Has anyone ever told you, “find what you love and then find a way to make money doing it?”

Almost 70% of working Americans aren’t. That means only 30% are lucky enough to love their job.

Have you found a way to make a profit out of your passion?

One of those few lucky people is C. Reed Knight, Jr., founder of Knight’s Armament Company in 1982. After serving six years in the National Guard, attending but never graduating from several colleges, successfully racing cars, running a garbage company, serving as a reserve police officer with the City of Vero Beach, and owning a police supply store, Knight finally started Knight’s Armament Company in 1982.

In an interview with Recoil magazine, Knight recalls an “ah-ha” moment in his young life when his father essentially told him he was too stupid to make a good living and he better decide what he really liked to do. Knight recalls, “I told him I really like guns and he said, ‘Well then you better make that your living.’”

And make a living he did.

After winning a few military contracts to provide suppressors for service weapons, Knight began toying with a system that would attach a flashlight to a soldier’s rifle. He called it a “Lego.” He began building these mounts that went under the barrel of the rifle. This rail system Knight was specifically designing for was the 1986 Advanced Combat Rifle (ACR) program which began the Army’s search for a replacement for the M16. His vertical grip wasn’t part of the requirement of the ACR, so Knight had to sell the military on it as the “most important part” of his rail system and convince them to test it. (Small Arms Review)

After testing the system, an Army Colonel commented, “You know something? We have found that that $39 vertical pistol grip that we put on your gun increased the hit probability for every soldier type, experienced soldiers, non-experienced soldiers, all types of shooters, significantly more than the whole $32 million that we spent on the ACR program.” (Small Arms Review.)

Knight ended up selling 1.8 million rail systems to the military with a 15-year contract. Knight ended up throwing the vertical foregrips for free. (Small Arms Review)

Though not the first foregrip to be designed—the first were designed for submachine guns to control muzzle rise during full auto fire—Knight’s grip was what influenced the popularity of today’s AR-15 foregrip. Now, the foregrip is one of the best-selling AR-15 accessories in the industry.

A lot has changed since Knight Armament’s straight, full-sized vertical Forward Pistol Grip. Different materials, shapes and sizes are now available including foregrips that integrate lights, lasers and bipods. What hasn’t changed is the primary reason why we put foregrips on our ARs—better control and increased accuracy of our rifle.

The AR-15 foregrip or forward grip goes on the forend, under the barrel of your rifle. With a Picatinny, Weaver KeyMod or M-LOK mount, there are hundreds of grips to choose from.

There are many benefits to using a foregrip:

• Helps control muzzle rise during rapid fire
• Keeps hands off hot barrels
• Better control maneuvering your rifle in CQB
• Quickly transition between targets
• Fights fatigue
• Helps you develop proper shooting form
• Mitigates recoil
• Achieve faster follow up shots
• Provides better leverage

The shooting sports are no fun and quite discouraging if you never get good at them. Plus, in the case of self-defense, bad aim could mean life or death. Whatever type of shooting your into—target, tactical training, self-defense or competition—you need to be as accurate as possible. Everything you add to your AR-15 should help you improve your marksmanship. When used correctly, a forward grip is one of the best AR-15 accessories you can invest in.

There are two types of foregrips—vertical and angled. Vertical foregrips are traditional-style grips that mount horizontally and range in size from ‘stubby’ to full sized. Angled foregrips are much smaller but may take up more room on the rail. They do not offer a full grip but work more like a hand stop. They are ergonomically designed to place your support hand in a palm up, knuckles down position with your hand centered high on the bore. In theory, giving you better control of your rifle.

As far as which one to buy? There is no wrong or right answer. There is only personal preference. Angled foregrips are better for close-quarters, while vertical foregrips offer more versatility.

Innovative Design

Firefield’s Rival foregrip is made of durable aluminum and has a skeletonized design to keep weight down to just 4.1 ounces. This is extremely important when shooting for long periods and especially if you have additional accessories like lights and lasers mounted on your rails. The textured surface and ergonomic design make sure you always have a solid, firm grip on your rifle. Accommodating various grip styles, the not-too-short and not-too-long Rival is 2.7 inches long giving you plenty of room for a full grip or to use as a hand stop. The slight curve to the Rival provides an ergonomic, comfortable grip on your AR.

Holding your AR-15 in the correct way improves accuracy and control. A vertical grip provides a natural grip when bringing the rifle up to rest in your shoulder in the proper form to control recoil. People without vertical grips usually stabilize their rifle using the mag well or by simply holding the handguard. Holding the mag well can cause issues as the closer your hands are together, the less control of the rifle you have.

Mounting the Rival

Installing the Rival foregrip is easy.

Mount the foregrip as close to the end of the barrel as possible while still maintaining a comfortable and natural grip. You don’t want your arm to be overextended or fully flexed when gripping your forward grip. Most shooters find that having some relaxation in their support arm is helpful. Fortunately, the grip’s mounting design allows adaptability.

When utilized correctly, foregrips are a valuable and affordable piece of equipment that enhances your ability to run your AR-15 accurately.

Do you have a foregrip on your AR? Which type do you prefer? Tell us in the comment section.

Click here to buy a Rival foregrip.