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I finally found my favorite grip after going though 2 others.
(Raptor Grip on my Maverick 88)
The Shockwave Technologies Raptor Grip
First I tried the top folding stock / pistol grip from ATI - $$$ & Sucked - Very poor deisgn, top folding arm kept flipping up when folded. I had to modify it to stop it...
Factory Mossberg Pistol Grip - Hurt.
I was just about to consider shelling out some money for the Black Hawk Breachers Grip but it was so expensive and it just looked ugly to me.
I would have got the Hogue Tamer but I just don't like the rubber texture on anything.
I was browsing through ebay and found this, looked up a couple reviews and they gave it a thumbs up and with the price only about $36 I thought I'd at least give it a try.
I finally had a chance to take it to the range and give it a try. I shot 75 rounds of bird shot and 5 rounds of high brass rifled hollow point slugs. I also shot a few hundred rounds of various other handgun rounds and at the end of the day my hands felt great. No more burning red webbing between my thumb and index finger. No more sore wrist the next day. Before I started shooting I was a little worried about the shotgun just falling out of my hand backwards from the blast, but that was not the case. It's really easy to get a firm grip on the raptor and the texture really helps, it really didn't slip at all after each shot. The "glass-filled polymer" their website says it's made of feels really durable; I'd compair it to the material that my ATI stock was made of (I didn't have a problem with the material of my ATI stock but rather it's design). I think its a tad bit softer plastic than what Magpul polymer is but it's in the same realm and feels very sturdy. One of the main reasons I bought this grip is the fact that you don't need to remove it to disassemble the trigger / internals of the shotgun since it doesn't cover the trigger mechanism.
The only thing i didn't really like is that the Raptor does not have a sling stud.
The manufacturer says, and I kinda see his point: "Note that there is no predefined hole for a sling swivel stud on the Raptor Grip. This allows you to put your sling swivel wherever you want it on the grip–not just where I think it should go. Be sure to drill a 1/8″ pilot hole."
I wish he would have an option to have it predrilled and installed, maybe he could even charge a little extra for it... I ended up drilling a hole for my sling stud myself and it came out ok and wasn't difficult but I used a hand drill and the stud is about a degree or 2 off of a 90 degree angle. Just enough for my OCD to make me stare at it when I'm on my couch watching TV with it
If I had a drill press I could have done a better job of it but I'm not about to go out to buy a drill press for this one job...
(My Sling Stud Job)
Notice how the gap on the right is a 1-2mm bigger. I'm in the process of finding a black felt washer the same diameter of the stud to make it not as visible... But I'm still going to know it's there (OCD)
All in all If you have any of the compatible shotguns that are listed on his website (I believe his name is Marty, really good at responding to correspondence) and you're looking to get a new grip to not hurt your hand anymore. I highly recomend the Raptor. It feels great, and I think it gives my shotgun a little old fashioned style and matches the curve of the frame better than most other grips do. I even love the name of it.
(Raptor Grip on my Maverick 88)
The Shockwave Technologies Raptor Grip
First I tried the top folding stock / pistol grip from ATI - $$$ & Sucked - Very poor deisgn, top folding arm kept flipping up when folded. I had to modify it to stop it...
Factory Mossberg Pistol Grip - Hurt.
I was just about to consider shelling out some money for the Black Hawk Breachers Grip but it was so expensive and it just looked ugly to me.
I would have got the Hogue Tamer but I just don't like the rubber texture on anything.
I was browsing through ebay and found this, looked up a couple reviews and they gave it a thumbs up and with the price only about $36 I thought I'd at least give it a try.
I finally had a chance to take it to the range and give it a try. I shot 75 rounds of bird shot and 5 rounds of high brass rifled hollow point slugs. I also shot a few hundred rounds of various other handgun rounds and at the end of the day my hands felt great. No more burning red webbing between my thumb and index finger. No more sore wrist the next day. Before I started shooting I was a little worried about the shotgun just falling out of my hand backwards from the blast, but that was not the case. It's really easy to get a firm grip on the raptor and the texture really helps, it really didn't slip at all after each shot. The "glass-filled polymer" their website says it's made of feels really durable; I'd compair it to the material that my ATI stock was made of (I didn't have a problem with the material of my ATI stock but rather it's design). I think its a tad bit softer plastic than what Magpul polymer is but it's in the same realm and feels very sturdy. One of the main reasons I bought this grip is the fact that you don't need to remove it to disassemble the trigger / internals of the shotgun since it doesn't cover the trigger mechanism.
The only thing i didn't really like is that the Raptor does not have a sling stud.
The manufacturer says, and I kinda see his point: "Note that there is no predefined hole for a sling swivel stud on the Raptor Grip. This allows you to put your sling swivel wherever you want it on the grip–not just where I think it should go. Be sure to drill a 1/8″ pilot hole."
I wish he would have an option to have it predrilled and installed, maybe he could even charge a little extra for it... I ended up drilling a hole for my sling stud myself and it came out ok and wasn't difficult but I used a hand drill and the stud is about a degree or 2 off of a 90 degree angle. Just enough for my OCD to make me stare at it when I'm on my couch watching TV with it
If I had a drill press I could have done a better job of it but I'm not about to go out to buy a drill press for this one job...(My Sling Stud Job)
Notice how the gap on the right is a 1-2mm bigger. I'm in the process of finding a black felt washer the same diameter of the stud to make it not as visible... But I'm still going to know it's there (OCD)
All in all If you have any of the compatible shotguns that are listed on his website (I believe his name is Marty, really good at responding to correspondence) and you're looking to get a new grip to not hurt your hand anymore. I highly recomend the Raptor. It feels great, and I think it gives my shotgun a little old fashioned style and matches the curve of the frame better than most other grips do. I even love the name of it.
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