MFT Battlelink Minimalist Stock

„Step-by-step, bit-by-bit” – Whitney Houston’s words of wisdom may come in handy while constructing our customized firearm. But not in the means of adding more and more stuff, just the opposite – taking weight off our replica by applying lighter parts or accessories to make more portable and convenient. This review is solely dedicated to one of these modifications – the lightest AR-15 type stock available on the market.

The company Mission First Tactical, which specializes in the production of many useful rifle parts –among them, the BATTLELINK stock line – has always placed emphasis on functionality and innovation. The Minimalist Stock is the lightest stock ever produced by the company and costs no more than 50$ – considering that it’s designed for the live-fire version, means it isn’t all that expensive. Before purchasing, we should however measure the diameter of the buffer tube that it’s going to be mounted upon and choose the appropriate model (“MILSPEC” version: 1,148” or the “Commercial” version: 1,168”).

    Using a Vernier caliper to determine the diameter of the buffer tube (tech graphs acquired from the manufacturer’s instructions manual).

VISUALS AND CONSTRUCT

The USA-produced stock comes with a life-time guarantee. A modest ‘blister pack’ makes for the packaging – and it’s here that we’ll find basic information about the product: model name, warranty terms and so on. The stock comes in many different colour schemes, among them: Scorched Dark Earth, Foliage Green, Grey and Black.

After unpacking the stock we can instantly see it’s frugal “L”-shaped design and feel that it’s amazingly light. The stock is mostly moulded out of strong, energy-absorbing and shock-resistant matte DuPONT™ polyamide. Applying this kind of material with specially designed reinforcements gives us two of our most desired features: lightness and durability. The stock weights just under 165 grams – which in comparison to the 250 gram VLTOR type stock, is a mighty difference. And apart from just being really light, the BATTLELINK stock offers many interesting construction solutions (most of them are described on the figure below).

USE 

The stock has a perfect fit (given that we’ve chosen the right model) and doesn’t rattle or wobble. One could even say that it fits so tightly that it moves with some resistance – which I personally view as a benefit. The stock release latch is located on its underside, and has been designed to prevent accidental use (it conforms with the rest of the stock). An opening for a QD (quick detach) mount is located before the release latch – unfortunately, the opening doesn’t possess an anti-rotation blockade. The stock does feature special ‘rail slides’ on both sides for installing additional peripheral accessories (i.e. the Garmin navigation holder).

The stock is sleek and has a low and narrow profile. The anti-slip butt-stock is corrugated and made from rubber. The bottom part is designed with a special bend to allow easier rifle operation even if you’re wearing an armour vest.

There have been complaints that a stock this shape (hook-like) might hook onto gear or other tactical equipment – I however have never encountered such a problem. One can always weave some paracord through the stock’s openings to achieve a ‘standard’ triangular stock shape to prevent such difficulties.

Above: A ‘Cobra’ paracord braid prevents the stock from hooking onto one’s outfit.

SUMMARY

In my opinion, the BATTLELINK MINIMALIST STOCK is a very-well thought out, lightweight piece of equipment. Although it may seem quite fragile upon first inspection, all doubts disappear after long-term use. It is a perfect solution for all those that aim to lighten their rifle / replica.

VERDICT:

Benefits:
+ weight,
+ design and quality,
+ solid construct,
+ robust design,
+ price in the USA.

Drawbacks:
– QD mount does not possess an anti-rotation blockade.

 /Roger/
Tranlation by /Siemion/