Mako/Fab AGR 870-FKSB AR15/M4 Collapsible Buttstock with Shock Absorber for Remington 870

Rifleshooter.com Review:  Mako/Fab AGR 870-FKSB AR15/M4 Collapsible Buttstock with Shock Absorber for Remington 870

The Mako/Fab AGR870-FKSB is a folding pistol grip stock that attaches to a Remington 870.   The entire stock appears to be of solid construction.  I was quite impressed with the overall quality, fit and finish.

For testing purposes the stock was mounted to a 18.5″ Remington 870 Police equipped with Scattergun Technologies Ghost Ring Sights

The M4 style stock is the Israeli GLR16.  It has an attachment point for a QD swivel on the side and a rubber recoil pad that swings down to provide storage for spare 123 batteries.  I liked this feature.

Handling characteristics of this stock assembly are common with other pistol grip shotgun stocks.  Holding the gun at entry or low ready for extended periods of time is easier then a straight stock because the shooters wrist is in a more advantageous position.  This makes holding the gun on target while topping off  easier as well.

The receiver extension mounted on the stock allows for six adjustable potions. I prefer shorter stocks on shotguns so I initially left the stock in the collapsed position.  Mounting the stock I noticed the hinge mechanism was too close to my face.  My understanding is you can reverse this, however, if the stock is on the other side of the gun you cannot clear the ejection port- no sense in doing that.

When I extended the stock to the midpoint and folded it, I noted it interfered with the operation of the action.

When the stock is retracted, the fore end can now be slid fully rearward. Note the position of the fore end in this picture and compare it to the one above.

I headed to the range with some 1600 fps Winchester 2 3/4″ inch slugs.  Noting the relative proximity of my face to the hinge mechanism, I slid the stock back to the middle position.

Live fire was testing was conducted using Rifleshooter.com’s Shotgun Slug Standards listed on our standards page.

I fired the first shot and quickly realized that firing this stock without fully extending it was a bad idea.  The entire gun forward of the shock absorber moved back as the gun recoiled, the hinge mechanism hit me in the face.  It hit me in the face standing.  It hit me in the face kneeling.  It hit me in the face prone. It beat me like the red headed step child it never had.

This is the hinge that slammed into my cheek

I quickly extended the stock to its full length to continue my testing.  Note how long the length of pull is when shooting like this.

Note the difference in the length of pull between a AR15 stock fully extended and the Mako stock fully extended.  If you don’t want to get hit in the face, you need some long arms.  Note:  The triggers are aligned in this pic. Editors note:  I prefer to have my AR stocks fully extended, but this was a little too long.

A close up of the fully extended AR and Mako stock.

The violent attack by the hinge stopped.  I became less distracted, but now I noticed the gun seemed to bounce all over the place.  The combination of the shock absorber and lower recoil path of the stock worked together to increase muzzle flip.  The shock absorber seems to make it more difficult to shoot, not easier.

Despite being hit in the face by the hinge mechanism and abnormally long length of pull I manged to overcome the bouncing recoil and turn in a respectable target (bottom).

The stock is well made, but the limited utility of the folding mechanism is lost in the design.  If you want the ability to operate the gun folded, you cannot have the stock extended.  If you need to unfold the stock in a hurry, the stock then needs to be extended so you don’t get beat up.  If the hinge is oriented so it doesn’t block the ejection port you need to keep the stock fully extended and have an abnormally long length of pull.  What if you are wearing plates?  I don’t get it, especially at the $250 plus.

The best part of this system is the GLR 16 stock, it seems to have potential.  I may mount it on a carbine for further testing.

I would be interested in seeing how a fixed, non shock absorbing model of this stock would work.

My target is below.

Here are the results, a 44/50 on our  Tactical Shotgun Slug Standards COF The slugs I dropped were all at the 50 yard line where the stock was hitting me in the face