Patent Publication Number: US-2016231080-A1

Title: Axially offset foregrip for a firearm and related devices, systems, and methods

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The presently disclosed subject matter relates generally to firearm grips and more particularly to an axially offset foregrip for a firearm, and related devices, systems, and methods. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Generally speaking, a long gun or long rifle is any rifle or shotgun that is designed to be used by a single person and fired from the shoulder. Examples of long guns include, but are not limited to, a hunting rifle, a shotgun, and military carbine type rifles, such the AR-15 rifle and the M4A1 rifle. The carbine type rifles can be semi-automatic or fully automatic weapons. 
     Certain long rifles, such as military carbine type rifles, can have both a rear grip (such as, for example, a pistol grip) and a foregrip (such as, for example, a vertical foregrip, front grip, forward grip, or forward hand grip). Foregrips are used, for example, to help control a muzzle of the rifle, to keep a shooter&#39;s hand away from a hot barrel, and to control recoil. A conventional rear grip and the foregrip are commonly installed in line with each other, in the vertical plane of the rifle barrel. 
     SUMMARY 
     According to one embodiment, an axially offset foregrip assembly for a long gun is disclosed. The foregrip assembly comprises a grip portion having a first grip axis, the grip portion configured to be grasped by a hand of a user about the first grip axis. The foregrip assembly further comprises a coupling portion coupled to the grip, the coupling portion configured to be coupled to a fore-end of a long gun. The long gun comprises a barrel having a longitudinal axis and a rear grip having a second grip axis. The longitudinal axis and the second grip axis define a vertical barrel plane. The coupling portion is configured to couple the grip portion to the fore-end of the long gun such that the first grip axis is plane horizontally offset from the vertical barrel plane, and the first grip axis is substantially parallel to the vertical barrel plane. 
     According to another embodiment, a long gun is disclosed. The long gun comprises a fore-end comprising a barrel having a longitudinal axis. The long gun further comprises an axially offset foregrip sub-assembly coupled to the fore-end. The foregrip sub-assembly comprises a grip portion having a first grip axis, the grip portion configured to be grasped by a hand of a user about the first grip axis. The foregrip sub-assembly further comprises a coupling portion coupled between the grip portion and the fore-end. The long gun further comprises a rear grip having a second grip axis. The longitudinal axis and the second grip axis define a vertical barrel plane. The first grip axis is plane horizontally offset from the vertical barrel plane and is substantially parallel to the vertical barrel plane. 
     Those skilled in the art will appreciate the scope of the disclosure and realize additional aspects thereof after reading the following detailed description of the embodiments in association with the accompanying drawing figures. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying drawing figures incorporated in and forming a part of this specification illustrate several aspects of the disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 1A  illustrates a side view of an example of a carbine type rifle having a conventional foregrip; 
         FIG. 1B  illustrates a side view of a portion of the carbine type rifle of  FIG. 1A  showing more details of the accessory mount system; 
         FIGS. 2A-2B  illustrate side and top views of the carbine type rifle with the conventional foregrip of  FIG. 1A  in use; 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a side view of an example of a carbine type rifle having an axially offset foregrip according to an embodiment; 
         FIGS. 4A-4B  illustrate side and top views of the carbine type rifle with the axially offset foregrip of  FIG. 3  in use; 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a detailed end view of the carbine type rifle and a partial end view of a pair of axially offset foregrips showing more details of the presently disclosed axially offset foregrips in relation to the accessory mount system; 
         FIGS. 6A-6D  illustrate side views of respective L-type, T-type, U-type, and J-type foregrips according to some embodiments; 
         FIGS. 7A-7D  illustrate side views of four selectable mounting positions of the L-type foregrip of  FIG. 6A ; 
         FIGS. 8A-8B  illustrate side views of two selectable mounting positions of the T-type foregrip of  FIG. 6B ; 
         FIGS. 9A-9B  illustrate side views of two selectable positions of the U-type foregrip of  FIG. 6C ; 
         FIGS. 10A-10D  illustrate side views of four selectable mounting positions of the J-type foregrip of  FIG. 6D ; 
         FIGS. 11A-11C  illustrate side views of three selectable mounting angles of the axially offset foregrip with respect to a longitudinal axis of a barrel of the rifle; 
         FIG. 12  illustrates a perspective view of an example of the L-type foregrip according to an embodiment; 
         FIG. 13  illustrates a perspective view of an example of the T-type foregrip grip according to an embodiment; 
         FIG. 14  illustrates a perspective view of an example of the J-type foregrip according to an embodiment; 
         FIG. 15  illustrates a perspective view of another example of the L-type foregrip according to an embodiment that comprises additional features; 
         FIGS. 16A-16B  illustrate side and top views of a conventional pump-action shotgun; 
         FIGS. 17A-17B  illustrate side and top views of a pump-action shotgun with an axially offset foregrip fixed to the forestock according to an embodiment; 
         FIG. 18  illustrates a flowchart diagram of an example of a method of using the presently disclosed axially offset foregrip according to an embodiment. 
