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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

Knight
04-22-2010, 8:54 PM
Reserved for review update

gatdammit
04-22-2010, 9:34 PM
nice rifle... question: do they got lefty lowers?

k3nnex
04-22-2010, 9:46 PM
not bad for the price, but not my style.

shark92651
04-23-2010, 7:09 AM
Another requirement for full membership in the "MAN" club is to own at least one ratcheting screw driver and a set of hex allen bits to go along with the flat, phillips, torx, and square drive bits. :D

I agree the MOE handguard + MVG combo is a great bang for the buck. I like the thumb break method with this setup - very comfortable.

zman
04-23-2010, 7:20 AM
Nice review!

Is it the photo or is the MVG color/finish different from the MOE HG?

Also, when are the other colors coming out? I need an OD Green :)

evidens83
04-23-2010, 7:36 AM
Nice review and pics. I love my RVG. Very comfortable and solid built as well.

Knight
04-23-2010, 3:05 PM
Another requirement for full membership in the "MAN" club is to own at least one ratcheting screw driver and a set of hex allen bits to go along with the flat, phillips, torx, and square drive bits. :D

I agree the MOE handguard + MVG combo is a great bang for the buck. I like the thumb break method with this setup - very comfortable.

My dad has a full set of tools that I usually borrow on the bigger projects, but for this one I was too impatient to drive to his place and decided to try it with the limited tools on hand. When I get my own place, you're right , a wider array of tools would definitely help.

I suppose I should mention that most of the stuff on that gun, including the upper and all the MOE gear was bought off of your site Shark. Keep up the good work, you guys run a great shop.

Is it the photo or is the MVG color/finish different from the MOE HG?

Also, when are the other colors coming out? I need an OD Green :)

I actually didn't notice it before, but now that you mention it, it's actually the MOE handguard that is slightly lighter in color than the stock, grip, and MVG. I honestly didn't notice until you pointed it out. It's not as bad as pictured though, the flash exaggerated the difference a bit.

As for the other colors, I'm not sure. I did a brief Google search and couldn't find anything on it. I can't imagine it being too far off.

zman
04-23-2010, 3:46 PM
I actually didn't notice it before, but now that you mention it, it's actually the MOE handguard that is slightly lighter in color than the stock, grip, and MVG. I honestly didn't notice until you pointed it out. It's not as bad as pictured though, the flash exaggerated the difference a bit.

As for the other colors, I'm not sure. I did a brief Google search and couldn't find anything on it. I can't imagine it being too far off.

Good to know. Thanks!

Greg-Dawg
04-23-2010, 3:59 PM
I like the looks of LaRue better, works for me.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v171/Gregdog/Pin%20Ups/LatestAR15007.jpg

Plisk
04-23-2010, 5:34 PM
The allen problem you had is the same one I got when I did my first build for screwing in my pistol grip screw, It wasn't a flathead one. I had to run down to Ace Hardware and find extra long allens. PITA, but worth it in the end.

Now I can't wait to see a review for the rail mounted MVG.

Ruiner
04-23-2010, 5:38 PM
I like the looks of LaRue better, works for me.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v171/Gregdog/Pin%20Ups/LatestAR15007.jpg

$90 vs $20.

Mezcalfud
04-23-2010, 7:09 PM
+1 on the magpul. I ordered the rvg for my moe and it works great. Nice review.

gunRfun
04-23-2010, 8:43 PM
Nice review!! Finally got mine today. +1 on everything you have stated. I think I need to move mine a bit more forward since I have long arms. But I should test first.

Here is a few pics below.


http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w9/ress_photo/RRA%20Magpul/IMG_3812.jpg


http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w9/ress_photo/RRA%20Magpul/IMG_3809.jpg

anniepoks
04-23-2010, 9:14 PM
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w9/ress_photo/RRA%20Magpul/IMG_3809.jpg[/QUOTE]

wow- this one is appealing....