Your pistol grip is your main interface with your AR-15. If your rifle was a computer, the pistol grip would be the mouse. And, the right pistol grip make you faster and more accurate with your rifle.
Comparison Table
- Few straight edges and slight palm swell for better handfit.
- Trigger guard insert fills the gap between your grip and trigger guard.
- Water resistant storage compartment.
- Excellent quality for the price.
- Excellent grip texture provides secure grip without tearing up your hands.
- Narrow profile is excellent for shooters with small hands or use on a minimalist rifle.
- Outstanding grip texture.
- Customizable storage compartment.
- Thick beaver tail gives better trigger finger alignment with the trigger.
Bravo Company AR-15 Mod 3 Gunfighter Grip
Key Specs:
- Type:
Pistol Grip
- Fabric/Material:
Polymer
- Platform:
AR-15/AR-308
Pros:
Ambidextrous thumb safety.
Aluminum sights.
Full-length Picatinny rail for easy mounting of optics and accessories.
There’s an AR-15 pistol grip for everyone, but—SPOILER—if you just want an AR-15 grip that gets the best performance from any AR-15, get the Bravo Company AR-15 Mod 3 Gunfighter Grip. It’s affordable, comfortable, and designed to help you run your gun better.
If you want a grip that’s designed for a specific type of shooting, or if you just want to check out all the options before you grab a grip, read on. We’ll give you the skinny on all the best AR-15 pistol grips.
Table of Contents
The Best AR 15 Pistol Grip Reviews: Get a Grip
The best AR-15 pistol grip gets the first review slot. The remaining grips will be felt out in order of price from most affordable to most wildly expensive.
Let’s wrap our fingers around this.
Check the Minuteman's favorite AR-15 pistol top picks on this buying guide. For more stability and accuracy on your shooting, get yourself great deals on quality pistol brace.
1. Bravo Company AR-15 Mod 3 Gunfighter Grip
Key Specs:
- Type:
Pistol Grip
- Fabric/Material:
Polymer
- Platform:
AR-15/AR-308
Pros:
- Vertical grip angle for more natural pointing and finger placement.
- Few straight edges and slight palm swell for better handfit.
- Trigger guard insert fills the gap between your grip and trigger guard.
- Water resistant storage compartment.
Cons:
- fit issues with some lower receivers.
The Bravo Company AR-15 Mod 3 Gunfighter Grip is designed to correct the inherent problems of the original A2 grips. Correcting these issues creates a total solution for improving shooting performance.
The biggest change from an A2 grip is the grip angle. Bravo Company built this grip with a more vertical grip angle. This gives you more comfortable and natural trigger finger placement. It also minimizes the bend in your wrist for a more precise natural point of aim. So, your rifle points more accurately and intuitively.
Then, the grip shape is more ergonomic than an A2 grip. There are fewer straight edges, and a slight palm swell that improves your rifle support and recoil absorption.
The grip texture provides a secure grip, even with wet hands. And, this grip comes with a trigger guard insert that fills in the gap between your grip and trigger guard. That way the knuckle on your middle finger doesn’t get beat up so much during long shooting sessions.
Lastly, there’s a water-resistant compartment in the bottom of the grip for storing batteries, tools, or crayons.
There are some lower receivers that this grip doesn’t fit quite perfectly. But, Bravo Company’s return policy is stellar. And fit issues are very rare.
Overall, the price and performance offered by this grip easily make it the best grip for almost any AR-15 shooter, regardless of how they use their rifle.
2. Magpul AR-15 MOE-SL Grip
Key Specs:
- Weight:
2.8 Ounce
- Height:
4 Inches
- Finish:
Black, Flat Dark Earth, Gray, Olive Drab
Pros:
- Semi-vertical grip angle for more intuitive operation.
- Narrow profile is excellent for shooters with small hands or use on a minimalist rifle.
- Excellent grip texture provides secure grip without tearing up your hands.
- Excellent quality for the price.
Cons:
- Might be too narrow for some shooters.
The Magpul AR-15 MOE-SL Grip offers a slightly smaller grip circumference than most grips. This offers benefits for people with small hands and small rifles.
Magpul uses a semi-vertical grip angle to give you more natural trigger finger placement and less cant in your wrist. This makes your rifle point more intuitively and comfortably.
Then, this grip is fairly narrow. But, it’s still ample in terms of front-to-back size. So, it’s easier to get a secure grip with small hands. But it still fills your hand and gives you a very comfortable grip.
Additionally, the narrow grip is ideal for minimalist and smooth-sided AR-15s, since it’s almost exactly as wide as your lower receiver.
