Once a staple of the GWOT, vertical grips have now largely faded away

There I was, at the School of Infantry, Infantry Training Battalion, holding an M16A4. To me, as an 18-year-old private in 2008, this was high-tech: I had an ACOG sight, a rail system, and a PEQ-15 laser module.

And on that old A4 was the famed KAC vertical grip, also known as “the broomstick.”

To me, the broomstick was peak and became a constant companion during School of Infantry. When I got to the fleet, my issued M16A4 had one as well. I loved it. I distinctly remember an SOI instructor telling us that the future was using the broomstick, not holding the rail. We weren’t using them like quasi-angled grips or handstops, just pure foregrip action.

When I first went to Afghanistan, the medium machine guns were not allowed on patrols without the commander’s approval. I was saddled with a SAW and, with it, a new vertical grip shaped like the SAW grip – and I adored it; it was just so comfortable. And at that moment, I understood why the Tommy gun grip was invented.

I loved the vertical grip, and part of me still does. As an old man with shoulder issues, the vertical grip provides a comfier, more stable grip that allows me to pull it tight into my shoulder. I use it a little differently these days, but I’m still using it.

Why troops liked vertical grips

A soldier holds an M16A4 rifle with a vertical grip, September 2009. (Program Executive Office Soldier/U.S. Army)

Vertical grips have been around for a long time. The Tommy gun famously featured one on the M1928 models, as did numerous other WWII-era SMGs. As bullpups entered the fray, vertical grips became common, largely because bullpup users didn’t have much else to hold onto.

The vertical grip became very popular to use with very short rifles and it spread across the Army and Marine Corps rapidly during the Global War on Terror. There wasn’t really a reason to use a vertical grip on an M16A4, yet, they were everywhere. Troops tossed them on rifles, light machine guns, and even on M203 grenade launchers.

Rifles’ metal quad rails got hot quickly when shooting, especially in the heat of Iraq and Afghanistan, and became uncomfortable to hold with thin gloves. The vertical grip allowed us to get our hand away from the heat.

Further, lights and lasers became common on troops’ guns during the Global War on Terror, and the vertical grip offered a common index point to reach their controls. You knew where to reach every time. Even in the dark, I knew that if I gripped my rifle around the grip, I could reach the tape switch on my PEQ-15.

There were also comfortable. Keeping your wrist bent and holding the rifle traditionally got old. Whereas, when you’re patrolling for hours on end, the vertical grip made it easy to hold the rifle, and allowed you to better manage its weight.

The vertical grip has its benefits. It makes it easier to pull the gun tight into your shoulder and to keep that pressure for longer – and when you’re exhausted from clearing compounds, rooms, and buildings a little relief goes a long way.

Related: Inside the office defending Marine Corps emblems and slogans from AI knockoffs, profiteers

It’s not all gravy

A British soldier aims his rifle during exercise TRIDENT JUNCTURE, 2018. (Photo by Corporal Ben Beale/British Ministry of Defence)

Vertical grips had their problems, however.

Resting a rifle with a vertical grip on a barrier to get some stability when firing could be tricky. With a rifle like the M16A4, it made sense to press the grip out further, closer to the end of the barrel than the receiver, since the further the grip was out there, the more control you had. However, the further the grip was out, the harder it could be to rest the gun on a barrier.

Additionally, the grip would get easily caught on gear; on the terrible three-point slings we used; and on everything else.

Vertical grips faded away as angled grips and a C-clamp shooting style became more popular.

A new way to grip the gun, whereby most of the hand grips over the rail with the bottom of the palm pressing against the grip, also because popular, further decreased the popularity of vertical grips. Meanwhile, shorter grips started becoming popular

Traditional vertical grips aren’t seen too often nowadays, but a variety of short grips and angled grips remain popular. While the day of the broomstick has passed, it remains a historical piece of gear linked largely to the GWOT.

Read more from Sandboxx News

America’s open blockade against Iran is proving very effective

Ukrainian logistics drone evacuates wounded soldier from the frontline

Marines say the best attack drone pilots might be dirt bikers, not gamers

A-10 gets new adapter to resolve a unique refueling problem

Iran’s cheap method of striking US aircraft despite American air superiority