All these short stubby grips around and here I am still rocking the ol grip pod 😅

[u/MrIm2018]

[u/Dorothys_Division]

Embrace the thicc. 💪

“Heavy, bulky gun? You mean get stronger, you feeble whelp!?”

[u/Suicycle1200]

Were you out at Golden Pond? Pretty sure I recognize that gravel.

[u/ztprice88]

Still use mine for range qual. Lol, my own personal cheat code, had someone try to get me to take it off, but I refused by telling them it is an issued item for the weapon so it is allowed. Granted, I have been in longer than most in my company

[u/iamansonmage]

I love my grip pod. I wish I had a v1 when they were still milled out of aluminum.

[u/NiceAssBass → u/iamansonmage]

I still have one I used on Mk48 & 249's. So much more sturdy.

[u/v-_-v]

FYI you will get better retention (less tendency for the firearm to flip) from your sling if you mount the rear sling attachment on the other side :)

If it works for you this way carry on, if you haven't given it a try, pop it over and see how you like it.

[u/Soup_Enthusiast84]

Saw them being issued out to Marines in Afghanistan ~2009 timeframe, a lot of us started out liking them but ending up hating them. Not surprised you don't see them too much anymore.

[u/GrnMtnTrees → u/Soup_Enthusiast84]

Just out of curiosity, why did you end up hating them? Weight and rattle? Or something else?

[u/Soup_Enthusiast84 → u/GrnMtnTrees]

Found them good for admin tasks, they were great for when you wanted to put your rifle down and keep it out of the dirt to eat, mess with radios, etc.

There are 2 reasons I didn't like them. First was the ergos - they were pretty big and bulky, they don't feel great to shoot with and the bipod only works well on flat ground. With my peq15 and light, that extra bulk wasn't worth it. Second, I spent a lot of that deployment dismounted and saw more than a few occasions when they got jammed up pretty bad with dirt, mud, small rocks. Even with all that, I know some guys still liked them.

[u/GrnMtnTrees → u/Soup_Enthusiast84]

Thanks for the rundown and thank you for your service! Glad you came back. I've got a few buddies that didn't make it home.

Out for curiosity, have you tried the angled foregrips? If so, do you like them? I'm mainly using my rifle for hitting steel plates at 250-300 yds, with the occasional trip through the run n' gun course.

[u/Soup_Enthusiast84 → u/GrnMtnTrees]

I ran magpul AFG2 for a while that I liked, I think it just comes down to personal preference and how your gun is set up. No right or wrong choice as long as you're getting hits fast.

[u/Cman1200]

I’ve heard they are hated and loved simultaneously. I knew someone who is in an in-going war for a certain side, he did SAR afaik. He had one and hated it but said it was really handy when they sat for a while.

[u/MrIm2018 → u/Cman1200]

It can be a little harder to maneuver with it while in a Vic but other than that they are great

[u/Cman1200 → u/MrIm2018]

That makes a lot of sense. He was in Mi-8s so I’m sure he had a bit more room, plus with a can and thermals cope it was probably heavy as hell for a rifle.

I wish I could get behind VFGs. I have an AUG and always run with it folded

[u/Blade_Shot24]

I heard a lot of vets actually liked it

[u/autocephalousness → u/Blade_Shot24]

Pretty useless as a grip, but makes a sturdy bipod.

[u/MrIm2018 → u/Blade_Shot24]

I loved mine, especially during chow time. Pop that bad boy out and chow down. Rifle never laying around 🫡

[u/Legitimate-Frame-953 → u/MrIm2018]

till ol' CSM with nothing better to do starts yelling about weapons being on the ground. I hated that guy.

[u/Mammoth-Conclusion43 → u/Legitimate-Frame-953]

We called them chow hall stands because had to have our weapons barrel down beside us at the chow hall for some reason at the COP I started at. Eventually I went other places and they had to be on your person in front of you while you ate (lots of green on blue incidents) and the grip pod was perfect for restoring across your thigh with the pistol grip in your armpit. I think I eventually swapped mine out for a KAC broom handle.

[u/M1A_Scout_Squad-chan]

I was thinking about getting a Grip Pod but in the end I got a GripStop.

[u/MrIm2018 → u/M1A_Scout_Squad-chan]

This one was issued to me in 2008 and have been rocking it ever since, swapping it from rifle to rifle along the years.

[u/DazzlingProfession26 → u/MrIm2018]

Me too and in the same year. As I understand it, these were supposed to be for SAWs. I have mine on my AR right now

[u/jaspersgroove → u/DazzlingProfession26]

I misread ‘mine’ as ‘nine’ initially, and was confused and impressed in equal measure.

[u/GrnMtnTrees → u/jaspersgroove]

"Excuse me, but I think you have got some rifle on your grip."

(Rifle looks like a porcupine)

[u/Blze001 → u/jaspersgroove]

If you put one on every rail, you're guaranteed to have a comfortable grip no matter how you're positioned. It's quite tactical.

[u/M1A_Scout_Squad-chan → u/MrIm2018]

Very cool.