AR Sponsor
Posted: 12/23/2009 3:38:39 PM EDT
Thinking about getting one of these. Looks like the bipod may be a bit too high though. Can anyone give a brief review on if you like it or not?
http://www.grippod.com/index.html |
| To answer concerns from above post palmer. You asked a good question is the grip pod bipod too long for I assume you mean an ar 15 type rifle. I will try to answer your valid concern ,The grip pod had to overcome a military 30 round mag from monopoding and making the weapon unstable by being too short of a bipod. Thus we manufactured it to just clear a 30 round mag with bipod deployed .Furthermore when the military tested all known bipods for use on m16m4, m16a2,m16a4, weapons with very harsh testing for almost a year we won,,, and the U S Army ,U S Marine Corps, U S National Gurard, told us that they considered the military tested ,adopted, proven , Grip Pod to have a perfect command height and for us not to change it at all. Also to campare the deployed height of the grip pod to a popular harris 9to13 inch bipod, it is virtually the same height as this model harris without the harris legs extended. The super short harris which is the 6 to9 in you cannot use a 30 or possibly a 20 rd mag with the super short harris. In other words if you are going to be using 10 round mags only this might not work for you Thanks and hope this helps G.P.S SYSTEMS |
| Kaotic I would like to answer a few valid questions you have first you mention you would like rubber feet.. Most federal law enforcement agencies have adopted the Patented Grip Pod.. One of the federal agencies that have totally adopted the Grip Pod had a simular request and I told to try stick on felt on the bottom of the grip pods and they conveyed to me that it worked Perfect.. This agency somtimes shoots off car hoods and other slippery surfaces .. Furthermore you mention that the grip pod is slightly longer than some vertical for grips. This is true but if you consider it is actually about the same length as a surfire m900 flashlight grip and the surefire grip light has no bipod and weighs about 4 times more than the grip pod and costs virtually 4 times more .. and I have never heard anyone say the surfire m900 is too long .. The grip pod is a grip and a bipod and you can add a 1 ounce grip pod light rail to the grip pod and have a grip/bipod and a rear button light you activate by your support thumb. Also the grip pod grip is only about three quarter of an inch longer than a knights vertical forgrip with no bipod .And if you ad a bipod to the weapon you get many more inches hanging down from your forearm which is like hanging a pitch fork below you gun ,and as much as a couple of pounds extra as Grip Pod only weighs 6 ounces for the LE model and 7 ounces for the military issue grip pod Hope this helps answer concerns thanks for the interest G.PS. SYSTEMS |
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Ran it on my issued A4 with no problems, and it was quite useful in some situations in Iraq. I also liked the convenience of deploying the bipod and just being able to set the rifle on the ground w/o laying it on its side.
I even have one on my personal M4gery. |
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Kaotic I would like to answer a few valid questions you have first you mention you would like rubber feet.. Most federal law enforcement agencies have adopted the Patented Grip Pod.. One of the federal agencies that have totally adopted the Grip Pod had a simular request and I told to try stick on felt on the bottom of the grip pods and they conveyed to me that it worked Perfect.. This agency somtimes shoots off car hoods and other slippery surfaces .. Furthermore you mention that the grip pod is slightly longer than some vertical for grips. This is true but if you consider it is actually about the same length as a surfire m900 flashlight grip and the surefire grip light has no bipod and weighs about 4 times more than the grip pod and costs virtually 4 times more .. and I have never heard anyone say the surfire m900 is too long .. The grip pod is a grip and a bipod and you can add a 1 ounce grip pod light rail to the grip pod and have a grip/bipod and a rear button light you activate by your support thumb. Also the grip pod grip is only about three quarter of an inch longer than a knights vertical forgrip with no bipod .And if you ad a bipod to the weapon you get many more inches hanging down from your forearm which is like hanging a pitch fork below you gun ,and as much as a couple of pounds extra as Grip Pod only weighs 6 ounces for the LE model and 7 ounces for the military issue grip pod Hope this helps answer concerns thanks for the interest G.PS. SYSTEMS thanks for the clarification and that you've done research to address user "issues". i'm not using this in the field, for me, this was an affordable replacement for 2 items, a grip and a bipod, and it saves space and weight on my rifle. i really like your product and got a great price on them on eBay and will continue to purchase one for all future rifle purchases. thank you! |
