A few questions about the 88

[JoshT]

I want to put a PG collapsible stock on my 88, but never had access to a PG shotgun. I've looked at several stock options on the web and read the reviews that are available and these the ones I prefer:

• ATI Shotforce 6-Position Collapsible Stock MRW4100
  
• Mesa Adapter

I don't know what to call the part of a pistol grip where the web of the hand rests, but on many of the PG stock options out there this area looks way too thick. It appears that it would place the hand too far aft of the receiver and be a stretch to reach the trigger and safety, especially the latter on a Maverick 88. These two stock options seem to be the thinnest in that area, eyeballing it the seem to be almost like the fit of an AR grip and trigger to the hand. So my concern is how is the fit on these two? Is reaching the trigger and the safety about like the trigger and mag release on an AR or is it more of a stretch? How do the Mesa and ATI compare in this area?

I really like the price of the ATI, but like the adaptability of the Mesa. If I could find a real low price on the Mesa adapter I would go that route in a minute, but at $60+ for the adapter the whole kit will run as much as the shotgun did. Long term I would like to have a Magpul stock, can one be installed on the ATI tube? If not then I'm definitely going the Mesa route.

I was told via E-mail that the ATI aluminum buffer upgrade kit will not fit the MRW4100 stock. Anyone got experience to the contrary? The pictures that I've seen of the adapter and tube look almost the same where they mount to the stock. I also know that sometimes people can make stuff work where the manufacturer says it won't.

 

[JoshT]

Looks like I'm about to answer my own questions. I just won an eBay auction for a used 500/590 collapsible stock. It appears to be the factory collapsible stock that comes in some of the Mossberg tactical shotguns. IIRC those are supposed to be about the same as the ATI Shotforce stock. Won the auction for $36 (plus shipping) so figured it was worth a try. It should be here by next week.

 

[JoshT]

Okay, so the stock ended up being the older version of the Shotforce stock, the MRW5140. It's the one with two wood screw to hold in the buffer tube, rather than a barrel screw. I definitely see the issue with this older style, but considering what I paid for the stock it's not a problem. The biggest worry I see with it is the possibility of the screws working loose and maybe damaging the threads in the tube, but if that happens I'll figure out a way to replace it with a much stronger bolt that won't go anywhere. The only thing that I've found this particular stock needs is either a drop stock spacer or an accessory rail and reflex sight, for this gun it'll be getting a drop stock spacer.

The biggest thing is that this one answered some of my previous questions. When holding the grip, the tip of my index finger lands perfectly on the Maverick 88 safety button. A quick check with dial calipers confirms that the ATI Buffer tube is the same diameter as commercial spec AR tube, so any commercial sized AR stock should fit fine.