Maybe I’m just getting older, but after a long day of gaming with my M4’s I find that the grip angle is becoming less and less comfortable. This last outing saw my wrist seriously sore afterwards, and I found myself switching to my off shoulder more frequently than usual or attempting to hold the grip more vertically. Part of this may stem from my particular play style, as I tend to often have the rifle shouldered and lead with the muzzle. There’s also times when I’ll be laying up in an ambush position with the rifle at the shouldered position for long periods of time. Old habits die hard, I guess.
After experimenting some with reduced grip angle grips on my real steel and finding them to be significantly more comfortable, I started to look into whether such things exist for the Airsoft world. Unfortunately, outside of the real steel grips that will only fit on GBB rifles, there’s almost literally nothing to be found for AEG’s – save one: the Compact version of the PTS Enhanced Polymer Grip.
At its core, the PTS EPG is a reduced grip angle motor grip for M4 style AEG rifles. Outwardly, this grip most resembles the BCM Gunfighter Mod 0 in shape, albeit with design and texturing differences.
Installation
As with most motor grips, installing the EPG is fairly straightforward. There are no included instructions, so you’ll have to use your wits when installing this grip. Not that it’s particularly hard. But there are a few important things to keep in mind.
Unfortunately, these grips do not appear to ship with any mounting screws (the 3 units I purchased did not include any at least) for affixing it to the gearbox, whereas companies like Madbull include a nice set of these with their aftermarket grips. This would be something I’d like to see included, as sometimes the stock grip screws can either be missing (as in the case of a ground-up build) or damaged.
The inside of the grip has one feature I’d like to see included on more motor grips, and that is cutouts for your bushings or bearings. Some motor grips will actually apply pressure against your bushings / bearings and this in turn can mess up your nice shimming (especially if you don’t glue your bushings / bearings in).
One thing that should be noted is the positioning of the motor wires is very important. Contrary to a conventional M4 motor grip, the EPG will require you to move the wires in front of the motor. Running the wires in the standard routing fashion will result in forcing the motor in crooked and cause poor pinion to bevel engagement. The motor height adjustment screw will also not center properly either. In fact, you will likely not be able to attach the motor plate at all in this configuration, though I managed to do it for the sake of a photo to demonstrate what will happen with incorrectly routed wires:
In certain home-brew installations, I could see where users with limited wiring length may have to actually re-wire their guns, or at least add an extension in order to reach the motor contacts.
The correct wiring method will look something like this (wire routing using a GATE Titan and a Systema Magnum high torque motor):
The bottom of the motor grip is nicely vented and features a large brass motor height adjustment screw. The motor height adjustment screw is slotted, and it would appear this is for the small plastic piece that’s included. No explanation is given for what this piece is for actually, though I would surmise it has several uses. In fact, when installed into the adjustment screw, it very nearly prevents the screw from being installed into the motor plate as the plastic piece is a tiny bit wide (unless you force it down and have the threads cut it).
I should also add that the best method to installing a new motor grip is to ensure you match it properly to your gearbox, i.e. check the motor pinion to bevel shimming. But you may be able to get away with dropping in the new grip and simply be able to adjust motor height as necessary. Every install is different.
Somewhat strangely, there are two different sized screws used for the attachment of the motor plate. This is not a big deal really, but when you take off hundreds of these things for a living, the fewer tools that are required is always a blessed relief.
Notes and Observations
Overall, I am fairly pleased with this grip. The reduced grip angle, while not a lot, is indeed an improvement over conventional designs and has helped reduce my wrist fatigue.
Here you can see the difference in grip angles with a conventional style M4 grip (the Madbull Troy CPG). While the angle reduction isn’t significant, I believe it is the largest reduction possible within the limitations of existing gearbox designs. Technically speaking, with a properly redesigned Version 2 gearbox that allowed for a more vertical entry of the motor shaft and pinion, it would be possible to design motor grips that had an even greater reduced grip angle. Not likely to happen anytime soon, I’d imagine.
I also like the texturing they’ve done with this grip too. It feels more ‘grippy’ than the old Magpul MOE styles, but not as overtly aggressive as that used on the Madbull Troy CPG grips. It’s in that just right zone.
The venting does it’s job well and prevents heat buildup inside the grip. I did find that I had to apply a bit of blue Loctite to the motor adjustment screw as it was tending to back itself out under the minor recoil produced by my rifle.
The grip construction is solid, and feels good in the hand and there is definitely adequate room inside the grip for those ‘fat-in-the-middle’ motors, such as ASG. For color-coordinated-purists, the FDE version matches the PTS EPM magazines perfectly, as well as being very close to other FDE accessories such as the Centurion Arms CMR rail panels. It is a tiny shade lighter than the FDE used on the Mission First Tactical minimalist stock, but not appreciably so.
My only complaints would be the lack of mounting screws as well as the wiring routing issues that aren’t addressed. I feel that with novice users in particular, this might act as an impediment and potentially result in installation errors.
Users seeking a motor grip that has a real steel analogue may be disappointed, as this particular design doesn’t have any roots in real steel. However, as it most closely approximates the BCM Gunfighter Mod 0 in outward shape, it may be your best option if you desire that style of grip. To be honest, if PTS obtained BCM licensing and redesigned the motor plate and texturing, this would be a dead ringer.
The PTS EPG’s are competitively priced at $19.95 from most retailers, which is well in line with other top-tier accessories manufacturers.
