for close or far shots and can rotate or shift on the bag to pan. The tripod is inside the stand so I can easily switch windows (and shoot out of the corner bow windows) without having to pull the rest off the window bar and potentially alert deer outside. The bag is unique and really makes this method work well (also made in the USA and by a fellow handgun hunter). It is wide enough that it supports the whole length of the forarm of the pistol (Contender 14" 30-30 and I lightly push the trigger guard against the bag) so I don't get the front to back wobble that you find with a single point support. I think the bag fill level (and constraint of the shape) really let it mold to the surface below and the beads shift enough to give you a flat but adjustable top. The bag is wide (and firm) enough that it really acts as two points of contact with the third being the hunter. The weight of the bag is the biggest drawback (but necessary for the good performance I think). Great in blinds/stands or relatively stationary hunting. Not a good choice for mountain hunting due to weight. Here is a pic of it from last weekend, shortly after I got a nice 8pt at ~45 yards with a nearly snap shot.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/bc4ma0lv3fc1th3/20221105_110137.jpg?dl=0

thank you Karl. I have seen these before and have used a similar set up in the past on a bog pod. was hoping for feedback from a hunter using it with a handgun setup. I am sure i am purchasing one for dawn and her rifle hunting. i guess i will find out if it will work on the contender and striker for longer range shots.

I have one of the claw bags as well. I just leave it in the truck now so I always have it. I have a pig saddle also. Holds my SP really well but I prefer another rest I made over the pig saddle.

thank you