Raven B.A.D Lever (pic heavy)

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Kaido

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Okay, so if you’re expecting to hit me with the “it won’t fit!” I’m well aware…so now I’m making my own and figured I’d share the shenanigans of it here.

This was a bit of an after thought, so it won’t be as thorough as the random undertakings of others projects.

It started out because someone asked me about the 22LR build I did using the CMMG drop-in kit. Then they mentioned they wished though could use their BAD Lever.

I recently moved and broke my printer while packing it up to do so, but this gave me the kick in the ass I needed to get it repaired and start working on a new project. Anyhoo…


The first thing was figuring out how far forward I’d need the initial ‘arm’ to be in order to have the lever sitting in the trigger guard. I’m slightly ashamed to admit it, but I was half tempted on leaving this as is and calling it a day since it teeeechnically was sitting on the bolt catch and in the trigger guard. However I know I couldn’t call it quits just because it somewhat sorta worked and could be functional.

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So on came the shenanigans of adjusting it until it fit properly. I was honestly half expecting to wing it and get lucky, but as you can tell from the multiple prints, that wasn’t the case. I also had one fail, which it the stubby little one, so I had to flip the model to print it differently.

I’m sure the keen eyed might have noticed the initial picture was on the right side, so the lever would work for lefties, which I am not…so I figured I’d also mirror the design and get it going for the right handed shooters.

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Needless to say, these receivers are such an oddball shape man. That said, I’m pretty sure I’ve got something that’ll work or am at least really close to it.

I’ve got ample clearance for the left side magazine release and the lever doesn’t hit the receiver when the bolt catch is activated. Being honest though, I might tweak it a tad bit. It sits a wee bit close for my liking, I also want to somewhat account for the tolerances of machining once I eventually send this out to get made out of something a little sturdier than plastic.

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I do think there’s enough clearance in the trigger area though. Mind you I’m sure I could adjust the design so that the arm sat a little further forward in order to account for people wearing gloves and stuff. I’m just not sure if by doing that and adding another angle will just cause things to bind up and not actually function as intended.


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Sticking a lever into the trigger area is a REALLY BAD IDEA. That greatly increases the potential for an ND. There are numerous vids on YouTube showing people having NDs from those BAD levers.
 
I Dont Care About You said:
Sticking a lever into the trigger area is a REALLY BAD IDEA. That greatly increases the potential for an ND. There are numerous vids on YouTube showing people having NDs from those BAD levers.
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While I tend to agree with you, I must also admit to liking the use of BAD levers on my ARs. I suppose you could say that I am of 2 minds on the subject. I find it interesting that many modern designers think that Bolt Catches belong inside the trigger guard. The G36 is a mid-90s example, the Bushmaster is an early 2000's example, and the Bren 2 is a current example. All work well, but there is certainly increased potential for unintentional discharges if correct handling is not trained to the point of muscle memory. Keeping the Trigger Finger outside of the Trigger Guard unless operating the Bolt Catch or engaging a target is the key tenet when it comes to mitigating Negligent discharges with BAD levers or built-in Trigger Guard Bolt Catches.
 
I Dont Care About You said:
Sticking a lever into the trigger area is a REALLY BAD IDEA. That greatly increases the potential for an ND. There are numerous vids on YouTube showing people having NDs from those BAD levers.
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Funny enough, i do agree with you on not sticking stuff within the trigger guard. I only owned a Stag 10 for a couple months before a gut feeling made me sell it, so I essentially missed the glory days of the AR.

However I do feel it also comes down to training. Like Bartok said, there’s examples of other guns with bolt catches manufactured within the trigger guard. There’s also been a few rifles with the safety located inside of that area too.

At the end of the day though, I honestly don’t plan on using this on my rifle. I just enjoy the design phase of things and know that there’s been multiple people who’ve shown interest in having one of these for their Ravens.

If it ends up being something people ACTUALLY are interested in owning, then awesome. If it becomes another one of those things that were fun to design and get stuck on a hard drive somewhere, I’m also fine with that.
 
