Magpul BAD Lever - Old-Busted?

[OlongJohnson]

I've used several Armalite LPKs because of their unique bolt stop.

https://www.armalite.com/SACItem.aspx?Item=EX6575

It is flat and longitudinally serrated all the way down to the lower part, which makes it somewhat easier to manually activate the bolt hold open function without increasing the snaggability of anything. It also eliminates the area where GI-style bolt stops get thin, so it's a little beefier, not that there's an epidemic of bolt stops breaking there.

I'm trying out a Geissele, but haven't made up my mind on which I prefer. My default is to lean toward less stuff hanging off the gun unless there's a really good reason for it.

[Wondering Beard]

I feel wary of anything that requires me to put my finger inside the trigger guard for something other than pulling the trigger.

[rob_s]

I feel wary of anything that requires me to put my finger inside the trigger guard for something other than pulling the trigger.

Good thing the BAD doesn’t require that.

[Wondering Beard]

Good thing the BAD doesn’t require that.

Ok, it doesn't literally require my trigger finger to enter the trigger guard. but, for me at least, it is very much the same movement that would bring my trigger finger inside the trigger guard and that makes me wary.

My experience with the BAD lever is minimal (someone else's gun) and that index finger movement was not something I felt comfortable doing.

I should have been more precise the first time.

[CleverNickname]

I feel wary of anything that requires me to put my finger inside the trigger guard for something other than pulling the trigger.

You can do just the opposite to lock the bolt back, also without ever putting your finger in the trigger guard.

[navyman8903]

They tended to prevent a lot of guns from locking open on empty.

I received one gratis at a class I attended where Costa brought a big bunch of swag, including AFGs and BAD levers. This is back when both were new on the market.

Almost everybody put one on their gun. Almost everybody took it off their gun shortly thereafter when guns stopped locking open on empty, guns locked open with rounds still in the magazine, when they hung up on gear, etc.

It was nice for locking the bolt open quickly, but the downsides of making the guns behave in unpredictable ways overshadowed that rather infrequent need.

They seem to work fine on some guns, but not others. My own pretty new 6920 in that group at the class included in the number I've seen over the years that have problems. So I've seen no need to introduce that uncertainty into any of my other guns.

You do you, but I don't want them on anything I own.

I have never experienced that. I'm not sure how that would happen.

[theJanitor]

I just the redi-mod installed. I’m likely going to go without a BAD, this go-round. But you can see from this pic how crowded that area gets with a redi-mod. The BAD works really well here




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[TCinVA]

I just the redi-mod installed. I’m likely going to go without a BAD, this go-round. But you can see from this pic how crowded that area gets with a redi-mod. The BAD works really well here




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That was the best use case I saw for it. If you are going to use a Redi-Mag it makes sense. Redi-mags were quite the sensation for a while. Don't seem to be used much these days. They make some sense on a patrol rifle.

[UNM1136]

That was the best use case I saw for it. If you are going to use a Redi-Mag it makes sense. Redi-mags were quite the sensation for a while. Don't seem to be used much these days. They make some sense on a patrol rifle.

Yeah, when I teach I bang the hell out of that drum. The SWAT dudes complain about rifle weight, the patrol guys complain about carrying reloads. Very, very few will run a Redi-Mag or Redi-mod. Most make excuses as to why they won't. If I have my druthers all patrol rifles will have a Redi-Mag first, and a BAD lever optional.

Even my mentor poo-pooed my Redi-Mag, telling me a lot of SF guys at the time liked it, but the JSOC guys he trained eschewed them. 13 years later, unless prohibited, my patrol rifle WILL have a Redi-Mang and a BAD lever. My mentor is likely right, he is a USPSA GM on the Wilson Combat team, and I am not. I am just setting up guns for patrol guys who would rather do anything than train and shoot.

pat

[Shawn Dodson]

I thought the trigger finger was ideally meant to have one job: manipulating the trigger.

The magazine release is manipulated with the trigger finger.

I've had a B.A.D. on all my ARs for probably 10 years now. I use it just to lock open the bolt, I work the charging handle like Jeff Gonzales does to release the bolt. So far I've had zero problems or incidents.