SHOT Show Find: America Grip's Tool Grip

When you attend SHOT Show you will come across a lot of cool products. Some of them are cool to look at but not functional for everyday use and then some are functional but not affordable for the average person. Well, this year we came across a product that is not only functional but extremely affordable and it is from a company called America Grip. They have produced a rail cover that doubles as a tool kit or is it a tool kit that doubles as a rail cover? Either way, it is a very useful tool for law enforcement, military, hunters and recreational shooters. They call their product the Tool Grip. America Grip is an American company [obviously] and their products are made in the U.S.A . What's even better is that they are based right near us here in the Austin area!

Tool Grip in use on our XLR

I cannot count the number of times that either Christy or I [or a fellow shooter] have needed to adjust or tighten something and then have to go digging for tools. That's not so much of an inconvenience except for the fact that whenever something needs tightening or adjusting it never happens when a tool kit is convenient. This problem should be a thing of the past now that we have the Tool Grip. We recently went to the range to do some long range shooting and put the Tool Grip to good use. We had a sample unit in black which did not have all of the tools that are included with the retail kit. It was basically half of a complete kit. This wasn't a problem at all given the versatility of the Tool Grip. Before we left for the range I just loaded up the Tool Grip with the exact bits that we would need.

Essentially, the Tool Grip is a rail cover that holds hex bits [up to 2"] in open slots until they are needed (Fig. 1). Once you need to call it into service as a tool, remove two of the rail covers and then snap the two halves together (Fig. 2 & 3) to make the grip of the tool. Then slide the bit you need into the middle hole between the two rail panels or one of the corner slots (Fig. 4 & 5). A unique feature of this tool is if you are doing more delicate work and you use the middle slot, the tool will separate (Fig. 6) to prevent stripping out a screw [much like a torque wrench]. If you need more force, use the corner slots (Fig. 7).Once you figure out what you need you are ready to tackle the task at hand! After you are done using it as a tool, you simply separate the two halves [which may take a little practice], return the bits to their appropriate slots (Fig. 8) and then snap the panels back on to the picatinny rail.

The kit itself comes with four ABS plastic rail panels that are highly texturized (Fig. 9) and come in o.d. green, black or coyote brown. Other colors will be available soon. The kit also comes with as assortment of commonly used hex bits for firearms including: P1 and P2 Phillips, 8-10 flatheads, #1 square head punch, T-10 star, T-15 star, T- 20 star, and T-25 star. The Tool Grip retails for $24.99 + shipping which is very reasonable! Be sure to check out their website and order your Tool Grip now.
www.americagrip.com

Fig. 2

Fig. 1

Fig. 4

Fig. 3

Fig. 5

Fig. 6

Fig. 7

Fig. 8

Made in USA

Fig. 9