Some of the rifles noted to have controls inside the trigger guard are ones I am not familiar with. The only ones I do have experience with are the M1 and M14. Those safeties operate being pushed away from the trigger. The BAD lever is fundamentally different because to operate it is to push one's finger into and potentially towards the trigger. A slip of the finger risks an ND. I'm a big fan of setting people up to succeed, not the other way around. IMO a BAD lever is setting the user up to fail. Sooner or later the finger will slip or miss the lever and hit the trigger. The risk-reward of a BAD lever simply does not make sense.

In the end we are all adults and make our own decisions. People want to use something like a BAD lever, that's their business. However I don't want to be on a range with a BAD lever. Thankfully I have access to a private range, so I don't have to be. ;)
 
I Dont Care About You said:
Some of the rifles noted to have controls inside the trigger guard are ones I am not familiar with. The only ones I do have experience with are the M1 and M14. Those safeties operate being pushed away from the trigger. The BAD lever is fundamentally different because to operate it is to push one's finger into and potentially towards the trigger. A slip of the finger risks an ND. I'm a big fan of setting people up to succeed, not the other way around. IMO a BAD lever is setting the user up to fail. Sooner or later the finger will slip or miss the lever and hit the trigger. The risk-reward of a BAD lever simply does not make sense.

In the end we are all adults and make our own decisions. People want to use something like a BAD lever, that's their business. However I don't want to be on a range with a BAD lever. Thankfully I have access to a private range, so I don't have to be. ;)
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I’d be lying if I said I was intimately familiar with most the rifles mentioned too. I’ve only shot a friends M1A a couple times but that was years ago.

I didn’t think to include a picture better showing it, but this sticks out the opposite side of the trigger guard when locked back. That way you can sweep your finger from top to bottom in order to release the bolt.

You’d still have to have your finger inside the guard to activate it though, so you do bring up a valid point. Mind you I feel like if your activating it, the weapon is already in a safe direction or has previously been cleared of ammunition.

If it hasn’t been cleared, then I suppose it’d cause an issue. That said, it wouldn’t be any more an issue than doing it with any of the previously mentioned rifles.
 
Is your intent to use the BAD lever to lock the bolt rear, to release the bolt or both?
With the Raven you can sent the bolt home with the bolt release on the right side with you trigger finger. But being able to lock the bolt rear with the trigger finger would be nice. That was what I like the most about BAD levers in the AR days.

Either way, good work. I would probably order one if you ever got them into production.
 
pirate604 said:
Is your intent to use the BAD lever to lock the bolt rear, to release the bolt or both?
With the Raven you can sent the bolt home with the bolt release on the right side with you trigger finger. But being able to lock the bolt rear with the trigger finger would be nice. That was what I like the most about BAD levers in the AR days.

Either way, good work. I would probably order one if you ever got them into production.
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Honestly, I don’t plan on running one at all.

Although I can reach the boltcatch with my trigger finger, it’s incredibly stiff to actually push and turns out I’ve got weak fingers. 😆
That said, I generally either thumb it while I insert the mag or give it a little smack with the palm of me hand.

I do have to agree though, being able to lock the bolt back with out needing to remove your strong hand would be nice.
 
I Dont Care About You said:
The BAD lever is fundamentally different because to operate it is to push one's finger into and potentially towards the trigger. A slip of the finger risks an ND.
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I'm not sure how much you've used a BAD lever but in all the years of using them I've never once pushed my finger "into and potentially towards the trigger". When using it to release the bolt or to lock the bolt back, the tip of the finger pushes it up or down, never reward or forward. And both my BAD lever and Phase 5 EBR protrude from the trigger guard so they are easily operated from outside of the trigger guard.
 
I Dont Care About You said:
I haven't, because they are stupid and not needed on the AR as Eugene Stoner designed it.
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Well if it's one thing the Internet needs it's another person who doesn't like something, has never used it, and delights us all with an incorrect explanation of how it's used.

And to the OP, good on you for taking the time to not only design and create this part but also to post here about it. It's cool to see what others design and create.
 
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