Chad Wallace

November 5, 2021

Review, Stock, Grips

Adaptive Tactical EX Stock & Tactical Grip

Chad Wallace

November 5, 2021

Review, Stock, Grips

Years ago I had the opportunity to use one of Adaptive Tactical’s shotgun stocks. I was impressed with the recoil pad it had. So when they offered to send their new M4 stock and pistol grip, I was all for it. This EX Performance stock has received some upgrades recently over their previous version. Coupled with the Lightweight Tactical grip, you have a nice combination for just about anything needing a new stock and grip.

The EX M4 style stock still has a bunch of the normal stock stuff. It fits on your standard mil-spec extension tube. It is adjustable with controls similar to an M4 stock. The cheek piece gives a better feel than a lot of adjustable stocks. There is also a bunch more.

Adaptive Tactical gave the new EX stock a few upgrades. Some of these might be noticeable, others, not so much. It has a larger stock adjusting lever for easier adjustments. They put in an oversized lock pin to hold the placement of the stock better. This pin also adds strength when using the stock on a shotgun or AR10 style rifle. The pins holding the adjustment lever are also covered. Adaptive Tactical says it’s for easier stock removal and installation, I think it just makes it look more refined. Also included is a reversible QD mounting socket. Lastly, it uses their fantastic recoil pad.

As far as specs on the EX stock, here they are. It weighs in at 12 ounces. But lose the recoil pad, and it drops to 8 ounces. It’s 7 ¼ inches long with the recoil pad. You’ll lose a little over an inch if you remove the pad. The extra pad length also can make the stock work better for tall people, or those with long arms.

Newly added to the Adaptive Tactical lineup is their Lightweight Tactical Grip (LTG). The grip pairs nicely with the EX stock. As one can guess, the LTG is highly skeletonized to reduce weight. It is made from reinforced polymer and includes mounting hardware. The LTG also has a 25 degree grip angle with a medium beavertail. Lastly, it weighs in at a tiny 2.6 ounces.

I’ve had the pleasure of using both the EX stock and LTG grip on different shooting outings. One of those was a shooting match that consisted of mainly rifle and pistol drills. This meant there were quite a few transitions from pistol to rifle, etc. I was worried that the super soft recoil pad would get caught on my gear. I was pleasantly surprised when it didn’t. An added bonus was that there is little to no recoil with that pad on there, yes it was only a 5.56 AR, so not much anyhow. Making adjustments with the oversize adjustment lever was super easy too. The EX stock has a little more play, on the buffer tube, than I would have liked. It didn’t seem to bother any, but I’d like it a little tighter as it rattled a bit. During the match, I also had a sling attached in the QD socket. It did what it was supposed to do, hold the sling. It is not a non swivel QD, so the sling could possibly twist on you. I didn’t have this happen, but it is possible. Overall, I liked how the stock worked for me.

The Lightweight Tactical Grip wasn’t used during the match, but has been used a bit. It is light, but gives me a pretty good grip on the rifle. The way the LTG is shaped, works well for both small and large handed shooters. It is shaped so that the grip is smaller toward the top, and larger toward the bottom. I found that it felt like my hand was getting forced up toward the top. This gave me a really good grip and made it easy to use the controls. The grip may not be for everyone, as my son said it felt weird to him, but he didn’t have any problems using it. The grip angle seemed to work well for me too.

The EX stock and Lightweight Pistol Grip are good performers. They work as intended and have some really nice features. If you're building a rifle, or have something with some major recoil, the stock could be perfect for you. The LTG really is personal, you may like it, you may not. It’s very light, so when weight is a concern, Adaptive Tactical has you covered. You can check the stock/grip combo out and more at Adaptive Tactical.

Firearms Insider Reviews - 8 Key Points

Claim to Fame:

Adjustable stock with super soft pad and lightweight pistol grip

Target Market:

AR builders and users or anyone wanting a M4 style stock with a recoil pad

FNBs (Features & Benefits of this product):

Stock:

Compatible with Mil-Spec sized extension tubes
Reversible QD socket
Oversized adjustment handle
Weight: 12 oz
Length: 7.25"
Made in the U.S.A.