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To answer concerns from above post palmer. You asked a good question is the grip pod bipod too long for I assume you mean an ar 15 type rifle. I will try to answer your valid concern ,The grip pod had to overcome a military 30 round mag from monopoding and making the weapon unstable by being too short of a bipod. Thus we manufactured it to just clear a 30 round mag with bipod deployed .Furthermore when the military tested all known bipods for use on m16m4, m16a2,m16a4, weapons with very harsh testing for almost a year we won,,, and the U S Army ,U S Marine Corps, U S National Gurard, told us that they considered the military tested ,adopted, proven , Grip Pod to have a perfect command height and for us not to change it at all. Also to campare the deployed height of the grip pod to a popular harris 9to13 inch bipod, it is virtually the same height as this model harris without the harris legs extended. The super short harris which is the 6 to9 in you cannot use a 30 or possibly a 20 rd mag with the super short harris. In other words if you are going to be using 10 round mags only this might not work for you Thanks and hope this helps G.P.S SYSTEMS I'd love to see one scaled back to clear a 20 round magazine for a DMR or scoped Recce! |
| I have a mako bipod grip, i like it but its really big and when deployed it splits in two and doesnt give you something to grasp other than the mag well. it is independantly adjustable with the legs giving some flexibility with uneven terrain. also has two pressure pad slots.but no doubt the grip pod is good. its all user preference. I have nothing bad to say about the grip pod as I have no experience with it. |
| Supplex you make a good point ,about the mako split in half grip, as you mention that there is no vertical forgrip to hold after you deploy it , and you have to hold on to the sharp legs . Also Federal agentcies that have adopted our grip pod conveyed to us that they tried the Mako but were not interested,, and among other problems found it virtually impossible to redeploy it under stess situations.. Many people have said the same thoughts as you on that problem with the mako as well as you said it is much bigger and almost twice the weight as the military adopted Grip Pod . We also have a model that has extendable legs but our most popular model is the non extendable leg model which the U S Military has totally adopted the Grip Pod G.P.S 02.... Furthermore we know of no military use or adoption of the mako grip possibly for the reasons you mentioned 23skidoo |
| I used to have a bi-pod and a forward grip. Now I have a Grip Pod and I love it! Actually I liked my short forward grip better than the long Grip Pod, but considering that I dont need my bi-pod anymore I can live with the length of the Grip Pod. Only drawback is that I have to remove it to put it in my guncase because of the length. I am interested in the light attachment for the Grip Pod. That would probably save even more space on my rail. 23skidoo do you have any more pictures of the Grip Pod with the flash-light attachment installed? Would greatly appreciate more intricate pics. GRIP PODS ROCK ! ! ! |
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I used to have a bi-pod and a forward grip. Now I have a Grip Pod and I love it! Actually I liked my short forward grip better than the long Grip Pod, but considering that I dont need my bi-pod anymore I can live with the length of the Grip Pod. Only drawback is that I have to remove it to put it in my guncase because of the length. I am interested in the light attachment for the Grip Pod. That would probably save even more space on my rail. 23skidoo do you have any more pictures of the Grip Pod with the flash-light attachment installed? Would greatly appreciate more intricate pics. GRIP PODS ROCK ! ! ! I completely agree with you, the US Army, US Marine Corps, US Navy and all of the other branches and agencies both foreign and domestic that have purchased and utilize the Grip Pod system. While many were skeptical when the Grip Pod was first introduced ("It's dumb." "It will never hold up in real use." "A plastic bipod? Yeah, right..." etc.) I can represent that not only are they very light weight and rugged, but they do in fact hold up extremely well under punishing, adverse conditions. We have completely replaced all of our traditional bipods with Grip Pods and we run them exclusively on our Shrike 5.56 machine guns as well as our Shrike AAR's. We also suggest them to all of our customers because of their strength-to-weight ratio and because they have performed so well for us. Entry level guys will try all kinds of gadgets and widgets, but you can't go wrong with Grip Pods if you are a serious shooter. And no, I don't work for Grip Pod; I'm just very satisfied with their product. 
Ares Defense Shrike AAR with Grip Pod. 
