TI-7 Tactical Buttstock
Reviews of the TI-17 Tactical Buttstock:
I conducted the testing/review of the TI-17 Tactical Buttstock, and found it to be a well
constructed, well functioning piece of equipment. It was well designed in that it served its
intended manufactured purpose and was not over designed. It was of good quality, was easy to
operate and durable. The product was compatible with several types of vehicle mounts/and
storage compartments. Performance wise it performed as expected, was easy to install and
remove, was quiet, and the design allowed for a comfortable cheek weld. A nice bonus was the
battery/cleaning kit storage built in to the sides, and the non snag design is nice but not a critical
factor. It was comfortable, again the cheek weld was nice, and it fit comfortably into the shoulder
well and did not slip. The sling attachment points were adequate as well. Again it is a well
designed piece of equipment that I think is better than some of the other products out on the
market, and would recommend this product to others.
I was given a TI-7 tactical Buttstock for the NTOA Member Tested program. When the box
arrived, I saw that I had been given 2 stocks, 1 commercial size and one mil-spec. Also in the
box was and “Tube Typing Tool” and instructions (it should be noted that the Typing tool is very
handy in determining what kind of buffer tube your AR rifle has installed). Both stocks were flat
black and appeared to be of good quality. The stocks were very similar in design to other
SOPMOD-type stocks, especially in the flared cheek welds on both sides. The check welds are
very comfortable, and greatly assist in a good, stable eye placement though the rear sight. The
stocks had two battery/storage locations under each cheek weld, which were closed by very tight
covers. You notice almost immediately the design of the stocks rear, “contoured” shoulder rest.
(During initial shooting drills, this curve seemed to allow greater flexibility in raising the rifle
into shooting position from a low ready). The stock also had quick disconnect swivel mounts on
both sides, for those who like to mounts slings in that location (Our agency utilizes a single-point
sling attachment at the rear of the receiver, so I did not test the QD locations of the TI-7).
I removed my current AR’s stock, and easily installed the TI-7 in its place. I found that stock
very easy to install, and very easy to adjust positions front and rear. The lock-up of the stock at
any given position is very good, and only a very small amount of play is noticeable at any
extension. Overall, the stock was very comfortable and easy to use, and appeared to be of high
quality manufacture. Depending on the TI-7’s price point, it may make a great alternative no
more expensive SOPMOD–style stocks already on the market. I applaud the ability to carry
additional batteries in the storage compartments, especially given our use of EOTechs and
Surefire lights. The stock is simple, solid, and well designed.
Product Features
Sleek, Contoured Shoulder Rest - Comfortable Weapon Placement in Multiple Shooting Positions
Snag Resistant Design
Special Ops-Style Cheek Weld
Available Battery/Cleaning Kit Storage
Storage Compartment Accessible While Mounted On Rifle
Ambi Socket for Quick Release Sling Swivels
Unique Patent Pending Attachment Method Provides Smooth, Rattle-Free Action And Proper Fit to Receiver Tubes.
Rubber-Like Shoulder Pad Provides Positive Non-Slip Contact Surface Easy, Single Handed Removal
Shielded Release Lever
MIL-SPEC Materials
Metallic Components Are Stainless Steel
Available In 4 Colors - Black, Flat Dark Earth, Olive Drab, Foliage Green
Contact us for Custom Colors! (Use the Form Below)
Interested in the Rifles Pictured? Use the Same Form!
Patent Pending
Made In USA By USG Contractor for Small Weapons Systems. CAGE 4U486
TI-7 Tactical Buttstock was evaluated by the NTOA on January 4, 2011.
Former Airborne Infantryman, now North Carolina Police Officer (March 2011)
I've gotten a chance to put the TI-7 through some pretty punishing paces, and it did well. I was impressed, and so were my partners who "gave me a hand".
First Impressions:
The stock is pleasing right out of the package, quality material, and sleek angles. You can tell that it offers a little more in the buttpad height, which I think is something that gets ignored way too much in the shooting world.
The adjustment lever is enclosed within the stock, and the beam that "protects" it also lends structural integrity to the stock.
There are two storage tubes on either side of the stock which sit under the integrated cheek comb. Not the first company to do it, but the tube caps ARE tear drop shaped, which lends to the ease of taking them out and replacing them. The caps lock into place nicely, and have a sturdy O-ring that makes the tubes water resistant, as well as providing a tight fit.
The integrated buttpad is made of a rigid rubberized material with a heavy tread on the back, akin to a tire. This stands out for several reasons: Aftermarket rubber buttpads are usually slip-on, which means they're also slip-off. Some do better than others, but unless you drive a screw through them, they come off eventually. Some are made of a soft rubber, which provides a nice "grippy" surface, but eventually they start to fall apart. The TI-7 buttpad follows the contour of the stock, so theres nothing for it to catch on, and the treads on the back are big enough that they grab onto everything we were wearing when we shouldered the rifle ( more on that later ). It also locks into the stock in several places, so it's not coming off, one of my range buddies proved this by whacking it several times against concrete at the pad/stock seam, and the stock held up to it.
The TI-7 also has an interesting tension based anti-wobble system incorporated into the interior of the stock where it marries with the buffer tube. It was impressive to look at in its simplicity, and more importantly it did its job.