Grip:

One-piece polymer construction
Ergonomic shape; comfortable with aggressive design
Beavertail
Includes mounting hardware
Weight: 2.6 oz.
Grip Angle: 25 degrees
Dimensions: 4.75” L x 2.25” W x 1.125” H
Made in the U.S.A.

What other aesthetic options or finishes are available?

FDE

What others are saying?:

Stock:

Jim S - 5/5 stars @adaptive tactical

Adaptive Tactical Stock is a superior product, strong design, fit and function is excellent, felt recoil is reduced to a minimum, adds value to any rifle. Thicker recoil pad is a plus, adds that extra length needed for better fit and comfort, especially for shooters with longer arms.

Grip:

Country Girl - 5/5 stars @adaptive tactical

Awesome grips, lightweight yet seem heavy duty, feel good in hand, perfect angle, and great customer service.

Our Rating:

Pros:

Super soft recoil pad
Multiple sling mounting options
Skeletonized grip
Made in USA

Cons:

Stock fit is loose
Rotational QD mount

Score: 7.00 Good

Favorite Link: Walker Defense Research

Chad Wallace

August 15, 2020

Review, Rifle, Handguards and Rails, Timber Creek

Timber Creek Enforcer Build KIt

Chad Wallace

August 15, 2020

Review, Rifle, Handguards and Rails, Timber Creek

By now, everyone knows that you can do just about anything to an AR style rifle. Timber Creek Outdoors can definitely help you with that. They have their Enforcer Build Kit. The Enforcer Kit is a complete upgrade kit for your modern sporting rifle. Besides basic black, the kit comes in a variety of colors, some anodized and some Cerakoted.

To be a little different, I asked for the Enforcer kit in purple. The purple is one of the anodized colors that Timber Creek offers. I like the look of anodizing, as it has that “high gloss” look. This purple does not disappoint. The anodizing is spot on and all the different parts match. Matching anodizing, from batch to batch, is not super easy. But Timber Creek pulled it off.

Down in the FNB section, it shows what all comes with the Enforcer kit and it is a lot. I’ll go over most of the parts individually, at least the important ones. All of the parts come in one nice box. Small parts are in bags, in the buffer tube. On the back of the box is essentially a parts break down, and where those parts go. I also put together a list of what else is needed to complete a full rifle. Some of these parts can also be purchased from Timber Creek, like the barrel and castle nut, these additional parts are as follows:

Castle nut
Buffer and recoil spring
Trigger
Bolt catch
Mag catch
Upper/lower
Buffer retaining pin & spring
Barrel
Stock
Gas tube

First up I’ll start with the lower receiver small parts. The extended mag release has a nice little downward curve to it and isn’t too large. I really liked it’s function as it isn’t any higher than the standard mag release, it just sits back closer to the trigger finger. TC’s oversize trigger guard is wider also. It’s pretty oversize, so much so that I think a Sasquatch could get his finger in there. Then there are the take down pins. They add color, but are undersized in the kit I received. They wobble around and make the upper to lower fit, fit loosely. I had standard pins in this kit before, and they didn’t have these problems. Maybe not a small part, but it attaches to the lower, is the mil-spec 6 position buffer tube. It does not, however, come with a castle nut. A QD endplate is also included.

Also included for the lower is an ambi safety selector. This safety is reversible, meaning that it is either 45° or 90°. I was happy to see this, as I like 45° safeties, so that is how it was installed. Two selectors are provided, one is about standard length, the other one is shorter. This is pretty standard for ambi-selectors. They attach to the safety selector piece with some allen head screws, I did use a little Loctite 242 when installing them. I wasn’t sure how I was going to like the shape of the safety, it is a kind of tear drop shape with serrations . After using it, I do really like it, especially the serrations. These serrations let my thumb know that it is in contact with the safety.

