How solid is your grip? Does your AR 15 tactical grip allow you to get a nice firm grasp on your firearm or are you still making do with the standard grip that came attached to your lower receiver? It may not seem like it initially, but any experienced AR owner understands how much impact the grips you choose can have when shooting. When we talk about grips, we mean both pistol grips as well as a grip option many AR owners don’t think about: the AR 15 rail grip. Of course, with the multitude of different tactical grips and other pistol and rail grip options, it can be difficult to wade through which are excellent aids and which aren’t.   Why Grips Matter At the most basic, any grip for your AR 15 is meant to do just that: help you get a better grasp of your firearm. The idea, of course, is that a better grip will give you better control over your firearm, which will help improve accuracy. The secondary purpose of most tactical grips and pistol grips is to help your hands return to the right gripping points quickly and easily. Since the AR 15 was initially designed for combat use by U.S. servicemen and women, the idea behind each tactical grip’s texture, form, and placement (at least, for the various AR 15 rail grip options) is to make it easier to go from relaxed grip to a proper shooting stance quickly and with as little fumbling around as possible because, in a combat situation, time is of the essence. Those qualities have spilled over into the civilian sector but do not correlate exactly. Depending on your primary use, your AR 15 rail grip and pistol grip may not need to serve the same purpose, but they can still impact your shooting, so it’s important to choose grips that work for your needs.     Choosing Grips The primary goal of any grip, as we mentioned above, is to give you a better grasp of your firearm so you have better control quickly. Most pistol grip options are designed to orient your hand forward, which should give you a safer and more stable grip. AR 15 rail grip options, on the other hand, have a bit more flexibility in purpose. Some rail grip options are a full hand’s length and come down from the rail to give you a sturdy place to grab while options at the other end of the spectrum, like RailScales’ M-LOK and KeyMod rail scales, are low-profile panels that add barely any weight or bulk to your firearm. Rail scales are slim designed to offer heat protection as well as a textured point so your hand can find the right gripping point along the barrel quickly. Or, for an option between the two, our hand stops are a heat-protective attachment that jut away from the rail system a bit to give you a point for additional grip and control without adding a great deal of bulk or weight. So, when it comes time to choose grips, comfort is the biggest factor. Durability and cost should come secondary and will vary depending on whether you use your AR 15 for hunting, home defense, or range time.   If you’re in the market for lightweight grips, shop RailScales online for AR 15 rail grip and hand stop options today!