TFB Review: Mesa Tactical LEO Gen 2 Stock Adapter

At different parts of your life as a gun owner you'll eventually run into a situation where you inherit a firearm, whether that be from a relative passing away, a handed down gift from an elder family member, or in the case of this particular Mossberg 500 brought into your collection by your significant other. While I have zero gripes about the tried and true Mossberg 500 platform and its abilities, at times the accessories that people decide are the right fit for them aren't the best out there. Case in point, this shotgun came to me with a telescoping stock and pistol grip from ATI. This is not an ATI hate piece so I will leave my opinions and observations to a before and after based on my changes. To upgrade my new Mossberg I chose the Mesa Tactical LEO Gen 2 Telescoping stock adapter, specifically model 92630.

The ATI stock setup is in my opinion loose fitting, cheaply made, and somehow handles recoil worse than a traditional factory stock. This being a firearm that my significant other is going to make use of, it was given to her as a gift. I felt the need to maintain the adjustability that the AR-style stocks allow for while also fixing the aforementioned issues with the current parts. The Mesa Tactical adapter is machined from cast aluminum and powder coated black, increasing the rigidity and strength of the sock setup over the previous configuration. A threaded rear section allows for a standard AR buffer tube to be installed and any AR stock to be used as well as any AR grip. Additionally the adapter features a QD sling swivel socket that is installed by the customer. 

It’s worth noting that if I were to do this upgrade project again I would pick the Mesa Tactical model 92640, as it comes with an AR buffer tube, AR stock, and a pistol grip. Since I went with the model 92630, which comes with none of the above I needed to source those from my loose parts bin.

The kit contains the adapter, cap screw, grip screw, pocket grip nut, receiver extension plate, QD flush cup, flush cup screw, and hex keys to install everything. Installation was fairly straightforward, with my two gripes being rather small and more related to me, the installer, than the product as a whole. The first was that the parts and pieces are not pictured and labeled in the instructions, leading to some slight confusion as to which part is which on the first look through the instructions. Starting with double checking the condition of the firearm, then removing the old stock I began with the new furniture. After this I ran into my second hiccup, which once again is more on me than the product. 

To install the pistol grip onto the adapter you need to fit the separate nut into the cast recess as pictured, and then you need to fit your grip over and into place without this nut losing position. something that I had happen more than once while attempting to thread in the grip screw. I'm not sure the reason that the hole that the grip screw needs to go through simply isn't threaded instead of adding this nut, but I am an enthusiast not an engineer. Once I accomplished this seemingly complicated step, it was onto adding the QD sockets and then mounting the adapter to the receiver of the shotgun. 

The QD socket installation was very straightforward, simply sliding it into the top hole on the adapter, then threading in the supplied screw, and finally torqueing it to spec For good measure I added some blue thread locker just in case. Unlike with the Mesa Tactical Shockwave rail system (stay tuned for my review of that) this adapter's instructions list off torq specs, which leads to a much more secure product. Finally, I torqued the receiver screw down, securing the adapter, before threading in my buffer tube and stock components. This being a part that is machined from a casting on occasion the buffer tube threads can be a bit snug and it is recommended in the instructions to add a bit of gun oil to them, something I would recommend as well.

Overall, I am very happy and impressed with this product from Mesa Tactical. I have used other adapters in the past that were made from polymer and they didn't seem to hold up nearly as well as this has, mainly due to this being aluminum. The fit and finish of the adapter to the shotgun's receiver and the pistol grip was impressively clean and made for a quality transition throughout. With the Mesa Tactical adapter I found the stock was infinitely more stable and secure. I chose a Magopul CTR stock which also assisted in reducing the felt recoil. This is all the better for my significant other, someone who is not used to the stoutness of a 12 gauge. One thing I would note again is that unless you have a parts bin that’s overflowing you can pick up the model 92640 kit which comes with a stock and pistol grip.

You can find out more about the Mesa Tactical LEO Gen 2 Stock Adapter kit here. What do you think? Are the Mesa Tactical adapter kits you go-to for shotgun upgrades? Let us know down below.