dawgkiller
New member
Review on CAA's new bipod grip and aluminum handguards.
http://www.northcarolinapha.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=552
C.A.A. Product Review Pod Grip and Aluminum Handguards
Over the past few years there have been some very exciting and revolutionary innovations in the firearms industry and in particular with the AR-15 platforms. Most have been well documented and most of us have used them or are well aware of their existence. We also see some products come out that are “window dressings” and never work as well as initially described.
I am no expert on firearms or accessories, I do however like to shoot and hunt and like to get the most for my money. There have been lots of times that I believed what magazine writers said about products only to realize that they wrote the article because the manufacturer was buying advertising space.
I have a good friend that works for Fobus/CAA and he has given me the opportunity to test and evaluate a few of their new products. My original intentions were to torture test these products on my duty rifle, a 6920 Colt, M4 style, CAR-15. These particular products were not designed for my application today, but they worked perfectly and have changed my way of thinking forever.
My AR platform for this evaluation consisted of a DPMS LoPro rifle (16” Bull Barrel), .223, an ACE ARFX Entry Stock, an EO Tech Optic, a Command Arms 6” four sided aluminum handguard with rails (M44SM) from Command Arms and a Bipod/Grip (PPGRIP) from Command Arms. This gun is my varmint/predator rifle and has been my designated hunting rifle for a year. It was never my intention to turn my hunting rifle into a tactical looking rifle, but these products make sense and they work.
Why did I change the original configuration? Well, I am short (5’8”) and my son who is 9 years old is following in my footsteps. I needed a short stock that we could both use and that I could shoot from a seated position in all directions (like turkey hunting). So came the ARFX Entry Stock from ACE. It fits us both and we both like it. Next, I broke the original glacier grips accidentally and wanted to put something else on the gun that would let me use a vertical grip. I realized that if I went with the complete rail system, I could put a light on the gun like my Colt (duty gun) has for night hunting in VA (NC does not allow night hunting). Finally, the PPGrip from Command Arms fit the vertical grip issue in a way that I had never imagined. A bipod in a grip, you bet. That rotates!
Prior to 2005, I had only used a vertical grip on an MP5 sub gun and had no idea that it would ever become the tool that it is today. In ’05, I was in Iraq as a contractor/operator with USDOJ and was exposed to the most elite fighting units in the world and some of the most respected mercenaries. All of them had one thing on their weapons, a vertical grip. After shooting their rifles, I understood the need for the grip and saw this concept as one that I would also embrace. When I came home, I continued to use the grip on my duty AR, but until now, never had it on my hunting rifle. Using a vertical grip, especially in the seated position (which I am in most of the time when coyote or fox hunting) it creates a “rock solid” platform to shoot from. In this configuration, the shooter can “tuck” his/her left elbow into the torso area creating a very sturdy shooting position in the standing position. I guess that I didn’t want my buddies picking on me for using a “tactical gun” for the little foxes and coyotes, but boy, do I like it. I hardly ever shoot my duty gun anymore, even for plinking. Using the vertical grip assures a super fast target acquisition and we all know that when that coyote steps out, he's only there for a couple of seconds, especially hunting in the East.
Why is the Command Arms Grip different? The PPGRIP is attached to the rail system using a new and innovative feature. It actually clamps on and has a nut that secures it solid to the rail system. If you have ever used another brand of vertical grip, you know that they all wiggle. Not this one. The grip is slightly larger than others and fits the hand perfectly. A push of a button deploys the bipod that lifts the gun up just enough for prone shooting, without being too high. The grip was very easy to install and has two springs on the inside to keep continuous tension on the attached areas making it “locked down”. Simply removing the nut with your fingers allows you to move the grip. This grip will also allow movement when the bipod is deployed, both left and right. It rotates until you stop, then if you pick the rifle up, the bipod resets itself under the gun at the point you are at.
The aluminum handguards were very easy to install, just like the old handguards, but were absolutely solid with no wiggle. The rails came with covers that are made specific to this system and fit snug to the rails. Now, should I wish to install a light or anything else, I can with no problem. They are also well vented and I haven’t had a heat problem with them.
If you are in the market for a nice rail system or a vertical grip that will last and not wiggle like an airsoft product, you owe it to yourself to take a look at CAA’s (PPGRIP) vertical bipod grip and the (M44SM) aluminum handguards.
I was very impressed with this system. If there is a downside, I understand that the military (Marine Corps) is buying 15,000 of these units to test in Iraq and Afghanistan, so there may be a wait. But, if you know Fobus and their reputation, these will become staples in the world of shooting.
