FAB Defense has a long history of supplying military and police customers in Israel and around the world. Their gear is always solid and based on real-world user feedback. I had the chance to check out their new Core M buttstock, Gradus X AR Pistol Grip and Gen 2 5.56\u00d745 30-Round Windowless Polymer Magazines over the past few months. Let\u2019s take a look at what they have to offer.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cdn0.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/20241011_145716-scaled.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\nGL CORE M CP \u2013 M4 Survival Buttstock<\/h2>\n
The CORE M is made to fit standard AR\/M4 receiver extensions or any weapon system that uses that style of extension to mount a stock. It uses a forward-mounted adjustment lever that has a built-in anti-rattle mechanism. The rear is fitted with a rubber butt pad for comfort and to ensure the rifle stays in place on your shoulder. QD swivel slots are built into both sides of the stock. The CORE M will fit both MIL-SPEC and commercial tubes thanks to a provided adapter that comes with the stock. It\u2019s made from a rugged fiberglass reinforced polymer composite and is available in FDE, olive drab or black color choices.<\/p>\n
All of that is good but mostly standard stuff for a decent M4 buttstock these days. What makes the CORE M stand out is the built-in magazine carrier. The CORE M comes with a 10-round FAB Defense Ultimag Magazine. The mag carrier is located in the buttstock and has a left-side magazine release. While it will accept any AR-style magazine, the 10-round mag provided fits nearly flush in the stock and doesn\u2019t add unnecessary bulk or weight.<\/p>\n
The CORE M provides an easy way to keep some rounds readily available for a quick reload right on the gun. If you keep your rifle in the truck or tucked away on the corner and don\u2019t want to leave a mag in it, this is one way to have some rounds readily available if you grab the gun in a hurry. It\u2019s also a fast backup reload if you\u2019re running your rifle with full-capacity mags but need a fast reload or have burned through the rest of your ammo load.<\/p>\n
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\nThe CORE M is an evolution of the older GL-MAG stock. I used one of those on my patrol rifle back in the day. It held up well, and I liked knowing I had 40 rounds on tap if I just grabbed the rifle out of the trunk with a 30-round mag in place and the 10-round Ultimag available as a backup.<\/p>\n
MSRP on the CORE M runs from $96.99 to $101.99 depending on color and it does come with a 10-round Ultimag. As of this writing the black stocks are on sale for only $63.04.<\/p>\n
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\nWhere To Buy<\/h2>\n\n![\"fab](\"https:\/\/cdn-ilbhaoh.nitrocdn.com\/bgKlmMbwrWXRONuqEtcbCEpELIavckvt\/assets\/images\/optimized\/rev-5059075\/cdn0.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/fab-defense-GL-CORE-M-700x525.webp\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\nGradus X AR Pistol Grip<\/h2>\n
While I used the GL MAG stock on my patrol rifle for a number of years I\u2019ve had less experience with FAB Defense pistol grips. I did use an AG-43<\/a> on my sci-fi<\/a> build last year. I honestly initially chose it because it had the right look for that build but found that it was actually quite comfortable. When I first saw the Gradus X<\/a> grip from FAB I wasn\u2019t too sure about it. It has a little bit of an odd look to my eye, but thinking about my positive experience with the AG-43 grip I decided to give the Gradus a go and see how it worked.<\/p>\nThe Gradus pistol grip is one of the products that resulted from listening to the feedback from FAB\u2019s customers. It\u2019s an ergonomic grip with a straighter profile that tends to work well with shorter stocks and holds closer to the body or when wearing body armor. That straight profile works equally well on long-range precision rifles that you\u2019re shooting from prone or off a bench with a bipod, too. <\/p>\n
The Gradus X has a 15-degree reduced grip angle that\u2019s designed to prevent arm and wrist fatigue. It has a comfortable rubber texture and has an AR beavertail. It\u2019ll fit on anything that will take an AR grip. Like the CORE M, it\u2019s available in black, FDE or olive drab. MSRP is $19.99, although they\u2019re showing a sale price of $12.99 currently.<\/p>\n
