-
Having trouble using the site?
Contact support
Interest in a more vertical grip for J allen?
- Thread starter Baron23
- Start date
@Tyler Kemp
Hi Tyler - wow, its really coming along. I like the black color as I have two grey chassis and, as you have said, we can always cerakote the grip if we want a diff color.
Am I understanding this right?
And, I believe that accommodating the OG bottom plate will also eliminate this gap shown in a pic of the earlier model, right?
I fully agree with your plan to fill up the top OG grip area (circled in pic below) for those who may not want the thumb rest and bringing the front strap forward as shown in the pic of the grey prototype, above. It would be much cleaner, I believe
I rather like the palm shelf from an ascetic view point though with my smallish hands I won't really need it. But I do imagine I will configure mine with both the shelf and the thumb rest.
I note that in the other thread on your adaptive AR grip that a fella mentioned that he thought the texture was a bit rough and he may sand it down!!
I don't have work hardened hands (well, I don't work at all anymore at 68 y.o. haha) but it doesn't look too rough to me at all.
Have you ever received much in the way of comments about this grip texture being too rough??? I think its fine and actually looks pretty good.
And of course, me being the pushy guy PM that I am (well, was) , now the question is when might we see the final product with these changes and place an order! haha
I really do want to get one of these on my J Allen gun and work with it a bit this summer before Frank getts to kick my ass during a clinic with him in Sep haha.
I'm very excited to see this progress and think this will be perfect for me.
What do you think is your estimated (as in I won't jump up an down if its later haha) schedule for the few remaining mods to the design and being ready for production orders, if you are willing to say?
Thanks Tyler.....love it, really love it.
Hi Tyler - wow, its really coming along. I like the black color as I have two grey chassis and, as you have said, we can always cerakote the grip if we want a diff color.
If I understand correctly, you will modify the grip just a bit to accommodate the OG grip bottom plate that the JAE palm shelf used to be screwed into? If so, this is excellent and this was something I was hoping you would do just to not modify the chassis any more than absolutely necessary.
Am I understanding this right?
And, I believe that accommodating the OG bottom plate will also eliminate this gap shown in a pic of the earlier model, right?
I agree with these proposed actions. I REALLY liked this front contour far more than shown in these latest pics. Sort of bit curious why the design regressed from what you had shown earlier. As long as I can get to the rear action screw thru the slot in the trigger guard, I believe that the profile shown below is much nicer.
I fully agree with your plan to fill up the top OG grip area (circled in pic below) for those who may not want the thumb rest and bringing the front strap forward as shown in the pic of the grey prototype, above. It would be much cleaner, I believe
I rather like the palm shelf from an ascetic view point though with my smallish hands I won't really need it. But I do imagine I will configure mine with both the shelf and the thumb rest.
I note that in the other thread on your adaptive AR grip that a fella mentioned that he thought the texture was a bit rough and he may sand it down!!
I don't have work hardened hands (well, I don't work at all anymore at 68 y.o. haha) but it doesn't look too rough to me at all.Have you ever received much in the way of comments about this grip texture being too rough??? I think its fine and actually looks pretty good.
And of course, me being the pushy guy PM that I am (well, was) , now the question is when might we see the final product with these changes and place an order! haha
I really do want to get one of these on my J Allen gun and work with it a bit this summer before Frank getts to kick my ass during a clinic with him in Sep haha.
I'm very excited to see this progress and think this will be perfect for me.
What do you think is your estimated (as in I won't jump up an down if its later haha) schedule for the few remaining mods to the design and being ready for production orders, if you are willing to say?
Thanks Tyler.....love it, really love it.
These few tweaks should be accomplished by early next week at latest.
As far as the design regressing, well, that was a photoshop previously and we evidently didn't get things nailed with this revision.
This texture isn't too rough at all, but the other guy was talking about the "diamond" pattern which is definitely aggressive! He's welcome to sand, but we also sell less rough textures.
As far as the design regressing, well, that was a photoshop previously and we evidently didn't get things nailed with this revision.
This texture isn't too rough at all, but the other guy was talking about the "diamond" pattern which is definitely aggressive! He's welcome to sand, but we also sell less rough textures.
