GripShot?

[RX-178]

Now, this is one of those products that I'm not sure exactly where it belongs. It mounts on a rifle or carbine, so I'm going to consider it a rifle accessory and put it here.

http://www.gripshot.net

It's basically a device that allows you to mount a BlackHawk SERPA holster to the forend of your rifle.

Shortcomings of the SERPA design aside, I'm personally not sold on the idea of performing weapon transitions this way, or looking forward to handling my rifle with the extra weight of a handgun stuck to the front of it.

BUT, I'm still drawn to this product for one reason: I keep a rifle dedicated as my truck/trunk/vehicle gun. I already tend to keep as much ammunition as I can mounted on the rifle, with buttstock mag pouches, redi-mag, etc, not for ease of reloading, as much as just being able to keep ammo on the weapon without having an extra bag of loaded magazines to keep track of.

Using this device, I could basically keep a rifle, pistol, and extra mags all in an essentially self-contained unit that I could toss in the trunk when going off someplace. I find that thought at least somewhat appealing.

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

Wouldn't that make your pistol a SBR like the Masterkey makes your shotgun a SBS, or would the pistol not being permanantely attached make it ok?

 

[Andrew Wyatt]

because i've always wanted to lose both my guns at the same time.

 

[USAF_Vet]

I drilled in long arm to side arm transitions a lot of times, like to the point where it took virtually no time. I don't see the advantage to mounting a pistol holster to the side of a rifle that I would essentially drop if I had to go to the pistol.

Why did we develop a lightweight battle rifle only to weigh it down with silly products like this?

 

[ny32182]

I didn't watch their video, but the picture looks like they suggest using it to mount a tazer, so I guess the advantage for someone such as the cops is that they would be able to deploy the less-lethal tazer without taking their rifle off target.

If that is not the idea I can't imagine that anyone would find that useful.

 

[Effigy]

Yeah, it seems like a gimmick except maybe in the tazer example.

 

[USAF_Vet]

they would be able to deploy the less-lethal tazer without taking their rifle off target.

If there is enough threat to keep a lethal weapon aimed at the target, opting for a less lethal solution doesn't make a lot of sense.

I haven't watched the video, but in the photo gallery it looks like they still have to draw the sidearm/ taser from the holster to fire it. If it was able to be fired from the holstered position, it might prove to be more useful in that aspect.

 

[Andrew Wyatt]

"Using this device, I could basically keep a rifle, pistol, and extra mags all in an essentially self-contained unit that I could toss in the trunk when going off someplace. I find that thought at least somewhat appealing."
Here's something that'll do that for about half the cost.

 

[ny32182]

I won't pretend to know police tactics, but from the many videos out there, it seems like most of the time they are tazing someone, they have two or three cops around, and all the ones that aren't using the tazer have their firearms drawn.

 

[HorseSoldier]

because i've always wanted to lose both my guns at the same time.

This.

I drilled in long arm to side arm transitions a lot of times, like to the point where it took virtually no time.

And this.

Why did we develop a lightweight battle rifle only to weigh it down with silly products like this?

And this.

I won't pretend to know police tactics, but from the many videos out there, it seems like most of the time they are tazing someone, they have two or three cops around, and all the ones that aren't using the tazer have their firearms drawn.

I don't think anyone associated with Risk Management will sign off on the idea of a weapon set up where a guy under stress has both a lethal and less lethal system in the same package pointed at a bad guy. The reason other guys have lethal weapons drawn when using a taser is to overwatch the taser armed officer. In a dynamic situation you don't want a properly trained guy with lots of AR muscle memory providing his own overwatch. A mistake will eventually happen.

BUT, I'm still drawn to this product for one reason: I keep a rifle dedicated as my truck/trunk/vehicle gun. I already tend to keep as much ammunition as I can mounted on the rifle, with buttstock mag pouches, redi-mag, etc, not for ease of reloading, as much as just being able to keep ammo on the weapon without having an extra bag of loaded magazines to keep track of.

To each their own, but I'd recommend dropping your butt stock pouch or readi-mag -- if 30 in the gun plus a spare immediately available isn't enough for you, you've made some seriously poor lifestyle decisions leading up to that moment. Get a modest sized go bag for your pistol, another couple AR mags if you think you need them, plus other essentials (minimal first aid, flash light, couple power bars and a bottle of water) and you've got a get out of dodge/get back to dodge kit that isn't hard to keep up with and doesn't compromise your weapons' employment by chunking them up.

 

[Ro1911]

Ok first i love it, but only for entry teams and other short intense ops.

Second it's not an sbr because it's not in a fireable condition, with the Serpa you can't fire in the holster. Other holsters might be verboten with this system.

I looked all this up a while back because I was wanting to know if it was legal use a pistol as a vertical grip, I saw some Israelis doing it and thought, I could do that.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

Why did we develop a lightweight battle rifle only to weigh it down with silly products like this?

