The Mako Group will soon release an accessory designed to bring a new level of safety to pistol-based carbines. The number of conversion or buttstock kits for pistols is increasing, and many of these conversions are designed for use with pistols that have no manual safety. While these pistols may be safely carried loaded and holstered, they are not safe to carry loaded and hanging from a sling where the trigger could easily be bumped.
The past solution has been to carry the pistol-based carbine with an empty chamber and then charge the weapon as it is brought into action. The weapon would then need to be cleared before it could be dropped to hang from a sling again.
The
FGG-K and FGG-S-KPOS provide a needed solution to this problem. The FGG-K is a folding foregrip designed to be attached to the rail on a semi-auto pistol's dust cover, forward of the trigger (see NFA info below). The FGG-K has an adjustable shield the covers the trigger of the pistol when extended and folded to prevent negligent discharges. With the FGG-K installed, pistols such as Glocks may be carried outside of a holster safely, as long as all firearm safety rules are followed. The front of the FGG-S includes a beavertail finger guard that not only protects the fingers from muzzle blast and helps prevent the hand from getting in front of the pistol's barrel, but also locks the hand in tight and gives a more secure grip on the weapon.
The FGG-S mounts on the pistol's rail and is locked in place with a screw which fits in a rail slot as well as tightening the sides of the grip against the rail. This system is used because flex in polymer frame pistols, especially Glocks, has been found to cause foregrips with quick-release mounting systems to slip off of pistols, causing injury to shooters.
When the grip is folded, the shield may be pulled back to cover the trigger, where it will lock in place. Pressing a button on each side of the grip simultaneously will allow the shield to snap forward under spring pressure. The grip is extended by simply swinging it down to lock in the vertical position. The shield can be retracted, or the grip can simply be unfolded without retracting the shield. Either way, the weapon is then ready for use.
To make the weapon safe again, push a button to fold the grip, then simply extend the shield if it was retracted.
Safety:
Pistols with buttstocks or carbine conversion systems are generally short. Often, the muzzle is just barely in front of the support hand. Extended barrels or suppressors are a good idea, as is the flashhider built into the KPOS. Regardless, shooters must pay special attention to the position of the hand at all times. When a foregrip is used on a pistol, the thumb should generally be wrapped around the back of the foregrip, not extended up next to the slide and muzzle. We recommend a lot of dry practice with any such system before live fire.
Legal:
Installing a buttstock on a pistol creates a short-barreled rifle, which is regulated under the National Firearms Act (unless a 16" or longer barrel is also installed). Before a stock may be installed, the pistol must be registered with the ATFE as an SBR using ATFE Form 1. Once a pistol is registered as an SBR, both a stock and a forward grip may be installed.
Installing only a forward grip (not a stock) on a pistol creates a weapon that the ATFE has determined to be an AOW based on their definition of a pistol. Before a foregrip may be installed on a pistol, the pistol must be registered either as an AOW or as an SBR using ATFE Form 1.
FGG-S-KPOS installed on a KPOS-equipped Glock. Folded and shield extended.
FGG-S-KPOS unfolded, shield retracted.