By Matthey Moss
The wonderful world of firearms accessories never ceases to amaze with its deadly ingenuity, and the Gripknife is no exception. While bayonets have been around since the 16th century, the unusual new blade from Ohio-based Switch Grip LLC, is perhaps the latest way to stick a knife to your gun — and all you need is a picatinny rail system
A combination of spring-loaded knife and vertical grip, the Gripknife is touted as a handy, efficient last line of defense for those who find themselves out of ammo in a close quarters situation.
“Bayonets have not been adapted for the small rooms and tight spaces of modern warfare or home defense,” the company says. “Gripknife is the Modern Day Bayonet.”
Attached to the base of the rifle, the GripKnife is designed with a release button to easily launch the spring-loaded blade from a rubber grip just like a normal automatic knife. The blade locks in place ready for use; to retract the blade, the user simply depresses a blade locking button and pushes the knife back into the base.
“When clearing a room in XCQB, no knife can be deployed and used faster than Gripknife,” the company claims on its website, boasting a draw time of “a fraction of a second.”
The design is protected by a series of patents granted between 2013 and 2015, but it seems the company is finally ready to bring their blade to market. Gripknife’s website inviting prospective customers to sign up for a pre-order mailing list.
http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/how-the-bayonet-may-make-comeback-the-us-military-22048
