So here is my mini review/take on the new Viper Skins upgrade for the AICS chassis put out by Mike and guys at Victor Company. For those that are unaware, its a set of replacement skins that aim to upgrade/modify the ergonomics of the original AICS chassis. The nice thing is that the changes made are easy, reasonably priced, and completely reversible.
I ordered a set the minute I was able to and they arrived yesterday well packaged.
Nice big made in the USA sticker in there. Always a welcomed sight in the days of everything be manufactured in the far east. Not that I wouldn't buy them otherwise but its nice to support our own economy and our fellow countrymen.
I will apologize for some of the pictures now, its a new phone and I'm still working out the kinks to get better photos with more clarity.
Here is my AICS chassis/rifle setup as it was before the upgrade and any changes made.
Here is what your AICS chassis looks like with one half of the skins off. Shows you just how much of the stock is superficial and subject to easy change. Only the core component of the chassis is aluminum. Most of it is just the plastic skins that make up the bigger part of the overall ergonomic feel of the stock.
Here is the stock with the rear half being the original AICS skin, and I put the front section of the Viper Skins on to show a little comparison. The front end covers the same real estate, but with some added features. Its a bit wider, has mounting hardware and openings for a rail kit, and doesn't impede any hardware upgrades you may already have purchased for the AICS. Accushot bipod, IMUNS, rail kits for the underside of the fore end, all will work.
I was curious about the durability of the rail mounting holes, particularly for MIL/LE people. They tend to be rough on their gear at times and I wondered if you did mount something on the front end, like a laser illuminator or other NV related stuff, what would be the consequence of banging it around in the dark? There is a threaded metal insert in the skins that I believe would do quite well. If I were LE I probably wouldn't sweat it. If you are MIL and considering the upgrade I offer this suggestion. The threaded holes run in conjunction with holes already present in the chassis. If you were planning on a deployment in one of the Stans or somewhere that the stock will see hard use and little chance of a quick repair, I would run a longer bolt through one side, through the chassis, and bolt it straight through the stock itself for added strength and durability.
The kit comes with its own mounting hardware. Because of some of the dimensional changes the original hardware will work in some places, but not in others. I recommend keeping each respective hardware set with its coinciding stock.
Here is a photo of the rear section of the skins mounted up. For starters, this is what it looks like fully mounted but prior to the gunsmithing changes. I'm going to toss out some opinion here. If you are a recreational shooter or LE, the actual need for the bit of smith work is pretty nill. These skins fit the chassis TIGHTLY. In this photo, from the rear of the stock moving forward, the first two screws you see exist on the AICS already. The third screw moving forward exists on the 2.0 stock because of the folding mechanism, it does not exist on the 1.5 and earlier stock versions.
I don't believe you really need to make this mod for recreation/LE applications unless you want to. With the skins fitting as tightly as they do, and being bolted down twice already, they are NOT coming loose. I don't mean not likely, I mean its just plain not going to happen. I didn't even have space at the seam without the bolt. MIL people it may be worth it just because bulletproof everything is good when having equipment go down for any reason under any circumstance because of any fluke means you don't have it. This as opposed to people stateside that can order replacements or go to a smith for a fix without much down time.
That said, the modification itself is not complicated or overly difficult. It does come with excellent, photo guided, instructions. Mike did a great job coming up with these and the included instructions come with the templates to cut out and use to line up the holes you need to drill in the stock. You need to drill two, and you line them up by cutting out and mounting the alignment diagram, and making a mark with a punch where you will drill the hole. Seen below...
In the photo above I drew an arrow pointing to the original mark I made, which is actually quite hard to see. What is brighter and more visible, is the check mark I made. Because every stock can have differences in manufacturing tolerances, as well as differences in the skins themselves, I highly recommend soft mounting the rear skins, both halves, with only the rear bolts to check alignment of the skins versus the template. Unfortunately its difficult to see the mark through the skins themselves. I used a mechanical pencil with the lead extended out long enough that I could insert it into the bolt hole and completely draw and fill in the circle.
It was off slightly from the template, which was my fault for using a template I printed instead of the ones that came with the skins. I still recommend double checking. Measure twice, drill once.
