AR-15 stocks offer the same breadth of diversity as every other part of the rifle. The market is rife with options, from minimalist, ultra-compact CQB stocks to heavy, sophisticated precision designs.
While there’s nothing wrong with a basic waffle stock, finding the best ar-15 stock for you can help you wring the last bit of performance from your build and more fully optimize it for the task at hand.
Why Aftermarket Stocks Can Be Valuable
An aftermarket stock is one of the easiest upgrades you can make to an AR-15, and it’s one that can significantly change your experience at the range. A good stock can alter the way you perceive recoil, help you achieve a better cheekweld, improve the stability of your firing position, and more.
Most standard AR-15s will come with a basic carbine stock installed. This stock, formed out of plastic and sufficient for many users, will typically offer some adjustment for length of pull, basic slots for tethering a sling, and little else. It does the job adequately, but nothing more. It’s a jack of all trades, but a master of absolutely none.
Aftermarket stocks, on the other hand, can easily be customized for a specific purpose. Shorter stocks with reduced length of pull are available for short-range firearms, such as home defense guns. These can reduce the overall length of your firearm and be more comfortable when used in tight confines or around barriers.
On the opposite end of the spectrum are purpose-built precision stocks like the venerable Magpul PRS. These types of stocks offer improved rigidity for a more stable and consistent firing position, as well as enhanced customization, allowing users to not only fine-tune their length of pull with greater precision than a simple adjustable stock but also customize the height of their cheek riser or mount additional accessories like a monopod or bag rider.
By swapping out a basic stock with a more sophisticated one, users further tune their rifles to excel at their chosen purpose. Moreover, the process is easy and often toolless, making it a very user-friendly upgrade even for those adverse to taking a wrench to their rifle.
What To Look For In An AR-15 Stock
This will depend heavily on what purpose you have for your rifle. As we’ve already touched on, AR-15 stocks come in a great deal of variety. All have their place, but not all will be beneficial to your build.
On a short-range rifle intended for home defense or close-quarters use, for example, you’ll want a stock that promotes comfort in the tight, elbows-in stances frequently used for that type of target engagement. That will often mean a shorter overall length, and sometimes a more rounded or angled buttplate to better fit a high position in the shoulder pocket.
Every user is different, though, and as with buying clothes, it’s best to try several different stocks to see what fits your body best before buying.
For an ultralight build, though, users will often gravitate toward a stock that offers fewer features, not more. Each additional function adds weight, and for an ultralight build, weight is the enemy. For this reason, ultralight rifles tend to prefer simple stocks, often fixed rather than adjustable, but made from high-quality, high-tech materials like carbon fiber. This allows users to save a few ounces, and as the saying goes, ounces equal pounds, and pounds equal pain.
Precision marksmen will typically gravitate towards heavier stocks, as the extra weight can help absorb recoil and balance a rifle that utilizes a long or bull-profile barrel. These stocks can be fixed or adjustable, but if the latter, should be able to be locked down in order to avoid the slight movement often present in less accuracy-oriented adjustable stocks.
Precision stocks often feature finer adjustments than other designs, and will typically integrate a hook or shelf at the bottom of the stock to allow for the support hand to be used to pull the stock into the shoulder. They may also have a flat section at the bottom to act as a bag rider, or a short segment of Picatinny rail to allow for a monopod to be attached.
Regardless of your intended use case, quality-of-life upgrades like textured, rubberized buttplates for greater security in the shoulder pocket or quick-disconnect attachment points for slings are always welcome.
Types of AR-15 Stocks
Aftermarket AR-15 parts come in near-limitless varieties, but stocks can generally be broken down into three main categories–although certain designs may blur the lines a bit.
Collapsible Stocks
The most common of the three categories, collapsible stocks are found on most rifles and are well-suited to a variety of tasks. These stocks can be adjusted for length of pull by sliding them along the buffer tube and latching it into one of the pre-set positions, or fully collapsed for storage by sliding it all the way forward.
As the most prevalent of the three types, collapsible stocks also come in the widest variety. They can be had in ultralight, precision, or ultra-compact variants. Some feature adjustable or interchangeable cheek risers or butt pads, while others take a more spartan approach.
These stocks are most valuable for their versatility; while most collapsible stocks are not designed explicitly for precision marksmanship, close-range target engagement, or any other designated task, they are generally adequate for all of these and more.
More cost-effective designs often have a looser fit to the buffer tube, leading to some play or movement even when clicked into place, but more feature-rich stocks often integrate solutions to this, such as secondary locks to eliminate that play.
In sum, collapsible stocks are highly varied in type and design and make an excellent choice for all-purpose rifles without a single designated role.
Fixed Stocks
Fixed stocks are in most regards the opposite of collapsible stocks. They are fixed at a single length and do not slide along the buffer tube.
The classic A2 stock, the quintessential example of a fixed AR-15 stock, is a simple, no-frills polymer design that offers a single mounting ring for a sling, a small storage compartment, and nothing else. It’s popular for both budget builds and high-dollar clone rifles alike, owing to its spartan functionality and long history.
