Whats every ones opinion on Grip Pods

[devildogljb]

I have one on my rifle and use it when i go prone or other situations i may need it when firing from a difficult postion. There is the police/civilian version which just has polymer legs. And the military version that has the polymer covered stainless steel legs.I run the military version. But does every one think they are tacky and unneeded or a good idea and you have the best of both worlds of a bipod and a vfg?

[Failure2Stop]

https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=36786&highlight=grippod
https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=42521&highlight=grippod
https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=26932&highlight=grippod

[LEOCRRNZ]

Personally I'm not a huge fan. They're not as sturdy as a regular bipod could be and I would prefer to have a shorter grip but what it comes down to is whether you feel comfortable with it and if it suits your needs.

[Captains1911]

Personally I'm not a huge fan. They're not as sturdy as a regular bipod could be and I would prefer to have a shorter grip but what it comes down to is whether you feel comfortable with it and if it suits your needs.

I've seen photos of 200lb + men standing on their rifles with the grip pod deployed, that's seems sturdy enough to me

[devildogljb]

I've seen photos of 200lb + men standing on their rifles with the grip pod deployed, that's seems sturdy enough to me

yeah thats what i hear, it can hold up to 300 pounds the one with the steel reinforced legs one but i cant bring myself to try that out lol

[Duffy]

Yeah make sure the legs have steel reinforcement. SMGLee on a whim tried to demonstrate how tough it was, he grabbed his rifle with the Grip Pod's legs extended, dropped it from about 4ft onto concrete, and one of the legs promptly snapped clean and flew off :D

Only then did he realize the legs didn't have the reinforcement.

[devildogljb]

Yeah make sure the legs have steel reinforcement. SMGLee on a whim tried to demonstrate how tough it was, he grabbed his rifle with the Grip Pod's legs extended, dropped it from about 4ft onto concrete, and one of the legs promptly snapped clean and flew off :D

Only then did he realize the legs didn't have the reinforcement.

Ha thats actually pretty funny i would of loved to seen that, but i know i have the steel reinforcement i can see it. But im still not going to do it lol

[Biggy]

Putting one on my lightweight carbine is not for me.

[Duffy]

Hehe that was priceless, rarely do we demonstrate something with so much confidence, only to see the gear do just the opposite :p

Right before he dropped the poor rifle with the Grip Pod installed, he did stand on the rifle without ill effects. For those that know him, you know what kind of pressure he put on those poor legs :D

[cgcorrea]

Every grip pod I've been issued by the Marine Corps(About 3 or 4) has one way or another stopped working correctly or broken all together while on deployment. These were all models with polymer legs though. I got one from the armory before leaving my last unit that they let me keep. I still have it in the original packaging, unopened. I was never too thrilled with the size of the grip pod to begin with, But had initially used it anyway because of the bipod. But when the bipod proved to be unreliable I just came to the conclusion that the juice just wasn't worth the squeeze. So I switched back to the KAC vertical grip that I was originally issued by the armory. I've never tried the one with the metal bipod. I would imagine it would not break nearly as easily, but I could still see myself constantly having to clean out sand from the inside to keep the bipod from getting jammed up in there. I like the concept alot. It just didn't work out for me in the end.

[Failure2Stop]

The problem with stability is not a vertical load, but rather with a horizontal load on the legs.
And no, they are not as sturdy as the normally recommended bipods.

[devildogljb]

Every grip pod I've been issued by the Marine Corps(About 3 or 4) has one way or another stopped working correctly or broken all together while on deployment. These were all models with polymer legs though. I got one from the armory before leaving my last unit that they let me keep. I still have it in the original packaging, unopened. I was never too thrilled with the size of the grip pod to begin with, But had initially used it anyway because of the bipod. But when the bipod proved to be unreliable I just came to the conclusion that the juice just wasn't worth the squeeze. So I switched back to the KAC vertical grip that I was originally issued by the armory. I've never tried the one with the metal bipod. I would imagine it would not break nearly as easily, but I could still see myself constantly having to clean out sand from the inside to keep the bipod from getting jammed up in there. I like the concept alot. It just didn't work out for me in the end.

that sucks to hear, I just guess it depends on the person. I never got to use it when i was in the military so i didnt know the problems with the sand or dirt.i didnt think it would be a problem. But alot of my buddies love them that are over seas right now.

