The MagPul Modular Stock System (MSS)
On 02-22-02 I decided to take Richard
Fitzpatrick, CEO of Magpul Industries, up on his offer to
extensively check out the prototype of his new Modular Stock System
(MSS) for M4 / CAR-15 weapon system. I left that morning and took
the two and a half hour drive to Boulder Colorado to meet with
Richard. I met Richard at the shop that is actually doing the work
on the MSS. Upon meeting Richard I was really impressed with his
down to earth and friendly personality. Richard and I talked for a
short while about the MSS and he touched briefly on the improvements
that he had planned on making to the MSS before it’s released in
July / August of this year.
Richard had the MSS mounted to a preban M4 carbine. Even though the
prototype does not have the same material that will be used in the
final product the stock balanced very well on the rifle and didn’t
feel like it added any extra weight to the rifle. One of the guys
that worked in the shop showed me the material that the final stock
will be made out of and it felt very strong and seemed to weigh
about as much as the material that was on the prototype.
I spent about 10 minutes shouldering the rifle and getting into
different shooting positions and taking the rifle out of my shoulder
and reshouldering the rifle to see how it felt. I had no problems
shouldering the rifle, it went into my shoulder without a problem
every time. The butt of the stock is not flat like other M4 stocks,
the butt is slightly concave and fits in the shoulder much better
than the flat factory stocks. The prototype had no gripping surface
on it, but the finished product will have a gripping surface similar
to the factory stock with a few improvements. Even with the butt of
the stock smooth, the stock never slipped out of my should and even
when moving quickly it never missed going into my shoulder pocket.
There is more material in the butt of the MSS than the factory
stock, it was slightly wider in some areas and felt longer. I didn’t
take measurements but it felt like there was more surface area in my
shoulder.
I then donned my SWAT gear which is a Second Chance Ultima Level
IIIA in a Second Chance Heavy Duty Carrier and a Special Operations
Equipment Force Vest that goes over the Second Chance Body Armor. I
again took a lot of time shouldering the rifle and getting into
different shooting positions, again the stock naturally fit into the
pocket of my shoulder without even having to think about it.
One of the first things I noticed when I shouldered the rifle with
the MSS is that the stock felt better in my shoulder, the buffer
tube seemed higher (I didn’t have to bend my neck at all to get my
cheek on the buffer tube, like was the case with the older style
telescoping stocks), and the buffer tube felt better against my
cheek. When I shoulder the rifle I tend to put my nose very close to
the charging handle. The buffer tube has the same material on it
that the stock is made out of, thus it raises the height of the
buffer tube, and the shape of the material on top of the buffer tube
does not follow the same contour as the buffer tube. This material
that is on the buffer tube is contoured at a wider angle thus giving
the shooter a more comfortable cheek rest. I never thought the A2 or
Carbine stock was uncomfortable, but the MSS feel so much better.
One of the first things I noticed when I shouldered the rifle with
the MSS is that the stock felt better in my shoulder, the buffer
tube seemed higher (I didn’t have to bend my neck at all to get my
cheek on the buffer tube, like was the case with the older style
telescoping stocks), and the buffer tube felt better against my
cheek. When I shoulder the rifle I tend to put my nose very close to
the charging handle. The buffer tube has the same material on it
that the stock is made out of, thus it raises the height of the
buffer tube, and the shape of the material on top of the buffer tube
does not follow the same contour as the buffer tube. This material
that is on the buffer tube is contoured at a wider angle thus giving
the shooter a more comfortable cheek rest. I never thought the A2 or
Carbine stock was uncomfortable, but the MSS feel so much better.
Richard informed me that the final production stock when at it’s
shortest position will be the same length as the current M4 stock
when it’s shortest position, but will be 1.5” longer than the A2
stock at it’s when fully opened. I believe that the MSS has 12
different locking positions, which I really liked, you can get the
length of pull to be just about perfect for anyone using the stock.
Also the different positions are marked with numbers do if you are
using it for different applications you can remember what position
you had the stock at for different tasks.
The MSS has an outstanding locking system. By depressing the locking
system you can freely adjust the stock for length of pull and by
letting go of the locking lever located at the bottom of the stock (
just like the current M4 stock) the stock will lock into the closest
locking position. Once you have the length of pull you want you
simply push the locking lever forward and it takes out any play in
the stock, thus making it as stable a platform as the A2 fixed
stock.
In my honest opinion (all hype aside) I believe that the MSS is one
of the best improvements in the way of innovation and ergonomics to
come along to the M16 weapon system. Here’s a few pics of the new
stock system, the guy modeling the stock is one of the guys that
work in the shop that’s making the stock. Enjoy:
For more info on the stock set check out:
www.magpul.com/MSS/MSS_Handout_2.pdf
Semper Fi,
Jeff