Battery Assist Device (BAD)

[Religious Shooter]

Anybody know where I can get the Battery Assist Device (BAD)? Is it even available yet? Anybody have and/or used one? Is it any good?

Travis H starts to talk about it at 1:05.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Moas5mUD9yA

I primarily need it to quickly lock back the bolt. A match that I am gearing up for doesn't allow you to run with a round chambered. So after a shot I need to lock back the bolt and I am looking for a better/smother way of doing it with an AR. Any other options out there other than the BAD and DPMS Tactical Bolt Catch?

[kwrangln]

Magpul isn't saying when they will ever release their BAD, so who knows on that one.

Guy over on ARF is making and selling a version of it. Here's a link to his ad in the equipment exchange over there.

http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=7&...25&t=684480

And here's a couple pics of his version.

There is also a guy on Calguns that makes and sells a couple different styles of them, here's his thread over there.

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=165370

And a couple pics, here's his bolt on version.

Here's the one piece version.

You've got crazy timing, I had just gotten finnished posting on my local board about these to get a discussion going, so I had all the pages fresh in my history file. Saw your post about 30 mins after I had finnished.

Hope this helps.

[Religious Shooter]

Sweet. Do you know if you can use it to lock back the bolt? I guess you would just push up on the tab?

[kwrangln]

Push up to lock the bolt back, down to release it.

[kurtm]

Push to the LEFT with your trigger finger (right handed shooter) to RELEASE the bolt. These were made for High Power shooters so they could stay slung up with their left hand while single loading. It also ok is for bolt lock back reloads, but I don't really see that it saves much time over just hitting the bolt release with your thumb after putting in the new mag.....DON'T run dry and it is not much use. You CAN'T lock the bolt back by pushing up on it...sorry! KurtM

[kwrangln]

Kurt,

I believe you are confusing these with the extended bolt release that has been around for quite a while now, such as this one sold at Brownell's.

The newer versions with a 90 degree bend under the reciever and through the trigger guard change its action from a side to side motion to a vertical movement which can be used to release the bolt AND lock it to the rear.

Here's a vid describing its use.

VIDEO.

[kurtm]

Yep you are right I was confusing them. Thanks for the video link, that is interesting! KurtM

[00bullitt]

I got two of them from Tango 5 and they work awesome and are well made.

[John Dunn]

I have the second one pictured, it works well and will lock the bolt back. Very nice for double feed drills. The problem is that they won't work with all uppers. Didn't fit on a Vltor MUR or on one of the thick DPMS uppers. I was left with the choice of trying to master two different techniques of AR manipulation, one for the BAD style thingy equipped rifles, and one for those where they won't fit. I decided to run with the standard equipment for now.

My big hope is that someone comes up with a one piece BAD/Bolt catch, or at least a a bolt catch predrilled and tapped so a BAD style device could be attached to the front of the paddle.

Once it is perfected, I expect these to be like magwells on 1911s.

[kwrangln]

My big hope is that someone comes up with a one piece BAD/Bolt catch, or at least a a bolt catch predrilled and tapped so a BAD style device could be attached to the front of the paddle.

Once it is perfected, I expect these to be like magwells on 1911s.

[M ammo]

Thinking about tinkering,,

At the 90 degree angle.. if it were longer extending down into the trigger area,,

And have it on the button,, with more of a wedge shim,,, or machine it so,,, the part that attaches to the button is out and away from the side of the gun,,,, giveing it room to pivot,,,,,

I think you could, lock the bolt back and,, let the bolt forward with it.

And when whomever reads this makes one,,, like that,,,,,,, send me one,,,

Jim M ammo

[Religious Shooter]

Anybody know if any of these will work with a CTR02 upper?

I PM'd the guy in Cal Guns about the one piece... no reply yet.

[kwrangln]

I think you could, lock the bolt back and,, let the bolt forward with it.

Jim M ammo

It already can do this, here's the vid link again, give it a gander.

http://s284.photobucket.com/albums/ll12/ch...08-VID00051.flv

[M ammo]

I think you could, lock the bolt back and,, let the bolt forward with it.

Jim M ammo

It already can do this, here's the vid link again, give it a gander.

http://s284.photobucket.com/albums/ll12/ch...08-VID00051.flv

Thanks,,,, I NEED ONE!

Who will take my money.

[kurtm]

I'LL TAKE YOUR MONEY!!! But I don't know where to get them! KurtM

[M ammo]

I'LL TAKE YOUR MONEY!!! But I don't know where to get them! KurtM

I just knew SOMEONE,,, would want,,, my money!!!

[kwrangln]

I could use some money as well as long as you are handing it out.

As for where to get them, my first post in this thread has links to the two sources I've found so far.

[John Dunn]

Do you know how the one piece is made? Silver solder, JB Weld? Doesn't look like it was machined from one piece.

It does look like it will work on thicker uppers, so I will have to give it a try.

[JoshF]

Saw this on the first AOTTC video. Had to have one so me and a friend came up with a design and had a guy cut some out of stainless using a CNC laser. I'm going to redo the design a bit and come up with a finished design in the next week or two. Ours is different as we drilled and tapped the release to avoid mount issues and to simplify the design. So far it works well and I can't wait to get one on my 3-gun rifle to make the UASC SO much easier.

[esskay]

Do you know how the one piece is made? Silver solder, JB Weld? Doesn't look like it was machined from one piece.

It does look like it will work on thicker uppers, so I will have to give it a try.

My understanding is the Tango 5 version is one piece aluminum and the Phase 5 version is one piece steel. Edited to clarify -- I was referring to the versions that clamp on. I now believe you're referring to the Phase 5 version that entirely replaces the bolt release lever -- it looks like it is made of two pieces, the one piece extended lever and a typical bolt release lever/catch that are attached to each other. I am not knowledgeable enough about metal working to tell by looking whether they are welded or bonded some other way.