HK SL8 and DPMS LoPro (Modified)
Company Images of CAA accessories
Duty Gun, Colt 6920 with Knight's Armament System
Dawgkiller
03/10/08
For more info:
http://www.commandarms.com
Command Arms Accessories
76 Vincent Circle
Ivyland, PA 18974
Phone: 267-803-1517
Fax: 267-803-1002
http://www.northcarolinapha.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=552
C.A.A. Product Review Pod Grip and Aluminum Handguards
Over the past few years there have been some very exciting and revolutionary innovations in the firearms industry and in particular with the AR-15 platforms. Most have been well documented and most of us have used them or are well aware of their existence. We also see some products come out that are “window dressings” and never work as well as initially described.
I am no expert on firearms or accessories, I do however like to shoot and hunt and like to get the most for my money. There have been lots of times that I believed what magazine writers said about products only to realize that they wrote the article because the manufacturer was buying advertising space.
I have a good friend that works for Fobus/CAA and he has given me the opportunity to test and evaluate a few of their new products. My original intentions were to torture test these products on my duty rifle, a 6920 Colt, M4 style, CAR-15. These particular products were not designed for my application today, but they worked perfectly and have changed my way of thinking forever.
My AR platform for this evaluation consisted of a DPMS LoPro rifle (16” Bull Barrel), .223, an ACE ARFX Entry Stock, an EO Tech Optic, a Command Arms 6” four sided aluminum handguard with rails (M44SM) from Command Arms and a Bipod/Grip (PPGRIP) from Command Arms. This gun is my varmint/predator rifle and has been my designated hunting rifle for a year. It was never my intention to turn my hunting rifle into a tactical looking rifle, but these products make sense and they work.
Why did I change the original configuration? Well, I am short (5’8”) and my son who is 9 years old is following in my footsteps. I needed a short stock that we could both use and that I could shoot from a seated position in all directions (like turkey hunting). So came the ARFX Entry Stock from ACE. It fits us both and we both like it. Next, I broke the original glacier grips accidentally and wanted to put something else on the gun that would let me use a vertical grip. I realized that if I went with the complete rail system, I could put a light on the gun like my Colt (duty gun) has for night hunting in VA (NC does not allow night hunting). Finally, the PPGrip from Command Arms fit the vertical grip issue in a way that I had never imagined. A bipod in a grip, you bet. That rotates!
Prior to 2005, I had only used a vertical grip on an MP5 sub gun and had no idea that it would ever become the tool that it is today. In ’05, I was in Iraq as a contractor/operator with USDOJ and was exposed to the most elite fighting units in the world and some of the most respected mercenaries. All of them had one thing on their weapons, a vertical grip. After shooting their rifles, I understood the need for the grip and saw this concept as one that I would also embrace. When I came home, I continued to use the grip on my duty AR, but until now, never had it on my hunting rifle. Using a vertical grip, especially in the seated position (which I am in most of the time when coyote or fox hunting) it creates a “rock solid” platform to shoot from. In this configuration, the shooter can “tuck” his/her left elbow into the torso area creating a very sturdy shooting position in the standing position. I guess that I didn’t want my buddies picking on me for using a “tactical gun” for the little foxes and coyotes, but boy, do I like it. I hardly ever shoot my duty gun anymore, even for plinking. Using the vertical grip assures a super fast target acquisition and we all know that when that coyote steps out, he's only there for a couple of seconds, especially hunting in the East.
Why is the Command Arms Grip different? The PPGRIP is attached to the rail system using a new and innovative feature. It actually clamps on and has a nut that secures it solid to the rail system. If you have ever used another brand of vertical grip, you know that they all wiggle. Not this one. The grip is slightly larger than others and fits the hand perfectly. A push of a button deploys the bipod that lifts the gun up just enough for prone shooting, without being too high. The grip was very easy to install and has two springs on the inside to keep continuous tension on the attached areas making it “locked down”. Simply removing the nut with your fingers allows you to move the grip. This grip will also allow movement when the bipod is deployed, both left and right. It rotates until you stop, then if you pick the rifle up, the bipod resets itself under the gun at the point you are at.
The aluminum handguards were very easy to install, just like the old handguards, but were absolutely solid with no wiggle. The rails came with covers that are made specific to this system and fit snug to the rails. Now, should I wish to install a light or anything else, I can with no problem. They are also well vented and I haven’t had a heat problem with them.
If you are in the market for a nice rail system or a vertical grip that will last and not wiggle like an airsoft product, you owe it to yourself to take a look at CAA’s (PPGRIP) vertical bipod grip and the (M44SM) aluminum handguards.
I was very impressed with this system. If there is a downside, I understand that the military (Marine Corps) is buying 15,000 of these units to test in Iraq and Afghanistan, so there may be a wait. But, if you know Fobus and their reputation, these will become staples in the world of shooting.
HK SL8 and DPMS LoPro (Modified)
Company Images of CAA accessories
Duty Gun, Colt 6920 with Knight's Armament System
Dawgkiller
03/10/08
For more info:
http://www.commandarms.com
Command Arms Accessories
76 Vincent Circle
Ivyland, PA 18974
Phone: 267-803-1517
Fax: 267-803-1002
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