         FIG. 19  illustrates a detailed end view of the carbine type rifle and a partial end view of a pair of axially offset foregrips according to an alternative embodiment; and 
         FIGS. 20A-20D  illustrate side views of examples of respective L-type, T-type, U-type, and J-type foregrips in alternative configurations according to some embodiments. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The embodiments set forth below represent the information to enable those skilled in the art to practice the embodiments and illustrate the best mode of practicing the embodiments. Upon reading the following description in light of the accompanying drawing figures, those skilled in the art will understand the concepts of the disclosure and will recognize applications of these concepts not particularly addressed herein. It should be understood that these concepts and applications fall within the scope of the disclosure and the accompanying claims. 
     Any flowcharts discussed herein are necessarily discussed in some sequence for purposes of illustration, but unless otherwise explicitly indicated, the embodiments are not limited to any particular sequence of steps. The use herein of ordinals in conjunction with an element is solely for distinguishing what might otherwise be similar or identical labels, such as “first end” and “second end,” and does not imply a priority, a type, an importance, or other attribute, unless otherwise stated herein. The terms “about” and “substantially” used herein in conjunction with a numeric value means any value that is within a range of ten percent greater than or ten percent less than the numeric value. 
     As used herein and in the claims, the articles “a” and “an” in reference to an element refers to “one or more” of the element unless otherwise explicitly specified. 
     Throughout this specification and the claims, the terms “comprise,” “comprises,” and “comprising” are used in a non-exclusive sense, except where the context requires otherwise. Likewise, the term “include” and its grammatical variants are intended to be non-limiting, such that recitation of items in a list is not to the exclusion of other like items that can be substituted or added to the listed items. 
     The presently disclosed subject matter now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying Drawings, in which some, but not all embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter are shown. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. The presently disclosed subject matter may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. Indeed, many modifications and other embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter set forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which the presently disclosed subject matter pertains having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated Drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the presently disclosed subject matter is not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. 
     Before discussing embodiments of the axially offset foregrip disclosed herein, reference will be made to a conventional carbine type rifle and foregrip. In this regard,  FIG. 1A  illustrates a side view of an example of a carbine type rifle  10 . The carbine type rifle  10  can be, for example, any conventional AR-15 rifle. The components of the carbine type rifle  10  include, but are not limited to, a stock  12 , a barrel  14 , a pistol grip  16 , a trigger  18 , a magazine well  20 , a magazine  22 , a rear sight  24 , a front sight  26 , and an accessory mount system  28 . The accessory mount system  28  can be any conventional accessory mount system, such as a Picatinny rail, a Weaver rail mount, or a KeyMod system. The Picatinny rail, also referred to as a MIL-STD-1913 rail, STANAG 2324 rail, or tactical rail, is a standardized bracket that provides a standard mounting platform for mounting accessories and attachments to a firearm. Examples of accessories and attachments include lights and lasers. In this example, a conventional foregrip  30  is mounted to a bottom portion of the accessory mount system  28 , extending downwardly. 