The grip texture is aggressive enough to provide good traction, even with wet hands. But, the texture won’t tear up your hands if you shoot without gloves.
However, the narrow profile makes this grip unusable for storage. Also, some people may find that this grip places their middle finger in a position where it might get beat up by their trigger guard.
But, if you have small hands, or you’re building a minimalist rifle, this is an excellent grip that’s surprisingly comfortable despite its size.
3. Magpul AR-15 MOE K2 Grip
Key Specs:
- Weight:
2.8 oz
- Height:
4.1 in
- Finish:
Black, Flat Dark Earth, Gray, Olive Drab
Pros:
- Semi-vertical grip angle for more intuitive firing grip.
- Thick beaver tail gives better trigger finger alignment with the trigger.
- Outstanding grip texture.
- Customizable storage compartment.
Cons:
- There’s a gap between the beaver tail and receiver on some receivers.
The Magpul AR-15 MOE K2 Grip is one of the most popular grips on the market. That’s because it works well in any shooting context, on any rifle.
This grip combines two design elements to promote a proper grip: the grip angle and the beaver tail.
The grip angle is more vertical than a traditional A2 grip, which is pretty common for modern pistol grips. However, the beaver tail is also thicker than most beaver tails. This places your hand lower on the grip, with your trigger finger more in line with the trigger. So, this grip optimizes your grip for fast, smooth shooting.
However, some find the hand placement to be too low, because you have to move your finger further to get up onto the lower receiver and outside the trigger guard. Also, on some lower receivers, there will be a gap between the receiver and the beaver tail. This gap has no effect on function.
The grip texture looks minimal. But, it’s surprisingly secure. And, it offers good traction even when your hands are sweaty, without being abrasive.
Moving to the bottom of the grip, there’s a storage compartment that you can customize with various Magpul grip cores. However, the storage compartment isn’t tremendously water resistant.This Magpul grip is a solid performer in almost any condition. If you want a one-size-fits-all grip that you could slap on any rifle, this pistol grip is the way to go.
4. Hogue AR-15 Pistol Grip
Key Specs:
- Weight:
2.8 oz
- Fabric/Material:
Rubber Overmolding
- Finish:
Black
Pros:
- Rubberized grip surface is comfortable and provides excellent traction.
- Finger grooves offer tactile reference points for hand placement.
- Comfortable palm swell improves hand fit.
- No beaver tail enables you to get your hand higher on the grip.
Cons:
- Steep grip angle is a bit unnatural.
- Some shooters may find that this grip promotes a grip that’s too high.
The Hogue AR-15 Pistol Grip is for anyone who likes finger grooves on their gun.
This grip features a rubberized grip surface that offers a secure grip in all conditions. And, it’s soft and super comfortable.
Then, there are finger grooves on the front of the grip that provide tactile reference points for hand placement, which makes it easy to get good hand placement fast.
On the backside of this grip there’s a decent palm swell. The palm swell gives you a better hand fit and recoil management.
Additionally, there’s no beaver tail. This is nice for anyone who likes to get a high grip on their rifle. However, those who prefer a lower hand position may find this uncomfortable.
Even though the shape of this Hogue grip is incredibly ergonomic, the grip angle is similar to a classic A2 grip, which is less than ideal for anyone.
But, if you’re accustomed to using an A2 grip, you won’t notice.
The grip angle may not be super progressive, but this is still an outstanding grip for those who like finger grooves or prefer to get their hand really high on their lower receiver.
5. Ergo Grips AR-15 Ergo Grip Rigid Ambidextrous
Key Specs:
- Gun Model:
AR-15
- Fabric/Material:
Rubber
- Finish:
Black
Pros:
- Mild finger grooves give reference points without forcing your hand into a certain spot.
- Palm swell is comfortable and improves recoil absorption.
- Beaver tail promotes proper hand placement.
- Rhino Hide grip texture provides secure grip, and can’t be separated from the grip polymer.
Cons:
- Palm swell mimics a steeper grip angle, which may be uncomfortable for those with long arms.
The Ergo Grips AR-15 Ergo Grip Rigid Ambidextrous is an excellent compromise between the classic A2 design and modern grip shape.
The main feature of this grip is the grip shape. It has finger grooves and a palm swell.
However, the finger grooves are mild. The finger grooves aren’t large enough to force your hand into a certain position. But, they’re pronounced enough that they work well as reference points.
The same goes for the palm swell. It fills out your palm nicely, and gives you better hand fit and recoil absorption. However, it’s not so large that it would be uncomfortable if you have small hands.
Additionally, there’s a beaver tail that keeps your hand from riding too high, and gives you a reference point for where the web of your hand goes.
