Stabilizing your rifle is the best way to shoot better. Shooters and hunters use bipods, tripods, beanbags, tree limbs, and bench-mounted contraptions to stop their crosshairs from wandering around the target.
The military has the same trouble, and part of SOCOM’s TALOS exoskeleton was tasked with stabilizing the soldier’s aim. The TALOS suit project has ended, but the stabilization unit has been picked up for further development with the Next Generation Squad Weapon project.
Aim Control Enhancer
MAJR Mechatronics is behind the A.C.E. and they brought it to SHOT Show this year. It’s a small module that attaches to a Picatinny rail (ARCA mounts can be swapped, too) and uses actuators to compensate for the small movements your gun makes.
It helps eliminate the wobble while shooting handheld.
You hold the module in your hand instead of the rifle’s handguard. As your arm moves the rifle slightly, the unit senses the movements and uses the actuators to counter the drift. Just holding it on the show floor, it was remarkable how much more steady it made the rifle while looking through the scope. The response is immediate; for instance, when dropped, the unit closes up — “turtles” — before it can even hit the ground to protect its moving parts.
The ACE has three modes that offer differing amounts of stabilization. It runs on two CR123 batteries (rechargeables are ok), and it weighs just 9oz with batteries. The body is made from carbon-filled nylon. Battery life is about four hours of constant use, and it is submersible and dropable, and operates from -40°F to 140°F.
The NGSW evaluation team currently has around 100 units it is testing with the new rifles.
Matt Angle, who began developing the ACE while at MIT, says most shooters see a 20% reduction in group size immediately, and with a little training, they see their groups shrink 60%.
The military has units now, and MAJR is exploring the commercial market. MSRP could end up being around $1,000, which sounds like a lot, but it’s a lot less than people spend on thermal scopes, for instance, and it actually makes you a more effective shooter.
We’ll let you know when we get a unit to field test and when they come to market.
Four ENTIRE hours of Battery Life; for only $1K ?!
Again with overly expensive toys that give a marginal return on investment. Learn to shoot and leave this POS dropped by the military on the shelf.