Review - Magpul MIAD PTS grip

[panda86]

I recently purchased the Magpul MIAD PTS grip for my TM M4.

Bought it off of E-hobby for a decent price ($49). Some stores have had it listed for a lot more ($90) so shop around. Please be careful: some places sell just 1 complete grip, but there is a full kit available as well (in this review).

First off, it comes in a cool box like most Magpul products.


The grip "Full kit" set includes the following
- regular front grip
- front grip with notch for middle finger
- 3 rear grip panels (regular labeled B1, hooked back labeled B2, and the largest hook back panel, B3
- motor plate, screws
- not shown in picture is the trigger guard and pin (forgot to include it in the picture)



First off, everything is molded nicely. There are no sharp edges or corners, and all the grip panels are very comfy. In terms of sizing, the Magpul "regular" setup is slightly larger than the stock TM M4 grip (which I think is tiny, even for small hands like mine). The rear grip panels snap onto the grip body firmly, and need a good yank to come off. Everything is very sturdy, and there are Magpul logos stamped into the parts.

First negative: my kit was missing the B2 rear grip panel. This was a bummer because I found the regular sized grip was too small, and the large B3 panel too big. A few e-mails were sent to E-hobby, and their customer service dept sent me a new panel 5 days later. Awesome people to deal with and speedy service!

Installation of the grip is pretty straight forward, but first you need to remove your stock grip:

1. remove your stock motor plate on the bottom of the grip (a small metal shim / spacer may fall out that goes between the motor plate and the bottom of the motor, make sure to catch this part and save it!)
2. disconnect the wires for the motor (take note of the polarity)
3. remove the motor (take note of the way the motor sits
4. remove the 2 screws in the top of the grip by inserting a screwdriver into the bottom of the grip.
5. slide your stock grip off, being careful not to stress the wires.
6. if you want to, you can remove the trigger guard as well (push pin needs to be hammered out gently)

I'll be installing the "notched front panel / B2 rear panel" version of the grip on my M4.


Some people have mentioned that the Magpul grips may not fit if you have larger / aftermarket gearbox bearings. On my stock TM M4, the magpul grip slid on perfectly, but you may need to modify your grip to fit if you have a different make of AEG or a different gearbox with bigger bearings.
The larger size of the bearing "mounts" on the outside of the gearbox may bump into the top of the grip. The area in question is the notch in the middle of this pic:



You may need to Dremel out the slots slightly wider and longer for the grip to fit your AEG. Only take off a little material a time and test fit it.

Feed the motor wires through the same holes you removed them from, and slide the grip onto the bottom of your AEG. In this pic, you can see the grip fits perfect, even with the CQB sling mount in place:



Now just reverse the order of the removal of the stock grip.
- feed the wires through the same locations as before
- replace the 2 screws that secure the grip into place. Be careful not to over tighten these screws or you will strip them out!
- insert the motor into place, being careful not to twist the wires or have them interfere with the gear end of the motor
- connect the wires to the motor (be careful of polarity)
- replace the shim / spacer from the stock grip
- place the motor plate back on the grip end, and secure it with the included screws.
- replace trigger frame if necessary



The Magpul grip is a huge improvement over the stock grip, which was small, had sharp edges near the trigger guard, and hell - it just looks wimpy. The new Magpul grip is comfy, has grippy sides, and it allows you to customize the fit for your needs.

Highly recommended, great comfort and performance and customizable for an affordable price. Shop around for the best prices!

[TokyoSeven]

Excellent review! I have and use one myself, I love it. Great texture and feel and magpul has yet to release a product that disspoints me. Over all its a great grip and getting the packaged deal with two grips and multiple grip panels is the best deal. My only beef is that I wish it came with 2 motor plates instead of just one!