Unidentified operator firing his Shrike 5.56 / ARES-16 SPW compact belt fed with Grip Pod. All images copyright of Ares Defense Systems, Inc. |
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I have my 16" carbine set up with a Grip Pod and used it in a three day class with Randy Cain. As others have stated, it is longer and thicker than I would like it to be, IF it were only a grip. But since, it is a bi-pod too, I can live with the bulk. It works OK for me as a grip, but it excels as a stable, light bipod for the longer shots. In the class, no one could drop prone and get hits at 200 yards as fast as the two shooters (me and a friend) using the Grip Pod. In the CQB exercises it was fine as VFG, although we weren't clearing rooms or shooting in tight spaces. Some say it is prone to snagging but I had no issues.
On my SBR I use a Larue FUG as I don't see the need for the bipod, but I would be OK with the Grip Pod on there also. The feedback I have read from those that have used then in Iraq has ranged from positive to negative. Guys that loved them said they kept them clean and they worked well. Guys that didn't like them said they would fail to deploy when sand and grit built up. I suspect they just didn't take the two minutes it takes to break down and wipe the insides clean. My experience is limited to the range and classes. I like the stability it provides when zeroing irons or optics so my only concern is adjusting the sight POI. I find the Grip Pod to be very useful and durable. I wouldn't hesitate to put it on any AR-15/ 16" with Grip Pod 
Compare: 16" w/GPS and 10.5" w/GGG vfg (since replaced with stubby FUG) 
10.5" in current configuration 
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| To answer above post by Angel of Dealth ,,you mentioned that you would like to see some more pictures of the Grip Pod Lighlt Rail ,,go to www. Grippod.com which is our new web sight,, which will show other pictures of the Light Rail .. Hope this helps answer questions,. Thanks for the Interest G.P.S SYSTEMS |
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I've got the military GripPod and I love it! I've got several other VFG's, but the GripPod blows them away. I used mine recently to zero in my M4 w/ an Aimpoint COMP M2 and the GripPod was solid and allowed me to shoot a nice 1" group from 50M. I would highly recommend it... If it's good enough for our Marines and Soldiers; it's good enough for anyone.
Thanks to the makers of the GripPod for making such a great piece of gear! JD |
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There are two versions right? One with metal legs and one with plastic? Which one is the one that doesn't break if you look cross eyed at it? I got one of these my 1st tour in 06. Some of the problems were legs that wouldn't retract, legs that flat out broke, and sticky push buttons. We had plastic ones. I was always told that there were metal ones and they were better...but I've never seen them. We got a bunch from RFI for this tour. To be fair, the one private that has it likes it.
And guys honestly, saying (paraphrasing) "If its issued to our military, then it must be good enough" is flat out silly. You .mil guys know the crap that gets given out. Some stuff is crazy awesome, and some stuff is worthless. YMMV |
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The Grip Pod® is still the only weapon stabilization system to achieve total adoption by the U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. National Guard, U.S. Air Force, British Army, Special Operations Groups, FBI, DEA, U.S. Customs/Border Patrol, plus many federal and state law enforcement agencies. U.S. forces have procured over 950,000 Grip Pods since its adoption and we feel very honored that the fighting men of the U.S. Forces are using this item in combat every day and we believe that they are heroes.