[devildogljb]

The problem with stability is not a vertical load, but rather with a horizontal load on the legs.
And no, they are not as sturdy as the normally recommended bipods.

yeah thats one thing i did notice when using the pod its def not the sturdiest thing when it comes to the horizontal load. But it works for what i use and could need it for.

[devildogljb]

Hehe that was priceless, rarely do we demonstrate something with so much confidence, only to see the gear do just the opposite :p

Right before he dropped the poor rifle with the Grip Pod installed, he did stand on the rifle without ill effects. For those that know him, you know what kind of pressure he put on those poor legs :D

and why didnt some one have a camera rolling when this was happening lol it would of been gold on here and im guessing this is a big guy lol

[militarymoron]

duffy, unless we're talking about two separate incidents, SMGLee broke a steel reinforced grip pod when he stood on his rifle, IIRC.

[Duffy]

MM, did I remember it wrong? :confused::eek:

[militarymoron]

i just remember him standing carefully on it, then the leg snapping off.
FWIW, while i prefer a stubby vertical grip to the grip pod, i've found the grip pod useful for quick zeroing when i don't have a bipod. i'll take off the vertical grip, stick the grip pod on the rifle, zero it, then put the vertical back on.

[Norman]

If it works for you, in your situation. Carry on.
For me? I don’t shoot prone enough to need a bi-pod. Most of my shooting is standing, moving or kneeling. As a vertical grip, I use it more as a hand stop, so it’s 4 times longer than need be.

[Pumpkinheaver]

My buddy has one on his M4 and uses it quite a bit. When it comes to yote hunting though he puts a versa pod on his AR. It might work fine for you in your situation.

[Paraclete comes]

I love those grippods, have the steel reinforced legs and have yet to break it. I took it through Iraq and than to the Stan with all the training in between. I find it a good fit and blend of a bipod and VFG. Not perfect in either but a jack of all trades. The steel ones are tough enough and mine survived an I.E.D. blast that destroyed my colt m4 and my KAC can and sent me all the way back home with holes through my shoulder, arms, and flank.

So this guy is impressed with the durability of grip pods. That said our entire battalion has them issued for the last couple of years and there rugged. But it like any gear if you treat it like crap and dont clean it than expect it to fail. I cleaned the grip pod every time I cleaned the gun. Just a simple wipe down with a rag and a good blow to knock the sand off and good as new.

It help me rapidly put shots on the taliban at 300 yards and thats all i needed.

[VooDoo6Actual]

I used one on a several deployments. Imo, they are not suited for all combat applications.

I was issued one for a FAL. For a prone shooting position they work OK. Not my preferred Bi-Pod de jour but utilitarian & adequate nonetheless.

I'm not confident that there is any advantage w/ them over a supported shooting position.

i'll see if I have a pic of me deployed w/ it in GOA & post it later.

[Robb Jensen]

IMHO Grip-Pod = meh

[Shane1]

Gripods are like women/foregrips/rails/etc. Everyone has thier preference. We were issued some. My SAW gunner loved it on his SAW. He bought one for his personal 5.56 when he got home. It sits in a box now. I didn't use the one we were issued, really didnt have a operational need for it that couldnt be fullfilled by a supported position as needed.

[kaltesherz]

I was given one when they first came out for my M14 when I had to go to SDM school. I hated it so much I went out and bought a Harris within a week. Works ok on a completely flat range, but get on uneven ground it doesn't adjust like a Harris for horizontal movement. A few guys threw them on their M4s when we went overseas and within a few months most had tossed or broke them. Only real benefit was they kept your weapon off the floor when we were lucky enough to eat at a chow hall at one of the FOBs. Just seems like a total gimmick, I can't believe people really pay that much for a vertical grip that's also a bipod that sucks at both.

[Failure2Stop]

The question has come up a number of times, and has been thoroughly covered in the links I provided and elsewhere.

Simply type "grippod" in the search and plenty of results come up.