Vertical Grip on an AK

[Fixxxer]

Would I have enough room to put a mag in with a regular sized vertical grip?

 

[IncredibleGord]

It Depends on the kind you get, my brother had one that wouldn't let him put a mag in when it was down. He got an AR vertical grip for about 60 bucks that has a tongue look. It has a half pipe look, that allows the mag to be inserted in by sliding through it. Got it at Gander MTN btw.

 

[nalioth]

You don't have to have the VFG all the way to the rear, either.

They can be adjusted for use with any caliber Kalashnikov.

VFG on a WASR-2 ( 5.45x39 )

 

[MTMilitiaman]

Difficulty with mags depends on the length of the foregrip and how far back it is. If you have a long grip located directly in front of the mag well, you could have issues. If you want your grip that far back, you're probably better off using the magazine as the foregrip. I have long enough arms that a standard TangoDown VFG can be located comfortably in a manner that still allows standard 30 round magazines to be used without interference. However, the 40 round magazines get tricky.

 

[R127]

I experimented with a vertical foregrip on an AK for a while. I also reached the conclusion that it is best to use the mag as the foregrip. The AK balances on the mag and throwing a vertical foregrip on far enough forward to clear the mag gets leverage working against you. A shorter VF can also work but it seems kind of self defeating. Fewer unnecessary parts is a good thing over all I think.

 

[H2O MAN]

I use a VFG on my T56SHTF and like it

It's mounted well forward and the 30 round circle 10 mags clear without issue.

 

[nalioth]

You guys be careful using your mags as VFGs.

One KABOOM and you might be a one-handed-paperhanger.

 

[MTMilitiaman]

I've tried using the mag as a VFG. As with the M16 and just about everything else I've tried, I have a tendency to induce malfunctions by blocking the ejection port. I shoot left-handed, and my thumb inevitably ends up floating in front of the ejection port. Not only that, but with the reciprocating charging handle of the AK, I get the unpleasant "WHACK" on my thumb nail to accompany the malfunction.

 

[4thPointOfContact]

Two rather obvious solutions.
One, that I did was to get a 'shorty VFG' it's about an inch or so shorter than the full-size and won't interfere nearly as much.

Two, get a folding shorty VFG such as the one made by CAA (I Think) that will lock in the 0, 45, and 90-degree positions. Lock it at 45 and you can put it anywhere.

 

[Rampant_Colt]

w/40rd mag:



w/30rd mag:



The 40rd mag is slightly more tricky to remove than the 30 rounder

 

[Brother in Arms]

nailoth is right on using the mag for a vertical fore grip.

I saw an FAL go Kaboom once and it destroyed the magazine. Split it from top to bottom and blew out the follower spring and floor plate. Never did find the floor plate but the follower was bent in half. the 2 rounds that where still in the mag where squished flat!.

after witnessing that I vowed that I will never place my hand on the bottom of a magazine again.

 

[HorseSoldier]

Besides the shortened VFGs, I've seen set ups where guys use a 90 degree side-mount attached to their weak hand side rail on an AK to allow putting running a VFG offset enough that it's not in the way of a mag change.

No idea how well that works, never tried it, but think the assymetrical set up would annoy me.

Also +1 on what Nalioth and others said about pushing the VFG further forward as well -- further forward is (mostly) better in any case, giving you more control on the muzzle.

Alternately, just get a wooden pistol gripped fore-end like various countries put on their issue AKMs back in the day (thouh that may end up costing more than a rail plus VFG). Those will definitely allow for mag changes with no problem.

 

[KINGMAX]

I just don't care for a vertical grip, never have.