     One drawback of this configuration is that the position of the foregrip is not ergonomically correct. For example, using the AR-15 rifle or the M4A1 rifle with a conventional foregrip can cause stress and/or discomfort on the wrist, arm, and/or shoulder, possibly leading to injury. Further, this configuration simply may not be the preferred position of the user. Therefore, new approaches are needed for using a long gun or long rifle. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 1B , a side view of a portion of the carbine type rifle  10  of  FIG. 1A  showing more details of the accessory mount system  28  is illustrated. In this example, the accessory mount system  28  is a Picatinny rail having a plurality of rails  32  disposed along the two sides of the accessory mount system  28 , along the top side of the accessory mount system  28 , and along the bottom side of the accessory mount system  28 . A line of rail features  34  is provided along each rail  32 . More details of the rail features  34  of the accessory mount system  28  will be discussed below with reference to  FIG. 5 . As points of reference,  FIG. 1B  shows the positions of the rail features  34  along each rail  32  of accessory mount system  28  numbered from ( 1 ) to ( 19 ), wherein position ( 1 ) is the forward most rail feature  34  and position ( 19 ) is the rearmost rail feature  34 . 
     As noted above, the conventional foregrip  30  of  FIG. 1A  extends downwardly from the bottom rail  32  of the accessory mount system  28 . However, one drawback of this configuration is that the position of the foregrip  30  is not ergonomically correct. In this regard,  FIGS. 2A-2B  illustrate side and top views of the carbine type rifle  10  with the conventional foregrip  30  of  FIG. 1A  in use. A user  36  grasps the pistol grip  16  with his firing hand  38  and grasps the conventional foregrip  30  with his support hand  40  (i.e., “off” hand). However, using a conventional carbine type rifle  10 , such as an AR-15 rifle or the M4A1 rifle, with a conventional foregrip  30  can cause stress and/or discomfort to the users&#39; wrists, arm, and/or shoulder, possibly leading to injury. For example, the user&#39;s support arm  42  is aligned below and at a horizontal angle with respect to the barrel  14  of the rifle  10  and the firing shoulder  44  of the user  36 , which is not optimal for handling the forces associated with holding and aiming the rifle  10 , or the recoil from firing the rifle  10 . Further, this configuration simply may not be the preferred position of the user. 
     In this regard, referring now to  FIG. 3 , a side view of an embodiment of the presently disclosed foregrip  46  in relation to a carbine type rifle  10  is disclosed. Similar to  FIG. 1A  above, the carbine type rifle  10  can be, for example, any conventional AR-15 rifle having similar components, including a stock  12 , a barrel  14 , a pistol grip  16 , a trigger  18 , a magazine well  20 , a magazine  22 , a rear sight  24 , a front sight  26 , and an accessory mount system  28 . In this embodiment, an axially offset foregrip  46  is provided, which can be mounted at any position of the accessory mount system  28 . In this and other embodiments, the foregrip  46  may also be referred to as a forward inline stability targeting (FIST) grip. As used herein, the term “inline” means in line with the shoulder support arm of the shooter. 
