by Rob Kay and RN Price
When we first read about the Umbrella Corporation we tried in earnest to do diligence on it. If nothing else, we tried to determine how they ever came up with the company’s name. The moniker is so dissimilar to firearms firms with words such as “Arms”, “Defense”, “Weaponry” and the like, we were downright curious.
We even heard that the founders hail from our home state, Hawaii.
Who were these non-conformists?
The only conclusion we could come to is that the “Umbrella Corp” is from the game franchise (and now several films), “Resident Evil”. It was a fictitious, immoral company that developed the bio weapon that turned most of the planet’s population into the now all too familiar anthrophageous zombies (amongst other things).
The motto of the real world company is “Fight to Survive, Fight to Win, Fight Dirty”. They manufacture a variety of AR parts such as lower and upper receivers, triggers, buffer springs, etc
Whatever the origins we found that they also produce a very high quality grip at a reasonable price.
Why does anyone swap out the standard grip of the Milspec variety that comes with your lower parts kit? Naturally, everyone has their own reasons but for most people it seems to come down to aesthetics.
For better or worse, “tacticool” is the logic that rules the day.
Fair enough.
We would say that Grip 23 is an attractive product but a better reason to buy it comes down to ergonomics.
The geometry on this item differs from what you find elsewhere. There’s a more vertical angle (see photo) which fosters an ‘elbows down’ shooting position.
It simply feels more natural and we discovered, it lessens wrist fatigue. The improved ergonomics are especially noticeable shooting offhand..
The surface texture of the product is quite smooth and feels comfortable. If you feel the need you can stipple the grip—or not.
While putting the grip on the lower we had a curious experience. At first glance, it seemed the fit was simply too tight. There didn’t seem be enough room for the rectangular protrusion to slip on the grip. Frankly we were concerned about “Bubbaizing” anything by forcing the bottom of the grip into the slot.
Evidently our fears were misplaced. We contacted the manufacturer and were quickly disabused of our trepidations. In other words, we were told not to wimp out.
The grip is made of a very robust polymer but it has just enough “give” to offer a perfect fit. Applying a little pressure certainly did the trick.
Grip 23 is an unusual name and after doing a little online research we discovered what the origins were. Before this particular version was selected for final production, a number of prototypes were fielded and tested. The final variation, Number 23, was chosen after extensive feedback.
Seems to have been a great choice. We like this product very much.
Price is $20 and they are available in Black, Dark Earth.
Photos courtesy of On Target staff.
Questions? Comments? Contact us at ontargethawaii@gmail.com
I have one of these grips. Good quality and well priced. They work great.
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