After the initial hole is made with a 1/8th" drill bit, you open it up a bit with a 1/4" bit and should be more than enough wiggle room to get things lined up. Its emphasized in the directions several times, but I will mention it again. DO NOT drill from one side through the other of the AICS. If you measure each side separately you can ensure proper alignment of the skins. If you drill through one side to the other freehand you risk putting the bit through the chassis at an angle and the hole on one side won't match the other. If you have a drill press you could do it in theory, but I still recommend checking with a soft mount for individual changes in manufacturing tolerances.
Once mounted up the skins look great and there is hardly any seam at all. They line up perfectly and it feels BULLETPROOF when all is mounted and bolted down.
As you can see, and has been asked numerous times, the Accu Shot Monopods do work on the AICS system. There is a bit of open space that comes from the difference in the shape of the hook. If you tighten up the monopod its still very resistant to lateral movement, you would really have to give it a whack to knock it out of alignment.
My take on the ergonomics is...they rock. The pistol grip feels great. I was never a hater of the thumbhole but having now tried the pistol grip, I'm not going back. Expect those original AICS skins up for sale on the Hide in the next few days. Its so much more comfortable its not even funny, and it also makes wielding the hefty AICS easier, at least for me. The stock isn't exactly lightweight, so any aid in movement and manipulation is a plus in my book.
The front end is rounded off and a bit more pleasant to the hand if shooting from offhand or positions supported by your hand. The rail kit is a nice touch, though I don't really need it because I'm not running any NV gear. The pistol grip has a removable palm section that Victor Company will be adding larger grips for if feedback on the original dictates enough interest for people with the bigger paws. Let Mike know if you feel like it seems small and I'm sure he'll get on producing a bigger one.
I would like the monopod to be a little more secure and sexy looking and I have a couple ideas that I will be experimenting with and talking to Mike about. Its by no means a deal breaker, nor do I feel it effects the operation of the monopod at all. To be honest, the ergonomics of the rear hook when you bring your support hand back is so nice and secure that even if Mike hadn't allowed for the continued use of the monopod, having now tried it, I would buy it anyway. Its that much more comfy than the original AICS hook which is tough to grasp and manage bag pressure. You can do it, but its not the easiest aspect of the original AICS, and this makes it much easier.
If you are on the fence, I say go for it...I highly doubt you will be disappointed. As to the cost...199.00 is more than reasonable, especially since regular skins go for around 150.00 here on the hide to guys doing the painting and such. So really you are only looking at about a 50.00 dollar investment.
That's my take on these boys, hope it helps some of you who were curious.
Rich
I ordered a set the minute I was able to and they arrived yesterday well packaged.
Nice big made in the USA sticker in there. Always a welcomed sight in the days of everything be manufactured in the far east. Not that I wouldn't buy them otherwise but its nice to support our own economy and our fellow countrymen.
I will apologize for some of the pictures now, its a new phone and I'm still working out the kinks to get better photos with more clarity.
Here is my AICS chassis/rifle setup as it was before the upgrade and any changes made.
Here is what your AICS chassis looks like with one half of the skins off. Shows you just how much of the stock is superficial and subject to easy change. Only the core component of the chassis is aluminum. Most of it is just the plastic skins that make up the bigger part of the overall ergonomic feel of the stock.
Here is the stock with the rear half being the original AICS skin, and I put the front section of the Viper Skins on to show a little comparison. The front end covers the same real estate, but with some added features. Its a bit wider, has mounting hardware and openings for a rail kit, and doesn't impede any hardware upgrades you may already have purchased for the AICS. Accushot bipod, IMUNS, rail kits for the underside of the fore end, all will work.
I was curious about the durability of the rail mounting holes, particularly for MIL/LE people. They tend to be rough on their gear at times and I wondered if you did mount something on the front end, like a laser illuminator or other NV related stuff, what would be the consequence of banging it around in the dark? There is a threaded metal insert in the skins that I believe would do quite well. If I were LE I probably wouldn't sweat it. If you are MIL and considering the upgrade I offer this suggestion. The threaded holes run in conjunction with holes already present in the chassis. If you were planning on a deployment in one of the Stans or somewhere that the stock will see hard use and little chance of a quick repair, I would run a longer bolt through one side, through the chassis, and bolt it straight through the stock itself for added strength and durability.
The kit comes with its own mounting hardware. Because of some of the dimensional changes the original hardware will work in some places, but not in others. I recommend keeping each respective hardware set with its coinciding stock.
