If you're looking for some straight-up advice on getting a better hold on your AR-15, this Quick Tip is for you! There's a bewildering array of handguard-mounted vertical grips and hand stops on the market today. Fortunately, Brownells Gun Tech™ Caleb has a firm grasp on the topic and is here to help! A simple, Old School clamp-on foregrip, like the Knight's Armament vertical grip, is meant to be grasped by your entire support hand. A variation on the full-length vertical grip is the massive Grip Pod, which has quick-deploy BIPOD legs inside. Magpul and Bravo Company offer short vertical grips that have become extremely popular. They are less bulky, and because most folks use a vertical grip more like a hand stop, not wrapping your full hand around the grip isn't a handicap. A short vertical grip provides another practical benefit, which Caleb explains for us. A HANDSTOP helps you grasp the handguard and pull the rifle back into your shoulder for a secure hold. Magpul offers two hand stops, the very low-profile XTM and the larger Vertical Fore Grip. The VFG really combines the functions of a hand stop with a short vertical grip. A BARRICADE STOP, like the Noveske K9, lets you steady the rifle by bracing the forend against a wall, fence, or similar structure.
So how do these devices work in real life? Caleb's got a coupla AR-15s, and he demos several of these products for us. (He tends to like a vertical foregrip on a shorter handguard and a hand stop on a longer 'guard.) Bottom line: the "best" vertical grip or hand stop is the one the feels best to you.