In 2005, the U.S. Army at Picatinny Arsenal tested all known bipods in an open competition for use on the m16a2, m16m4, and m16a4, in CQB, medium, and long range applications. Very harsh testing was conducted for over 9 months. One of the many tests consisted of a m16m4 rifle equipped with 30-round full magazine, issued acog optic, peq4 IR laser, and bipod with fully opened legs was dropped from a height of over 4 feet onto concrete. Unlike the Grip Pod®, most of the bipods broke. The polymer Grip Pod® with stainless ,hardnened ,steel leg inserts, which is our GPS 02 Military Model, passed the drop test and only weighed 7 oz. It was the lightest of all the bipods in testing, with some weighing up to five times more. Also, the Army had used vertical foregrips on m16s for years finding that they absolutely aided the soldiers in CQB target acquisition. The Army decided that the conventional bipod was a problem when used with the vertical foregrip as one got in the way of the other, and increased weight beyond what was useful. Thus the Patented Grip Pod® prevailed against all other bipods and provided the U.S. Army with a dual-purpose, much stronger vertical foregrip and bipod all in one small light package which deployed with the push of a button. |
| so instead of responding to a question, you give me the brochure literature and then go take people pics off Arfcom pic threads? Nice. Telling me the military adopted this doesn't make it fool proof or even good. I can't tell you how much garbage I have been issued. I'm curious about the dozen or so that I've personally seen fail. This was in the 06-08 time frame. Has the product improved since then? |
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so instead of responding to a question, you give me the brochure literature and then go take people pics off Arfcom pic threads? Nice. Telling me the military adopted this doesn't make it fool proof or even good. I can't tell you how much garbage I have been issued. I'm curious about the dozen or so that I've personally seen fail. This was in the 06-08 time frame. Has the product improved since then? Yeah, the sales pitching going on in here is real thick. Not everyone, but a couple posters seem to be trying to pitch the item as well. And, I would agree that just because the military uses it, doesn't mean it's Gods gift. I did not know the problems with the plastic legs breaking. Thanks for the input! |
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so instead of responding to a question, you give me the brochure literature and then go take people pics off Arfcom pic threads? Nice. Telling me the military adopted this doesn't make it fool proof or even good. I can't tell you how much garbage I have been issued. I'm curious about the dozen or so that I've personally seen fail. This was in the 06-08 time frame. Has the product improved since then? Dear Sir, I am one of the owners of Grip Pod Systems, LLC. I cannot speak for other military items...But I can tell you that the Grip Pod was tested against the best offerings available, during two seperate U.S. Army contract solicitations and beat all other bipods/foregrips in the testing and evaluation by ARDEC (Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center) @ Picatinny Arsenal. Without envoking the story about the GI and the ball bearing...Keep in mind that the Grip Pod is a piece of kit that has been in combat use since late 2004. The Grip Pod is extremely strong from a load-bearing perspective. Even though we have seen and personally demonstrated the strength of the Grip Pods by standing on a weapon with a Grip Pod in place...It was designed to support the weight of man portable infantry weapons. The only expected breakage that one could see is from using the Grip Pod as landing gear...By this I mean, that an end user who deploys the Grip Pod legs and then slides into prone with the legs digging-in and then taking the forward motion force of a 180+ pound GI, including the additional weight from his gear, can & does damage M249 bipods that are manufactured from steel. I would expect a polymer Grip Pod to do the same. For a 7 ounce bipod that can withstand the standing weight of a 250+ pound human..I'd say we have made it darn strong. As far as the engress of fine sand and grit goes, the need to periodically clean items is to be expected of most weapons and accessories in the environments that you guys are fighting in. While Grip Pod cannot be everything to everyone...Over the years I have received many calls and emails from those risking their lives in foreign lands, thanking us for producing the Grip Pod. A SAW gunner once told me that he used the Grip Pod during the course of several deployments..Finally dropping the weapon from a wall and breaking a Grip Pod leg. While the U.S. Military considers the Grip Pod, model GPS-02 (MIL/SPEC) to be somewhat of a consumable item...We have replaced or repaired very, very few units otherwise. I will try to answer those questions here with regard to our products with honesty and intent to help. Joe G. / Grip Pod Systems, LLC |
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Joe - Thanks for a legitimate reply. I understand that we in the military put our equipment under stresses that they aren't designed for or our stuff gets beat on through deployments, training, etc. I was commenting on the fact that I have personally seen many Grip Pods break under....less than harsh circumstances. I didn't know if it was a bad batch, early design, or what.
Have you guys given any thought to making a smaller grip pod? The trend now is smaller VFG's. If I wanted to hang a bulky SF 900 off my M4, I would. But I don't...and I don't know many others that do after carrying it for a while and trying out the ergonomics. I think a smaller Grip Pod would have use. |
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Here is an old revied I did a few years ago. The one photo of me standing on my rifle I am a little over 220lbs. I havent broken one yet and with 4 years in the USMC I for one wished they were out when I was in!!!!!!