Having grown up with A1 and then A2 grips I sometimes find the straighter grip angles look odd to me at first. I have to say though that once I got the Gradus X mounted to one of my rifles I can see the benefits of the design. It\u2019s comfortable in hand, especially with my stock partially collapsed to keep the rifle in tight. It works equally well in either hand, too, when I did drills transitioning from my primary to off side, so it should work equally well for right- or left-handers. It\u2019s very reasonably priced, too, so it\u2019s worth taking a look at and seeing how it works for you.<\/p>\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cdn-ilbhaoh.nitrocdn.com\/bgKlmMbwrWXRONuqEtcbCEpELIavckvt\/assets\/images\/optimized\/rev-5059075\/cdn0.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/20241011_145804-700x525.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\nWhere To Buy<\/h2>\n\n![\"Gradus](\"https:\/\/cdn-ilbhaoh.nitrocdn.com\/bgKlmMbwrWXRONuqEtcbCEpELIavckvt\/assets\/images\/optimized\/rev-5059075\/cdn0.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Gradus-X-AR-Pistol-Grip-457x700.webp\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\nGen 2 5.56\u00d745 30-Rounds Windowless Polymer Magazine<\/h2>\n
The last thing I looked at was the new Windowless Polymer GEN 2 AR Magazines<\/a>. These are 30-round 5.56\u00d745 NATO (.223 Remington) STANAG compatible mags that will run in anything that takes an M4 mag. They lack the window to check the remaining ammo capacity that the FAB Ultimag 30R\u2019s have, but they\u2019re also a couple of bucks cheaper and probably a little stronger being one-piece designs.<\/p>\nThe mags are made of a rugged lightweight polymer that\u2019s impact and crush-resistant. It has a multi-textured surface to give you a positive grip when handling mags and doing reloads. The GEN 2 mags use a bright blue low-friction follower that rides on a hybrid AK-style spring that is supposed to prevent follower tilt. The internal design is supposed to provide for smoother, reliable feeding as well. The mags have an extended floor plate that makes snagging them from mag pouches easier, but they\u2019ll still fit in two or three cell pouches without issue. They can be disassembled without tools, too, which is a nice touch when it comes to cleaning or drying out your mags.<\/p>\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cdn-ilbhaoh.nitrocdn.com\/bgKlmMbwrWXRONuqEtcbCEpELIavckvt\/assets\/images\/optimized\/rev-5059075\/cdn0.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/20241011_145842-700x525.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\nI had a few of the GEN 2 mags on hand and used them on a few range sessions with multiple AR platforms. I can\u2019t say I have extensive rounds through them yet, but so far so good. They seem quite solid and are easy to load. The outside texture is pretty nice and does give a positive grip when you\u2019re doing reloads. Reliability has been perfect so far. No feed issues or malfunctions of any kind. I\u2019ll keep using them to test their long-term reliability, but they look to be a solid mag choice, so I\u2019m not expecting to run into any issues. Like the other FAB products, they\u2019re available in black, olive drab green or FDE. MSRP is only $13.99, but once again these are showing on sale as of this writing for just $9.09.<\/p>\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cdn-ilbhaoh.nitrocdn.com\/bgKlmMbwrWXRONuqEtcbCEpELIavckvt\/assets\/images\/optimized\/rev-5059075\/cdn0.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/20241011_150004-700x525.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\nWhere To Buy<\/h2>\n\n![\"Fab](\"https:\/\/cdn-ilbhaoh.nitrocdn.com\/bgKlmMbwrWXRONuqEtcbCEpELIavckvt\/assets\/images\/optimized\/rev-5059075\/cdn0.thetruthaboutguns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Fab-Gen-2-5.56x45-30-Rounds-466x700.png\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\nThe FAB Choice for Your AR<\/h2>\n
Based upon my past experiences with FAB Defense products, I wasn\u2019t surprised to see the new CORE M stock, Gradus X grip and GEN 2 mags were solidly built and well thought out. Being that a lot of FAB\u2019s customers are using their products for real-world work and not just plinking on the range or posting pics on social media, it makes sense that they listen to feedback and make products that you can rely on. Don\u2019t get me wrong, I mostly plink at the range and post pics on social media these days myself, but it\u2019s nice knowing that if I\u2019m running FAB Defense gear, it\u2019s going to work if I ever do need it for anything more serious than that.<\/p>\n
For more info on these products or any of FAB Defense\u2019s other products check out their website at FABDefense.com<\/a>. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\nGradus X AR Pistol Grip<\/h2>\n
