Knight
04-22-2010, 8:53 PM
Like most Magpul products, I wasn't too concerned that their latest offering, the MVG (MOE Vertical Grip), would be in any way disappointing. With a suggested price of $20, what you get is a simple, no-frills hunk of plastic that juts down from your MOE handguard.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v221/KnightForums/CA-AR/MVGReview005.jpg
Front of the instruction manual that comes with the grip.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v221/KnightForums/CA-AR/MVGReview004.jpg
Instructions were clear and very easy to understand, which was nice even for an easy-to-install product like this.
The kit comes in a plastic bag, and consists of instructions, the grip, and all the necessary mounting hardware. The grip itself is fairly simple in appearance, with the three letters "MOE" printed on one side and "MVG" on the other. The grip texture is identical to that found on the MIAD/MOE pistol grips.
Installation was straightforward, with one small issue that made it a bit of a pain. The kit comes with a 1/8" allen-head screw w/blue Loctite already on the threads, a washer, a threaded metal rectangular plate called the "weld nut", and the grip itself. All you have to do to install the grip is to remove the lower half of the MOE handguard, place the MVG in the desired position, then run the screw/washer through the bottom of the grip and into the weld nut that rests inside the handguard. Then tighten it down, and you're done.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v221/KnightForums/CA-AR/MVGReview001.jpg
A look inside the handguard.
The "tighten it down" part was where I had trouble. I only had standard allen wrenches on-hand, and the length of the grip meant that the entire allen wrench was swallowed up inside the grip while I was tightening it. This meant I had to use a pair of needle-nose pliers to grip the tip of the wrench and turn it inside the grip. Needless to say, this problem would be easily solved if I had a longer 1/8" allen wrench on-hand. That was the only problem I encountered during installation.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v221/KnightForums/CA-AR/MVGReview002.jpg
Trust me, that screw is down there.
Once installed, the grip itself is rock-solid and does not budge. The MOE handguard itself, however, is another story. I noticed that when using the thumb-break hold ("as taught by Magpul Dynamics":D ), the lower half of the handguard itself would shift back ever so slightly. Not enough for it to be called overly sloppy, but it was a bit unnerving at first. I'll have to see how this affects my shooting to see if it's really a problem or not. My initial reaction is that while it's slightly annoying, I can't really complain for what essentially amounts to a $50 handguard/vertical grip combo.
I'll update this when I take my AR out shooting again and put it through its paces.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v221/KnightForums/CA-AR/ARV2003.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v221/KnightForums/CA-AR/MVGReview005.jpg
Front of the instruction manual that comes with the grip.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v221/KnightForums/CA-AR/MVGReview004.jpg
Instructions were clear and very easy to understand, which was nice even for an easy-to-install product like this.
The kit comes in a plastic bag, and consists of instructions, the grip, and all the necessary mounting hardware. The grip itself is fairly simple in appearance, with the three letters "MOE" printed on one side and "MVG" on the other. The grip texture is identical to that found on the MIAD/MOE pistol grips.
Installation was straightforward, with one small issue that made it a bit of a pain. The kit comes with a 1/8" allen-head screw w/blue Loctite already on the threads, a washer, a threaded metal rectangular plate called the "weld nut", and the grip itself. All you have to do to install the grip is to remove the lower half of the MOE handguard, place the MVG in the desired position, then run the screw/washer through the bottom of the grip and into the weld nut that rests inside the handguard. Then tighten it down, and you're done.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v221/KnightForums/CA-AR/MVGReview001.jpg
A look inside the handguard.
The "tighten it down" part was where I had trouble. I only had standard allen wrenches on-hand, and the length of the grip meant that the entire allen wrench was swallowed up inside the grip while I was tightening it. This meant I had to use a pair of needle-nose pliers to grip the tip of the wrench and turn it inside the grip. Needless to say, this problem would be easily solved if I had a longer 1/8" allen wrench on-hand. That was the only problem I encountered during installation.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v221/KnightForums/CA-AR/MVGReview002.jpg
Trust me, that screw is down there.
Once installed, the grip itself is rock-solid and does not budge. The MOE handguard itself, however, is another story. I noticed that when using the thumb-break hold ("as taught by Magpul Dynamics":D ), the lower half of the handguard itself would shift back ever so slightly. Not enough for it to be called overly sloppy, but it was a bit unnerving at first. I'll have to see how this affects my shooting to see if it's really a problem or not. My initial reaction is that while it's slightly annoying, I can't really complain for what essentially amounts to a $50 handguard/vertical grip combo.
I'll update this when I take my AR out shooting again and put it through its paces.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v221/KnightForums/CA-AR/ARV2003.jpg