Slappy from United States, FL Public Profile

Despite being a unique stock, HERA's lackluster materials and overall lack of durability do not justify the price. This is an injection molded plastic clamshell design. The two halves are easily taken apart by removing 11 screws. The angle of the grip makes it impossible to install the grip screw without a ball-end Allen wrench. You MUST have one. For the price, HERA should have included it. An internal metal washer is sandwiched between plastic brackets as the means of securing the stock with the grip screw. Likewise, the adjustable butt stock spacer is fastened with two bolts that mate with nuts sandwiched between plastic brackets. Caution is needed as overtightening may break the plastic brackets. Oddly, while the entire stock is plastic (including the lower rail), HERA made the included short spacer out of aluminum. The two-inch accessory spacer, sold separately, is also aluminum. Length of pull is 12 inches and my hunch is most users will need the additional 2" spacer. This is a unique stock, but it is sorely overpriced given the materials.

The jig works as advertised, but I was disappointed that Kaw Valley's .625 dimpling jig did NOT include a 5/32 spot drill bit. I previously purchased their .750 jig and the proper spot drill bit was included. It worked perfectly. I assumed it would be included with this smaller jig as well... But no. Read the fine print because they say you have to provide your own bit. Spot bits are ideal for cutting the shallow dimples needed for set screws, cutting at a much lower degree of angle than typical drill bits. Common drill point angles range from 118 to 140 degrees or more. Spot drill bits have shallower angles that are best for cutting harder metals like barrel steel. I wish Kaw Valley would just package their jig kits consistently, avoiding confusion and the annoyance of having to chase down a spot bit.

I purchased the Minimalist Blast Shield as an accessory to the Griffin Optimus. The Optimus is already an excellent package with incredibly diverse applicability. Nevertheless, the Minimalist Blast Shield provides another interesting and effective alternative set-up for Griffin Taper Mounts in just a slightly shorter profile than the full size and mid size Optimus configurations. Just like all Griffin Armament products, the quality of materials and machining is superb and should easily last many generations if used as directed and properly maintained.

The M&P Tactical Rifle Case by Allen is well made and practical. For our purposes, it holds a scoped M&P 15-22 with extra mags, several boxes of 22LR plus odds and ends. The stitching is good quality as is the zipper and strapping. Padding is also sufficient. The muzzle pocket is convenient and there's a velcro hold-down strap at the butt end. The 38" size is perfect length with ample room to leave the adjustable stock extended. Its perfect for this AR platform and extras.