It will close up that hole in the back, at least.
critical? No. Nice for a finished product appearance, IMO yes.
hahaha...yeah, guilty as charged! LOLAre we still talking about the bottom plate?
If your on FaceBook you can see a lot of pics of Tylers different grip designs.
www.facebook.com
MK Machining | Hallsville MO
MK Machining, Hallsville, Missouri. 28,464 likes · 107 talking about this · 791 were here. MK Machining is dedicated to bringing you innovative, precision products using innovative manufacturing.
www.facebook.com
Hi guys - @Tyler Kemp may correct me but my understanding is that he is sending me the first article of what is anticipated to be a final design for a bit of field testing on JAE gun before going full general availability.
He will hang on to my chassis in the interim in case there arise any issues req change then when all is good I’ll order another set and it will ship to me w my spare JAE.
We are too have nice weather next week so I hope to test and report quickly as possible. I think this is going to be great functionally and dang...it even looks great!
Tyler....correct me if I misunderstood.
cheers
He will hang on to my chassis in the interim in case there arise any issues req change then when all is good I’ll order another set and it will ship to me w my spare JAE.
We are too have nice weather next week so I hope to test and report quickly as possible. I think this is going to be great functionally and dang...it even looks great!
Tyler....correct me if I misunderstood.
cheers
I was gonna ship the whole thing back, but can just do a grip if you like? Let me know....you've got my number.
Availability basically is hinging on the word "go".
@Tyler Kemp - good with me....ship it all and I will txt you with this also.
And guys, I just want to be clear...."testing" in my case really just means I was going to look it over for fit, finish, and any obvious issues which would be very surprising if there were any at this stage of the game.
I'm not a PRS type shooter and most of you will be able to put thru much more rigorous, real world, use than I.
Dunno...saying I was going to test it just looks a bit pretentious in retrospect.
Cheers
And guys, I just want to be clear...."testing" in my case really just means I was going to look it over for fit, finish, and any obvious issues which would be very surprising if there were any at this stage of the game.
I'm not a PRS type shooter and most of you will be able to put thru much more rigorous, real world, use than I.
Dunno...saying I was going to test it just looks a bit pretentious in retrospect.
Cheers
Last edited:
@Dustyplyr @Tokay444 @Tyler Kemp
hahaha....I just shot it yesterday, made a small report to Tyler last night, and was going to post about it later today after running some errands, but I'll do it now as I understand the enthusiasm to get one into our hands.
Some pics
On my 6.5 CM
Close up
We encountered a very small issue with this first semi-prod item as follows:
This is the last pic that Tyler posted of one of the pre-prod models. Note the bottom line along the back portion of the grip and how it aligns with the bottom of the chassis
This is the grip that was sent to me and which is on my gun now. In adjusting another dimension of the grip in their software model, they introduced a small error in this dimension (about 2 mm). Not a big deal and they have already fixed it. I put it on my gun and shot it this way as it has absolutely zero impact on performance or robustness. I'm just anal about stuff like this.
I found installation of the grip to be straight forward....probably pulling off the OEM grip was the most difficult (sucker didn't want to come off haha). I was a bit concerned about having to hold two sides and the palm shelf in place while also screwing the bolts in but it turned out to be zero issue. Palm shelf has a lug that goes into slots on both side pieces and when I put it all on the gun it stayed in place well enough that I had two hands free to bolt it together.
Which was a good thing as the nuts are not captive to the grip. Note that the the inletting for the nuts is hexagonal so the nut won't turn, but they will push out when trying to bolt it all together. Tyler said that they considered a press fit but it was really trying to be a bit too clever and would have been difficult to execute properly. I suggested just a dab of epoxy or glue to hold the nuts in and I believe that is what he will do.
What I did was use a larger t-handle allen wrench to hold the nut in on one side while using a 5/32" wrench on the bolt. Once I caught the threads, it was no longer an issue. This is a REALLY small issue but in one sense I was a professional nitpicker before retiring. LOL Fact is that once these grips are on the gun, it would be unusual for them to be taken off/re-installed with any frequency.