Here is a photo of the rear section of the skins mounted up. For starters, this is what it looks like fully mounted but prior to the gunsmithing changes. I'm going to toss out some opinion here. If you are a recreational shooter or LE, the actual need for the bit of smith work is pretty nill. These skins fit the chassis TIGHTLY. In this photo, from the rear of the stock moving forward, the first two screws you see exist on the AICS already. The third screw moving forward exists on the 2.0 stock because of the folding mechanism, it does not exist on the 1.5 and earlier stock versions.
I don't believe you really need to make this mod for recreation/LE applications unless you want to. With the skins fitting as tightly as they do, and being bolted down twice already, they are NOT coming loose. I don't mean not likely, I mean its just plain not going to happen. I didn't even have space at the seam without the bolt. MIL people it may be worth it just because bulletproof everything is good when having equipment go down for any reason under any circumstance because of any fluke means you don't have it. This as opposed to people stateside that can order replacements or go to a smith for a fix without much down time.
That said, the modification itself is not complicated or overly difficult. It does come with excellent, photo guided, instructions. Mike did a great job coming up with these and the included instructions come with the templates to cut out and use to line up the holes you need to drill in the stock. You need to drill two, and you line them up by cutting out and mounting the alignment diagram, and making a mark with a punch where you will drill the hole. Seen below...
In the photo above I drew an arrow pointing to the original mark I made, which is actually quite hard to see. What is brighter and more visible, is the check mark I made. Because every stock can have differences in manufacturing tolerances, as well as differences in the skins themselves, I highly recommend soft mounting the rear skins, both halves, with only the rear bolts to check alignment of the skins versus the template. Unfortunately its difficult to see the mark through the skins themselves. I used a mechanical pencil with the lead extended out long enough that I could insert it into the bolt hole and completely draw and fill in the circle.
It was off slightly from the template, which was my fault for using a template I printed instead of the ones that came with the skins. I still recommend double checking. Measure twice, drill once.
After the initial hole is made with a 1/8th" drill bit, you open it up a bit with a 1/4" bit and should be more than enough wiggle room to get things lined up. Its emphasized in the directions several times, but I will mention it again. DO NOT drill from one side through the other of the AICS. If you measure each side separately you can ensure proper alignment of the skins. If you drill through one side to the other freehand you risk putting the bit through the chassis at an angle and the hole on one side won't match the other. If you have a drill press you could do it in theory, but I still recommend checking with a soft mount for individual changes in manufacturing tolerances.
Once mounted up the skins look great and there is hardly any seam at all. They line up perfectly and it feels BULLETPROOF when all is mounted and bolted down.
As you can see, and has been asked numerous times, the Accu Shot Monopods do work on the AICS system. There is a bit of open space that comes from the difference in the shape of the hook. If you tighten up the monopod its still very resistant to lateral movement, you would really have to give it a whack to knock it out of alignment.
My take on the ergonomics is...they rock. The pistol grip feels great. I was never a hater of the thumbhole but having now tried the pistol grip, I'm not going back. Expect those original AICS skins up for sale on the Hide in the next few days. Its so much more comfortable its not even funny, and it also makes wielding the hefty AICS easier, at least for me. The stock isn't exactly lightweight, so any aid in movement and manipulation is a plus in my book.
The front end is rounded off and a bit more pleasant to the hand if shooting from offhand or positions supported by your hand. The rail kit is a nice touch, though I don't really need it because I'm not running any NV gear. The pistol grip has a removable palm section that Victor Company will be adding larger grips for if feedback on the original dictates enough interest for people with the bigger paws. Let Mike know if you feel like it seems small and I'm sure he'll get on producing a bigger one.
I would like the monopod to be a little more secure and sexy looking and I have a couple ideas that I will be experimenting with and talking to Mike about. Its by no means a deal breaker, nor do I feel it effects the operation of the monopod at all. To be honest, the ergonomics of the rear hook when you bring your support hand back is so nice and secure that even if Mike hadn't allowed for the continued use of the monopod, having now tried it, I would buy it anyway. Its that much more comfy than the original AICS hook which is tough to grasp and manage bag pressure. You can do it, but its not the easiest aspect of the original AICS, and this makes it much easier.
If you are on the fence, I say go for it...I highly doubt you will be disappointed. As to the cost...199.00 is more than reasonable, especially since regular skins go for around 150.00 here on the hide to guys doing the painting and such. So really you are only looking at about a 50.00 dollar investment.
That's my take on these boys, hope it helps some of you who were curious.
Rich
