Foregrip

A foregrip or vertical foregrip is a pistol grip type forestock on the front of a firearm that not only improves handling characteristics and counters the effects of recoil, but is also cooler to the touch than a standard forestock. A vertical foregrip allows for a more comfortable and ergonomic hold of a firearm, theoretically reducing user fatigue and resulting in far more controllable automatic fire. Also, as the pistol grip is further away from the barrel than a standard forestock it is cooler to the touch, making the firearm easier to handle as it overheats. Some firearms feature a vertical foregrip, such as the Thompson submachine gun and the Heckler & Koch MP5K. It can also be incorporated in some firearms on a Picatinny rail as part of a Rail Integration System.

British soldier with a Thompson submachine gun.

H&K MP5K with vertical foregrip.

A Romanian soldier with a locally-built version of the AKM.

M4A1 Modular Weapons System carbine with M1913 rails on upper receiver and foregrip. This weapon uses the Picatinny rail system.

See also

• Vertical forward grip