2manyToys wrote: ↑Fri Apr 12, 2019 10:06 am
Bang, what do you think of the buffer tube adapter and brace setup? Does the 3D printed adapter seem robust? I see that the adapter is available with and without finger grooves - how does the grip feel without them. I was consider getting the one without grooves and slipping a Hogue handgun sleeve over it.
Love it. The adapter is plenty strong. I'm not a fan of finger grooves, so I got the one without. Feels fine, shape-wise. There are a few negatives, but nothing serious:
1. As I think I mentioned before, the part was obviously printed, with prominent swirls and grooves. Plus it was SHINY. And hard. Didn't feel great, texture-wise. A few minutes with sandpaper and some spray rubberized coating fixed it up fine. I didn't think about a Hogue sleeve. That MAY work, if it's very thin up front. The issue is that there is just about zero clearance between the trigger guard and grip when you open the action. You may have to take a small divot out of the sleeve.
2. The bolt that holds it on didn't quite match up to the receiver, so I had to expand the hole a bit. I believe the fault is more that the frame hole on the pistol was drilled off-center. Either way, no big deal. Two minutes with a round file....done.
3. Functionally, the fit is fine. Very snug, feels solid, no flex or wobbles. There are some gaps around the edges, though, especially at the rear of the frame. Not a big deal unless you want visual perfection. If you watch the video he mentions "fitment issues" and points to the gap at the back. Mine looks just about like that, although it's much better along the sides.
Another thing to keep in mind is that you'll lose your factory sling stud on the bottom of the pistol grip. If you want to use a sling, be sure to get a brace that has a connector.
With a 3X9 Leupold and a suppressor, it's 32 inches and ~7 pounds. Lighter and a whole foot shorter than the Model 7 I've been hunting with. It definitely will be my carrying around hunting gun next year.
Edit: Oh, one more thing. When you attach the buffer tube, be very careful not to cross-thread it. Mine felt like it was going on fine, but after about 5-10 threads I noticed it was crooked. If you're not paying attention and cross-thread it, it would probably be easy to mess up the threads at a minimum, or crack the plastic if you crank it down.