I just wanted to share my thoughts and get some of yours on handstop techniques.
I just received an IWC handstop for my moe hg and was experimenting with different mounting points. I tried the standard 6 oclock with my nose picker wrapped around the front lip of the moe and two fingers in front of the hs. This method was not very comfortable between my fingers but did give some leverage.
Next I mounted it at 9 o’clock and it felt a little more comfortable but did not give me any leverage like the first method.
So I tried something I hadn’t seen before and added a vfg at 6 in conjunction with the hs at 9.
This way seems the most comfortable but I will need to bore the slots out a bit to get the accessories in the right spot.
I’m curious if anyone has tried this before or have any other suggestions.
FWIW I generally shoot my moed middy as far forward a possible with the stock 1 click in from full extension, weak elbow slightly bent, strong elbow straight down. The only time I beercan my vfg is when I’m shooting prone.
What’s your technique and why? Any apparent downsides to my technique?
While the AFG is far from a handstop I do use it as such to a certain degree. I have and AFG on my 5.56 SBR, my 16" 6.8SPC and my 18" 308 Mega MA Ten Mono. I have my AFG as far forward as possible (enough room to mount my Atlas bipod on the 6.8 and 308) with just enough rail for my first finger. I place my index finger just forward of the HS portion of the AFG so that I can pull back into my shoulder. On my wife’s AR with MOE handguards I place my index finger on the lower lip like shown in OP.
On the second pic I have modified down my AFG (still more to mod for direct bolt up for Rainier Evo rail on my upcoming build) so that it allows for just the needed real estate for my hand.
Like I said, the AFG is not a HS, and I have not had the opportunity to use one. Caveat is that with my new build I’ve been toying with the idea of getting a IWC HS and running with just index finger forward. With my AFGs I know this index finger forward hold allows me the best weapons manipulaiton.
I like your alteration to the AFG and use it the same way. I’ve been wanting to buy another AFG (the one on the shotgun is permanently mounted) just to butcher it. The rear 1/3 or so is useless to me.
If I’m not mistaken I think this is why Larue sells them is sets of 2, 1 for the 6 and 1 for 3 or 9. Larue’s are a bit more rounded making them more comfortable to the end user.
I dont know check them out.
I’ve actually moved to handstops or nothing, but the HS is all the way to the rear, where the meaty part of my hand going towards the pinky finger is resting against an edge of the hand stop, not even the flat part going forward. Still useful against a barrier, and I can also go to a barrier bracing grip grabbing the back side of the hand stop with it, but I find it’s sufficiently useful as just a reference point for consistency - this may change if I move away from thumb slightly over, but I doubt that will change significantly.
Surf that’s about the same road I traveled. But I never could get used to the AFG even after I chopped it up. Sold it soon after I bought it. Went to nothing and now I use a cut stubby again. Looking at hand stops again.
My M4’s are slick as well. I’ve tried just about everything out there and now run the same VTAC Alpha rail (though in different lengths). Less is often more.