While I used the GL MAG stock on my patrol rifle for a number of years I\u2019ve had less experience with FAB Defense pistol grips. I did use an AG-43<\/a> on my sci-fi<\/a> build last year. I honestly initially chose it because it had the right look for that build but found that it was actually quite comfortable. When I first saw the Gradus X<\/a> grip from FAB I wasn\u2019t too sure about it. It has a little bit of an odd look to my eye, but thinking about my positive experience with the AG-43 grip I decided to give the Gradus a go and see how it worked.<\/p>\n The Gradus pistol grip is one of the products that resulted from listening to the feedback from FAB\u2019s customers. It\u2019s an ergonomic grip with a straighter profile that tends to work well with shorter stocks and holds closer to the body or when wearing body armor. That straight profile works equally well on long-range precision rifles that you\u2019re shooting from prone or off a bench with a bipod, too. <\/p>\n The Gradus X has a 15-degree reduced grip angle that\u2019s designed to prevent arm and wrist fatigue. It has a comfortable rubber texture and has an AR beavertail. It\u2019ll fit on anything that will take an AR grip. Like the CORE M, it\u2019s available in black, FDE or olive drab. MSRP is $19.99, although they\u2019re showing a sale price of $12.99 currently.<\/p>\n Having grown up with A1 and then A2 grips I sometimes find the straighter grip angles look odd to me at first. I have to say though that once I got the Gradus X mounted to one of my rifles I can see the benefits of the design. It\u2019s comfortable in hand, especially with my stock partially collapsed to keep the rifle in tight. It works equally well in either hand, too, when I did drills transitioning from my primary to off side, so it should work equally well for right- or left-handers. It\u2019s very reasonably priced, too, so it\u2019s worth taking a look at and seeing how it works for you.<\/p>\n The last thing I looked at was the new Windowless Polymer GEN 2 AR Magazines<\/a>. These are 30-round 5.56\u00d745 NATO (.223 Remington) STANAG compatible mags that will run in anything that takes an M4 mag. They lack the window to check the remaining ammo capacity that the FAB Ultimag 30R\u2019s have, but they\u2019re also a couple of bucks cheaper and probably a little stronger being one-piece designs.<\/p>\n The mags are made of a rugged lightweight polymer that\u2019s impact and crush-resistant. It has a multi-textured surface to give you a positive grip when handling mags and doing reloads. The GEN 2 mags use a bright blue low-friction follower that rides on a hybrid AK-style spring that is supposed to prevent follower tilt. The internal design is supposed to provide for smoother, reliable feeding as well. The mags have an extended floor plate that makes snagging them from mag pouches easier, but they\u2019ll still fit in two or three cell pouches without issue. They can be disassembled without tools, too, which is a nice touch when it comes to cleaning or drying out your mags.<\/p>\n I had a few of the GEN 2 mags on hand and used them on a few range sessions with multiple AR platforms. I can\u2019t say I have extensive rounds through them yet, but so far so good. They seem quite solid and are easy to load. The outside texture is pretty nice and does give a positive grip when you\u2019re doing reloads. Reliability has been perfect so far. No feed issues or malfunctions of any kind. I\u2019ll keep using them to test their long-term reliability, but they look to be a solid mag choice, so I\u2019m not expecting to run into any issues. Like the other FAB products, they\u2019re available in black, olive drab green or FDE. MSRP is only $13.99, but once again these are showing on sale as of this writing for just $9.09.<\/p>\n Based upon my past experiences with FAB Defense products, I wasn\u2019t surprised to see the new CORE M stock, Gradus X grip and GEN 2 mags were solidly built and well thought out. Being that a lot of FAB\u2019s customers are using their products for real-world work and not just plinking on the range or posting pics on social media, it makes sense that they listen to feedback and make products that you can rely on. Don\u2019t get me wrong, I mostly plink at the range and post pics on social media these days myself, but it\u2019s nice knowing that if I\u2019m running FAB Defense gear, it\u2019s going to work if I ever do need it for anything more serious than that.<\/p>\n For more info on these products or any of FAB Defense\u2019s other products check out their website at FABDefense.com<\/a>. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\nWhere To Buy<\/h2>\n
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\nGen 2 5.56\u00d745 30-Rounds Windowless Polymer Magazine<\/h2>\n
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\nWhere To Buy<\/h2>\n
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\nThe FAB Choice for Your AR<\/h2>\n