Vertical Foregrip on a Benelli M4

[Nemesis]

Guys,

 

For those of you who have experience with vertical foregrips AND the traditional forearm.....which do you like better?

 

I am interested in hearing from people who are fairly serious shooters. I am wondering how a vertical foregrip differs from a traditional foregrip in terms of:

 

1) recoil control.

 

2) Ergonomics in reloading

 

3) Switch to slug drills

 

4) Malfunction clearance.

 

5) Accuracy with aimed fire.

 

Many thanks!

 

Nem

[LeoAtrox]

VFG's help quite a bit with recoil control. They don't lessen recoil, of course, but they afford a better purchase on the muzzle end of a firearm, which can help to control muzzle rise and get the firearm back on target quicker.

 

As far as ergonomics of reloading, VFG's should have no significant effect, in my opinion. If you're doing a tactical reload into the magazine, you're letting go of your forward grip anyway. Always reload the magazine with your forward ("weak") hand. It feels more natural to let go of the rear grip and reload with your "strong" hand while you control the firearm with your forward hand because the weapon balances better that way ... But, that's the wrong way to do it. Keep your rear hand on the grip and your finger near the trigger. Reload with your weak hand. Practice until its second nature.

 

Same with malfunction clearance. Best way to go about is to reach around with your weak hand to rack so that you can get another shot off as quickly as possible. That's assuming you're of the opinion that the best way to clear a failure is to first attempt a single rack/bang (which is what I was trained to do). If simply attempting to rack a new round into the chamber doesn't work, then you're probably going to your backup weapon anyway ... Or diving for cover.

 

(Am I talking too "tactical"? You were asking about the M4 Tactical, right?)

 

I don't think FVG's do anything for accuracy of aimed fire. I suppose others might disagree ... Perhaps, if the FVG is long enough, you might use it as a monopod. But using the FVG as a grip, it's not going to help your accuracy whatsoever.

[LeoAtrox]

Oh ... And regarding reloads: Remember to practice hitting the cartridge drop lever and bolt release. If anything, your reloads could be slowed because you'll be more inclined to put your forward hand back on the FVG. Hopefully you'll top of the magazine without ever running dry; but it doesn't hurt to hit the bolt release every time you reload. Practice, practice.

[StrangerDanger]

A huge negative for the FVG on the Benelli M4 is the added weight. You'll need to add a rail system. Plus the grip itself. Right there, you've added half a pound.

 

I feel I can support the weight of the weapon with a standard hold better than off of a FVG. I was out lastnight with the M4. Our training took us over several miles of uneven terrain in the dark under the near full moon.

Keeping the weapon on target for significant amounts of time was taxing.