http://www.ar15.com/archive/topic.html?b=3&f=19&t=333804 Enjoy, Slug-O
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Joe - Thanks for a legitimate reply. I understand that we in the military put our equipment under stresses that they aren't designed for or our stuff gets beat on through deployments, training, etc. I was commenting on the fact that I have personally seen many Grip Pods break under....less than harsh circumstances. I didn't know if it was a bad batch, early design, or what. Have you guys given any thought to making a smaller grip pod? The trend now is smaller VFG's. If I wanted to hang a bulky SF 900 off my M4, I would. But I don't...and I don't know many others that do after carrying it for a while and trying out the ergonomics. I think a smaller Grip Pod would have use. Dear Scoutfsu99, Thank you for appreciating my reply. Just so you know, my business partner (23Skidoo) is a quality control maniac! He is also the conceiver of the Grip Pod System & considers it an extention of himself. A company could not ask for someone more diligent in making sure that the product is correct and at all times, meets the MIL./STD. Our manufacturing facility has stringent quality control checks also. For several years now, the Pods have been being manufactured at a very large rate of supply. I have personally performed many strength tests on the Grip Pod.....at one point, while trying to break one by slamming a rail mounted Grip Pod on my Colt M4 with KAC rail system into a non-skid work bench top so hard that I tore the bottom rail off of the gun. I have placed the legs in a mill vise and beat them with a 5 pound hammer just to find a breaking point. All this being said, I do not believe we've ever had a bad batch....Our Zytel is processed & purchased directly from Dupont. Perhaps one of the vertical foregrip manufactures put some voodoo on us. ;) Just so you do not think that I'm saying they do not break....I have seen some odd things...I recall one Grippod coming back to the factory with a foot that was broken off on a diagonal..Almost like it was stuck in a grate and twisted. We had a certain 3 letter group call to say that they barely touched one on a door jamb causing the legs to just fall off. After speaking to their supervisor, we found the truth was that the operator slipped on a wet floor and landed his large arse on the weapon. My partner and I have discussed making a shorter Grippod. We are just not sure how they would sell, if we spent the money to engineer and manufacture the molds and associated drawing & cooling fixtures necessary. One reason the mount portion of the Grip Pod is perhaps larger than most vertical grips is to keep a stand-off distance far enough away from the rail so that any appreciable amount of heat generated from a lengthy firefight does not cause the operator undue discomfort. The size of the Grippod's top portion is for strength. Years ago, while working as a design engineer at KAC, I heard a lot of grumblings from warfighters who were torquing their vertical foregrips off of the weapon rails while performing jabs, etc.. We will continue to discuss the production of a shorter Grippod....As long as people don't start yelling at us for then causing 30 rnd mags to monopod the weapon. Respectfully yours, Joe G. / Grip Pod Systems, LLC |
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so instead of responding to a question, you give me the brochure literature and then go take people pics off Arfcom pic threads? Nice. Telling me the military adopted this doesn't make it fool proof or even good. I can't tell you how much garbage I have been issued. I'm curious about the dozen or so that I've personally seen fail. This was in the 06-08 time frame. Has the product improved since then? I've used them in Iraq, Afghanistan and as OPFOR at Fort Irwin, dating all the way back to 2005, and I haven't seen any type of high breakage rate that you describe. Grip pod is a solid product. Now, do most Soldiers need a bipod on their M4? That's the question. |
| I would like to answer tankdawg0057,, reguarding your question. Does the all aluminium version of the grip pod weigh more than the other ones .Yes the GPS 01 all aluminium model does weigh more at 11 ounces, than all Grip Pods . As this was our first model adopted by the U S Army back in 04 and we no longer manufacture it .. Since 05 we evolved into 3 different models and all Grip Pods and now utilize mostly polymer construction to save weight and cost and not transmit heat , due to high volumns of fire.Currently our models are the flagship model , the Military G.P.S 02 ,which is all space age polymer except for stainless ,hardened,steel legs covered in polymer, this model weighs 7 ounces and is actually stronger than our all alluminium G.P.S 01 and can withstand over 200 pounds of weight directly on top of it ..We also market a G.P.S LE which is manufactured for law enforcement and is virtually a clone of the very strong G.P.S 02 except for the fact that it does not have the stainless, hardened ,steel legs but very strong space age polymer legs. The LE model Grip Pod is very popular with law enforcement as it only weighs 6 ounces and is more cost effective, as law enforcement does not need to be able to drop their rifles 4 plus feet on concrete with the bipod deployed like the miliary testing requires ..But the LE will withstand more abuse than most bipods in the market.. Our third model is the G.P.S 249/SAW model is as its name signifies, it is manufactured for the M249 light machinegun, and it is the same polymer grip as the above two models G.P.S 02 ,and LE but we utilized 7075t6 aluminium legs and encapuslator ring in its construction to further enhance it strength. As the 249 machinegun with a 200 round combat pack and IR lazer and optics can weigh up over 25 lbs .. J.R. Moody Co Owner Grip Pod Systems |
