Battleline Industries SAPR stock attachment on Magpul STR stock
I received my new Battleline Industries SAPR for the Magpul stocks from Rainer Arms. I have the SOPMOD version already as I picked one up last year. The first thing I noticed was the weight difference. The Magpul version is much lighter, I do not have a scale but it is about half the weight of the SOPMOD version. Second thing I noticed was how clean it is. They cut down a lot of the weight by getting rid of a lot of the metal. Like the first one I got this is high quality workmanship, it does not feel cheap in any way. It almost felt wrong putting a nice piece on such a cheap Magpul stock.
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I installed it this week and it has a few more steps then the SOPMOD version I got last year. It was still very easy and anyone can do it. It went right on and felt good just like the SOPMOD but again it is much lighter. I started to play with it as I have become very proficient with the cheek riser that rotates out of the way. As I was putting it through its paces I noticed it was very stiff and dry. The more I used it I found that a fine powder was building up between the parts that slid against each other. I thought that I should just dab some oil on it but if this was a problem, I wanted the guys at Battleline Industries to know about it.
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I contacted them and talked to Josh on the phone, I talked to him before and he is a very professional guy who was very helpful. I found out that he is owner of Battleline Industries and took the time to talk to me. I am a customer who did not even buy my stock from him, I picked up mine from Rainer Arms. He explained to me that the powder is the coating that is on all the parts. He said each part is fitted when it is made then the parts get coated. The parts that move start to break down some of the coating that has been applied to them. He said I should just drop some oil in it just like I was going to do. He said they do not oil the parts before shipping as that would just make a mess. I have to agree, it was nice pulling the SAPR out of the box looking so clean. A couple of drops of oil and it was smooth as butter.
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(On a personal note, thank you to Josh, I wish that more companies had owners like you. You care about your products and the customers who buy them. Keep up the good work and I cannot wait to see what you guys come up with next. I have seen that you read and respond to these posts so I know you will see this.) Back to the SAPR. It has a great fit and form. The function is flawless just like the SOPMOD version like I said I have been running on for over a year and it is the once piece of equipment that did more for my shooting than any other, the Savvy Sniper sling is a close second.
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My platform of choice is an LMT MRP. I like to run the 5.56 in both 10.5” and 18” barrels. I run a 5” 9mm from Tros. My personal barrel of choice right now is my 10.2” 300 Blackout from Noveske. As I run CQB most of the time, I need to keep my choices simple for optics. My gear needs to be MSG so my choice for a red dot is the EoTech EXPS-3. This optic lets me run daytime or nighttime with easy adjustments on the side. I can also run my magnifier or night vision monocular out back. It is compact, solid and is tall enough to use over any accessories I mount up front. This is a key when mounting any equipment like a laser up front. With the quick release mounts I can strip the optics off in seconds and mount my long range 2.5-10 scope with 1.93” center rings when I need to reach out and touch someone. Again I need to run high for any front mounted accessories like night vision in the front of the scope. Due to this configuration that I cannot get around I need a higher cheek piece. I have read, on some posts, that nobody needs the SAPR if they just run low rings. That is fine if you do not need to run high rings like I need to or you just like to run your rings higher than some shooters. If people did not need to run high rings then there would not be dozens of manufactures making them and selling lots of them too. Each shooter (I will use that term loosely) needs to choose their equipment based on their needs. Some people have taken an issue with the price, I have no problem spending good money on an item that will make me a better shooter, or save my life. The only problem I have is the one I stated earlier in this post, a great piece on a cheap Magpul stock but, it works great.
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With my set up I was never happy trying to mount the stock to my cheek. Once I tried the SAPR I felt it was the best way to go and I have tried many different ways. I can raise the cheek piece up to my cheek so I do not have to try to cram my jaw against the stock. This is a simple change that makes me a better shooter. Most of us are learned to get a good cheek weld on a stock when we learned to shoot. Why do we have to lose this shooting fundamental when we are using a red dot. I am glad that the guys at Battleline Industries wanted to do something about it. Now I know that some people say that I should just use a RISR from LaRue. For anyone that has made this comment they have never used the RISR. This is a cheap piece that does not work very well at all. It is not tall enough so you still have to build it up and the spring sucks when charging your gun. I had my hand slip off the handle more than once and that was enough for me. This is the only customizable cheek riser on the market that I have ever found. It can be fit for any face and I have seen some miss shaped faces that it will work on.