     To better illustrate the positioning and orientation of the foregrip  46 ,  FIGS. 4A-4B  illustrate side and top views of the carbine type rifle  10  with the foregrip  46  of  FIG. 3  in use. In this embodiment, the foregrip  46  is substantially vertical and is horizontally offset from the barrel  14 . This permits the user&#39;s support hand  40  and support arm  42  to be more aligned with the barrel  14 , which results in increased accuracy and comfort for the user  36 , and helps in preventing fatigue and injury. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 5 , an end view of the carbine type rifle  10  showing more details of the presently disclosed foregrip  46  in relation to the accessory mount system  28  is illustrated. Again, in this example, the accessory mount system  28  is a Picatinny rail. With the carbine type rifle  10  being held in the normal shooting position, the accessory mount system  28  has a top, bottom, and two side rails  32 , each having a line of rail features  34 . Intersecting at the center of the barrel  14  of the carbine type rifle  10  is a vertical plane VP and a horizontal plane HP. Offset to the right side of the vertical plane VP is a right side plane RSP, wherein the right side plane RSP is substantially parallel to the vertical plane VP. Similarly, offset to the left side of the vertical plane VP is a left side plane LSP, wherein the left side plane LSP is substantially parallel to the vertical plane VP. The distance of the right side plane RSP and the left side plane LSP from the vertical plane VP can vary depending on the design and configuration of the presently disclosed foregrips  46 . The distance of the right side plane RSP and the left side plane LSP from the vertical plane VP can be from about 1 inch to about 6 inches in one example, or is about 3 inches in another example. 
       FIG. 5  shows the grip portion of the foregrips  46  in the right side plane RSP or the left side plane LSP. By comparison,  FIG. 3  also shows a conventional foregrip  30  attached to one of the bottom rail features  32  and in the vertical plane VP. The conventional foregrip  30  is not offset from the vertical plane VP causing it not to be ergonomically correct for the user. By contrast, the foregrips  46  are offset from the vertical plane VP, which allows them to be ergonomically correct for the user. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 6A-6D , side views of four examples of the presently disclosed foregrips  46  are disclosed. In this regard,  FIG. 6A  shows an L-type foregrip  46 L that comprises a grip portion  52  and a connector portion  48 , wherein the connector portion  48  is attached via an L-junction  54  at one end of the grip portion  52 . Further, the connector portion  48  comprises one segment. 
       FIG. 6B  shows a T-type foregrip  46 T that comprises the grip portion  52  and the connector portion  48 , wherein the connector portion  48  is attached via a T-junction  56  at about the center of the grip portion  52 . Further, the connector portion  48  comprises one segment. 
       FIG. 6C  shows a U-type foregrip  46 U that comprises the grip portion  52  and two of the connector portions  48 , wherein one connector portion  48  has an extension portion  58  that is attached at one end of the grip portion  52  and another connector portion  48  has a complementary extension portion  58  that is attached at the other end of the grip portion  52 . 
       FIG. 6D  shows a J-type foregrip  46 J that comprises the grip portion  52  and the connector portion  48 , wherein the connector portion  48  has an extension portion  60  that is attached at one end of the grip portion  52 . Further, the connector portion  48  had an extension portion  60  that is attached at one end of the grip portion  52 . 
     In the L-type foregrip  46 L, the T-type foregrip  46 T, the U-type foregrip  46 U, and the J-type foregrip  46 J, fastening hardware  50  (not shown) is provided at the connector portions  48 . The fastening hardware  50  is specific to the type of accessory mount system  28  (not shown). For example, the fastening hardware  50  can be Picatinny rail-specific, Weaver rail mount-specific, or KeyMod system-specific. More details of examples of the fastening hardware are shown and described hereinbelow with reference to  FIGS. 12-15 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 7A-10D , various configurations of the various types of foregrips  46  are illustrated. In one example,  FIGS. 7A-7D  show side views of four mounting positions of the L-type foregrip  46 L. In particular,  FIG. 7A  shows a right side-mounted L-type foregrip  46 L with the grip portion  52  oriented downward.  FIG. 7B  shows a left side-mounted L-type foregrip  46 L with the grip portion  52  oriented downward.  FIG. 7C  shows a right side-mounted L-type foregrip  46 L with the grip portion  52  oriented upward.  FIG. 7D  shows a left side-mounted L-type foregrip  46 L with the grip portion  52  oriented upward. 
