Hi all,
I wanted to put together a little review on the Stark Equipment line of rifle grips. These get a lot of flak and I can understand why, it isn’t the prettiest grip to grace the AR platform. And the earlier versions are sometimes referred to as the “grip of shame” because it covered the tabs on the lower that some people break when installing the trigger guard roll pin (I have no idea how one could actually do this, but it happens apparently). But, I believe in function over form and I have become a big fan of the Stark Equipment grip.
I have always had a hard time finding a grip that was 100% comfortable.
I prefer a more verticle grip angle that a lot of grips feature. When tucking in my elbow with a grip with a more rearward angle it tends to fatigue my wrist quicker. Well there are lota of manufacturers making those, no big deal right?
Well, the other issue I was having was my trigger reach. I don’t have large hands by any means, I wear a small - medium glove size. I don’t know if it’s something that I carried over from pistol shooting ( I shot pistols for a long time before ever owning a non-bolt action rifle) or what, but I place the pad of my finger on the trigger. The problem I was having was that in order to get a comfortable trigger finger placement, I would have to sacrifice my hold on the grip (when gripping it firmly, the trigger would fall in the middle of my finger).
Grips I have tried on this quest for the white whale:
A2
Magpul MOE
Magpul K2
Ergo standard
Larue APEG
BCM Mod 0
BCM Mod 3
Tango Down BG16
Lone Star Ordinance grip
Umbrella Corp grip 23
For a long time I used the Umbrella Corp grip 23. It had the most back strap of all of those and felt better in the hand than the K2. I thought about trying the BCM GFG Mod 2 with the largest back strap, but after seeing comparison pictures it didn’t seem to offer anything that the UCWRG didn’t. I had pretty much given up until I handled a Mossberg AR15 in a LGS that had the Stark on it. Wow what is this?? Althought I was very unimpressed with the Mossberg rifle, the grip felt great. So I ordered one to T&E on one of my rifles and it quickly replaced all my other grips.
A little about the grip line up. All the grips feature the same basic design, but with varying extra features:
Stark One grip: the first model, grip plug for either CR or AA batteries, integral trigger guard, choice of sling attachment molded in (or none)
Stark AR grip: same as “One” grip but without integral trigger guard for use with billet lowers or using your own trigger guard on a standard forged. Also available with your choice of sling attachments.
BRU grip (basic rifle upgrade): a stripped down version featuring the ergonomics without the option for sling attachments or grip plugs, also a bit cheaper. This is the one I ordered first to get a feel for the design. I later upgraded to the AR grio so I could keep a copy of my tax stamp in the grip.
The build quality is on par with all the major grips out there. Nothing drastically different in the feel of the polymer and have held up greatso far. I have put a rough estimate of 2500 rounds through my rifles equipped with these grips and can say without a doubt that they are the most comfortable grip for me. They have helped me with wrist fatigue from longer shooting sessions.
Here is a picture comparing it to an Umbrella Corp grip. Note how much more the back strap drops down than the Umbrella (which has the thickest of all the others I have seen). This is the part that made the big difference for me. Not only did it lengthen the trigger reach, but it also lowered the angle that my wrist had to flex down forwards for the webbing of my hand to meet back of the reciever (or grip tang).
Here is a comparison picture with an A2 to give reference to those who have not used the Umbrella Corp. More verticle angle, more back strap, and lower engagement surface for the web of your hand.
Now I know this seems like a lot to look into the grip, but the way I look at it is 1 of 4 points of contact with the weapon. Pistol grip, hand guard, stock to shoulder, and cheek to stock. So it is (over simplified) 25% of your control of the weapon.
I understand that grips really are a preference thing. And while it may seem like I am trying to say this is the best grip ever and all that, Im not. I think all of the grips that I tried were top notch, this just happens to be the best for me. What I do hope to accomplish, is to shed a little light on a good grip that is often disregarded because of its looks.
Pros:
Feels great
Lower grip angle
Longer trigger reach
Inexpensive upgrade
Well made
Cons:
Looks wierd
Also worth noting is I orderd directly from Stark Equipment and they shipped fast, like BCM fast.