People say Guntube is dying, but I can’t help thinking maybe it is dying because one person has an opinion and then ten other people in the space make videos about it. Sometimes that can lead to good discussion, but when it’s on the subject of vertical grips on rifles, all I can think is “Who the hell cares?”
Apparently I do, because, well, I watched a lot of those videos. I’m part of the problem, clearly, but I still think as a culture we can do a little better.
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Lucas Botkin made a video on AR setups where he mentioned he doesn’t use a vertical grip. He explained why, and this started a big debate online. Lucas even made a second video to address the ensuing vertical grip war. He even seems a bit perplexed that this debate started over such a small piece of gear.
The Vertical Grip War
With that said, there are good points on both sides, but I don’t want to get into the vertical grip debate. I’d rather discuss this part of internet gun culture because it annoys me. A vertical grip is this tiny little stupid thing we attach to a rail; why are we spending time arguing about it?
You have the power to settle the debate right now, for yourself. It’s super easy. Get a vertical grip, or get rid of a vertical grip. Go out to the range, shoot a drill that has an accuracy and time standard.
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Does having a vertical grip impact your accuracy or speed? Does not having a vertical grip impact your accuracy or speed? If it helps, keep it. If it doesn’t, ditch it. That’s our first data point.
Second, do you need the vertical grip for a specific reason? I don’t often use one, but when I take a class you’ll see me with one. Why? Well, my left shoulder is shot. Doc says I have arthritis worse than 75-year-old men. When shooting for eight hours in a class, the vert grip allows me to keep going without being in pain.
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Maybe your gun is uber small, with not much of a handguard; then yeah, a vertical grip works quite well. Examine an actual need for the grip versus a want for it. That’s our second data point.
Third, how do you use your gun? A competition shooter, home defender, casual plinker, etc has different needs than a cop or infantryman. A vertical grip is great if you have to go on a long patrol, or have to stand around for hours cradling a rifle. It’s a niche use case, but hey, I liked the vertical grip when that was my use case.
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Gather Your Data Points
Take all your data points, or make up your own, and figure out if you want or need a vertical grip. The good news is that no one’s forcing you one way or another. If all your data points say the vertical grip is a worse option, but you decide to keep it, who the hell cares?
At least you know if it works or not.
A lot of this falls down to something Jeff Cooper said decades ago. He called it a Preoccupation With Inconsequential Increments. It seems like gun culture hasn’t changed all that much. We still get obsessed with these largely inconsequential increments.
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What matters more than what your gun looks like or what attachments look like is what your target looks like. Are you making effective hits? Are you able to do it quickly? If not, experiment and adjust and train until you are.
We have a lot of expertise for free on the internet. Lucas Botkin puts out a lot of good information, but that doesn’t mean you have to take everything he says as some kind of gospel. You don’t have to take anyone’s advice as gospel. If you think they are a good source of information, then test their advice; see if it works.
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Off The Internet – On The Range
The best thing for all of us is to get off the internet and on the range. Test guns and gear, and see if you are capable of making hits at varying distances under time constraints. These aren’t things that you can’t solve for yourself. Don’t see an influencer’s opinions as a challenge to you personally; see it as a challenge to go test your stuff and see if it works.
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