Caldwell DeadShot FieldPod Review

[ADMIN]

It seems the older I get the less stable my rifle gets. I love my ice tea and ice coffee but the caffeine from this vice makes me less stable when shooting from the standing and sitting positions. In the field, I have used bipods and shooting sticks, but I do not have good field of motion. I cannot traverse up or down or from side-to-side without a lot of movement and repositioning. However, I have found a great shooting accessory that gives me stability and field of motion. The Caldwell DeadShot FieldPod is that device.Read More...

This is a thread for discussion of the article, Caldwell DeadShot FieldPod Review, By Charles Smith. Here you can ask questions or make comments about the article.

 

[rossmallick]

This is a thread for discussion of the article, Caldwell DeadShot FieldPod Review, By Charles Smith. Here you can ask questions or make comments about the article.

I have bought two of the DeadShot FieldPods. While I agree it is an improvement it is not equal to a bench rest, which is why where possible I use a bench rest for long range shots. The main drawback of the DeadShot is that it is good for only sitting shots and is not high enough for standing shots. Where I hunt vegetation prevents shooting from a seating position in about half the shots. For this reason I adapted one of my deadshots for standing shoots by removing the legs, inverting the platform that joins the legs, and attaching to a full height tripod. This increases the weight and makes it less mobile and reduces the stability as with any standing tripod but enables me to shoot over the vegetation. I find with the deadshot I wasted time trying to find a suitable spot to shoot from given the limited height. It would be better if they made a standing deadshot field pod. Ross

 

[joseph floerke]

i had one for 2 hours then i took it back just not very stable.

 

[rossmallick]

Yes, stability is not "bench rest" despite what the ads say. If you are sighting in or doing long range target practice I would still go for a prone or bench rest position. However it is better than your regular tripod. Not quite as quick however or as mobile. It really depends on what the location for your shooting is going to be and how you get there. If you can drive a vehicle to the shooting spot I would take a portable bench rest. For short range hiking the fieldPod is portable enough to be carried there and for stalking to a position where you can shoot from a sitting position it is an improvement on a regular tripod. However to my mind I would not want to carry or backpack it if I were hunting on foot all day. In that case I would take the usual collapsible tri or bipod. For my hunting I would use my FieldPod that has been modified to use a standing tripod for stalking game I had spotted that was out of range. If it required running to close the distance I would not take it as it is too bulky. I modified my DeadShot because last year I spotted elk and took my DeadShot to within range but then found I had to search for an opening in the vegetation to make a sitting shot. Under pressure the DeadShot was an improvement in stability over my bog pod tripod, put in this case not critically so. The elk disappeared into the bush before I could get a shot, but it did indicate the shortcoming of a sitting only Pod. In short it really depends on the circumstances and locations where someone hunts. Ross

 

[HuntFarther]

I have one and feel it was misrepresented to me. I bought as a long range rest and feel 500 yards is way to far to be shooting at game with it, let alone the thoughts I had of 800-1000 yards. So if you want to know how much use it has to me. I have had it for 1 year and used twice. Kept thinking when I call coyotes it would be good. But the bulk of it makes me always forget it, and the draw back of being unsteady.

 

[Big Sky]

I have one and I'm not overly impressed with it either. It's almost like they had a really good but didn't completely follow through. I cannot get everything to tighten down as much as I'd like. The tilt forward and back adjustment just won't tighten down stable enough for me to trust it much. Is it more stable than a BogGear Tripod with the rifle rest? Well yes, but that really isn't saying much. I would like to see this Coldwell rest be made with heavier adjustments out of aluminum rather than plastic. The plastic is highly prone to breaking and it just can't be tightened enough. The idea/design concept is sound, the finished product just doesn't cut it though.

 

[steeles1]

i agree that its not bench rest steady,8/10,but you can't hunt off a bench.totally portable so i leave it assembled when hunting and throw it over my shoulder like a camp chair10/10. better than anything else to shoot off except prone and i can't do that due to scrub. i leave some of each leg section inside the previous one(not fully extended) which stiffens them .i changed the height of the 3 support struts allowing the 3 legs to spread wider making it more stable. i also pulled apart the alloy hub,filed the adjustment tensioner block,added dry lube and got a smoother swivel and finally heated the plastic v arms that hold the rifle and bent them tighter and padded so making more stable again. very pleased with it now as cheap,portable ,stable.taken goats to 700m off it so far but finally want to check if poi has changed when(if) it stops blowing. cheers mike

 

[HuntFarther]

I am glad you had success with your field pod. This right her alone would make me not buy one if I seen it before I bought one. You invested alot of time in something that is supposed to be proven.

