Who doesn’t like efficiency? Dare I say synergy? Well, if you love synergy, then you might need to take a look at the Crimson Trace RIG (Rapid Illumination Grip). The RIG combines an angled foregrip with a white light. The combination of light and grip makes for a lightweight and handy weapon that keeps things simple but effective. Crimson Trace is mostly known for their laser systems, but in the last few years, they’ve been diving into different realms.
They’ve hit the red dot market with various-size dots aimed at rifles, handguns, and other platforms. They even made magnified optics, as well as various weapon light designs. Their light designs had been fairly standard until the RIG. I first saw the RIG almost a year ago today at SHOT 2022, and I knew I wanted one.
I enjoy it when companies try something new. While it doesn’t always work out, it’s nice to see some effort put into new designs. The RIG certainly breaks some barriers. It is a simple angled grip with one larger portion to rest your hand and pull the rifle into your shoulder. It’s short, and you can fit three fingers on the grip. It’s textured and made from a high-impact polymer material. It works like every other angled grip works, but it has the added feature of a white light.
The RIG — A Light and Grip Combination
Light and grip combinations have existed before. Surefire made this big massive beast back in the day, and since then, numerous companies have shoved lights onto vertical grips. What makes the RIG different is that it’s not a vertical grip. It’s an angled foregrip, much like the Magpul AFG.
The RIG comes ready to mount to either Picatinny rails or directly to M-LOK rails. The Picatinny rail adapter is actually fairly neat and handy. It doesn’t add extra bulk to the light or to your rifle. The RIG uses an included rechargeable battery. It actually comes with two batteries, so one can remain charged while the other is in use. You can also charge the battery as it sits in the grip.
The Bright White Light
The RIG has several settings, with a peak intensity of 500 lumens. Sadly, Crimson Trace doesn’t reveal the candela count. The light itself has several settings and steps down from peak intensity. The five different settings include the bright 500-lumen white light, as well as steps down to 350, 200, 100, and 5 lumens.
We get three modes with the RIG. Two modes are momentary and constant. Constant is one click of a button, and momentary is a long press and release. After 45 seconds on momentary, the light will time out and shut off. That seems like a smart feature for a gun kept in a safe where it might get accidentally pressed.
The third mode is strobe. Hold down either the + or – button, and the light will begin strobing. I’m not a big fan of strobes on lights, but it’s easy to avoid.
Ergonomic Examination
The grip works nicely and functions as a constant index point, making the rifle easy to pull into your shoulder. Crimson Trace found a way to design the grip to be exceptionally comfortable and ergonomic when factoring in the light and its controls. The RIG comes with two on/off buttons. One is a flush-mounted grip, and the other is an optional pressure switch and cable with a 5.5-inch cable. Both work exceptionally well, and the button provides a nice bit of tactile feedback with a nice clicky design.
You have to pick which one you prefer. Swapping them is as easy as popping one off the grip and the other in place. They pop on and off with ease, and the pressure of the RIG attached to the handguard keeps the buttons in place. It’s smart and simple. On the front of the grip and right behind the light sits a + and – button. This allows you to adjust the light on demand or activate the strobe.
The RIG In Action
Mounting the RIG is easy to do and doesn’t require a ton of brains. You have to make sure the light fits tight to the rail, or the switch might not be properly mounted to the RIG. It can come loose if the RIG isn’t snug to the handguard. The batteries pop in and out easily and don’t require you to remove the grip from the rail.
The white light has lots of spill and little focus. It’s clearly made to be used inside the home or inside buildings. It’s a big wide beam backed by a huge reflector that gives you a big beam that makes use of a mere 500 lumens. Inside it will light up a room from side to side with bright white light everywhere.
A wide beam works well in the house, but once you step foot in the great outdoors, you might feel a bit underwhelmed. The beam covers a wide area but doesn’t go very far. At 50 yards, you are running out of light quickly. It’s also not powerful enough to overcome any powerful photonic barriers.
That’s not necessary; it just certainly appears that the RIG should be used indoors and for home defense. It’s not enough light for duty or outdoor’s use, and the battery lasts only an hour at peak intensity. However, in the home defense role it role the RIG shines brightly.
Under Pressure
With the RIG attached to my MkGs rifle, I tossed a few hundred rounds downrange. I left the light on as I shot and used my camera in selfie mode to make sure it remained on. I was looking to see if recoil would shut the light off and I was pleased. The light stayed on and suffered not so much as a flicker.
The RIG from Crimson Trace is a system that works. It’s not the brightest light, but it’s compact, well designed, and grants you double trouble by pairing it with an angled foregrip. With 500 lumens, it works fairly well, but I would be really excited to see a slightly larger model with at least 1,000 lumens and 20,000 candela or something close to that.
The RIG is unique but it isn’t a light designed for everyone or every situation. Does it work for you? Let us know what you think below!