The Timber Creek pistol grip is one of their oldest products. As with all of the Enforcer kit parts, it is aluminum and CNC machined. They skelontonized the grip to save weight. It has a finger rest/stop at the heel to help prevent your hand from sliding off. There is also a beavertail for comfort. Plus some grooves on the front to aid with grip. In my opinion, the grip is a little on the slick side. It is very comfortable, but needs a little more texture to help me grip it.

Next we move on to the upper receiver. Only two small parts here, the dust cover and forward assist. The dust cover adds a nice contrast to the upper. The one supplied doesn’t like to stay closed. If you bump the rifle too hard, installing a magazine for instance, the door flips open. The forward assist works as expected. It has checkering on the face of it for extra grip, just in case you have to use it.

Timber Creek’s Enforcer charging handle is a work of art. It has ball bearings inside it, thus giving the handle arms super smooth actuation. The oversize handles stick out a bunch on either side, making it truly ambidextrous. By making the handles so large, one hand operation is extremely easy. Even if one were to mount a large scope, they would have easy access to the charging handle. The handles are slightly curved forward with grooves on the front face. Pretty much eliminating your hand from slipping off during use. I personally would have liked Timber Creek’s small charging handle to be in the kit, as this one is just a tiny bit too big for my liking. It is, however, an excellent charging handle.

Probably one of the most notable parts in the kit, is the 15” Ultralight Enforcer handguard. This handguard is super skeletonized and weighs nothing. If you pick it up by itself, without the barrel nut, it is like picking up air. The complete handguard assembly weighs something like 7.6 ounces with the barrel nut! Since it is the ultralight version, the handguard has a short rail at the front and back instead of running all the way across the top. I really like these style of handguards, as I never use the middle of the pic rail anyhow. There is a unique “Timber Creek” curve at the nose of the handguard. This curve is useful to keep brush and stuff from getting caught in it out in the field. Plus, it looks pretty good also. Now, if you need to attach anything else, the handguard has M-Lok slots running along the top, sides, and bottom. There are also QD holes for attaching slings and such. These are the good ones that have anti-rotation cuts every 45°. There are five total. One on each side, at the front and rear of the handguard. Then there is one on the bottom rear, just in front of the clamping system. Timber Creek uses a clamp system, with some extra set screws, to hold the handguard on. There are also wings, that extend over the upper receiver, to help keep it from rotating. I think the clamp system works just great, so the probably didn’t need the wings. But, extra insurance is always a good thing. For as light as this handguard is, there is less flex in it compared to other lightweight handguards. At least that’s my experience with the same length ones that I have used. The Enforcer lightweight handguard is well worth the price of admission.

To round out the kit, Timber Creek throws in their muzzle brake and gas block. The gas block is low profile to fit under the handguard. It is the two set screws on the bottom type and about an inch long. It looks goog, and works great. The “Heart Breaker” muzzle brake is a two chamber style, with two holes on the top to reduce muzzle climb. The chambers are heart shaped, hence the name. I was hesitant about this brake at first. Yes, the brake proved me wrong. It works way better than I had ever imagined. It is really loud, but that was expected. My daughter even mentioned the lack of recoil while using it. Instead of a crush washer or shims, the Heart Breaker comes with a locking jam nut. Think of it as a nice little bonus in the Enforcer kit.

Now that all the parts are pretty much covered, here’s my thoughts. If you value quality parts, these are top notch. Timber Creek did an awesome job with most of the stuff in the kit. I really enjoy shooting this rifle, it handles so nice with the lightweight parts. The rifle in the pictures weighs in at 6 lbs 14 ounces with the red dot. But, it uses everyday standard internals and a 16” heavy profile barrel (lightweight barrel would save roughly 8 ounces). The handguard and ambi-safety are probably my 2 favorites. They just work great.

The Timber Creek Enforcer Build Kit is a great upgrade. If you are looking to build a new rifle, add color, or just upgrading your old one, the Enforcer kit is pretty much a worthwhile option. One might think it is a little pricey, but you are getting quality parts. These parts would definitely cost you more if you were to buy them individually. Definitely go check out Timber Creek Outdoors and all of their stuff.