KJI Reaper Grip and Reaper Rail: two heads for shooting tripods
Comparison between the two heads Reaper Grip and Reaper Rail for the KJI Precision tripods
KJI Precision's humble beginnings began in 2013 with the design of a rifle rest by two SWAT officers, Garret Hellinger, and Matt Banes, as well as master product developer. Given their LE experience, the two officers were looking for a way to minimize human factors, especially stress-induced, detrimental to precise shot placement. They also wanted to ensure their shooting rest solution was lightweight and mobile, yet rock-solid with fluid horizontal and vertical tracking.
Shortly after the Reaper Rest was developed, Gabe Snyder joined Matt and Garret as a partner and began managing product design and development. Gabe’s efforts enhanced design, development, and patentable innovation efforts tremendously and, in 2015, KJI unveiled the Reaper Grip.
With the immediate rise of KJI’s popularity among special-operations law enforcement officers and military personnel, scores of hunters and competitive shooters also took notice. The Reaper Grip took hunting and shooting by storm and positioned KJI on the industry’s leading edge.
KJI Reaper Grip
KJI Reaper Rail Picatinny
KJI Reaper Rail Arca Swiss
The KJI Reaper Grip
The KJI Reaper Grip provides a stable mount for rifles to be shot from a tripod and in KJI’s case the mounting system consists of padded clamps that wrap around the rifle stock.
The grip is curved, hand shape like, that is not only applying sideway vice-like pressure, but also pulls from the top-down the rifle to secure it even more and mitigate recoil shift. Due to the construction of the jaws, one of them being floating, the Reaper Grip grabs tapered stocks very securely.
The smooth 360 pan and tilt range of 109° have a separate drag control – this means that you are in full control of separation for horizontal and vertical movement allowing for rapid multiple target engagement at the same distance.
The Reaper Grip tripod head has a locking arm that can be locked in the desired position for added stability. The Reaper Grip can be used on tripods with 3/8" and 1/4-20" threads (threaded bolts included)
KJI Reaper Rig accessory plate
Due to the offset, a Reaper Rig Accessory Plate can be installed on the opposite side, which then aligns a camera or spotting scope with the weapon, for example.
The Reaper Grip offers the shooter the advantage that it can be used universally on almost all weapons.
Furthermore, with this tripod head, no permanent or temporary adjustments to the rifle are necessary, as it can even be clamped with the strap attached.
The KJI Reaper Rail Arca-Swiss / Picatinny
In contrast to the Reaper Grip, the KJI Precision Reaper Rail tripod head has a mount for an Arca Swiss system, which originates from the photography sector. Many precision rifles already offer a rail for Arca Swiss mounting from the factory, and many manufacturers also offer the corresponding adapters or rails for retrofitting Arca Swiss.
In addition to the Arca Swiss variant, there is also a variant with Picatinny mount, which allows the inclusion of rifles with Picatinny without adapters or rails in between.
Both the Picatinny and Arca Swiss variants also feature horizontal swiveling of the mount by 11° in both directions, making it easier to mount the rifle.
The Reaper Rail head can be mounted on medium and heavy-duty tripods with 3/8-16" threaded studs and has the same adjustment options as the Reaper Grip tripod head.
This allows for tilts in the range of 108° (21° up and 87° down), as well as the 360° pan option for horizontal target tracking. Of course, the accessories of the Reaper Grips like the Rig Accessory Plate also fit, and there is also a version as a direct mount kit available.
The Reaper Rail tripod head allows mounting on weapons with Picatinny or Arca-Swiss rail, which is an advantage especially for tactical weapons. If the rail is integrated, no further adapters need to be used and the weapon can be clamped 100% tight. As a disadvantage, you can actually specify here that just classic hunting rifles or sporting rifles do NOT have these interfaces, and these are also difficult to retrofit.
KJI's journey from its humble beginnings to becoming a leading brand in the shooting industry is a testament to the passion and dedication of its founders. The development of the Reaper Grip and subsequent Reaper Rail showcased their commitment to creating innovative and effective solutions for shooters across various disciplines.
The Reaper Grip's unique design, with its curved, hand-shaped grip and advanced jaw construction, provides a stable and secure mount for rifles, minimizing recoil shift and ensuring precise shot placement.
The smooth 360-degree pan and tilt range with separate drag control allowed for rapid target engagement, making it an indispensable tool for special-operations law enforcement officers, military personnel, hunters, and competitive shooters alike.
On the other hand, the Reaper Rail tripod head caterers to the needs of tactical weapons by offering mounting options for Picatinny and Arca Swiss systems. This versatility eliminated the need for additional adapters and provided a secure clamping mechanism for such weapons, enhancing their performance in the field.
Overall, both the Reaper Grip and Reaper Rail tripod heads allow shooters to maintain a stable aiming position in various shooting stances, enhancing their accuracy and efficiency. KJI continues to refine their products and explore new opportunities, helping shooters to achieve their full potential with confidence and precision.
About KJI ®
Designed with precision and stability in mind by two Special Ops Dallas SWAT Officers, the KJI Shooting Rest Kits are purposely built to meet the demanding needs of LEO, military personnel, hunters, and professional long-range shooters.
For more information about KJI products, visit www.kjiprecision.com
or sales inquiries: sales@sellmarkeu.net, +359 2 434 3287.