Edited June 23, 2009 by esskay

[kwrangln]

Josh, how did you go about drilling your bolt release? The origional thread in Magpul's industry forum over on arf, a couple folks tried and came back with it being hardened. One tried annealing it to drill but ended up breaking it, another got his EDM'd so he could bolt through it. I havn't taken mine apart to do anything with it, so wondering what you ended up going through to drill and tap it.

As for how Phase 5 makes their one piece, not sure. If it were me I'd TIG weld it, if done carefully, you can localize heat to the outer edge of the paddle and not affect the structural integrity of the part. Just my thoughts on it, they may have done it differently. If I think about it later, I'll see if I can get an email through to him and get him here for the conversation.

[JoshF]

Josh, how did you go about drilling your bolt release? The origional thread in Magpul's industry forum over on arf, a couple folks tried and came back with it being hardened. One tried annealing it to drill but ended up breaking it, another got his EDM'd so he could bolt through it. I havn't taken mine apart to do anything with it, so wondering what you ended up going through to drill and tap it.

Drill bits do NOT work, they just piss it off

I ended up using a TiN coated carbide endmill. It went through easily with a ton of coolant. The tapping is the real tough part, gotta go SLOW and lots of lubricant/coolant. No annealing or anything needed. We're going to try carbide drill bits this week and see if that works. I'll try to update after we give that a go.

[kwrangln]

Got my bolt release lever from Phase 5 Tactical today, and got it installed. Figured I'd share some pics and impressions of it.

First the pics since folks love pics. Please excuse the quality, I just used my phone since it was easier than finding the camera and then the connector for the memory card, yea I'm lazy.

Ejection port side, bolt locked to the rear to show the levers relation to the reciever.

Ejection port side bolt released to show the levers relation to the reciever.

Bolt release side bolt locked to rear.

Bolt release side, bolt forward.

In an earlier post I questioned how it was made, now I have my answers. The lever itself is steel, I'm thinking laser cut due to the size of the Phase 5 embelem. The lever is TIG welded to a stock bolt catch on 3 sides, keeping heat away from the pivot point of the catch. Finnish is a perfect match for my lower, just wish my upper matched as well. No worries of bending this thing, the roll pin will go first, it's a pretty herky piece of kit. Playing around with it, it works great, exactly as advertised. Bolt locks to the rear on an empty mag as it should, manipulating the lever is easy and comes quite naturally. Racking the charging handle back with the left hand and keeping the firing hand on the grip while locking the bolt back is easy as pie. Dropping the bolt after changing mags is almost done without thinking, it just seems natural. Being a long time pistol shooter who's just recently got into rifles, I've been struggeling with using my support hand to do essential tasks, I'm used to using one hand to manipulate all controls, this gets me to where everything on the rifle can be operated with the strong hand. Can't speak for everyone, but this just seems right to me since it's what I'm used to.

Downsides, it does have a couple quirks that I'm not too happy with. Movement fore and aft, the clearances are just too large between the reciever and the bolt catch. You'll never notice the play in the stock bolt catch since it's so small, but extend it down an inch and a half and that play is magnified to where the lever moves forward and aft a good bit. Hopefully when I get some time, I can find some thin washers to take up some of this play. It's going to take a set of feeler guages to determine thickness of the washers, and I have no idea if I'll be able to find something that thin, or its affect on reliability. That will all be a future project as time is scarce right now starting a new job. Next up, if you want to lock the bolt to the rear normally, you can't just hit the lever from the bolt release side, for some reason it doesn't hold it back. Hit the normal nub on the bolt release and it works normally. I havn't taken the time yet to look at all the angles to see what changes, but it is a bit annoying. It works perfectly to hold the bolt back if you use the lever as designed, or use the bolt release as designed, but hitting the lever from the left holds it back for a fraction fo a second before it slips forward again. Just something to remember. My thought at this point is taking some of the play out of the lever with the shims will make operation from the left side of the rifle a more reliable operation, I think the play is allowing it to slip due to the bolt catch moving.

Overall, I think it's a good product that will help make things easier. Is it perfect? Nope, but strictly because it relies upon the fit of the stock bolt catch which has rather large tolerances allowing for excessive movement fore and aft. If it can be limited to a strictly side to side movement I think it will be a perfect option. Seeing how the stock bolt catch fits in the reciever, I don't think any of the extended release levers on the market or in the works can get around the problem of excessive fore and aft movement as they all rely on the existing or stock bolt catch lever for a foundation.

I'll update again after I find some time to get to the range and put some rounds through it. I think it will be a good companion for the mag doubler I now have, can't wait to run some shot, reload, shot drills with this setup to see how it goes.

Hope this helps shed some light on this thing for anyone who has seen one and wondered about it. Fire away if you come up with any questions I haven't covered and I'll do what I can answer them.

[Religious Shooter]

I got mine today too.

I installed the one piece by Phase 5 on a BM and Oly lowers. With both brand lowers they function check with my CTR-02 (e.g. thick) upper. Haven't live fired it yet.

[kwrangln]

I got mine today too.

I installed the one piece by Phase 5 on a BM and Oly lowers. With both brand lowers they function check with my CTR-02 (e.g. thick) upper. Haven't live fired it yet.

Does your's have a fair ammount of play as well? I'm thinking it will vary to a small degree depending on how close the tolerances were kept by the manufacturer of the lower and each will be different. Hopefully finding some shim stock and getting some washers punched out can take up some of the slack. I'm thinking shimming only the forward side of the bolt catch will keep maximum engagement while firming things up.