Want to go featureless but want your AR or AK to still look and feel half-way decent?
I’ve been building and shooting featureless rifles for years…because I love that real magazine release (and use of regular capacity magazines).
I still haven’t found the “perfect” featureless grips, but here are my favorite ones for different purposes and budgets.
Let’s first quickly go over some legal stuff before diving into them!
What’s a Pistol Grip?
I go over the legal stuff for California and New York much more in-depth in our Guide to Featureless AR-15 Builds.
Disclaimer that this is not legal advice and you should double-check everything, especially since the laws surrounding this always seem to be in flux.
For California…one of the main cosmetic features of an assault weapon is a “pistol grip that protrudes conspicuously beneath the action of the weapon” (PC 30515 (a)(1))
Ok…kind of vague.
A “pistol grip” is defined on page 80 of the 2001 Assault Weapons ID Guide (pdf) as “A grip that allows for a pistol style grasp in which the web of the trigger hand (between the thumb and index finger) can be placed below the top of the exposed portion of the trigger while firing.”
Cool.
At least California has a definition. New York sticks with the “protrudes conspicuously beneath the action of the weapon.”
But now you know why the grips you’re going to see are a little funky so they don’t count as an evil feature.
Without further ado…
Best AR-15 Featureless Grips
1. Exile Machine Hammerhead Grip (No Longer Produced)
One of the first standalone featureless grips to hit the market was the Hammerhead. I have a little shoebox of these guys from all my builds.
It looked weird but did it’s job in keeping your hand web above the trigger. Unless you had giant hands it kept your shooting hand on one side too.
You could wrap your thumb around to the other side…but the receiver end plate would gouge your web.
And my thumb was not long enough to reach the safety.
However, I still ran competitions ok with it.
But now that there’s newer stuff out there…I’d pass on it unless you’re going super budget since it can be had for sub-$15.
2. Shark Fin Grip
This was another oldie…you simply buy a Kydex wrap that goes around your grip. They’ve fallen out of favor but are still available for old A2 grips.
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And they are surprisingly up there in price…so it’s another pass.
Let’s get to the good stuff now.
3. Strike Industries MegaFin
I upgraded all my Hammerheads to the Strike MegaFin.
I made the switch because it had a thumbshelf on the right side.
Your entire hand is still on the right side…but now you get TONS more support.
Overall looks were better compared to the Hammerhead and grip fins too. The left side was very normal (sorry lefties).
But it wasn’t all fun and games.
Since all your digits are on the right side…you’ll need an ambi-safety. But the position of the thumbshelf got in the way of traditional ambis.
And since it’s ill-advised to modify the grip…I went and reversed my Seekins safety.
Instead of flipping down…you would flip up. I also ground down the sharp “arrow” part of it so it wouldn’t touch my thumb.
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
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It took a little practice…but it became second nature and was easy to disengage at the buzzer…and even re-engage at the end of a string.
One of my favorite solutions at the moment especially if you want to shoot and move at the same time…or move quicker between targets.
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
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Still with me? I’ll quickly cover two more options before I hit my favorite.
4. Strike Industries Simple AR Grip
Strike is really on point with their featureless grips. If you want the current most affordable grip…get their Simple AR Grip.
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
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5. Thordsen Stock
The Thordsen Stock was also from a while back…and were really effective by giving you an almost regular pistol grip experience.
But it looked weird…and was not great in the cheekweld department since you only had this tube.
I’m a cheekweld connoisseur and it just wouldn’t cut it. Check out Best AR-15 Buttstocks to see my favorites.
Plus…they are still around $150.
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
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Now, what you’ve been waiting for…
6. Resurgent Arms Grip
The newest grip I’ve been using and currently my favorite is the Resurgent Arms.
My first thought was “hmm, that doesn’t look too bad.”
Then when I finally got to try one…I fell in love.
Why?
Because you got to get your thumb on the other side…and didn’t scrape up your web in the process.
Plus, you could hit the safety selector.
And…check out this gold end plate…it’s beveled for your comfort.
Of course…you can just use a few layers of duct tape over a regular end plate too. I tried it…looks ugly but works fine.
Now I had a nice steady grip around my rifle.
It definitely helped my shooting on the move and transition speed.
And another video of our social guy, John, shooting with the Resurgent grip.
However, there’s still some things to consider.
First, that end plate is $35.
And second…it’s hard to re-engage the safety when it’s down.
Good thing here is that Resurgent has an extended safety latch.
Here is the V1 installed…and it works great.
Highly recommend if you want to run & gun and need to flip your safety on and off.
Their latest V2 latch is even better with a more positive shelf grip.
The ability to choose the side and leave the other side with an indicator…
And lastly…a much more positive sounding/feeling switch.
One thing to consider is your length of pull gets pushed out a little because of the grip.
It’s not that noticeable for me since I have average length fingers. But it can be a problem for those with stubbier digits.
For that I would suggest getting an extended mag release like in the above video.
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
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But considering all those things…the Resurgent Arms grip is still my favorite.
I reached out to them and they’ve set up a 10% off discount for Pew Pew Tactical readers. Use the link below to have it auto-added.
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
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What’s your take on Resurgent Arms?
Now let’s see some solutions for our AK brethren…
Best AK-47 Featureless Grips
Strike Industries Simple AK Grip
There’s not too many…I like the Simple Grip.
