With the rubber butt pad, the Strikeforce is slightly longer than a standard M4 stock. This can be an advantage with a scope in prone position.

For several years, I’ve been using the ATI adjustable Akita shotgun stock. Looking like a regular stock with an elevated cheek-piece, the Akita is adjustable for length of pull and comb height and works really well on my youth trainer Remington 870.

I’ve really gotten into AR-15s in the last couple of years, though, and I recently decided to try their Strikeforce M4-type adjustable stock. At first glance, the Strikeforce looks like almost every other M4 stock, but closer inspection reveals a couple of refinements. First, there is an adjustable cheek piece that allows the shooter to tune the stock for proper stock weld with higher-placed optics. This can be a real issue for getting on the sight really quickly and the adjustment is simple and reliable using four Phillips screws that grip the stock to the grooved surfaces. There are four height settings with movement of about a half inch. If the shooter wants a lower position, the elevator can be removed completely for another quarter inch.

Installation is simple and covered completely in the four-page instruction sheet that comes with every stock. There are six different-length detents, giving a length of pull from a minimum of 10.75” to 14.5”. There is also a removable butt pad that provides a tacky surface for the shoulder and some softening of recoil. A QD swivel stud graces the very rear of the stock.

I found the stock both comfortable to use and appreciated the adjustable cheek piece and additional length. I find the normal M4 stock a little short for scoped use in the prone position and the extra length was enough to make things more comfortable. Mounting the scope further forward helps with this, but requires a forward mount and then the eye relief is too long for standing. The extra length on the Strikeforce handled this problem nicely.

Quality

This stock is well-designed but like most M4 Stocks, I’d like to see a little better fit between the stationary and moveable parts of the stock. As a precision position shooter, the movement is a little disconcerting. The Akita stock has none of this movement. To the defense of the Strikeforce, it is certainly no worse than other M4 stocks.

Reliability

I’ve had zero problems with the Akita stock and it appears perhaps less rugged than the Strikeforce. Under hard use, the shooter might brush off the slip-on pad, but overall this is a rugged and durable unit.

Price/Value

The ATI Strikeforce sells for about the same as a stock without the butt pad and adjustable cheek-piece feature. It also comes with a pistol grip. At about $80 in most locations, it’s a great deal.

Referability

With simple, easy to read instructions, extra length of pull and a great track record, I’d recommend this stock to anyone as a replacement for a standard stock. The extra features like the butt pad and adjustable cheek piece will make real improvements for the shooter who shoots multiple positions. The one thing I would change is the cheek piece. I’d make it extend further forward for prone and perhaps more easily removable for short settings since at the shortest setting of stock length, it precludes operation of the charging handle.

Image courtesy Dick Jones