LOL, light weight rifles are what make this sort of thing realistically possible. Being lightweight means you have a variety of additional options open to you, not that you are not limited by only those things that are light weight.

With that said, this is not how I would do it if I was going to do something like that.

 

[RX-178]

because i've always wanted to lose both my guns at the same time.

I don't keep a rifle in the car 24/7. That's exactly why this product has some appeal to me. Without the buttstock mag pouches, redimag, and potentially, this GripShot, it would take me multiple trips from the house to the car to get all the danged stuff into the trunk. And at that point, I tend to just not bother.

To me, that's rather akin to not putting your carry gun on because it's too hard to get the holster onto your belt. (And no, that's not an exaggerated example, I had this Springfield OEM holster from Fobus that fit my belt so tightly it took a ridiculous amount of effort to slide it on.)

 

[Andrew Wyatt]

Lets say you're actually using the Gun.

Now, i take the gun with the grip shot away from you. Now i have both your guns.


Now, lets assume you picked up a nice rifle case with external pockets for gear, and you put a chest holster, or some web gear with extra magazines and a pistol and holster in the pocket. you go to use it, and you put on the web gear.

I take the rifle away from you.

Now what happens?

 

[Chris Rhines]

This is the worst idea I've seen all week. Seriously.

If you want to keep all your gun stuff together, put it all in the same bag.

-C

 

[Ro1911]

I wouldn't and don't just carry one pistol I think this would be a great place for a back up pistol(like a light weight nine or 357 snubbie). You know something small yet big enough to save your life, I'm not saying everyone would like it or be fast with it but I think I do and I would be fast with it.

 

[RX-178]

Lets say you're actually using the Gun.

Now, i take the gun with the grip shot away from you. Now i have both your guns.

I'll refer to here, and I apologize for not being clear about this.

Shortcomings of the SERPA design aside, I'm personally not sold on the idea of performing weapon transitions this way, or looking forward to handling my rifle with the extra weight of a handgun stuck to the front of it.

Two points I'd like to make. I personally do not envision ever taking my carry gun off of my belt, so any use of the Gripshot that would apply to me personally, would be on a second handgun that I don't carry every day.

Now, lets assume you picked up a nice rifle case with external pockets for gear, and you put a chest holster, or some web gear with extra magazines and a pistol and holster in the pocket. you go to use it, and you put on the web gear.

If I have time to put the web gear on, I certainly have time to take the SERPA holster off of the rifle, and put it on my belt. And I certainly would. I even intend on taking my spare magazines off of the rifle and putting them in pouches if I had the time. But I don't keep much in the way of web gear in the car, nor do I intend on taking a lot of web gear to and from the car when I use it.

All I see this as, is making it a lot easier to keep track of my gear, and for taking my gear to and from the car when I go out further than a trip to the convenience store.

 

[jerkface11]

Why not just put the holstered handgun in the side pocked of the rifle case?

 

[RX-178]

It's in the side pocket of the rifle bag right now, actually.

I just don't find either weapon to be easily accessable if I sling the rifle case over my shoulder.

 

[Andrew Wyatt]

The handgun you're not going to take off your belt will be easily accessable.

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

I didn't watch their video, but the picture looks like they suggest using it to mount a tazer, so I guess the advantage for someone such as the cops is that they would be able to deploy the less-lethal tazer without taking their rifle off target.

Cops have had enough problems shooting people with their live handguns when they meant to deploy their taser (using separate platforms). This sounds like an accident waiting to happen.

 

[USAF_Vet]

LOL, light weight rifles are what make this sort of thing realistically possible. Being lightweight means you have a variety of additional options open to you, not that you are not limited by only those things that are light weight.

Light weight rifles make things like this possible, but that was not the reason for the light weight rifle. I don't know your background, specifically if you've ever had to carry a rifle and assorted gear in combat. I have. For me, when manipulating a weapon in combat, the least amount of gadgets and gizmos hung on the front of it (read added weight that doesn't provide additional accuracy or reliability) the better. A lightweight battle rifle is supposed to be just that. When you take a 7 pound rifle and add another 3 or 4 pounds of stuff to it, much of it on the front end, it wrecks any balance, and makes it more difficult to point the muzzle at your target.

If I wanted to carry a heavy rifle into battle, I would have opted for the M1 garand or a mosin nagant.

A product like this has no use for me because it goes against every bit of transition training I've ever had.

 

[RX-178]

The handgun you're not going to take off your belt will be easily accessable.

And in the summertime, that's possibly a Makarov, or a Kel-Tec PF-9.

The one on the rifle would be a USP .45.

 

[hardluk1]

Let turn a 8+lb rifle into a 10+lb , a ,a, cluster f. I'llcarry my pistol no extra weight on rifle

 

[Double Naught Spy]

Light weight rifles make things like this possible, but that was not the reason for the light weight rifle.

The "reason" for the lightweight rifle in question isn't material to the current situation. Lots of things were invented, designed, or developed with one thing in mind (the "reason") only to have them find niches elsewhere. Design intent is the starting point, not the end.