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Part 3 – All Things Small and Wonderful
Commercial Folding and Telescoping Stocks
LAW483 Enterprises - The Drop-in Modular Battle Stock was introduced at the 2004 SHOT Show.
It was on display at the Troy Industries booth as The Troy Modular Battle Stock. It was intended
to be a prototype for Troy and be molded rather than hand modified USGI fiberglass stocks as the prototype. However,
Troy Industries took an order for one so the order was filled and more were made. Troy Industries eventually
used aluminum for its stock. LAW483 Enterprises continued to offer the stock as orders came in.
LAW483 Enterprises was able to make the Drop-in Modular Battle Stock in-house. The stock used a machined aluminum M870
shotgun pistol grip adapter purchased online, Ace Ltd. USA receiver blocks, and an Ace Ltd. USA folding mechanism.
One was made with a synthetic pistol grip adapter. The last one used an aluminum adapter like the
originals, but it was overlaid with fiberglass for a molded-in look and greater durability. The final fore
end shape became the basis for what was called the # 7 Tactical Forend with Enhanced Magwell. Later, the
enhanced magazine well was removed and that design was named the # 6 Tactical Forend.
By the fall of 2004, LAW483 Enterprises offered two folding stocks.
The Drop-In Modular Battle Stock was a folding and collapsing stock model. It had Picatinny rails
at three, six and nine o’clock, a proprietary enhanced magazine well for easier insertion, and proprietary fore end
texturing with a choice of either bottom or side sling swivels. The stock rails were used from the Rock
SOPMOD M14 project. The highly modified USGI M14 synthetic stock utilized a M16 carbine type collapsible
butt stock and M16A1 style pistol grip.
The BSR Folding Stock was a USGI fiberglass stock modified to be a fiberglass
version of the Beretta type wood stock made by Springfield Armory, Inc. It had the side mount swivels found
on the original Beretta stocks and accepted the original BM59 folding hardware and plastic pistol grip. Only
one was made at a customer’s request. Non-availability of the hardware limited the appeal.
BSR stood for Beretta Springfield Reese because this stock would fit the folding mechanisms offered by those three
manufacturers. Additional options for either stock included filling of the selector cutout, various grades
of surface texturing, single point sling attachment, and camouflage pattern painting. The Drop-in Modular
Battle Stock and BSR Folding Stock were no longer available as of 2006.”
Other Stocks
LAW483 Enterprises – From 2003 through 2006, LAW483
Enterprises created fixed butt M14 stocks by modifying USGI synthetic stocks. The USGI M14 stocks were
typically stiffened in the fore end and any factory depressions filled in. The USGI synthetic stocks could
also be modified to create a right, left, or ambidextrous vertical grip. Options included filling of the
selector cutout, various grades of surface texturing, single point sling attachment, and side sling swivels. The
most requested model was a short length-of-pull stock with a recoil pad. One short length of pull stock
was made with a M14 butt plate. Two stocks were made using a M16 style grip adapter from the Rock SOPMOD M14 and a fixed stock.
During this time, much of the production was customer requested along with speculative projects taken on for product
research and development.
LAW483 Enterprises made custom design laminate wood or wood fixed butt M14
stocks by manual woodworking methods during 2006 and 2007. The wood laminate stocks were available in four
types: 1) pistol grip 2) vertical grip 3) thumbhole and 4) standard grip. The pistol grip models were the
M-14 E2, and the M-21 E2. Vertical grip M14 stock choices included the LAW-TAC Vertical Grip Ruck Rest,
the LAW-TAC Off-Hand, and the Vertical Grip Match.
The first Vertical Grip Match stock was made from a modified USGI fiberglass stock. The fore end was overlaid with fiberglass
material and the grip was highly modified to be a right hand only grip without a raised comb per customer request.
This stock was painted primer gray then sent to Whamo-Camo for its Seminole Camo paint. At this
point, LAW483 Enterprises realized it had made a mistake. All of that work would have to be repeated to
make another copy of the same stock. Before going any further, the firm contacted a company that ran a
stock duplicator that would make one or two copies and would accept work for semi-automatic rifle stocks. As
this company was not familiar with duplicating M14 type stocks, the first 3 “ to 4 “ of the barrel channel were
filled. Consequently, LAW483 Enterprises had to use hand tools to finish inletting the fore end, install
the stock ferrule, drill for the stock liner screws, install the stock liner, inlet for the military butt plates, and sand
and finish the stock. The M14 Models had selector cutouts but the M21 models did not.
The LAW483 Thumbhole Sporter was a design created from a customer’s
request. It started as a USGI fiberglass stock and was hand formed and glassed over by hand.
This was the first stock in which the pattern was not made as a functional stock but was made to be a pattern.
The more traditional standard grip choices included Standard Grip Recoil Pad, USGI M-14 Buttplate, M-1 Garand Buttplate,
Body Armor Designated Marksman, and the LAW-TAC Patrol Stock. These were still modified USGI fiberglass
stocks.
Wood stocks were crafted from extra fancy woods such as maple, myrtle or walnut.
The M14 butt plate was often replaced with a M1 Garand butt plate or a rubber recoil pad according to customer request.
LAW483 proprietary enhanced magazine well, camouflage pattern painting, acrylic coating, and reducing or increasing
the length of pull were customer options for modified USGI or new manufacture custom stocks.
The firm spent 2008 through 2010 refining its designs and automating the manufacturing
process. By April 2008, the LAW483 stock model number system was established. The model
number indicated the type of rifle, pistol grip style and fore end contour. For example, M14P3 was a M14
rifle stock with a pistol grip and fore end suitable for a heavyweight barrel. Stock grip styles included
enhanced standard grip (H), pistol grip (P), thumbhole grip (T), and vertical grip (V). Fore end contours
included lightweight for standard profile barrels (1), medium for medium weight barrels (2), heavy for heavyweight barrels
(3), sporter for medium and heavyweight barrels (5) and tactical for all barrel profiles on non-lugged receivers (6).
The LAW483 M14H6 stock debuted at the 2009 SHOT Show in the LRB Arms booth.
It was a drop-in fiberglass stock with a fore end suited for adding rail mounts. The enhanced standard
grip of the M14H6 stock was more vertical than a USGI M14 stock. However, the web of the hand was kept
below the highest point of the exposed trigger. The last 4 “ of the butt stock were made parallel at the heel and toe
for two purposes; to make short length of pull stocks possible without reducing the stock footprint and to allow installation
of M1 and M14 butt plates on short length of pull stocks.
LAW483 Enterprises added a Terrco Northstar 20-2R Duplicarver and a milling
machine to its capital inventory in February 2009. The duplicator machine was running production by February
2010. By mid-2011, wood and wood laminate M1 Garand and M14 stocks using the LAW483 model numbering system
were available. Customer options included QD sling studs, matching hand guards, and customer specified
length of pull. From 2009 onward, stock standard features included military sling swivels, USGI style steel
stock liner, National Match ferrule, and Pachmayr SC100 rubber butt pad.”
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