 

[jwcrabb]

Respectfully Guys, I have to disagree. I have been using two of these for a year now. My Son and I used them in Utah last summer to take over 100 Prairie dogs at ranges out to 400 yds. This Fall I carried it coyote calling and have taken 16 so far this season using it. I use it with one of those Turkey hunting chairs and it works great. I have used everything from 12 lb varmint rifles with 26" barrels, to 6 lb CZ Americans. They are completely adjustable for any size rifle and are very steady IMO. Heck, last weekend I took a Yote with my M1A and this rest. Before this, I was using cross sticks for Yotes which i thought worked good. This is much better...

 

[PPR]

That was a pretty pathetic article. Reads like a script. Someone needs to do a real review.

Paul

 

[LLY]

As always when advertising, there is an element of bs with the ad. I bought one along with my partner two years ago. We are old men in our 70's that enjoy shooting sage rats and rockchucks. We shoot rats are varying distances, but try to shoot chucks at 200+ yards to keep it interesting.

First off, it is not as good as a bench rest and should not be advertised as such. One of the things I like about the setup, is being able to balance the gun in the fieldpod whether it is a heavy barrel or sporter.

Another great thing for us, is we can carry the FieldPod into areas where we would not have a rest available to make 200-400 yards shots. It is not rock solid, but much better than anything else we have tried. lightbulb

MY pal has shot sage rats at 300 yards with the rest, and I have shot chucks(4) at 375 yards.

I will say, it will appeal to varmint hunters that have to move and are taking shots out past 200 yards. We practiced using ours so when we went to the field, we were prepared.

I think it is an excellent tool, which may not fit each style of shooters, but certainly makes the equation on my side when shooting chucks.

Lenard

 

[CRaTxn]

Sounds like the adjustments are jerky i.e. not high quality and the unit does not address the weakness of all the iterations of this type of shooting tripods...THEY DO NOT PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR THE STRONG SIDE ELBOW. For shooting over brush [i.e. where you can not shoot sitting with a long bipod mounted to the forearm ] my wife and I use quality tripod African style shooting sticks in a technique where the the non-shooter positions themselves bent over with hands resting above their knees to stabilize themselves for the shooter to rest their strong side elbow on your back. This technique seems to extend the normal 225-275 yard effective range to approx 400 yards. A lot of practice with .22LR will improve your technique towards these limits. Rocks [ with good back stops ] that give off a powder puff when hit are fun with the 22s. Using this technique with this piece of equipment would probably extend its effective range 30-50%. The shooter that took his apart and re-engineered it has the right idea.

 

[LLY]

duplicate post

 

[Richard Owl Mirror]

That was a pretty pathetic article. Reads like a script. Someone needs to do a real review.

Paul

Hello Paul, I was reading this post and decided rather than simply leaving my own comment, I would respond to your request for a real review.

First of all, I am new to shooting & hunting. This year will be my first hunting experience (55 yrs old & Perm. Disabled) and I haven't used the FieldPod for that purpose YET.
What I can say is, being Perm. Disabled this product has allowed me much better control in aiming & taking a shot than trying to hold the rifle.
My upper body is weakened and I noticed that I have the tendency to shake or weave back & forth while trying to make sure of aiming precisely.
I have a set of bench bags for the range but, as we know those are not practicable for out in the field while hunting.
I purchased this product because it allows me to take it out in to the field when I go hunting.
It has given me more confidence and control than I would have otherwise.

It may not be something of a concern for a healthy person, especially an experienced shooter/hunter to consider as an improvement but, in my particular circumstance it has proven to be a great asset.

I have found the construction of the product to be very good and sturdy.
It sets up in mere minutes and allows me to have the rifle at the ready, if and when I am afforded a shot. Otherwise I might be left fumbling around, shaky hands and be unsure whether or not to take a humane shot.
I am hopeful this product will afford me a much better opportunity to take a shot with confidence when the time comes. While each location will be different, I have been practicing by sitting on a 5 gallon buck with a seat insert and the FieldPod is at the right height so it is comfortable for me to reach over and aim with precision, without the shaking or weaving of my arms. I have a Weatherby Vanguard .270 WIN which is a bit heavy to hold for a lengthy period.
With this product, that is eliminated for me.

So again, while it may not be a perfect hunting tool for the able-bodied, healthy hunter.
For someone such as myself, it is a great tool.

I hope this review is something which helps you in understanding it's utility.