Handguards, foregrips and gloves

TRaTSeRiF

TRaTSeRiF

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Hey guys.. A couple of gear-related questions regarding equipment in the context of action shooting..

1) When it comes to long gun rigs, most of the good guys I've seen would rock a very thin handguard, while foregrips and AFG's have been more popular for "tactical" uses.. I just wanted to know why.. Here's the WAG of a guy relatively new to action shooting: Thin handguards make for faster handling in the few seconds that a typical stage should take, while foregrips mostly help reduce fatigue during much longer engagements. True/false and what are your thoughts?

2) I've seen good guys go both bare-handed and with gloves. What's the deal with that? Do gloves give you a better grip? Any concerns with reduced trigger feel? I'd like to hear the thoughts of people who have tried both and why they chose what they chose.

Thanks for the tips ladies and gents.
 
1) Who are the "good guys" you've "seen"? Why not ask them about their handguard choice? To me it is kind of like cyclists worrying about one frame that is 3 oz lighter than another - for all but the top 1% it really doesn't make a whole hell of a lot of difference. If you are at the point where a thin handguard or AFG will make a difference in a competition, you already know the answer to your questions.

2) I'd only use gloves if the conditions demand it. Even in the coldest of competitions, I will leave my gloves on till the last minute and then drop them knowing I only have to worry about 100 seconds or so of exposure. If I were you though I'd practice with and without gloves at various temperatures and see what works best for you. You'd be surprised how quickly you lose feeling and dexterity in your fingers when holding onto steel or aluminum in -20 deg C weather.
 
Truly depends on your level of operator status.
All the equipment mentioned can be deemed value added force multipliers that can reduce the cone of deviation while engaging any target matrix you find in a diversified target environment.

(sorry, just watched a few Dynamic Pie Concepts vids on youtube. Those guys are hilarious)

Real answer, whatever makes you more efficient at scoring points during a course of fire.
All the "good guys" I know have very simple and basic equipment setups as the more you add, the more can get in your way when going fast while on the clock.

Gloves, only person I know that wears gloves (actually a glove) does so for shotgun due to the way he reloads.
Ends up grabbing the barrel and doesn't want to burn his hand.
 
Thanks for the heads up. The more I think about it the less I'm inclined to complicate things.. Never fired a single round with a glove on and I don't do any shooting in war-zones. Adding an foregrip to either my rifle or my mini-rifle would involve a bit of a hassle and I'm not seeing any benefits for running a stage. Add to that the fact that changing things impedes the training temporarily.... Just wanted to check if there were any benefits to gloves or foregrips I'm missing. Mostly for IPSC handgun/rifle/shotgun/minirifle with a bit of 3gun.
 
I started shooting CQB with the Borden Crowd a couple of years ago, and ran a straight-from-the-box AR-15. No gizmos, not even a fancy sight. I scored in the middle of the pack my first summer out.

A lot of the guys that scored well didn't have much more on their guns than me, except most had put on a sight of some sort (lots of red-dots).

The Service Rifle Forum (found right under this one in the forum index) is a great place to ask about handguards and other tactical stuff. But a lot of the responses to a question just like yours will (sensibly) be; take what you have out shooting, and see what you can do to improve *your* game. Don't spend a lot of money on anything before you have spent a lot of money on ammo and trips to the range.

Also, check out what other guys are running, and ask them why.

I don't have much to add to the gloves discussion. I grew up in the North, and didn't own a set of winter gloves for 20 years. I own a pair now because I am 40, and turning a bit soft; I need to wear them when it is -30 out.
 
pauls said:
Truly depends on your level of operator status.
All the equipment mentioned can be deemed value added force multipliers that can reduce the cone of deviation while engaging any target matrix you find in a diversified target environment.
Click to expand...
LOL! Awesome line, Paul. Gotta remember that. See you Saturday.
 
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