| I would like to respond to scoutfsu99 questions about the of the Military Grip Pod GPS 02 .We believe the grip pod G.P.S 02 is one of the strongest bipods made, especially for one that is only 7 ounces and includes a vertical for grip,. Thus we have never heard of any breakage problems and we have not changed the Military model G.P.S 02... Although I did get a very honest call from a soldier who used his M16m4 G.P.S.02 Grip pod on a m249 for a long time but said it broke ,, only after he had accidently left it on top of a humvee and fell off going down the hiway at a high speed .... Also I would like to ask You what other( Bipod )weighing many times more, can with stand an over 200 pound soldier standing on top of the weapon,, with bipod deployed .. Further more you ask why do we not make a shorter stubby model.. This is a good question but the real reason is the fact that we had to overcome a 30 round mag monopoding and making the weapon unstable when the weapon is sitting on the bipod and buttstock and the military does not issue 10 or 20 rd mags for the 16.. The Grip Pod Grip is only less than an inch longer than a popular knights grip with no bipod. In other words if you put a normal bipod and a vertical forgrip on a m16 you have a pictchfork hanging below your forend and vertical forgrip and about a pound and a half more weight than you need and a lot more cumbersome,. Whereas the Grip Pod is only 7 ounces for both..... Hope this helps J.R. Moody |
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hey 23skidoo,
i have a GripPod and i love it, but i do have one question. the ring at the bottom (right before the feet for the bipod), it tends to come loose on mine and i can spin/turn it easily. is that normal? since it's a synthetic material, what can i put in there to keep it from coming loose? thanks! |
| Kaotic the item you are talking about is the encapsulator ring at the bottom of the Grip Pod ,which holds the legs in extended position. Furthermore this ring is unscrewed for disassembly as it allows the operator to take the legs and piston in one assembly and spring out very easily and put them back in in reverse order .The design is such that it will only go together one correct way for simplicity. But to answer you first question Just tighten the ring with a channel lock pliers with leather or heavy matieral covering the polymer ring so it wont scratch the exterior. And you can just place the square top portion of the grip in a vise it does not have to be very tight or just shut it in a door to stablize the grip ,and tighten it just tight enough so you cant unscrew it by hand ,as it is a normal right hand thread it should not come loose. (Most important if you need to dissamble or assemble always leave the legs in the extended position not inside the grip ) we are always here for you guys and happy to help J.R. Moody G.P.S SYSTEMS |
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There are two versions right? One with metal legs and one with plastic? Which one is the one that doesn't break if you look cross eyed at it? I got one of these my 1st tour in 06. Some of the problems were legs that wouldn't retract, legs that flat out broke, and sticky push buttons. We had plastic ones. I was always told that there were metal ones and they were better...but I've never seen them. We got a bunch from RFI for this tour. To be fair, the one private that has it likes it. And guys honestly, saying (paraphrasing) "If its issued to our military, then it must be good enough" is flat out silly. You .mil guys know the crap that gets given out. Some stuff is crazy awesome, and some stuff is worthless. YMMV Chances are what happened with "my issued grip pod breaks / button sticks" guy is.......the Army got ripped off by a disreputable vendor. There are numerous unscrupulous tactical gear retailers that sell knockoff grip pods. Chances are the "purchaser" for the Army chose the "lowest bid" and that retailer happened to be selling knockoff grip pods. Sometimes the "purchasing" or "contracting" agents for the US Military don't do all the checks they really should to make sure they're dealing with reputable dealers (especially if it's a Civilian Contractor.....most military guys can attest to that). Since there were no MILSPEC inspection requirements (like there are on Trijicon ACOGs) at the time, nobody was the wiser, and the purchase went through for the knockoff grip pods. You got issued a cheap chinese knockoff grip pod (sold by a disreputable US retailer) and hence had lots of performance issues. A real Grip Pod doesn't have those types of quality issues. A real Grip Pod is well designed, constructed with high quality materials, and Made in the USA. ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––- Since this is my first post, here's the background on me. I am a tactical gear store owner. I'm also in the National Guard (combat arms MOS) and have prior service active duty time (82nd Airborne DIV). I recently got back from a tour in Iraq in the Basrah region. When I left for Iraq there were several products that I wanted to test from my store. The Grip Pod was one of them (along with an ACOG, a Benchmade knife, a Laser Devices laser, and a couple of other things) so I brought them along with me. The Grip Pod I brought was the GPS-02 series (the one with the metal in the legs). It performed great throughout the tour. I did have to clean the Grip Pod once or twice in the 1 year tour due to the large number of sandstorms in the region (but I had to clean my rifle a couple of times per week if not more). The Grip Pod is really easy to break down and clean (it took me about 2 minutes from start to finish). The Grip Pod performed beyond all my expectations. It not only was great bipod for the prone position, but I also used the bipod in the kneeling position (sitting on the 4th point of contact with one knee up). On top of that it was extremely useful in keeping my weapon out of the dirt. Instead of setting the weapon down on the sand I just did a quick pop with the bipod and let the weapon rest on that. It saved me countless hours of extra cleaning on my M-4. My Grip Pod is currently sitting on my civilian M-4 carbine and will be coming with me the next time I deploy to Iraq or Afghanistan. ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––- As far as the "plastic" legs GPS-LE and "steel supported" legs GPS-02 goes: The real deal is that BOTH will do equally well on a rifle. The difference is load capacity between the two Grip Pods. The GPS-LE is rated to 180 lbs and the GPS-02 is rated to 300 lbs. Since you're not likely to be standing on your rifle anytime soon, the load rating for the GPS-LE should be just fine. If you are DEPLOYING to Iraq or Afghanistan, I would change that recommendation to the GPS-02. There's no teling when something heavy might fall on your weapon in a combat environment. The GPS-02 is rated to handle more heavy duty combat use. For the extra $50 or so it's best to get the heavier duty version. There is also an all metal SAW version, but I only recommend that for SAWs, M240s, and other light and medium fully automatic machine guns (where the all metal construction is built to handle heavy repeated recoil from fully automatic weapons). ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––- I have the owner of Grip Pod Systems (who already posted a couple of times in this forum) sending me a couple of the fake knockoff chinese grip pods that were confiscated from another retailer. I'll be doing a "compare side by side analysis" video on YouTube about the real VS fake versions. Rest assured there are significant performance differences between the real and the fake versions. Unfortunately from the "outside" the real and fake versions look very similar. That leads a lot of people to think that a fake knockoff chinese grip pod they bought "for a great deal" is a REAL Grip Pod. Hopefully this video will promote some more awareness on how to tell the differences between the Real Grip Pods and the fakes. There is an actual "user" generated Real VS Fake comparison video on the Grip Pod Website (the videos are down at the bottom left of the page): http://www.grippod.com/gallery.html ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––- I hope this post was some good info. I hate to see people get ripped off by unscrupulous dealers. It gives the real good dealers a bad name. Remember when you buy online "do your homework" by checking Merchant Reviews and the Better Business Bureau! Matt Warner MWS LLC Owner National Guard Soldier |
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^^^
Great info., thanks. I decided to try [a GPS-02] because it fits my rifle's configuration better than a normal bipod would (it's not a precision AR but has a free-floated barrel). I was fortunate enough to get a good deal on a real one (verified by the video posted above). It will be great at the range (I'm a civvy) and I hope to give it a shot in a carbine class. It feels very well constructed and well worth what I paid for it. Gratuitous pic: 
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Quoted:
^^^ Great info., thanks. I decided to try [a GPS-02] because it fits my rifle's configuration better than a normal bipod would (it's not a precision AR but has a free-floated barrel). I was fortunate enough to get a good deal on a real one (verified by the video posted above). It will be great at the range (I'm a civvy) and I hope to give it a shot in a carbine class. It feels very well constructed and well worth what I paid for it. Gratuitous pic: http://www.unr.nevada.edu/~kwilkin/DSCN0984.JPG That's a free floated barrel? |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
^^^ Great info., thanks. I decided to try [a GPS-02] because it fits my rifle's configuration better than a normal bipod would (it's not a precision AR but has a free-floated barrel). I was fortunate enough to get a good deal on a real one (verified by the video posted above). It will be great at the range (I'm a civvy) and I hope to give it a shot in a carbine class. It feels very well constructed and well worth what I paid for it. Gratuitous pic: http://www.unr.nevada.edu/~kwilkin/DSCN0984.JPG That's a free floated barrel? Yes. DD Omega rail. |
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