My question is to experienced carbine users - do you install a foregrip on your AR-15/M4gery carbine and if you do, what kind - angled, straight or other and why?

I've read the angled foregrip (like Magpul AFG-2) is currently widely used option for various reasons, compatible with "C-clamp" holding and still useful around barricades...

Thanks in advance for your advice and/or opinions!

So, a few years ago I heard somebody talk about the way the human wrist works in relation to foregrips, and following that logic has made every rifle I've put together more comfortable to handle.

The closer your off-hand is to your body, the more vertical the grip. The farther away, the more horizontal. So short handguards get a vertical grip, long handguards either get an angled grip or a hand stop.

That's worked for me very nicely.

Makes perfect sense! Thank you!

Found a foregrips collection here : https://www.fab-defense.com/en/category-foregrips.html
Anything you would recommend there?

Thanks!

Realized I never answered this.

It depends on the gun. Length, weight, and handguard size play a factor in what I put on. Looking at my lineup, I've got mostly hand stops, which I really use as an index point to put in between by pointer and middle fingers, and angled grips.

Out of the FAB list, I like the TAL-4 for a vertical grip, and I could probably get used to the PTK.

Here's the gang. Note, the one on the far right has a twin, and the one vertical grip on the FDE gun is closer to the magwell than any of the other grips.

What other stuff are you putting on the fore end? Are you going for a true M4gery look?

The initial reason for putting a vertical fore grip on a carbine was because once the rail got crowded with stuff you couldn't grip it anymore. That was back in the day of 7" drop in rails. Even putting a light on one side might make it too fat to grip. So the vertical grip wasn't so much about ergonomics, it was mostly utility. Of course, once that level of tacticool operator gear is established it doesn't matter why and people will copy it... whether they need to or not

Now most people use longer rails and can put all that stuff forward and still have room to grip the fore end where needed. I like angled grips, some still uses vertical fore grips as a hand stop, some go with hand stops. Main thing is to find what feels right for you. Everyone's hands are different. What Pvan said about the ergos of it is spot on though

To expand on that a little, I have it on authority from a former Navy SWCC operator that it was also about comfort.

Take what I said earlier about vertical grips and how close they are to your body and try it out.

Hold a rifle in a firing position for an extended period of time. I promise you that you'll be able to comfortably hold a vertical grip placed closer to the receiver for longer than you can comfortably hold that same rifle gripping the handguard with an outstretched arm. Makes sense, really. Holding weight up close to you is easier. So you can have more stability by putting your grip closer to the muzzle, so you have less weight in front of your hand and therefore more control, but you won't tire your arm out as fast if you have a vertical grip, or grip the magwell, keeping your arm closer to your body. Because leverage.

It's a lot easier to go through an eight hour day of door breaching practice with a vertical grip placed close to the receiver than it is to spend eight hours with an outstretched arm. Or so I'm told.

I'm picking up what you're putting down. No worries there

It's just important to understand where things came from and why people keep doing the things they do

If serfperch is doing 8 hours of door kicking this is going to turn into a completely different conversation

Really, honestly, when someone asks what will work best for them the universal answer is "buy them all and see what works"

Guys, thanks for all your input and wisdom here! Phill - great pic of the great gang! White envy! I'm definitely not a professional door kicker :D My old rifle is just my SHTF gun I wish I would practice more with. Most of my regular training is done with my EDC handgun, with only occasional benchrest rifle fun with ballistics of home loads :)

Recently I decided to reconfigure it more for CQB/home defence and to try do more of offhand shooting and the issues of holding it efficiently and comfortable immediately came up. :) The full Picatinny handguard is rather short there ~9", scope came off, replaced with XPS, crimson trace light+laser went to the right front , with pressure switch behind folded iron post. With light on the bottom of right rail I had a hard time to grip around front post with lower off-hand fingers tendency to jam between handguard and the light.

So on the FAB Defense list for now I got PTK+VTS and for the hell of it a MOJO magwell grip/funnel :) VTS is a small thumb stop that you jam a thumb web against to grip PTK below. Seems to work great, just push the hand against thumb stop and grip - the same exact position of the hand all the time and nice quick full grip. I wish I could place it a bit further - but settled on just behind the light with thumb right in front of pressure switch. Feels good so far :) Magwell grip is also nice to hold and magazine funnel makes a reload more reliable. Will see how I like it after next 1000 rounds... :) I'm pretty sure I have no idea what I'm doing... :)

Couple of pics to illustrate the above :