Ryker Grip & Sling 2.0
Full disclosure, the following products from Ryker USA aren’t new to the market but are new to me. And, since we’ve never shared products from this company before, I deemed it fitting for a “First Look.”
A little background for context. I was in a car accident a little over 10 years ago. A driver failed to yield and plowed into the driver’s side of my truck as I went through an intersection, leaving me with a separated left shoulder, torn rotator cuff and a couple of herniated discs in my neck. And if you know anything about shoulder injuries, you know it’s just one of those joints that’s never quite right again, no matter how much physical therapy, cortisone shots, etc., you get.
Although ambidextrous, I do shoot right-handed. Since the accident and the lingering pinched nerves that flare up from time to time as a result, I sometimes have a difficult time supporting a long gun. Especially if I shoot for any extended length of time. Not to mention I’m only 5’3″, so I basically have T-Rex arms. All that to say, I was intrigued when I stumbled upon the Ryker USA shooting bay at The Gathering event presented by Palmetto State Armory.
The Ryker Grip was conceived by retired United States Marine Corps Master Sergeant Ron Holmes, who served a 20-year career in Marine Force Recon and Marine Special Operations Command. His initial concept was to enable people with shoulder injuries to continue to shoot effectively by optimizing and enhancing shooting ergonomics.
At their shooting bay, Holmes had the Ryker Grip ($74.99) paired with their Ryker Sling 2.0 ($89.95) and the EvolvR combat stock from Valiant Dynamics. I was able to fire off a few rounds, and the enhanced stability was evident immediately. The grip naturally squares your body to the target by offsetting your forward support hand. With built-in retention and no adjustments needed, the Ryker Sling 2.0 adds to the reduced fatigue. According to the Ryker website, the combination gives you superior recoil management, better efficiency of movement, increased speed and improved accuracy.
For added efficiency, you can opt for the new Ryker CTRL grip ($299.95), which has a mil-spec switch built into the thumb pad to control your light or laser.
Holmes told me it generally takes 30-50 rounds to adapt to using the Ryker Grip and realize its full benefits. He sent me home with one so I could follow up with a more in-depth review, so stay tuned!
In the meantime, check out this short video of Holmes explaining more of the features and benefits as firearms instructor Bobby Marant demonstrates.
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For more information, visit RykerUSA.com.