There is a slot/hole for an allen to get into the rear action screw so the grip will hopefully not need to be removed for this. I failed to note if the palm swell will get in the way of a long t-handle allen but will check later. I'm sure Tyler and the crew looked at this and all is well.
Also, note that they overlooked shipping the thumb rest with this set of grips. Hey, I can't remember breakfast so I'm the last who should complain! haha But, I did see the relationship of my thumb and where the rest will go and think it is a def improvement over trying to use the "thumb spot" on the top of the chassis.
Actually, I was wrong (which I very often am) about two things you guys advocated. I sort of dismissed the thumb rest as not being needed on a chassis with a thumb spot......wrong. I want the thumb rest. The other was my concern that moving the front strap so far forward would prevent me from properly getting a grip and positioning my trigger finger. Wrong again. I actually wouldn't mind it if it was even a tiny bit more vertical that it is (it has a small angle backward) but trigger guard and access to action screw would be impacted. "Wrong" is my middle name! haha
Took it to the range yesterday for a short session before it started pouring down. Put 30 rounds down range (100 yd range) and shot the overall best groups with this gun than I ever had. I attribute this to; 1) getting my trigger finger forward so I could have a good 90 degree press while being able to still hold the grip with my other fingers and; 2) being able to actually grip the gun and reach the trigger improved my recoil management immensely. I have been fighting to try to get that 1 foot left and 1 foot up jump out of my shots (used to be 2 feet haha) without much success. I noted yesterday I was jumping consistently about 2 inches left and up and I'm kind of good with that at the moment. Not sure if I can get more out but this will certainly be addressed in the SH clinic in Sep in PA that I'm going to attend.
The texture of the grip felt reassuring but not too sharp or rough. Really just fine as is.
Oh, another thing I was wrong about.....not sure I need the palm swell at all....but it does give it a nice finished, trimmed, look. I advocated the palm swell as I was thinking that it would cover the bottom metal of the grip area as with OEM grip....but, its not needed. I will order with palm shelf just because I like the look....but my hand doesn't really reach down that far. Perhaps in some PRS/run and gun type positions this may be very helpful on a sweaty day to keep a good grip on the gun. But, I was wrong that it is absolutely needed.
Tyler said to tell you all that this will be loaded up on his website this weekend. I viewed this as a goal more than an iron clad commitment as shit really does happen. But look for it on MK Machinging site this weekend.
If you have any questions that I could perhaps answer with this unit in my hands, please let me know.
Cheers
hahaha....I just shot it yesterday, made a small report to Tyler last night, and was going to post about it later today after running some errands, but I'll do it now as I understand the enthusiasm to get one into our hands.
Some pics
On my 6.5 CM
Close up
We encountered a very small issue with this first semi-prod item as follows:
This is the last pic that Tyler posted of one of the pre-prod models. Note the bottom line along the back portion of the grip and how it aligns with the bottom of the chassis
This is the grip that was sent to me and which is on my gun now. In adjusting another dimension of the grip in their software model, they introduced a small error in this dimension (about 2 mm). Not a big deal and they have already fixed it. I put it on my gun and shot it this way as it has absolutely zero impact on performance or robustness. I'm just anal about stuff like this.
I found installation of the grip to be straight forward....probably pulling off the OEM grip was the most difficult (sucker didn't want to come off haha). I was a bit concerned about having to hold two sides and the palm shelf in place while also screwing the bolts in but it turned out to be zero issue. Palm shelf has a lug that goes into slots on both side pieces and when I put it all on the gun it stayed in place well enough that I had two hands free to bolt it together.
Which was a good thing as the nuts are not captive to the grip. Note that the the inletting for the nuts is hexagonal so the nut won't turn, but they will push out when trying to bolt it all together. Tyler said that they considered a press fit but it was really trying to be a bit too clever and would have been difficult to execute properly. I suggested just a dab of epoxy or glue to hold the nuts in and I believe that is what he will do.
What I did was use a larger t-handle allen wrench to hold the nut in on one side while using a 5/32" wrench on the bolt. Once I caught the threads, it was no longer an issue. This is a REALLY small issue but in one sense I was a professional nitpicker before retiring. LOL Fact is that once these grips are on the gun, it would be unusual for them to be taken off/re-installed with any frequency.
