Magpul Tactical
The Magpul Range Of Carbine Stocks
Magpul have built up a great reputation in sport shooting, law enforcement and military circles. Their range of stocks has achieved widespread adoption by the world’s militaries and the British Armed Army have just upgraded to the Magpul 30 shot STANAG magazine from a very good, but much heavier Heckler und Koch mag. With the widespread purchase of upgrades by service personnel and the boom in AR15 building, Magpul stocks have become very popular.
The least expensive stock in the Magpul range is the Magpul MOE stock or ‘Magpul Original Equipment’. This robust, entry level stock enables the user to achieve a better cheek weld than the military issue unit. Sling placement options include four slits for the standard width military sling and an eye to tie a paracord sling onto. The unit has an inherently strong A-frame construction surrounded by tough, heat resistant polycarbonate. This stock will not auto-collapse as it has a well designed release and locking mechanism which uses a high quality stainless steel spring. The lever is in a protected position beneath the comb of the stock where it is shielded from unintentional operation.
Smooth lines avoid the chance of the stock catching on branches or equipment etc. The soft rubber butt pads are available in three different thicknesses – the commercial version comes as standard with a 55mm pad and the military with a 30mm. You can fit any of three heights of comb raiser, but these will restrict the AR15 to firing with the stock fully open and are intended for other platforms.
The next model offered is the CTR stock or ‘Compact/Restricted Tactical’. This is similar to the MOE but with enhanced rigidity due to an ingenious friction locking mechanism. It also adds a push button mount for QD swivels. Both the MOE and CTR are available in milspec or commercial versions – the milspec suitable for Colt and other manufacturer milspec buffer housings of 1.14″ outside diameter intended for four or six position adjustable stocks and the commercial for commercial AR15s with 1.17″ diameter buffer housings. They are both available in four different colors to suit various terrains and scenarios. These two stocks are really drop-in units which you can add to a service rifle in the US military on operations without being court martialled – this is not true of their next stock, the UBR or ‘Utility Battle Rifle’.
The Magpul UBR is a big jump up in capability offering a operator defined LOP position chosen from seven by positioning a set screw. You can go with the standard two QD swivel push button mounts which can be swapped from side to side or pay a little extra for fully ambidextrous mounts. A non-moving cheekpiece ensures completely consistent cheek-weld. The 1.63lb weight of the unit with its entry length receiver extension helps balance accessories mounted at the front of the weapon.
A box is incorporated into the stock and locks securely. This gives you the option of packing a bore-snake etc. If you prefer the skeletonized look, you can simply leave it off the rifle. Smooth lines and the recessed lever prevent fouling or accidental operation. Working parts are relatively well protected from ingress of dirt and sand. This stock uses an entry length receiver extension which you are unlikely to be allowed to fit to a service weapon. You need to be aware that you need an M4 spring and buffer which are not included. Some 7.62X51mm rifles will need a shorter custom buffer and buffer spring.
These stocks are intended for service weapons but can fit on a plethora of other systems including bolt action rifles, shotguns and even some machineguns. Magpul also offers sniper specific AR stocks which I will cover in a future article.
Copyright Ezra H. Benton 2011
Magpul Dynamics -Art of the Tactical Carbine trailer