     In another example,  FIG. 8A  and  FIG. 8B  show side views of two mounting positions of the T-type foregrip  46 T. In particular,  FIG. 8A  shows a right side-mounted T-type foregrip  46 T.  FIG. 8B  shows a left side-mounted T-type foregrip  46 T. 
     In yet another example,  FIG. 9A  and  FIG. 9B  show side views of two mounting positions of the U-type foregrip  46 U. In particular,  FIG. 9A  shows a right side-mounted U-type foregrip  46 U.  FIG. 9B  shows a left side-mounted U-type foregrip  46 U. 
     In still another example,  FIGS. 10A-10D  show side views of four mounting positions of the J-type foregrip  46 J. In particular,  FIG. 10A  shows a right side-mounted J-type foregrip  46 J with the grip portion  52  oriented downward.  FIG. 10B  shows a left side-mounted J-type foregrip  46 J with the grip portion  52  oriented downward.  FIG. 10C  shows a right side-mounted J-type foregrip  46 J with the grip portion  52  oriented upward.  FIG. 10D  shows a left side-mounted J-type foregrip  46 J with the grip portion  52  oriented upward. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 11A-11C , side views of three mounting angles of the presently disclosed foregrip  46  are illustrated. If the barrel  14  of the carbine type rifle  10  has a longitudinal axis AX, a grip axis of grip portion  52  of the presently disclosed foregrip  46  can be provided at different angles with respect to the longitudinal axis AX. In one example,  FIG. 11A  shows the grip axis of the foregrip  46  at an angle α of about 90 degrees with respect to the longitudinal axis AX. By way of example, the angle α of the U-type foregrip  46 U can be set to about 90 degrees by attaching the first connector portion  48  at position ( 4 ) of the top rail  32  and the second connector portion  48  at position ( 4 ) of the bottom rail  32  of the accessory mount system  28 . 
     In another example,  FIG. 11B  shows the grip axis of the foregrip  46  at an angle α of about 60 degrees with respect to the longitudinal axis AX. By way of example, the angle α of the U-type foregrip  46 U can be set to about 30 degrees by attaching the first connector portion  48  at position ( 2 ) of the top rail  32  and the second connector portion  48  at position ( 6 ) of the bottom rail  32  of the accessory mount system  28 . 
     In yet another example,  FIG. 11C  shows the grip portion  52  of the foregrips  46  at an angle α of about 120 degrees with respect to the longitudinal axis AX. By way of example, the angle α of the U-type foregrip  46 U can be set to about 120 degrees by attaching the first connector portion  48  at position ( 6 ) of the top rail  32  and the second connector portion  48  at position ( 2 ) of the bottom rail  32  of the accessory mount system  28 . It should be understood that while angle α can be between 60 and 90 degrees or between 90 and 120 degrees in some embodiments, angle α can be any angle, as desired. 
     Referring again to  FIGS. 11A-11C , the angle α of any types of foregrips  46  can be fixed or adjustable. For example, angle adjustment mechanisms can be built into the grip portion  52  and/or the connector portion  48  of the foregrips  46  to allow selective rotation and/or positioning of the grip portion  52  with respect to the connector portion  48 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 12 , a perspective view of an example of a specific instantiation of the L-type foregrip  46 L is disclosed. In this example, the L-type foregrip  46 L comprises a barrel-shaped grip portion  52 . The connector portion  48  is integrated into one end of the barrel-shaped grip portion  52  and is at about a 90 degree angle. Certain fastening hardware  50  is mechanically coupled to the connector portion  48 . In particular, the connector portion  48  is a single segment that is arranged between one end of the barrel-shaped grip portion  52  and the fastening hardware  50 . The fastening hardware  50  in this embodiment is configured to be coupled to a rail  32  of the Picatinny rail system disclosed above, and is illustrated in simplified form herein, but it should be understood that the fastening hardware  50  can be any hardware and can be made compatible with other types of accessory mount systems  28 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 13 , a perspective view of an example of a specific instantiation of the T-type foregrip  46 T is disclosed. In this example, the T-type foregrip  46 T comprises a barrel-shaped grip portion  52 . The connector portion  48  is integrated into the center portion of the barrel-shaped grip portion  52  and is at about a 90 degree angle. 