There is a slot/hole for an allen to get into the rear action screw so the grip will hopefully not need to be removed for this. I failed to note if the palm swell will get in the way of a long t-handle allen but will check later. I'm sure Tyler and the crew looked at this and all is well.
Also, note that they overlooked shipping the thumb rest with this set of grips. Hey, I can't remember breakfast so I'm the last who should complain! haha But, I did see the relationship of my thumb and where the rest will go and think it is a def improvement over trying to use the "thumb spot" on the top of the chassis.
Actually, I was wrong (which I very often am) about two things you guys advocated. I sort of dismissed the thumb rest as not being needed on a chassis with a thumb spot......wrong. I want the thumb rest. The other was my concern that moving the front strap so far forward would prevent me from properly getting a grip and positioning my trigger finger. Wrong again. I actually wouldn't mind it if it was even a tiny bit more vertical that it is (it has a small angle backward) but trigger guard and access to action screw would be impacted. "Wrong" is my middle name! haha
Took it to the range yesterday for a short session before it started pouring down. Put 30 rounds down range (100 yd range) and shot the overall best groups with this gun than I ever had. I attribute this to; 1) getting my trigger finger forward so I could have a good 90 degree press while being able to still hold the grip with my other fingers and; 2) being able to actually grip the gun and reach the trigger improved my recoil management immensely. I have been fighting to try to get that 1 foot left and 1 foot up jump out of my shots (used to be 2 feet haha) without much success. I noted yesterday I was jumping consistently about 2 inches left and up and I'm kind of good with that at the moment. Not sure if I can get more out but this will certainly be addressed in the SH clinic in Sep in PA that I'm going to attend.
The texture of the grip felt reassuring but not too sharp or rough. Really just fine as is.
Oh, another thing I was wrong about.....not sure I need the palm swell at all....but it does give it a nice finished, trimmed, look. I advocated the palm swell as I was thinking that it would cover the bottom metal of the grip area as with OEM grip....but, its not needed. I will order with palm shelf just because I like the look....but my hand doesn't really reach down that far. Perhaps in some PRS/run and gun type positions this may be very helpful on a sweaty day to keep a good grip on the gun. But, I was wrong that it is absolutely needed.
Tyler said to tell you all that this will be loaded up on his website this weekend. I viewed this as a goal more than an iron clad commitment as shit really does happen. But look for it on MK Machinging site this weekend.
If you have any questions that I could perhaps answer with this unit in my hands, please let me know.
Cheers
Yep, slot on each side so it will work for lefty and righty. Pic of earlier prototype with thumb rest installed.
What about that area at the top between the grip and the trigger guar, is that any kind of hindrance? Can you get a picture with your hand on the grip so can get an idea of how it sits. I’m prolly gonna try one of these when they become available.
That was a concern of mine and was discussed above in this thread. I was afraid I would not be able to get my hand high enough to get on the trigger properly. That is, that the grip front strap was moved too far forward and would interfere.
Pretty much everybody disagreed with me and it turned out that they were right and I was wrong. I did not notice any issue at all with this aspect.
I can try to get a pic later of my hand on the grip.....kind of tricky to do that and take a pic at same time haha....but I have some errands to run right now. In the interim, this is a pic that Tyler posted of his hand on an earlier prototype model when this potential issue was discussed above. He also had everybody in his shop try out the grip with them all having different hand dimensions and they found it to be pretty dang good for everybody.
I can't guarantee that you won't have an issue.....for all I know, your hands are such you can palm a basketball! haha Tyler's hands, in pic below, seem to be larger than mine but he doesn't have an issue getting high enough on the grip. My hands/fingers are pretty dang small and I also did not have a problem getting on the trigger properly.
This grip was configured to provide a pretty good fit across the board (no, not perfect fit as its not a custom grip made for anyone's specific hand) and I'm happy with it, personally.
Hope this helps.
Is it possible to get a picture from the front of the strap and from the bottom up to the trigger guard
No, that is not correct. It is as I said from direct discussion with Tyler.
