A professional firearms trainer and former SWAT operative reviews XTech Tactical’s Adjustable AR Grip.
SWAT & Marine MPO Independent Case Study
Location: Randy’s Learning Academy Cedar Park, Texas
Author: Don Dougherty
Dear XTech Tactical,
To gain user feedback from my students, I placed your adjustable angle AR grip, ATG™, on two of the range guns in opposing positions. I had 24 experienced SWAT & Marine MPO Operators use the guns during an M-4 Operator course. Prior to testing, I surveyed the class regarding their thoughts on pistol grips and accessories in general. The results surprised me in that many of the operators had strong opinions on sites, stocks, etc. but only 6 in the group stated they put a lot of thought into their pistol grip. This was very surprising to me in that the pistol grip connects the operator to the Fire Controls and is a major factor in maintaining positive control over the rifle.
Further into the discussion with the 6 who had put thought into their pistol grip the main considerations they provided were contour, texture, and color. Since your product was brand new, the majority of the students did not know that an adjustable angle grip was available, but were all anxious to try the ATG™.
The impact on the timing of the both the classroom presentation and shooting portions of class had to change because each operator wanted to extensively test all three angles of the ATG™ on the range. The results were very interesting, over 75% of the students said they did not realize how significantly the grip angle change would affect their comfort on the grip and how much easier it was to obtain a more natural and consistent grip across the spectrum of the shooting positions for which they had trained most frequently. Several of the students said that grip angle change was a “Startling Difference” to their stock grip, and they could not understand why no one has thought of this before now.
The resounding agreement among all of the students was that they had not been previously aware of how beneficial an adjustable angle rifle grip was until they were given the opportunity to use the ATG™ Grip. They saw substantial improvement in operating the fire controls and the safety selector. And they also found it much easier to acquire a more natural and comfortable grip while shooting with the ideal grip angle based on their stance. You have developed an excellent product, and I am positive you will have much success, not just with the military and law enforcement communities, but with the civilian market as well.
Sincerely,
Don Dougherty
About the author: Don is a training specialist with 20 years of experience as a SWAT operative. Presently, Don serves as the Chief Instructor & Armorer with Randy’s Learning Academy based in Cedar Park, Texas