Magpul’s company motto ought to be, “Come for the magazines, stay for the furniture.” They have become quite revolutionary with their products, both new and old. One example of this is the AFG, or angled foregrip. Magpul invented an entirely new way to grip the weapon with the AFG, which, incidentally, was the first angled foregrip produced for firearms. Magpul has gone on to produce numerous AFG models.
The latest model attaches directly to M-LOK rail systems and is one we carry here. I’ve been using mine since well before my days with GunMagWarehouse, and it’s been a tool I’ve leaned on for a number of years. Today we are going to discuss the angled foregrip, its early origin, its benefits, how it works, and the unique way I use mine.
What is an angled foregrip?
Prior to the angled foregrip revolution, the weapon grip of choice was the vertical grip, aka the broomstick. These grips were often used to enhance ergonomics and had been in use since the earliest days of submachine guns. In the modern world, they became quite popular because modern accessories were often massive. Have you ever seen a PEQ-2? It’s huge, and on a carbine, it eats up your rail space and makes it tough to grip your gun.
Those days have passed. Modern accessories are much smaller and much more powerful. Modern rail systems are longer, lighter, and easier to use. This allowed Magpul to focus on enhancing natural ergonomics, which led to the AFG in 2007. The Angled Foregrip enhances the natural rifle grip of your support hand.
It’s pretty simple and fairly effective. In fact, after being revealed by Magpul, it quickly became copied and adapted by numerous companies. Like all super famous products, it’s now a staple of Wish dot Com builds.
Magpul designed the angled foregrip with the idea of using what’s now known as the C-Clamp grip. This method might have fallen a bit out of favor these days, but it was high-speed in 2007. Even if you don’t use the famed C-Clamp grip, there are plenty of benefits to the AFG series.
Benefits of the AFG
There are a few common benefits right off the bat. First, like all dedicated grips and hand stops, the AFG provides a constant index point. Every time you grab the gun, you are grabbing it in the exact same place. This ensures a type of continuity that guarantees everything you’ve trained with feels right.
The same grip allows you to always easily reach switches for lights, lasers, and whatever else you have mounted. With an AFG, your thumb fits right over the top and makes it easy for you to engage with modern pressure switches to activate your goodies. It also provides a slight layer of insulation between you and the barrel. Shooting a lot means your gun will get hot, and a little extra insulation goes a long way.
The biggest benefit comes from recoil control. To control your rifle, you pull the weapon tight and into your shoulder and the angled foregrip gives a little extra leverage for that. This also increases your comfort since the angled foregrip positions your hand in a supinated position. Your palm faces upward, and your knuckles are down, for an arm position that is stronger than any other. Overall, the AFG helps you control the weapon with less fatigue.
Magpul’s Angled Foregrip
Magpul’s latest Angled Foregrip is made from the same high-strength polymer that Magpul uses for everything. This rugged polymer is heat resistant, weather resistant, doesn’t corrode, and like all of Magpul’s products, it’s made to last.
It uses two M-LOK attachment points to connect your grip to your gun and lock it down. Using M-LOK means the grip is tighter to the weapon and provides an even smaller profile than a standard angled foregrip. The modern model of this accessory is also smaller than the early 2007 variants but just as useful.
Its small length also makes it easy to mount on smaller guns. It fits on AR with ease but also squeezes on the short handguard of a subgun like the Scorpion. It’s adaptable, and once attached, the AFG is going nowhere. The ribbed grip keeps your hand from sliding off and keeps everything locked in place for a sure grip and total control.
These grips are designed for rifles and similar weapons, but I use mine on a shotgun. Specifically, I use it on my Benelli M4.
An angled foregrip on a shotgun?
If you know anything about shotguns, it’s that proper recoil mitigation with a shotgun is a lot different than recoil mitigation with a rifle. With a modern carbine, you’re encouraged to pull the gun into your shoulder. But pulling a shotgun into your shoulder will accentuate the intense recoil and take it well off target. So, when we start blasting away with scatterguns, we use something called the push/pull technique. We push forward with our support hand and pull rearward with our firing hand. This creates tension and mitigates recoil very efficiently.
How exactly do I use the AFG on a shotgun? I flip it around and mount it backward.
This makes it a lot easier to press forward and create the tension required to control the gun. It works well on a semi-auto shotgun like the M4 but might not work well with a pump action when you have to pull rearward. The AFG positioned backward on a pump makes it less intuitive to work the action.
You can do the same with a hand stop, but the recoil will beat your finger to hell and back. The older AFG doesn’t work well for this type of push/pull, but the more modern M-LOK compatible variant works wonders.
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The Magpul AFG was the first and is still the best. Magpul has evolved its design over time to function with a number of different platforms and rail systems. It remains an affordable add-on that can enhance the function of your rifle, carbine, and even your shotgun if you’re creative enough. Who knew a simple wedge piece of polymer could make such a difference?
Read the original article in its entirety at gunmagwarehouse.com.