Selection:
To make all the shooters happy, the TI-7 comes in all the popular flavors of black, OD, and Tan, and since its injection molded, its not a paint or a finish that will eventually wear off. They also offer proper fit commercial and Mil-Spec buffer tube stocks, as opposed to a standard stock that "should" fit both.
Range trip:
Why are there so many stocks out there? Because they all try to address a problem that shooters find.
Many shooters now use a "dynamic shooting stance", where you're squared up to your target, and your body forms an isosceles triangle pointed toward the target. Some lean into the rifle, and shoulder their rifle almost into their chest, others are more upright, and shoulder the rifle high in the pocket of their shoulder and neck. This is most popular with military and police, as
1) We wear body armor, and want to present as much of that to our threat as we can ( they shoot too ).
2) We don't stand still, we move, and it's easier to maintain mobility AND a shooting platform by training to shoot without retraining yourself to walk.
To those who train in this fashion, the TI-7 excels as part of your weapon system, as it conforms to the shooter's stance, no matter what little idiosyncrasies they have, and compliments what the shooter is trying to make the rifle do by helping it DO it better.
Huh? What did he just say?
OK let me explain... In shooting, we found the following:
My two other test partners and I all shoot in the dynamic stance, but two of us shoulder the rifle high in the pocket, and one shoulders his rifle more toward the center of his chest. We also took turns with no armor, soft armor ( such as used by most police officers ), and heavy armor, which is soft armor with ceramic plates over top ( such as used by military personnel and police S.W.A.T officers )
None of us change our stance regardless of what type of armor we're wearing, however one of the benefits of the AR platform is you CAN adjust the stock to accommodate the change in length of pull when you add the bulk of armor into the equation.
Where the TI-7 stood out was in the sheer amount of real-estate it provided in rifle to shooter contact.
The buttpad and stock are "taller" then most other stocks by almost an inch and a half, it's also wider, which amounts to this:
If you shoot like me, you shoulder your rifle "high in the pocket". When armored, this can get frustrating because you don't really have a "pocket" anymore, and you find yourself trying to find a solid space on your armor to pull your rifle into.
The TI-7 addresses this by giving you more stock to shoulder, as well as the big tread on the back grabbing on to you to provide extra support.
On the note of armor plates, the TI-7 also has a "toe" on the bottom, that I found naturally rested on top of my armor. The more I shot, the more I found myself also using this toe as an axis point, where it stayed against my armor in the low ready, and acted as a guide as I drove the rifle up into my shooting position.
My friend who shoots with the rifle more centered in his chest also found this to be the case, and reported that he liked how much more of the stock was in contact with him while shooting.
More praises:
The integrated buttpad seemed to really be a point of praise no matter what level of armor we were wearing.
It was comfortable with no armor, so for the citizen shooter who is looking to improve stability in the amount of "rifle to shooter contact", I think you'll be pleased.
For the operators and shooters who are soft armored ( patrol officers, private security, etc. ), the stock provides a solid base against your armor, which is usually under your duty uniform. The fact that it is bigger, and again, with the buttpad tread, it was neither hard nor uncomfortable to keep it shouldered. I regret to report that under heavy use, it will still eventually yank off your pin-and-grommet name tag, along with all your "atta-boy" pins. However, I think we all agree that's a small price to pay should the day come when we need our rifle.
The benefits found when using the stock with soft armor also went for the heavy armor, and the TI-7's toe is a nice touch that really helped the rifle marry to your shoulder area when it rested on the plate. You'll also find that the tread really grabs onto your carrier, which is usually made of Condura ( which has a tendency to be slick ).
Operational compatibility:
We ran several drills, along with vehicle dismounts and an obstacle course with the stock mounted on a basic patrol carbine. The stock is very streamlined, and didn't snag on anything, which is worth a lot when trying to quickly get out of a vehicle or over a wall. It was also banged off of just about anything we could hit with it, and after being beaten up, still was solid against the buffer tube. It wouldn't be my first choice for bashing in a door ( besides, if you're trying to bash in a door with your carbine you're WRONG ), but for a window? Sure.
End thoughts:
Have I replaced my rifles stock with a TI-7? Yes I have, I think that there are several stocks out there that have good ideas, and I feel that the TI-7 is an amalgamation of most them. Further, it's not trying to be anything other than a battle capable stock. You won't find any weak structure points, or oddly placed picatinny rail just to make it "tactical" (I think a lot of companies loose what the "T" word really means ).
Good ideas, put to use with good materials, makes for a good piece of equipment you can rely on, and that's all that most of us are looking for.
About the Author:
Sam (Sammy to his friends) Langdon has been intimately familiar with the M-4/AR-15 carbine for the past 11 years. He served as an Airborne Infantryman in the 82nd Airborne 2/325 AIR from 2000-2005, and is a multiple deployment veteran. In 2005, he left active duty to pursue a career in law enforcement in North Carolina (a path he is still following, and can't believe he's lucky enough to get paid for), and concurrently served from 2005 to 2009 as the NCOIC of Warrior Task Training and head armorer for the 1452nd in the NC National Guard. He's trained hundreds of soldiers on the use and deployment of all infantry level weapons systems, and when asked what's 'best', he would tell you that rifles are like pants:
He'll always like his the most, but he'd wear your pants before he wore NO pants. Perhaps an entertaining way to say 'Find what suits you best, but be ready to use what you have to.'
TI-7 Tactical Buttstock $85.00