     Certain fastening hardware  50  is mechanically coupled to the connector portion  48 . In particular, the connector portion  48  is a single segment that is arranged between the center portion of the barrel-shaped grip portion  52  and the fastening hardware  50 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 14 , a perspective view of an example of a specific instantiation of the J-type foregrip  46 J is disclosed. In this example, the J-type foregrip  46 J comprises a barrel-shaped grip portion  52 . The connector portion  48  is integrated into one end of the barrel-shaped grip portion  52  and is at about a 90 degree angle. Certain fastening hardware  50  is mechanically coupled to the connector portion  48 . In particular, the connector portion  48  includes an extension portion  60  arranged between one end of the barrel-shaped grip portion  52  and the fastening hardware  50 . Again by way of example, the fastening hardware  50  is Picatinny rail-specific and shown in simplified form. 
     In the examples shown in  FIGS. 12-14 , the barrel-shaped grip portion  52  has a length L that can be, for example, about 4 inches and a diameter D that can be, for example, about 1.5 inches. However, the length L and the diameter D can vary. The T-type foregrip  46 T, the L-type foregrip  46 L, the J-type foregrip  46 J, and the U-type foregrip  46 U can be formed of any rigid, strong, and lightweight materials, such as molded plastic, metal (e.g., aluminum), and any combinations thereof. Further, the barrel-shaped grip portions  52  of the foregrips  46  shown in  FIGS. 12-14  can be hollow or solid. 
     In some embodiments, the foregrip  46  and a portion of the foreend of the long gun  10  can be formed as a unitary component, such as with the barrel  14 , the accessory mount system  28 , a forestock (not shown) or another component. For example, the foregrip  46  could be molded together with a plastic forestock (not shown) that is secured around the barrel  14 . Alternatively, the foregrip  46  could be welded directly to the barrel  14 , the accessory mount system  28 , or to another component at the foreend of the long gun  10 . One advantage of forming the foregrip  46  as a unitary component with a portion of the foreend of the long gun  10  is that the foregrip  46  would be attached more securely to the main body of the long gun  10 , thereby helping to increase stability and accuracy during firing of the long gun  10 . 
     While  FIGS. 12-14  show simplified designs of the foregrips  46 , other features can be integrated into the presently disclosed foregrips  46 . For example,  FIG. 15  shows a perspective view of an example of a specific example of the L-type foregrip  46 L that comprises additional features. In this example, the grip portion  52  of the L-type foregrip  46 L is a contoured grip that comprises finger/hand contours  62  for improved comfort and control. The grip portion  52  may include flexible materials for improved comfort and grip, for example. Further, the grip portion  52  in this embodiment comprises one or more ports  64  for connecting to other accessories. For example, the grip portion  52  may include two ports  64  for connecting to conventional headphone jack connectors  66 , e.g., ⅛-inch (3.5 mm) or 3/32-inch (2.5 mm) jacks. In one example, the two ports  64  are electrically connected to two respective pushbuttons  68 ,  70  that are integrated into the grip portion  52 . The two pushbuttons  68 ,  70  are coupled to respective momentary switches in the grip portion  52 . The pushbuttons  68 ,  70  are used to control any devices connected to the ports  64 . In one example, one pushbutton  68  can control a light while the other pushbutton  70  independently controls a laser, such as for a laser sight. Other examples of accessories that can be controlled by pushbuttons  68 ,  70  include a camera, microphone, or other accessories configured to be mounted to the accessory mounting system  28 . 
