When I am setting up a new rifle, without fail choosing what I want to run for foregrip options is always one of the hardest choices. I always start with my go-to: BCM GUNFIGHTER MOD-3 M-LOK Vertical Grip.
I like it, it’s worked very well for me and always looks good but there is always that “maybe this would be better…” in the back of my mind. Now keep in mind that is just me, just my choices on what I like to run. You could hate them and that’s ok!
When I want to switch to something new it is usually something I like visually, then I toss one in and see how it feels. I recently built an 11.5 that I wanted to keep short and somewhat light for night vision use. I like the Emissary Handbrake Mini.
I was going to run this one but then I remembered we had another one I wanted to try out. This one was different than anything I tend to run, a finger stop/index point that would have kept the weight down and real estate used less. The Arisaka Index Mount.
I liked it, and I liked the look but I didn’t love how it felt because my hands are not big enough to clamp like you would need to do with this setup. I can do it but it’s just not comfy for me. So I moved back to the Emissary. It just feels right, especially with my grip and where the thumb sits in relation to the laser and light buttons.
Now again this is just me but are these two accomplishing anything different than each other? Kinda. Either way, you’re looking to improve your weapon manipulation, and there are multiple ways to do this but I think the main two hot ones right now are : vertical grips and handstops. Both options improve your rifle control, but it really will come down to a personal preference and how you want to use your rifle. How do you make a choice now? I think you gotta just toss an option on and feel it out but there are other factors that could help you choose.
Weight.
For weight savings, handstops are the clear winner. Super small and super light only adding minimal ounces to the setup. Vertical options add more weight but also give you the option for storage sometimes as well as bipods even. There are a couple models of vertical grips that have a deployable bipod inside but you are adding a lot more weight to do so.
Comfort/Controllability
Vertical foregrips offer a bigger real estate for your hand, should your grip be slightly off you can still find it when you need it. This factored into my decision when building a night vision build, reloading is hard when you can not see, and finding the small hand stop is not something I want to add to the mix.
Now going with a handstop you open up a whole bunch of grip options and hand positions to use. Comfort is going to vary from person to person, nobody but you can tell you what is best for you.
Now there is a little legal issue with verticals if you are running a “pistol” setup. You cannot do it on a pistol, if you have an SBR it’s not an issue. Hand stops do not have any impact on this rule along with angled foregrips. Safer to get a hand stop on there and be good to go.
It will always be a personal preference on what you go with, I cannot tell you what you like or what is comfortable with your body type. The best thing I think is to just toss one and see how it feels during dry fire. You may end up switching all your setups when you find something you love.