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Two is one, one is none. If you believe in this, and you should, then you know how valuable BUSI are. Some people treat them like they are old school and they will never use them, good luck with that. SHIT happens and things break, die or Murphy just takes over. You need to use good old iron sights that we all learned with. Some W.W. or D.B. buys a gun with a red dot and will never learn how to use BUIS, people like that will never need the SAPR any way. When the fecal excrement hits the spinning blades you might have to dump your optics and switch to your iron sights. Yes for those of you out there that did not know what BUIS stands for it is simple, Back Up Iron Sights. These are your back up when you need them. The SAPR lets you toss your optics and swing the cheek riser right out of the way. In seconds you have the cheek rest on the stock that is perfect for your BUIS. Call it old school but we should all use our iron sights now and then to maintain our shooting skill, never mind in a fight for your life. Not to bag on LaRue but unless you have a screwdriver handy, time on your hands and great cover. You will never get to your BUIS with the RISR. Your options were just cut in half, one is none.
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Finally the part of the SAPR I never knew that I needed. I would mount a rifle to my shoulder and pull the trigger. The butt of the stock just sat where it sat after I would mate my cheek to the top of the stock. I never put much thought into where the butt plate sat, I am glad that the guys at Battleline did. It took some playing around to find just the right fit for my butt plate and my shoulder/chest. It is a true custom fit with or without my body armor on.
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Getting it set up was very easy. I put the butt plate in the neutral position and then made all my adjustments to the riser portion only. I got the best eye line of sight with all my optics. I found the perfect level for my eye and I turned the bolt down hard. Once I found this adjustment I loosened the butt stock endcap piece. I just fitted my cheek to the riser then pulled the rifle in to my chest. I moved the adjustable end cap around with my free hand until it felt natural and in a good spot. I tried to raise and lower the butt plate until it was perfect and I moved the cant from left to right and found just the right angle for my groves on my body. I loosely tightened it down and rechecked the fit a few times. I made some small adjustments and soon it was perfect and custom for me. I made everything tight and rechecked everything for fit. I can snap up my rifle with ease and confidence. It comes right back into the same groves on my body each and every time. I never have to wiggle around my face to find just the right spot to look down any of my optics. I can go from down to ready and get a shot off faster with the SAPR that has been custom fit for me than any other piece of equipment on the market.
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Now I have to chuckle to myself when I see a shooter bring up his rifle then stretch his neck and slide his cheek down onto his stock then back up again with a few wiggles until he finds the right spot for his eye. Grab your rifle right now and just snap it to the ready and see what happens. I am sure that you have never thought about the mechanics that go into it. Do you stick it into your shoulder first then raise the front until you hit your cheek then wiggle around until you get your eye just right? Do you loosely bring your rifle up and find the right line of sight for your eye then snug it up back into your shoulder? Now that I have the SAPR riser set to my line of sight and the butt plate set to my shoulder I can just bring the rifle hard into my shoulder where it wants to sit naturally against me and I can pull it tight. I raise the front up and it hits my cheek right were my line of sight is and I can squeeze off my rounds very fast. I am much faster and more accurate than I ever was before I found the SAPR.
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This weekend I was shooting with both the SOPMOD and the Magpul STR both with a SAPR on them. For fun I ran the new B5 Bravo too. I have become so accustomed to the extra weight of the SOPMOD that it took a bit of getting used to the lighter STR stock. The suppressed 300 blackout has such little recoil that it would not be fair to compare the three stocks. I use an unsuppressed 10.5” 5.56 with Lake City XM-193 ammo. Again I could not use the B5 Bravo for very long. It was slow when I would bring it up trying to find a good cheek or chin weld. I dropped it very fast, a nice stock but not compatible with the SAPR. The SAPR is great and it was hard to pick a winner. I was just as fast and accurate overall between the two stocks. I am picking the Magpul version for now due to the weight that has been taken off. Both stocks are good but they are made great with the addition of the SAPR. (Another side note: will Battleline Industries be making a light version of the SOPMOD? I would like one of them when you read this Josh).
That is my thoughts on this great piece. I would be more than happy to talk about or debate the merits of the SAPR. I am willing to try almost any piece of equipment that hits the market if I think it will make me a better shooter. I will get rid of any piece that does not make me a better shooter. Like I said earlier this is the one piece that made me a better shooter at a greater level then anything I have ever tried. I have always loved the saying from Trident Concepts “You do not have to be perfect, you just have to suck less than the bad guys”. We will all suck less if we use the SAPR from Battleline Industries.
