Magpul PRS, Luth-AR, XLR Tactical AR are 3 I recently considered for my newest precision AR’s (accidentally bought my way into two more last month); the XLR being the only one I had not owned previously.
Luth-AR is the least expensive at $115, and lightest at 18oz. Its skeletonized form may not have enough weight to balance well with long, heavy barrels. My latest was on a 20” Grendel, Rifle length with a National Match profile and 18” lightweight Midwest rail. It’s not too forward heavy, but it’s not a very heavy barrel either. The only “con” I might mention is the cheek riser is single sided - so it has a little flex. I have never noticed any flexion while shooting, but I don’t cheek my rifles much either. It’s about half of the price of the other two. Both LOP and comb height are tool-less for adjustment, but also include gross adjustment bars which can move the cheek riser forwards or backwards. The adjustments are toothed clamps with tool-less tension knobs - very secure, in my experience. The buttplate is not adjustable for height or can’t. They have multiple ports for sling sockets, but you’ll have to source them separately. The bottom is relatively flat with a bit of a butthook for crossed arm bench shooting. It rides a bag very well. I wouldn’t hesitate to buy another, and at their reduced price, they’re definitely the best bang for the buck.
XLR Tactical AR stock runs about $200-235. It’s the same weight as the Luth-AR as it includes its receiver extension in its 22oz. I do believe there are multiple options to add weight to this stock, whether as an external bag rider (available from XLR) or by filling the skeleton void with a removable or permanent ballast. I have not owned one myself, but ordered one last week. A couple folks in our state PR club run them, and I took a couple test drives recently before buying. It’s a blend of a precision rifle chassis buttstock, mounted to an AR extension. The XLR is adjustable for comb height, LOP, and buttplate height. The adjustments do require tools, but for my use, I set my stock once and never move it anyway, and I like the peace of mind to know it won’t slip. Unlike the Luth-AR, the comb riser secures on both sides, which means more work to adjust it, but also less flexion. It’s a skeletonized frame, very minimalist, which may or may not be aesthetically attractive to everyone. The bottom of the stock is angled, such it could be used for elevation adjustment on the rear bag, but it’s not wide enough to be much of a bag rider. XLR offers a bag riding ski for them, which offers both a straight or angled profile simply by flipping it one side or the other. I’m excited to get more time behind this one, but I have every expectation it will perform well. I’ll report back in a couple weeks after some trigger time if my expectations end up wrong.
Magpul PRS-3 is the most expensive of these at $250, and the heaviest at 28oz without the extension. The Magpul PRS is the gold standard by which all other precision AR stocks are measured. The extra weight may be nice to counterbalance a longer or heavy (.836 or .936” gas blocks) barrel, but can make a lighter profile feel too heavy in the tail. It has tool-less adjustment for comb height and LOP, but has tool-required adjustment for buttplate height and cant. It can be used on a carbine or rifle extension, but I have heard it may not be as rigid on anything but rifle tubes (mine is on a rifle tube, as are my Gen 2’s). It has the blockiest form and bulkiest profile of the 3, which may or may not be appealing to all shooters. I personally liked the profiles of the 1 & 2 better than the Gen 3. The belly of the stock also isn’t really wide enough for bag riding, but it’s wider than the other two. The M-lol slots grab the bag more than I would like, so a bag riding plate helps, which can be easily attached because of the slots (catch 22?). The belly is angled, but in my opinion, not quite nough to be really convenient for elevation adjustment, but too much to be convenient for a straight bag ride - kinda in the middle. Both the Gen 1 & 2 were flat bellies, and I prefer to slide my bag for gross elevation corrections, so this is an improvement to me, but not quite enough. The previous Gen had a pic rail on the belly with a sliding cover, which I HIGHLY preferred over the current m-lok slots (remove the monopod and cover it, instead of bolting on a pic rail for the monopod). For features and functions, it’s the most loaded version. It’s rock solid.
Any of these 3 are A right answer, but it’s up to the shooter to decide which is THE right answer for them.
LMT used to make a Magpul PRS knock off, not sure if they still do? It cost as much as the Magpul, wasn’t as readily available, and wasn’t as well featured as the Magpul, so I never gave it much attention.
Seekins has recently dropped their Procomp 10x stock for $200 (current price is $169, assuming it is Black Friday price?). It’s an ounce heavier than the Luth-AR or XLR. The Seekins has a form more like the PRS, but with tool-required comb height adjustment, and the LOP appears to be accomplished by shims, not a slider. It also has the same “low angle” belly for bag riding, but Seekins made the mistake of sticking a boat anchor of a sling socket right in the middle of it to drag on the bag. I prefer tool-required adjustment for rigidity and security, so this one is pretty attractive. Glen does a pretty good job with anything Seekins makes, so I expect this stock will deliver, and the price seems about right for the feature set against the market competition.
Also consider your objective diameter, handguard/rail height, and ring height. Some rings aren’t quite as tall as others, but still clear the handguard. I personally need a cheek riser on almost every scoped rifle I own, but for a 50mm scope on an AR with Warne or Vortex mounts, I can get a good cheek weld on the standard stock height. With Burris mounts, .2” taller, I can’t. So I run Magpul UBR’s in a couple of my precision AR’s with no issues. Since Service Rifle match rules started allowing adjustable stocks - without cheek risers - I’ve found the UBR is the only adjustable stock which really comes recommended, because it is so solid, and because it is sufficiently heavy. It can also be made considerably heavier thanks to the storage compartment. Food for thought, a different mount might open your options for any number of adjustable carbine stocks, and the UBR is as solid as it gets.
