Slidefire was the first to recognize that there’s a market for a device that allows the average shooter to bumpfire their rifles, and they’ve dominated the market ever since. But as with all things, there are cheaper alternatives appearing on the market all the time. One such alternative comes from Bump Fire Systems, a company out of Miami, Florida that is selling a competing stock with the same features for damn near half the price. They sent us one to review, and after a little while on the range playing with it I’m back to report — and ice down my burned thumb.
The concept behind the stock is the same that we’ve seen with the existing Slidefire stuff. The buffer tube reciprocates freely within the chassis, and there’s a small ledge against which the shooter holds their finger. While pulling gently forward on the handguards yet keeping the stock stationary, the trigger connects with your finger on the ledge and fires the gun. Recoil pushes the gun back, resetting the trigger, and that pulling motion continues to fire the gun until the magazine is empty. It works, its a good system, but the implementation of the stock is everything.
In this case, installation was a breeze. Slide the old stock and grip off, install a new block where the grip used to be, and slide the new stock over the buffer tube. There’s some grooves to ensure that the stock and grip marry up properly and keep everything aligned, and once you’re in the groove you’re all done. I did notice that there were some artifacts on the molded plastic pieces that seem to be leftovers from when the parts were manufactured, and while they are visually unappealing they weren’t all that visible when assembled and didn’t impact the function of the gun. Just enough of an annoyance to mention, not really enough to hurt the ratings.
The last feature of the stock is the locking mechanism. At the rear, there’s a tab that can be rotated. When aligned with the stock, it slides freely and can be bumpfired. When aligned with a small cutout in the stock, it pins the stock in place and won’t let it move. Great for transporting the gun or locking it open after use.
The real question, though, is how it runs. And for that we put it on the MEAN Arms rifle we’ve had for testing for a while, grabbed a case of ammo, and headed out to the range. The results were… well… painful.
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We’ve been modding the crap out of this rifle all year, using it as our test bed for whatever funky stuff people throw at us. In this case, Tyler had just finished adding a piston kit to the rifle a few weeks prior. A piston kit that bled the excess gasses straight up and through the handguards, and right into my thumb. Within a few short rounds, it had burned through my glove and singed my finger.
That’s not really a knock against the stock, more like a PSA. Always wear gloves when firing rapid-fire firearms, kids! That’s actually the second time I’ve done something dumb and firearms related to that thumb, the last instance involving a Mateba auto-revolver and a misjudgment of where the cylinder gap was. Wound up in the ER for that case, but this time my finger was only char broiled instead of sliced open.
In the case of the Bump Fire Systems’ Bump Fire System, it works as designed. It allows you to shoot a ton of ammo in a very short period of time, and it works well. Its not quite as polished as the Slidefire stock, but the price isn’t as high either. Its a more economical version, and identical in every function to the original. So much so that I’m surprised they haven’t been sued yet.
Specifications: Bump Fire Systems’ Bump Fire System
Gun Models Available:AR-15 / AK-47
Colors: FDE, OD, Black
Price: $99.99
Ratings (out of five stars):
Fit and Finish: * *
OK, I lied — I am taking stars off for the artifacts. Its not the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen, but it works.
Ease of Installation: * * * * *
As easy as swapping out a grip and a stock.
Reliability: * * * * *
No issues — worked every time.
Overall: * * * *
Slidefire’s offering is $80 more than this thing. Considering that the entire concept is a gimmicky toy to begin with, I’d rather spend as little as I possibly can. If you feel the same way, this is your ticket. Not as shiny and polished as the Slidefire offering, but it works.