Again…it just works and is affordable.
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
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Conclusion
This one is pretty cut and dry for me.
If you want the bare-minimum to make your rifle legal in the pistol grip department for California or New York…check out Strike’s Simple Grips.
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
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If you want something that’s pretty good in giving you a first grasp on your rifle and won’t break the bank…try the Strike MegaFin.
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
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And if you like my current favorite that lets you wrap your thumb around like a free-state person…check out the Resurgent Arms with 10% off code “PEWPEW10“.
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
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There’s tons more grips out there…let me know what else I should check out.
Need more info on how to make your AR featureless? We cover stocks, muzzle devices, and more in our Featureless Build Guide.
26 Leave a Reply
The Sparrow grip is so functional that I have actually replaced my pistol grip with it and I don't even live California,
Do any of these work on the AR-10 platform? Or is it AR-15 only?
- AIM Sports makes a great CA-compliant fin grip for AK with a removable backstrap.
- AK Hammr has a different and clever take on attaching a fin grip to the rifle.
***I'd have included the URLs, but the PewPewTactical does not allow URL in the comments.
I was hoping to get a few more choices on AKs, after I read the title of the article. But I did get a lead in the comments.
Since this article was published, the Thordsen Customs Gen III now has an optional adjustable cheek weld riser as well as AK-compatible variants. I run the Thordsen Customs Gen III on a featureless AR and am very satisfied with it. But, no doubt it is a lot of money to spend on a stock.
Agreed the Thordsen gen lll is a great option to check out. It is much better looking than the older versions with a lot of options like adjustable pull length customizable sling points. I really like this stock!
I just got a Kalashnikov KS12T and am moving back to California, to my dismay i found out this gun is illegal in California but i want to be able to protect my family, I knew restrictions were high on AR's but thought my shotgun would be ok.. any suggestions on the best way to get compliant without ruining, or permanently modifying this beautiful shotgun?
Hey Johnny, our laws are definitely a pit of snakes but here is what I know. Shotgun laws are a bit different than rifle and pistol laws. Semi-auto shotguns in CA are (1) allowed EITHER a folding/adjustable stock OR pistol grip, and (2) never allowed to have detachable magazines or revolving cylinders. So you need to find a way to convert your KS-12T into a fixed magazine shotgun, and then either modify the pistol grip to be compliant or change to a fixed stock. Hope that helps. More info here: http://gunwiki.net/Gunwiki/LegalCaliforniaShotgunGuide
As a 44 year old california native i love how on my ar's i have a "here's my serial number" with a middle finger, that's right those featurless grips are f-ing lame. just like the libshit leaders.
Best grip I’ve tried and have till this day is the LEDGEGRIP. Looks good and functional. Has a piece that stops the buttstock from moving and a thumbrest for both right and left hand shooters. I did a stipple job to the grip to make it grip better.
I would just buy a Kel Tec SU-16CA... It's a Competitor of a mini14, with a built in bipod, for around $500. Oh yeah it accepts ar magazines, and also has a picatinny rail, and a stock that houses 2 extra magazines. If I move to the People's Republic of California that's the first thing I'm going to buy.
Went to LGS with my resurgent arms on they said still illegal they said if u can wrap ur thumb around it it’s illegal. They spoke to someone with legal information before even selling any product. Just to be safe I wouldn’t put this till you know 100% you won’t get in trouble. The atf won’t go store to store seeing what’s legal and not just be smart if it’s to good to be true it’s probably illegal.
Just an fyi....
The ATF doesn't care what grip is on your gun, it is all CA DOJ...
Welcome to Commifornia
Read the definition. The web between the thumb and forefinger needs to be below the trigger. Look it up. It is CA DOJ.
Your LGS is NOT the place for legal advice or interpretation, as evidence your LGS is flat out wrong on this.
To qualify as a 'pistol grip' the grip has to allow the web of the hand to sit BELOW the top of the trigger AND protrude below the action of the firearm. Both, not one or the other.
Your LGS needs to learn the law before trying to interpret the law.
Check out the Ledesma arms grip.
Hi Eric, we really enjoy your articles and we've reached out to you many times in the past about our featureless grip. I would be very appreciative if you could contact us.
You can contact us directly using the "Contact Us" form found in the About Us section.
Thanks David! I really appreciate the reply. I've also tried to contact you through a DM on Instagram back in September of last year. I'll try the "Contact Us" form again.
Thanks for the article! I was reading another article that you wrote concerning the featureless mods. Would the Resurgent Arms or Strike Industries "fins" work on an H&K style rifle, specifically the non-real-man gun, the Keltec Sub2k?
Both of the fins you mentioned are for AR-15 pistol grips, so anything takes an AR-15 pistol grip will be able to work with the fins - but some fitting might be needed for the fin itself. I don't think the Keltec Sub2k takes AR grips, but I do know that fins for it are out there.
Check out Sparrow Dynamics!
How did you guys get a hold of a KS-47? PSA won't ship them to freedom deprived states.
PSA worked with us to strip it down to be CA legal and send it, we then rebuilt it into its final form.
I just purchased a Thorsden Gen 3 check it out. Plates to adjust the stock length and feels good for me. Saw a rifle at the LGS with it and thought it looked really nice.
Glad it worked out for you! For me, the Gen 1 still looks the best.