The BOG "
Death Grip" CF Tripod worked fairly well for me last year. Won't be useful to BigDog58 as it has a
hog saddle style head, but it holds a pretty good sized gun as long as you can get the firearm in the vice somewhat close to the balance point. The weakest link in the system is the friction screw that holds the gun from tipping forward and back. You have to turn it very hard to get enough friction in the systems to keep the gun in position. That's why being balanced is an advantage.
I've used the genuine Hog Saddles that are issued to our US Mil soldiers. Much stronger and on Manfrotto tripods, but the price of the Hog Saddle, Head and Tripod runs north of $800 while the BOG Carbon Fiber sells for $249.
BOG does not state a load rating for its CF tripod. My experience is that it is more than strong enough to hold a .308 even with additional sandbags hanging beneath. Your .338 Lapua Mag is a lot heavier, and you may not be able to find a place to grab the firearm that is close to the balance point. I think that even a genuine Hog Saddle would struggle to hold up your RPR .338 Mag if it was not balanced...
OldmanFCSA wrote:I've been following this Topic with great concern about weight capacity of Tripods.
The Tripod from Hogsaddle.com seem to be best but limited to 26 pounds maximum.
The Ball mount accessory with Acra-Swiss adapter has a max weight of 44 pounds which means nothing if Tripod is limited to 26 pounds.
My usage intent is aaaas a tripod to use for standing support for my Ruger Precision Rifle Magnum for long distance shooting. It has a 1.5" dovetail on bottom of fore-end which fits the Arca-Swiss mounting system. The rifle system weighs 23 pounds as current setup with laser low-light sighting, loaded magazine, and a TF Terminator muzzle brake (ordered-not currently installed).
The combined weight of installed ball mount with Acra-Swiss adapter and rifle combination will be right at maximum for the tripod. Any added support weight under tripod just destroys the weight capacity rating of the tripod.
That plus the total height of tripod assembly will be low for my 6'8" height, and will need a riser to accommodate my needs.
Your thoughts. ................................................................................... Thank you in advance.