Unusual offhand grip
 

http://d2.static.dvidshub.net/media/...50x300_q75.jpg

Yeah, can someone explain that to me? I've seen a lot of different grip methods, but this one takes the cake in strangeness. :confused:

Never seen that one before. Is that a Marine?

Looks like it, MARPAT and an EGA on his uniform.

Well you know the Marines. Always doing things their way. There might be a perfectly logical explanation.

The first thing that occurs to me is that with that PEQ-16A mounted on the side of his handguard it is not easy to actually get a proper hold on it without having a vertical grip. Holding it by the front sight like this means that he can pull the rifle into his shoulder properly. Having said that, there is still space behind to laser up against the mag well, and surely the easier solution (assuming that this is the problem) would just be to mount the PEQ-16A on the top rail. Also, having looked through an ACOG an an M4 (actually a Diemaco C8 CQB but in this case no difference) I seem to remember that the front sight block came up to just short of the cross-hair, in which case this guys thumb would be obscuring the target wouldn't it?

But why is the PEQ off to the side? Isn't it usually mounted on top?

It's generally up to personal preference where to position it. It's harder to zero at three or nine, though.

I think c552 makes a point about blocking view with the thumb, though it looks held a wee bit off left (hard to tell), probably for that reason. I don't get why not just mount the PEQ up top though. Whole thing's kinda kooky to me. Bah.

I've been out for a bit but I think it might have been problematic storing them in the arms room racks with the peq mounted on the top rail (at least the humongous peq2)

I'm not convinced by that, bear in mind that it was designed especially for the US military so I am sure it would have been designed to a specification that worked for them. Also, I imagine that the amount that it protrudes out the sides when mounted on top is less than the width increase you would get if you were to mount it on the side (or perhaps you could sort of tessellate tham if everybody mounted it on the same side). Regardless, here is a picture of the racks that the US Military uses and there is a whole line of M4A1s with PEQ-2s mounted on top and it seems to work: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com...ae263ac6d2.jpg.

If it was for stacking reasons it would only work if everybody did it, and from the image above (although not 100% sure) it looks like the next two people at least in the line have the PEQ-16A mounted in the "correct" position above the barrel. My best guess is that it might be so that he can mount an IR on night vision sight in front of the ACOG.