Hard Target Innovations has designed a rifle accessory intended to protect the weapon against the hazards of shooting from barriers. The new HTI Skid Plate can be used as a lace-up add-on for AR-15s and AR-10s, or can be used with the included hook-and-loop fasteners to mount to the chassis of a bolt gun. It is simple, efficient, non-intrusive, and economical. The lace-up system utilizes 550 cord, which works on AR systems with a Picatinny rail, such as the SR-25 or AR-10. (Note: The MICRO version does not included the lace-up system.) The construction is closed-cell foam, covered by Cordura 1000 and a rubber non-skid material that covers both sides of the skid plate, creating a surface that won’t slide on your stock or on any barricade you’re shooting from.

One of the field-expedient ways we used to address this issue was to use pieces of our foam sleeping pads held in place on the rifle with riggers’ tape. The only issue with doing it that way was the riggers’ tape would wear, and when removed would also remove any paint that was added to the rifle. Granted, this worked. But what HTI has developed is a modern-day solution using better materials.

What is the purpose of the skid plate?

It allows you to shoot off of a barricade accurately, and negates the physics of the rifle’s recoil. If you do not use an intermediate soft material, such as a bean bag or a jacket, it causes a reaction where the rifle will “jump” with the recoil and will severely impede your ability to take a follow-up shot. This also prevents slippage of the hard wood or fiberglass stock on the barricade, protects your rifle’s finish, and prevents chipping and scratching of the barricade surface, if that’s a concern.

An advanced technique involves suspending one’s rifle from an overhead support beam or rafter in order to shoot from an urban hide. This can be done using the support tie-down points on each side of the skid plate. As a police or military sniper, you may have to quickly change positions in rainy or sweaty conditions. By using the skid plate, you can grab the forend with one hand and move without your grip slipping off of fiberglass or laminated wood.

• Sizes:
  Micro= 7″ Long x 1.5″ Wide  (the adhesive-backed Velcro is removable with no damage to paint or wood, and it stays on securely until you’re ready to remove it)
  Small= 7″ Long x 4 1/2″ Wide
  Large= 7 ” Long x 6 1/2″ Wide

If you are hunting out of a hide, shooting competitively or in the real world using a barricade, then this will make your job far easier. In the business of angles, inches, and seconds, you want all the advantage you can get. This product is made 100 percent in the USA: sold by a veteran-operated business and designed and built by Americans.

These can be purchased through Triad Tactical.

-Scott