Ask Tyler, if you like, for confirmation. If I am wrong, which is always possible...I'm wrong a lot....I will apologize.
P.S. - Tyler thought this was an introduced error....but, looking at prior pics, you may well be right. But there is absolute no reason to have to pull that plate off in order to have a finished look. Its part of the chassis and IMO should be accommodated.
P.S.S. - I actually do think you are right, at least in comparison of the pic above with an earlier prototype, but I've reached out to Tyler to confirm and see if there is a change at all to come down a bit lower there. I may well have proved yet again that I'm an old idiot! haha
Last edited:
Not sure exactly what you were looking for, but this is what I have for you
Bit closer
Take the bottom plate off and snap a pic.
Pretty sure the the grip you revived is the exact grip Tyler snapped pics of, on your chassis.
Last edited:
It
isn't the exact same one. It doesn't have the gap at the front like the last one time posted
Yep, just communicated with Tyler. HE thought it was an introduced error but now says that his guy did indeed make it flush to the bottom without the plate. So, apologies for Tyler and I blaming Trevor! haha
They did ship my chassis and this grip back to me with the plate installed so the obvious assumption (yeah, pitfall of a word there) was that it was to be retained.
As far as I know, the plate is standard with the chassis and comes with it whether you ordered the palm shelf or not so, IMO often wrong opinion, it should be retained and accommodated by the grip.
Tyler seems to agree and they are going to dropped that line those small 2 mm. I think from a marketing POV, its better than telling customers that they have to pull more parts off of their expensive chassis.
So, once again you are right and I am wrong. haha Damn, that's happening frequently these days! LOL
Last edited:
No.
This grip is in Tyler’s hand...
And this is in Baron’s...
They are in fact, the same piece.
@Tyler Kemp @Dustyplyr @Tokay444 @TacticalDillhole and who ever else is interested.
The JAE grip is now up on MK Machining site.
www.mkmachining.com
$134.99 and that includes both the palm shelf and thumb rest. NOTE: the current description is a bit confusing as it says "optional thumb rest" but that means optional to use and it is incl with the grip, as is the palm shelf, for no additional cost. I just communicated with Tyler on this but if you are still unsure, please do contact him via his website or here. He intends to word it a bit differently when he gets a chance but they are apparently in the weeds with work this wknd.
I just ordered one.
The JAE grip is now up on MK Machining site.
Improved J Allen Grip
Get better ergonomics on your J Allen Chassis with our “almost vertical” grip. Designed with input from several J Allen users, this chassis has a very shallow angle with palm swells and a t-slot for optional thumb rest placement on either side of the grip. Palm rest and thumb rests are both...
www.mkmachining.com
$134.99 and that includes both the palm shelf and thumb rest. NOTE: the current description is a bit confusing as it says "optional thumb rest" but that means optional to use and it is incl with the grip, as is the palm shelf, for no additional cost. I just communicated with Tyler on this but if you are still unsure, please do contact him via his website or here. He intends to word it a bit differently when he gets a chance but they are apparently in the weeds with work this wknd.
I just ordered one.
Well dang, I didn’t even know he had a Hide discount code! LOL
and I’m ok w it too. Ton of man hours in dev the model for this grip So I’m fine w Tyler’s full retail.
it came in at a price less than he anticipated and I think they are well priced to sell.
look forward to your impressions when you install and shoot w it.
Cheers
I ordered my grips this past wknd and looking forward to getting it in hand soon.
In the meantime, I went out again and shot my rifle with the "prototype" (but really prod config except for the little 2mm gap at the bottom and I no longer really care about that! (Yes, @Tokay444 ....once again you are right and I was wrong! ;-) haha) And I'm still LOVING it!!
Just has changed the whole experience of shooting the JAE chassis. The grip feels is rock solid when shooting with it, config allows me to pull it into my shoulder firmly while still getting 90 degree trigger finger, and my recoil control has improved somewhat dramatically (amazing what can happen when you can really grip the gun properly! haha).
