When it comes to vertical grips, hand stops or angled foregrips, there are a ton of options out there. Some are useful, some are just obnoxious snag hazards. I will say, after a lot of use, one of my favorites is the GripStop by True North Concepts.
First, we should probably look at the purpose of the GripStop though. Why bother with something like that on your rifle to begin with? As turns out, there are a lot of reasons. The first among them is ergonomics. Think for a second about how you grip a pistol with two hands, noting your wrist position. Now think about how you hold a rifles handguard without any form of foregrip. Without anything on the handguard, your wrist is rotated forward, significantly. The GripStop allows for a much more natural angle, arguably the same angle that your support hand grips your pistol with. But there is even more to it.
The GripStop also can be used as a barricade stop. You can press the GripStop into most anything, and thanks to the serrations on the front, it grabs pretty well and creates a more stable shooting position. Have I done this and does it work? Yes. While competing in the Tactical Games in South Carolina in 2019 I use a AR pistol equipped with a GripStop to shoot down 200 yards or so from the 4th floor and 8th floor of a building. It helped immensely to keep my gun stabilized off of a metal rail, allowing me to not drop any shots. I’ve used it since on a ton of surfaces from wooden barricades to vehicles, it does a great job.
Another advantage of using the GripStop is it creates a known good. Meaning every time you shoulder your rifle your support hand is where it needs to be. This not only optimizes your shooting position but also makes sure your hand is in place to operate any accessory equipment, such as weapon-mounted lights or lasers.
And lastly, the serrations which are not overly aggressive, give you better purchase on your rifle. This in turn allows you to pull the gun back into the pocket of your shoulder. Helping to create a more stable shooting position while shooting offhand.
So lets talk a little bit about the technical aspects of the GripStop. For starters, it is machined out of a block of 6061-T6 aluminum. After that, it is hardcoat anodized, MilSpec Type III. They weigh around 2oz with included hardware. You can purchase the GripStop for either a direct M-LOK mount or for legacy Picatinny Rail. They are offered in a few colors of anodizing, to include black, earth brown, and olive drab. And lastly, two different sizes, the Regular and the K model.
When it comes to the two different sizes, it really comes down to the gun for me. Both largely offer the same benefits, but I do usually prefer the smaller grip on smaller guns to include AR pistols. Namely because of the use case, since the smaller guns are often carried in backpacks and I find it beneficial to keep the whole package more streamlined with a lower profile.
While the GripStop won’t make you a ninja, it will help you in capitalizing on good shooting techniques by allowing you to create a more stable shooting platform either offhand or while utilizing barricades. They also do a great job of keeping your support hand positioned for activating lights and lasers. And all of this without being overly large like some of the vertical grips or angled foregrips on the market.
The icing on the cake is the fact they are made here in the USA and carry a lifetime no questions asked warranty. You can find them a number of places to include Brownells for about $51.00 for the M-LOK variant and $59 for the Picatinny model.
