Loose "ping pong paddle"

[cory25]

Just got a Magpul BAD lever and am wondering if any one has figured out how tighten up the bolt catch? Never realized how much play there was.

[NCPatrolAR]

Why can't people say bolt release?

[nickdrak]

Just got a Magpul BAD lever and am wondering if any one has figured out how tighten up the bolt catch? Never realized how much play there was.

It's completely normal. Dont sweat it. Attempting to "tighten" up the bolt release will likely cause more problems than anything positive coming from it.

[JimT]

Yup, should be normal.

[SWATcop556]

Why can't people say bolt release?

Because it "catches" the bolt before you can "release" it.

honestly I've wondered the same thing. Falls in with "clip" vs "magazine."

[NCPatrolAR]

Because it "catches" the bolt before you can "release" it.

honestly I've wondered the same thing. Falls in with "clip" vs "magazine."

Ha! Good way of looking at it.

[rob_s]

The play is normal, you just didn't notice it until now because the BAD is a longer lever and therefore makes it more noticeable.

Don't obsess over this or you'll make yourself nuts about nothing. Go shoot the gun and forget about it.

[82ndtrooper]

The play is normal, you just didn't notice it until now because the BAD is a longer lever and therefore makes it more noticeable.

Don't obsess over this or you'll make yourself nuts about nothing. Go shoot the gun and forget about it.

Best advice I've heard in a long time.

I have one of the BAD devices on an LMT shorty. I still can't get myself to use the trigger finger to release the bolt.

Guess I'm too old to teach new tricks.

[ChicagoTex]

I have one of the BAD devices on an LMT shorty. I still can't get myself to use the trigger finger to release the bolt.

But, do you use it to open the bolt?

[kennith13]

Because it "catches" the bolt before you can "release" it.

honestly I've wondered the same thing. Falls in with "clip" vs "magazine."

It's not the same as clip versus magazine. A clip is a clip, and a magazine is a magazine. They are two different things.

Clip is defined as a manner of grasping or spanning one or multiple objects. An ammunition clip does just that. It orients and secures ammunition for use in a firearm by grasping or spanning some part of the ammunition's case, and fixing them in line. The word has had the same definition since around the 12th century.

Magazine is defined as a storehouse and the contents thereof, being an enclosed space or the contents of that enclosed space. An ammunition magazine is, as well, just that. The individual rounds are captive only within the space of the magazine body, and are not otherwise secured by a grasping or spanning of their case via a clipping mechanism. This word has had the same definition since about the 15th century.

One word cannot be intelligently used in place of the other. Their definitions are unique to them, and are not applicable to the other device or word.

Occasionally, the two devices are found together. In some of those cases, a clip is fed into a magazine that is part of the firearm, or is a space created by the construction or assembly of the firearm's parts. Even in these cases, the devices retain their names and definitions. The clip is not part of the magazine, and neither is the magazine part of the clip. An example of this is the M1 Rifle.

In other cases, the clip is simply used to secure the ammunition at the ready, and to orient it for loading into the firearm's internal magazine, whereafter the clip is put away or discarded, and is not fitted within the magazine. An example of this is the very stylish Mauser C96.

The argument between the terms bolt catch, as Uncle Sam calls it, or bolt release, as some call it, is not the same. Both terms accurately describe it's function, and both terms accurately describe the mechanism by which this function is achieved. Though it is not necessary that these two functions be served by the same device, at least on the AR-15, the same device does indeed serve both functions.

In this case, you can call it what you want. The device fits both definitions, and the only reason Uncle Sam calls it one over another is that he had to call it something. He could have called it by the other term, and everything would have remained the same. On some firearms, it is preferable to use a specific term for various reasons, and on some, it is required. On an AR-15, however, it doesn't really matter unless your superior mandates a specific term, or unless you desire to call it's name accurately according to Uncle Sam's terminology.