And, its showing up in my groups. I have up to 300 yards at one club I belong to, shoot out to 500 yards at a commercial range, but my most local club only has 100 yds but that's good with me right now as I'm still a relative novice compared to many of you and I'm still working to improve my fundamentals of shot execution. So, seeing my groups improve quite a bit at 100 yds due to having this grip on the gun has been rewarding and to me is indicative of my improvement and the need I had for this type of grip config.
Personally, I'm very happy that we persevered with our interest in this project and that @Tyler Kemp and his crew did such a great job. Just outstanding.
Ok, the advert for MK Machining grips is now concluded! haha
In the meantime, I went out again and shot my rifle with the "prototype" (but really prod config except for the little 2mm gap at the bottom and I no longer really care about that! (Yes, @Tokay444 ....once again you are right and I was wrong! ;-) haha) And I'm still LOVING it!!
Just has changed the whole experience of shooting the JAE chassis. The grip feels is rock solid when shooting with it, config allows me to pull it into my shoulder firmly while still getting 90 degree trigger finger, and my recoil control has improved somewhat dramatically (amazing what can happen when you can really grip the gun properly! haha).
And, its showing up in my groups. I have up to 300 yards at one club I belong to, shoot out to 500 yards at a commercial range, but my most local club only has 100 yds but that's good with me right now as I'm still a relative novice compared to many of you and I'm still working to improve my fundamentals of shot execution. So, seeing my groups improve quite a bit at 100 yds due to having this grip on the gun has been rewarding and to me is indicative of my improvement and the need I had for this type of grip config.
Personally, I'm very happy that we persevered with our interest in this project and that @Tyler Kemp and his crew did such a great job. Just outstanding.
Ok, the advert for MK Machining grips is now concluded! haha
. I can't wait to get it in hand (no pun intended). It's been my only complaint with the jallen and now the fix is sooooo close
They are ready to head out (Actually have been since Monday) and I'll make sure that happens. If it didn't today! I was running errands all afternoon.
Well, I got a shipping notification today. Tracking shows just the label made and UPS has not yet picked it up.
Anybody else get an email with tracking #?
I got the same thing as you today. Though I just checked it again out of curiosity and it's not updated as having left the post office and expected delivery of Tuesday
So I was finally able to get out and shoot with my grip. First I will say I love the texture pattern used. For me it is the right amount of aggressiveness while not being too rough. I was surprised with the various options for the thumbshelf. I ended up going with the largest one. My only small "issue" was the optional palm shelf was a bit wiggly but that was solved in about 3 seconds with a little shim. For me this grip fits about perfect..only way to make it more so would be to have it made specifically for me. @Tyler Kemp in my opinion you knocked this out of the park and you fixed the one thing many of us had as a complaint on these chassis. This thing have me prefect hand placement with a 90° trigger finger.
So now on to the actually shooting. While I can't give any noticable results at 100 for groups since this gun already shoots at the limits of my skills in the 0.3s, I can say it was noticable during positional shooting. Just the ease of the repeatability while still being able to stay in control of the gun with a full grip. Previously I had to either do a finger stand off (I hate doing this because I feel like I'm not driving the rifle) or have my wrist at an extreme angle to not have my elbow chicken wing out. All of this allowed me to be more comfortable and natural in my positions which in turn allowed me to be faster and more consistent. The proof will be in the pudding tomorrow when I run this at my match.
In summary if you are someone who is reading this thread considering this for your Jae and aren't sure do yourself the favor and buy one now. If I had more then 1 Jae I would be putting this on everyone of them.
So now on to the actually shooting. While I can't give any noticable results at 100 for groups since this gun already shoots at the limits of my skills in the 0.3s, I can say it was noticable during positional shooting. Just the ease of the repeatability while still being able to stay in control of the gun with a full grip. Previously I had to either do a finger stand off (I hate doing this because I feel like I'm not driving the rifle) or have my wrist at an extreme angle to not have my elbow chicken wing out. All of this allowed me to be more comfortable and natural in my positions which in turn allowed me to be faster and more consistent. The proof will be in the pudding tomorrow when I run this at my match.
In summary if you are someone who is reading this thread considering this for your Jae and aren't sure do yourself the favor and buy one now. If I had more then 1 Jae I would be putting this on everyone of them.
