I saw this photo on Kit Up Blog but did not notice the foregrip mounted underneath the M203 grenade launcher until a reader pointed it out to me.
Is this common? I can't recall seeing this configuration before.
UPDATE: Rob posted a link to the manufacturer in the comments. Thanks Rob. The product is literally called the M203grip.
[ Many thanks to Alex for pointing it out. ]
Pardon me for asking an unrelated and possibly stupid question, but what are the “colored vials” stuck in the webbing on the front of his body armor?
0 
0Glowsticks
0 0We were running those in late 03 in Iraq. I didn’t carry a 203, but my buddy used one on his 203. He seemed to like it.
0 0We tested them in the 82d in 04. On later deployments they were issuable, but no one ran them for any real amount of time.
Nice thing to have the option of running it.
0 0What kind of stock is that? It’s not M4, carbine, or vltor basic clubfoot mod stock.
0 0Chemlights. :p
The 203 grip is pretty common both at 10th Mountain and 3rd Infantry; I’ve seen them wide-spread in both.
0 0you guys didn’t know about this, i found this in 08
0 0I’m just a lowly civvie here and have never used an actual M203 (sorry, I’m limited to airsoft replicas *braces for a cyber-slap*), so please bear with me when I ask how a forward assist is useful on an M203?
0 0I’ve always thought continual low-ready carry was considerably more comfy with a foregrip added on; it torques your wrist around considerably less.
Plus of course it’s a handy place to tape down laser & light pressure switches.
0 0The Troy version looks considerably more versatile, though at 300 bucks I don’t see a whole lot of PFC grenadiers popping for one.
0 0Troy Industries makes a 203 forward assist as well
http://store.troyind.com/EM203_Forward_Assist_Grenade_Launcher_p/s203-far-00bt-00.htm
0 0When I was in the Israeli army, we had a whole bunch of these lying around.
But no one actually kept them on their rifles after trying them out for a few days, they were just poorly positioned and like others said, clunky.
0 0Steve,
It’s very common. I haven’t seen an example of it being issued, but i’m sure there’s units out there that. The company that makes them advertises in most periodicals available (Leatherneck, MC Times, etc.), and they’re a sort of legacy item passed down by 203 gunners who get promoted in billet or issued a new weapon system. (Or are getting out.)
0 0Not standerd issue Steve but can be bought or sor spec Ops part of a Sop Mod Kit.
0 0If i had a rifle that sexy I’d never have to buy another gun.
Maybe.
0 0These are the same folks who make the M203PI. The M203PI has conversion kits so it can attach to just about any firearm, including the HK MP5. (Remember “End of Days”?)
0 0Hello
Though not common, this idea sequences the common behavior implemented by military soldiers and SOF operators in the US Mil… Until (more IF) the forward grip by Magpul is implemented, the foregrip enables quick target acquisition and recoil control, and that also can be said of the M203 GL use…
Given that the operator often fires the GL in an angled position, the foregrip can also be advantageous in enabling the operator to deal with the GREAT weight of his M4 + M203 GL… It may also have something to do with the HK416 M320 GL which has a ‘pistol’-like grip…
Thinking about it, it is not that odd given that the foregrip has been used extensively by most, if not all, military soldiers, so it is somewhat natural that someone would eventually find the foregrip useful for underbarrel M203 GLs…
Cheers!
Cheers!
0 0They were issued to our unit in 2007… I can’t remember a single sole actually mounting on their 203 though.
0 0That is very common over seas. I think even some units are issuing them.
0 0Its pretty common with the line infantry in urban terrain.
0 0A few people have them in my unit. Not too common. They seem to run about $150.00.
0 0It’s still not that common though, mostly I suspect because it just feels odd, but the reality is that foregrips on carbines have more uses than as a foregrip. They’re handy to secure the weapon while doing things like sitting on a Littlebird pod or in a vehicle so you have both hands free, for instance.
0 0Magpul / Magpul Dynamics guys are probably losing sleep over the mechanical over-sway on these rigs!
0 0As noted, they’ve been around for awhile. However, I think they make the weapon a little clunky. I used one for a few weeks and it just kept getting in the way. On top of that, because the 203 itself is often not mounted “tight” you don’t get as stable a firing platform.
I can’t say that it’s good or bad… just that I haven’t seen it providing any real increase in accuracy or carry comfort. Most of the 203 gunners in my unit agreed.
