Questions about VFG/AFG positions

[Bartholomew Roberts]

This discussion and some other discussions at TFL inspired me to start this thread about my experiences with vertical grips and what I've learned from it.

 

[Broken11b]

Just read your thread, and a few weeks ago I bought a Magpul AFG to see what the hype was about. Still have trouble getting used to the AFG. I've been using the VFG as a handstop and that feels natural, but the AFG still puts my hand too far forward and too low below the barrel to seem effective, best I could do with it was really choke up on it till it was acting as a handstop.

Think I'm going to wait this trend out.

 

[Bartholomew Roberts]

Well you can see in the pictures how I am using it. I am using it as a handstop as well; but instead of claw-gripping it from the side with my thumb over the top to keep it somewhat comfortable, I can grip underneath; but still close to the bore and keep my wrist comfortable.

Who knows though? I may change myself if someone can show me something that works better.

 

[Coronach]

I'm of the opinion that most of the various techniques will work acceptably well for most people, some will work better than others for various people, but most people really don't know what works "best" for them. Most people don't try to figure out what actually works out best for them, they go with what they like/know. They may try something else for a while, but if you've trained quite a bit with Technique A, Technique B is not going to seem natural or work as well for you as Technique A, unless Technique A is just radically bad. Since we're talking about the efficiency of generally accepted techniques (weaver vs isoceles, foregrip vs no foregrip, squared vs bladed stance, etc etc etc), that's probably not going to happen. Like I said, most of the popular techniques work pretty well.

I went into police academy as a Weaver shooter. I came out as a modified Isoceles shooter. It took a lot of unlearning the weaver before the Iso felt right, and at a lot of points along the way my Iso scores probably would have been lower than a weaver score on the same relay. In the end, though, I ended up a better shot coming out than when I went in, and I also had a new technique. Was the technique better? I dunno. It could have just been that I got paid to put thousands of rounds downrange. All I know is that I now shoot Iso a lot better than I ever shot weaver.

I used to be a no-foregrip rifle shooter. Then I tried magwell hold, and it worked pretty well. I kindasorta switched over to that, deending on the position/situation. When I saw the Magpul guys using that support-hand-foreward-thumb-over-the-top style, I thought it looked awkward and slow. Then I tried firing on the clock, and driving the gun from target to target, on the clock. Holy crap, I can get a shot off on one target, swing the gun to the next, and get the second shot off a lot faster using a version of that hold than I can gripping the gun by the magwell, and that's with almost no practice.

People should at least TRY the new/different stuff before they write it off. Maybe it's not better, or maybe its not better for you...but it might be.

Mike

 

[Al Thompson]

I tried firing on the clock

Key right there. Too many professional shooters (cops/soldiers) and serious civilian shooters don't actually evaluate, they plink.