On the surface, this grip is coated with something called Rhino Hide. It’s a rubberized grip texture that’s molded into the polymer. The grip texture offers excellent grip traction. But, it’s also incredibly durable since it can’t be separated from the body of the grip.
The only downside with this grip is that the palm swell is shaped in such a way that it mimics a steeper grip angle, which may be uncomfortable for some shooters, especially those with long arms.
Even so, this Ergo grip offers an excellent blend of ergonomics, traditional design, and price that’s hard to beat.
6. Luth-AR LLC AR-15 Chubby Pistol Grip
Key Specs:
- Weight:
4.4 oz
- Fabric/Material:
Impact Modified Nylon
- Finish:
Black, Flat Dark Earth
Pros:
- Semi-vertical grip angle promotes a more intuitive grip and point of aim.
- High palm swell fills your palm when you’re using a light, precision shooting grip.
- Thumb rest makes it more comfortable to use an open grip.
- Rounded finger groove acts an an index point for consistent hand placement.
- Flared bottom keeps your hand in place from shot to shot.
Cons:
- Not ideal for fast-paced, tactical operation.
A precision AR-15 should be fitted with a grip that’s designed for precision shooting. The Luth-AR LLC AR-15 Chubby Pistol Grip uses design elements from competition handguns to give you enhanced accuracy at long ranges.
This model uses a grip angle that’s similar to a pistol, which is semi vertical. This follows the modern trend in AR-15 pistol grips, and promotes a more intuitive grip and point of aim.
A precision AR-15 should be fitted with a grip that’s designed for precision shooting. The Luth-AR LLC AR-15 Chubby Pistol Grip uses design elements from competition handguns to give you enhanced accuracy at long ranges.
This model uses a grip angle that’s similar to a pistol, which is semi vertical. This follows the modern trend in AR-15 pistol grips, and promotes a more intuitive grip and point of aim.
7. Brigand Arms LLC AR-15 Carbon Black Pistol Grip
Key Specs:
- Weight:
1.9 oz
- Fabric/Material:
Carbon Fiber
- Finish:
Black
Pros:
- Weighs less than 2 ounces.
- Carbon fiber is light and durable.
- Unique palm swell fills the palm of your hand and promotes consistent hand placement.
- Cool carbon fiber aesthetic.
Cons:
- Expensive.
- Traditional A2 grip angle isn’t for everyone.
- Carbon fiber looks may not match your rifle.
The Brigand Arms LLC AR-15 Carbon Black Pistol Grip is one of the lightest grips on the market, which makes it ideal for lightweight AR-15s.
Here’s the key point: this grip weighs a tad less than 2 ounces. There isn’t a lighter grip out there.
To achieve this low weight, this grip is made of carbon fiber. It’s light. But, it’s also incredibly durable. Even though this grip is light, it will stand up to any abuse.
The shape of this grip is also unique. Most grips are designed to support the web of your hand. This grip is designed to support the middle of your hand, where you absorb the recoil and support your rifle.
So, the widest part of this grip is in the center. It promotes consistent hand placement, and improves recoil management.
Even though carbon fiber has a really cool look, it’s a very particular aesthetic. So, it may not look right on your rifle.
And, this grip uses a traditional A2 grip angle. Which, may not work for you. But, the palm swell helps minimize any issues with the grip angle.
Even so, if you want the lightest rifle possible, this Brigand Arms grip is the best option.
The Final Shot
If you haven’t put a lot of thought into which grip you have on your AR-15, it’s time to take a look at it. That mil-spec A2 grip isn’t doing you any favors. A grip is a low-cost upgrade that makes your rifle much more comfortable and accurate in your hands.
Check the Minuteman's favorite AR-15 pistol top picks on this buying guide. For more stability and accuracy on your shooting, get yourself great deals on quality pistol brace.
Bravo Company AR-15 Mod 3 Gunfighter Grip
Key Specs:
- Type:
Pistol Grip
- Fabric/Material:
Polymer
- Platform:
AR-15/AR-308
Pros:
- Vertical grip angle for more natural pointing and finger placement.
- Few straight edges and slight palm swell for better handfit.
- Trigger guard insert fills the gap between your grip and trigger guard.
- Water resistant storage compartment.
Cons:
- fit issues with some lower receivers.
If you want a grip that will deliver these benefits at a lower cost than many other grips, get the Bravo Company AR-15 Mod 3 Gunfighter Grip. It’s a no-frills pistol grip that will do everything you need, in any shooting context.
Now that you know, it’s time to go get a new pistol grip, and make your rifle work better for you.
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