0 0Those have been around for quite a few years… most guys I know that had them didnt use them for more than a few missions… they just get in the way and a 16/203 or an m4/203 is bulky enough.
0 0http://www.m203grip.com/Grip/index.html
It has an NSN. I’d imagine it’s being implemented more.
0 0Rob, Thanks for that. I have updated the blog post.
0 0
I’ve always thought continual low-ready carry was considerably more comfy with a foregrip added on; it torques your wrist around considerably less.
Plus of course it’s a handy place to tape down laser & light pressure switches.
I’m just a lowly civvie here and have never used an actual M203 (sorry, I’m limited to airsoft replicas *braces for a cyber-slap*), so please bear with me when I ask how a forward assist is useful on an M203?
The Troy version looks considerably more versatile, though at 300 bucks I don’t see a whole lot of PFC grenadiers popping for one.
Troy Industries makes a 203 forward assist as well
http://store.troyind.com/EM203_Forward_Assist_Grenade_Launcher_p/s203-far-00bt-00.htm
When I was in the Israeli army, we had a whole bunch of these lying around.
But no one actually kept them on their rifles after trying them out for a few days, they were just poorly positioned and like others said, clunky.
you guys didn’t know about this, i found this in 08
Chemlights. :p
The 203 grip is pretty common both at 10th Mountain and 3rd Infantry; I’ve seen them wide-spread in both.
Glowsticks
Pardon me for asking an unrelated and possibly stupid question, but what are the “colored vials” stuck in the webbing on the front of his body armor?
We were running those in late 03 in Iraq. I didn’t carry a 203, but my buddy used one on his 203. He seemed to like it.
We tested them in the 82d in 04. On later deployments they were issuable, but no one ran them for any real amount of time.
Nice thing to have the option of running it.
What kind of stock is that? It’s not M4, carbine, or vltor basic clubfoot mod stock.
Steve,
It’s very common. I haven’t seen an example of it being issued, but i’m sure there’s units out there that. The company that makes them advertises in most periodicals available (Leatherneck, MC Times, etc.), and they’re a sort of legacy item passed down by 203 gunners who get promoted in billet or issued a new weapon system. (Or are getting out.)
Not standerd issue Steve but can be bought or sor spec Ops part of a Sop Mod Kit.
It’s still not that common though, mostly I suspect because it just feels odd, but the reality is that foregrips on carbines have more uses than as a foregrip. They’re handy to secure the weapon while doing things like sitting on a Littlebird pod or in a vehicle so you have both hands free, for instance.
A few people have them in my unit. Not too common. They seem to run about $150.00.
Magpul / Magpul Dynamics guys are probably losing sleep over the mechanical over-sway on these rigs!
As noted, they’ve been around for awhile. However, I think they make the weapon a little clunky. I used one for a few weeks and it just kept getting in the way. On top of that, because the 203 itself is often not mounted “tight” you don’t get as stable a firing platform.
I can’t say that it’s good or bad… just that I haven’t seen it providing any real increase in accuracy or carry comfort. Most of the 203 gunners in my unit agreed.
Those have been around for quite a few years… most guys I know that had them didnt use them for more than a few missions… they just get in the way and a 16/203 or an m4/203 is bulky enough.
Its pretty common with the line infantry in urban terrain.
That is very common over seas. I think even some units are issuing them.
These are the same folks who make the M203PI. The M203PI has conversion kits so it can attach to just about any firearm, including the HK MP5. (Remember “End of Days”?)
If i had a rifle that sexy I’d never have to buy another gun.
Maybe.
Hello
Though not common, this idea sequences the common behavior implemented by military soldiers and SOF operators in the US Mil… Until (more IF) the forward grip by Magpul is implemented, the foregrip enables quick target acquisition and recoil control, and that also can be said of the M203 GL use…
Given that the operator often fires the GL in an angled position, the foregrip can also be advantageous in enabling the operator to deal with the GREAT weight of his M4 + M203 GL… It may also have something to do with the HK416 M320 GL which has a ‘pistol’-like grip…
Thinking about it, it is not that odd given that the foregrip has been used extensively by most, if not all, military soldiers, so it is somewhat natural that someone would eventually find the foregrip useful for underbarrel M203 GLs…
Cheers!
Cheers!
They were issued to our unit in 2007… I can’t remember a single sole actually mounting on their 203 though.
http://www.m203grip.com/Grip/index.html
It has an NSN. I’d imagine it’s being implemented more.
Rob, Thanks for that. I have updated the blog post.