Minimalist fixed stocks also tend to be popular with ultralight builders. By utilizing pared-down designs and lightweight materials, some fixed stocks can weigh as little as a few ounces. They won’t have any of the adjustment capability offered by heavier stocks, but they will keep your rifle feather-light.
Adjustable Stocks
Adjustable stocks could be considered a subtype of fixed stocks, but they are sufficiently distinct from truly fixed stocks that they deserve their own category. These stocks do not slide along the buffer tube like collapsible stocks but still offer the ability to fine-tune characteristics like length of pull and cheek riser height.
Typically, this type of stock offers finer adjustments than a collapsible stock. While collapsible stocks are adjusted by moving them to pre-determined notches in the buffer tube, adjustable stocks use a dial or spacer system to tune length of pull, allowing for a more custom fit.
Adjustable stocks tend to be oriented towards precision marksmanship use, so they also frequently integrate bag riders, monopod mounting rails, and contoured lower sections to allow the user to more securely pull the stock into their shoulder pocket when firing from a supported position.
Contrary to fixed stocks, adjustable stocks are usually heavier than average. They contain more features and mechanisms to allow for their greater level of adjustment, and all of that comes at the cost of weight.
Popular AR-15 Stock Manufacturers
The complete list of AR-15 stock manufacturers is staggeringly long, but here’s a look at some of the most popular makers.
B5 Systems
Best known for its exceptional SOPMOD stock line, B5 Systems is one of the larger manufacturers of AR-15 stocks. They make a range of fixed and collapsible stocks that punch well above their price point, making them a popular choice for users looking to maximize their bang for their buck.
B5 Systems offers both a mil-spec variant of the SOPMOD stock that is true to the original design and an enhanced version with built-in QD cups for sling attachment. All of their stocks feature an innovative compartment in the buttpad that allows users to store B5’s AR-15 multitool inside.
Magpul
A juggernaut of the AR-15 accessory industry, it’s hardly a surprise that Magpul made our list. They offer a complete line of AR-15 stocks both fixed and collapsible, ranging from their entry-level MOE stock to the premium, feature-rich PRS Gen3.
Magpul stocks are all made from the toughest impact-resistant polymer and are available in a wide range of designs to suit a variety of purposes. Their PRS and UBR stocks offer enhanced adjustment and rock-solid lockup, while the lighter and more traditional STR and ACS lines provide collapsible adjustment and features such as QD mounting points, onboard storage, and generous cheek rests.
Mission First Tactical
Mission First Tactical offers a variety of stocks, but their best known by far is their ever-popular Battlelink Minimalist ultralight stock. The no-frills design weighs a scant 5.8 ounces but still provides adjustability and even a single QD sling mounting point.
Despite its negligible weight, the MFT Minimalist stock remains comfortable, utilizing an ergonomically sculpted buttpad to provide a secure fit in a variety of shoulder positions.
Luth-AR
In most cases, features and weight are directly correlated; if you want more of one, you get more of the other. Luth-AR is the exception to that rule.
Their MBA-1 stock is a full-featured adjustable precision AR-15 stock with customizable length of pull and cheek rest height, as well as a bag hook and dual QD-cup mounting positions. Despite the impressive capability, it weighs in at only 18.4 ounces–significantly less than the average precision AR-15 stock.
Bravo Company Manufacturing
BCM is one of the preeminent names in AR-15s for a reason. They produce top-tier rifles and products, from their cold-hammer-forged barrels to their signature furniture.
Their Mod 0 stock is a streamlined model with a carefully curated feature set. The snag-free design does away with every possible hard corner and sharp edge, instead taking on a slicked-down appearance. The stock can accept both directly attached and QD slings, and even features a unique retention tab to hold a ranger band in place to hold your sling against the stock and out of the way when not in use.
Lancer
Last on our list but far from least is Lancer Systems, a company known for its line of lightweight transparent magazines, among other things.
Their space-age carbon fiber LCS fixed stock is one of the more popular ultralight options on the market, featuring a slick design for minimal snag potential, integrated QD sling mount points, and highly ruggedized construction.
Legal Considerations
If your rifle did not come from the factory with a stock installed, take great care before attaching one. Stocks are subject to some legal restrictions, most particularly in the case of short-barreled rifles.
While we can’t offer legal advice here, it should suffice to say that attaching a stock to a pistol or firearm with a barrel of less than 16″ without the proper paperwork is a very bad idea. If you want a stock on your short-barreled firearm, take the time to research the tax stamp approval process and NFA restrictions before you start ordering parts.
On the other hand, removing a fixed A2 stock and replacing it with a collapsible one will seldom affect the classification of your firearm and can usually be done without federal legal restrictions. However, if you live in a more restrictive state, you may need to have your AR-15’s collapsible stock fixed in place before you can take it home.
Conclusion
Changing out the stock on your AR-15 is one of the fastest and easiest ways to alter the way it performs. A new stock can offer reduced weight, increased comfort, or greater stability.
By matching your AR-15’s stock to your rifle’s role, you can further refine its performance and push it to the limit of its capability.