     Grooves, slots, or notches can be provided inside the hollow grip portion  52  for securing the wires, ports  64 , and connectors  66  to safely tuck them out of the way when using the L-type foregrip  46 L. Further, the grip portion  52  can comprise a storage compartment  72 . In one example, spare batteries can be stored in the storage compartment  72 . Snap-fitted covers can be provided at any location for accessing the inside of the hollow grip portion  52 . 
     The above embodiments are used with a carbine type rifle, but features of these embodiments may be applied to other types of long guns as well. In this regard,  FIGS. 16A-16B  illustrate side and top views of a conventional pump-action shotgun  74  in normal use. The shotgun  74  includes a barrel  14  defining a longitudinal axis similar to rifle  10  above. The shotgun  74  also includes a forestock  76  movably mounted around magazine  78 . Pumping the forestock  76  rearward along the magazine  78  ejects a spent round from ejection port  80  and moving the forestock  76  back to a forward position chambers a new round from the magazine  78 . In this embodiment, a conventional foregrip  82  is fixedly attached to the forestock  76  and is configured to allow a user to perform the pump-action of the forestock  76  using the foregrip  82 . This arrangement has similar drawbacks to the conventional foregrip  30  used with the rifle  10  above, however, and has additional drawbacks as well. For example, in addition to causing stress and/or discomfort on the wrist, arm, and/or shoulder, the angle of the support arm  42  of the user  36  can be awkward and inefficient for performing the pump action of the foregrip  82 . Therefore, as with the rifle  10  above, new approaches are needed. 
     In this regard,  FIGS. 17A-17B  illustrate side and top views of a pump-action shotgun  74  with an axially offset foregrip  84  fixed to the forestock  76  according to an embodiment. It should be understood that any of the features described above with respect to foregrip  46  may be used with the foregrip  84 . In this embodiment, the foregrip  84  is substantially vertical and is horizontally offset from the barrel  14 . As with the foregrip  46  above, this arrangement permits the user&#39;s support hand  40  and support arm  42  to be more aligned with the barrel  14 , which results in increased accuracy and comfort for the user  36 , and helps in preventing fatigue and injury. When used with the shotgun  74 , this arrangement has the additional benefit of providing improved pump action for the forestock  76  of the shotgun  74  because of the closer alignment between the support arm  42  of the user  36  and the barrel  14  of the shotgun  74 . 
     It should also be understood that other arrangements are contemplated. For example, while the above example relates to a pump-action shotgun  74 , it is also possible to use the above-disclosed foregrips  46 ,  84  with a semi-automatic shotgun (not shown), which may have a forestock  76  that is fixed with respect to the barrel  14 . In some embodiments, the foregrip  84  and the forestock  76  or other components can be formed as unitary components, for example by molding or welding. One advantage of forming the foregrip  84  as a unitary component with the forestock  76  is that the forestock  76  would better able to handle and absorb the shear and twisting forces that can result from using a horizontally offset foregrip  84  with a pump action shotgun  74 , as well as helping to increase stability and accuracy. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 18  a flow diagram of an example of a method  100  of using the presently disclosed foregrips  46  is illustrated. The method  100  may include, but is not limited to, the following steps. 
     At block  102 , the user selects the desired type of foregrip  46 . For example, the user selects the L-type foregrip  46 L, the T-type foregrip  46 T, the U-type foregrip  46 U, or the J-type foregrip  46 J. By way of example, the user selects the L-type foregrip  46 L shown in  FIG. 12 . 
     At block  104 , the user fastens the selected foregrip  46  to the rifle, such as rifle  10 . For example, the user fastens the selected L-type foregrip  46 L, T-type foregrip  46 T, U-type foregrip  46 U, or J-type foregrip  46 J to the carbine type rifle  10 . Continuing the example, the user fastens the L-type foregrip  46 L shown in  FIG. 12  to the accessory mount system  28  of the carbine type rifle  10 . In this example, if the user is a right handed shooter, the user attaches the fastening hardware  50  to one of the left side rail features  32  of the accessory mount system  28 , wherein the user may orient the grip portion  52  upward or downward as desired in the left side plane LSP. By contrast, if the user is a left handed shooter, the user attaches the fastening hardware  50  to one of the right side rail features  32  of the accessory mount system  28 , wherein the user may orient the grip portion  52  upward or downward as desired in the right side plane RSP. 
