Mil Tech — Getting a Grip
Jun 02 2008
Because it’s critical for servicemembers to quickly react to threat during combat, they must be able to accurately point a weapon.
While Picatinny rail mountings allow accessories to be snapped onto weapons without the use of tools, servicemembers often need a bipod for greater stability. However, the bipod occupies the same place as the grip handle.
Grip Pod Systems of Jacksonville, Fla., has solved this problem with a front hand grip that has a hidden spring-loaded bipod activated by a button.
The U.S. Army and Marine Corps currently use the configuration, with the Army purchasing 400,000 units and the Marines purchasing 200,000, according to J.R. Moody, who owns the firm with Joe Gaddini of Asheville, N.C.
“The GPS model 2 is a high-strength polymer made with polymer-covered, hardened stainless steel legs, and it weighs in at seven ounces,” Moody says. “It’s the fastest deploying foregrip in the world, has been tested in snow and desert heat, and can support the weight of a 300 pound man standing on an M16 with a rail system.”
Servicemembers soon will benefit from a newer grip bipod version with longer legs and a canting mechanism to create a level shooting stance from uneven ground.
Moody says he’s also working on a new light to attach to the grip pod.
“We got feedback from the guys in the sandbox that sometimes exiting a Humvee or touching a stone wall might make them squeeze the pressure pad on the grip’s side and activate the light,” Moody says. “Then they’re targeted.”
Moody says Grip Pod Systems has developed a rail that fits in the grip pod’s front accessory port, placing the light to the side where a rear-activated button unit can be tapped with the thumb.
“The light’s adjustable fore and aft on the rail, and two-sided rails are available so you can put a laser on one side and a light on the other,” he adds.
About the author: Alan M. Petrillo is a Tucson, Ariz. freelance writer who works in a wide variety of fields, writing for national and regional magazines and newspapers. He also is the author of the historical mystery, Full Moon (JoNa Books, 2005).