     At block  106 , the user grasps the grip portion  52  of the foregrip  46  with his/her non-trigger support hand and prepares to fire the rifle in a comfortable and/or ergonomically correct fashion. For example, the user grasps the grip portion  52  of the L-type foregrip  46 L shown in  FIG. 12  with his/her non-trigger hand and prepares to fire the carbine type rifle  10  in a comfortable and/or ergonomically correct fashion. 
     Continuing the example, if the user is a right handed shooter, the user grasps the grip portion  52  of the L-type foregrip  46 L with his/her left hand and prepares to fire the carbine type rifle  10 . By contrast, if the user is a left handed shooter, the user grasps the grip portion  52  of the L-type foregrip  46 L with his/her right hand and prepares to fire the carbine type rifle  10 . 
     In this step, because the grip portion  52  of the L-type foregrip  46 L is offset to the left side or right side of the vertical plane VP of the barrel  14  and not in line with the rear grip  16 , its position is ergonomically correct. As a result, stress and/or discomfort on the wrist, arm, and/or shoulder of the user can be reduced, or eliminated, compared with using conventional foregrips such as foregrip  30 . 
     It should be understood that other types of arrangements and orientations for the disclosed foregrips, including foregrips  46 ,  82 , are contemplated. Referring now to  FIG. 19 , an end view of the carbine type rifle  10  shows different configurations for other types of foregrips  86  in relation to the accessory mount system  28 . In addition to the vertical plane VP, the horizontal plane HP, the right side plane RSP, and the left side plane LSP,  FIG. 19  shows a top side plane TSP and a bottom side plane BSP. In particular, the top side plane TSP is offset to the top side of the horizontal plane HP, wherein the top side plane TSP is substantially parallel to the horizontal plane HP. Similarly, the bottom side plane BSP is offset to the bottom side of the horizontal plane HP, wherein the bottom side plane BSP is substantially parallel to the horizontal plane HP.  FIG. 19  shows the grip portions  84  of the foregrips  86  in the top side plane TSP or the bottom side plane BSP. 
     The distance of the top side plane TSP and the bottom side plane BSP from the horizontal plane HP can vary depending on the design and configuration of the presently disclosed foregrips  86 . The distance of the top side plane TSP and the bottom side plane BSP from the horizontal plane HP can be from about 1 inch to about 6 inches in one example, or about 3 inches in another example. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 20A-20D , side views of examples of certain foregrips  86  in relation to the accessory mount system  28  are illustrated, according to the configurations shown in  FIG. 19 . In particular,  FIG. 20A  shows a bottom side-mounted L-type foregrip  86 L that is connected to one of the bottom rail features  32  and with the grip portion  84  oriented toward the left in the bottom side plane BSP. 
       FIG. 20B  shows a bottom side-mounted T-type foregrip  86 T that is connected to one of the bottom rail features  32  and with the grip portion  84  in the bottom side plane BSP.  FIG. 20C  shows a bottom side-mounted U-type foregrip  86 U that is connected to a right side rail feature  32  and a left side rail feature  32  and with the grip portion  84  in the bottom side plane BSP.  FIG. 20D  shows a bottom side-mounted J-type foregrip  86 J that is connected to one of the right side rail features  32  and with the grip portion  84  oriented toward the left in the bottom side plane BSP. While  FIGS. 20A-20D  show only bottom sidemounted foregrips  86 , the foregrips  86  can be top side-mounted in similar fashion. 
     Those skilled in the art will recognize improvements and modifications to the preferred embodiments of the disclosure. All such improvements and modifications are considered within the scope of the concepts disclosed herein and the claims that follow.