Ambi Controls

[iFeelBad]

What ambidextrous controls, if any, are you using on your carbines?

I have an LWRC DI that has a full ambidextrous lower and it makes a lot of sense to me. I have been looking at ways to mimic LWRC's controls on (more or less) standard ar-15 lowers. I have been using Forward Control Design's EMR-A for a mag release; it works great. And just built a lower from Aero Precision that came with a PDQ lever installed. Combine those two with an ambi safety of your choice and you will have a fully ambidextrous rifle.

I am hesitant on the PDQ lever since what little info I can find online either reads like an ad or is negative. But the What Would Stoner Do project finally pushed me over the edge. Mine seems to be staying in place so far. The dust cover did drop the bolt a time or two at first, but seems to have stopped. I beat on the top and bottom of my rifle and it didn't drop the bolt. We will see how it shakes out when I hit the range tomorrow.

Does anyone have any experience with the PDQ lever? If it works, the only downside is that the lower has to be permanently modified.

The Redi-Catch is also on my radar. Being able to lock the bolt back while keeping a firing grip seems like a good thing. But it would exclude using the EMR-A and similar mag releases.

 

[Ryan St.Jean]

None. The few times I shoot left handed I flick the safety with my finger then rock and roll.

I can buy a situation where I end up firing a few rounds lefty but can’t see one where I would do it for any length of time. Hence no mods.

Suppose at the end of the day we all pay our money and take our chances.

 

[ggammell]

BAD Amby selector
Troy ambi mag release

 

[travis B]

I am interested in this topic as well. As I bought a non ambi KAC lower. I’ve never used any ambi controls before. I don’t have any on my current rifles and while we do have an ambi safety on work guns I don’t use it. I just sweep my left index finger back (while straight not hooked along the side of the receiver) I’ve been looking at ambi controls though. I’m hearing good things about the FCD, KAC, badger as well as some others. The redi-catch looks like a good idea too. But I need more time practicing reloading left handed to see if I’d like any extra controls. Instead of just switching hands to reload or work malfunctions.

 

[user12358]

On standard Mil-Spec lowers with no Ambi modifications I run the following:

Troy Ambi Mag Release - This allows me to drop the magazine as I am going to my replacement with my trigger finger when running the rifle left handed. I am aware of the LAV style left hand reload where you disengage the standard mag catch with your right hand as you are bringing the fresh mag to the gun but I am much slower this way. As far as the Troy part itself, there are better designs out there that will get the actual release button closer to your hand but this one is perfectly reachable for my hands, doesn't drop mags errantly with an upgraded FCD mag catch spring, and most importantly doesn't interfere with the Geissele Maritime bolt catch.

Geissele Maritime - When shooting right handed this part is nicer to have because of the increased surface area the catch provides for your left thumb to hit when inserting the fresh magazine. Not life changing, but nice. For left handed shooting I have found this to be incredibly helpful because I can drop the bolt with my trigger finger resulting in a much faster reload than the charging handle or reach under method. Also it is nice that you can lock the bolt to the rear using your trigger finger as a lefty but that is not a critical function.

Radian Talon Safety - I run this in the 45 degree configuration with two long levers. The nice part about 45 degree is that the levers don't hit your hand when gripping the pistol grip and the longer levers give more leverage. I use my thumb to disengage the safety and the edge of my trigger finger to put the weapon back on safe whenever not actively looking down the sight.

Outside of the scope of your question about lowers but still related to what I have found to aid in the ambi operation of a rifle is having a quality ambi charging handle and also having QD point on both side of your rail. The charging handle is fairly self explanatory and there are lots of good options like Geissele, BCM, and Radian's offerings.

These upgrades work pretty well but I would definitely recommend using a factory Ambi lower (KAC, LMT, etc or my personal favorite Radian ADAC) if possible as they work just a little bit better than hotrodding a Mil-Spec lower but we all have constraints we must work within.

All that being said, I find myself setting up my rifle for the hand I am using that day and just bumping over to the other shoulder as needed to shoot around cover. I know that my non dominant arm is more exposed this way but I don't like doing the hand shuffle unless I am solidly behind something and am going to be coming out from a different angle that I previously did or am setting up on something where I have the time and security of position. There is a significant pants around your ankles feeling when both your hands are on the front of the gun during a swap.

 

[user12358]

Does anyone have any experience with the PDQ lever?

For a lefty it is still a Mil-Spec bolt release which means using your trigger finger to release requires shifting your firing hand. I found myself using my right thumb to drop the bolt but it worked as advertised for the few hundred rounds I used it for. I was worried about lock back because of the dust cover but found no issues and believe this will only be an issue on very weak and worn magazines.

I certainly prefer it to having something in the trigger guard to disengage the bolt.

 

[Sunshine_Shooter]

I run a Troy ambi mag release and Troy's version of the BAD lever.

Since I shoot left handed, the main downside of the BAD lever is moot, but still allows me to drop the bolt on a reload in much the same manner as it was originally designed for right-handed shooting. I'd like to try the PDQ, but what I have now works fine and I'm having a hard time justifying that purchase.

 

[Nate Osborne]

Lefty here.

I have two ambi lowers, a Rainier and a PWS. Both work very well, but on my BCM lower I have a Troy mag release and a battle arms ambi safety. I personally like the short lever on the left side and the standard lever on the right. That keeps the left side short enough to not hit my trigger finger, but also has plenty of leverage when using the gun right handed.

Like was mentioned above by @user12358 the Troy isn't the latest and greatest, and maybe not the best, but it does work with the martime bolt catch, and has a good balance between ease of use and not accidentally dumping mags.

I also like an ambi charging handle. I have owned or at least tried almost all of the popular ones out there, but my favorite with uppers without a forward assist would be the Geissele Airborne followed by the new BCM small ambi. The smaller levers are less likely to snag on things, and are much more comfortable when you have the rifle slung.

 

[tact]

The Radian Weapons lower is probably the best true ambi lower out there. They release stripped lowers for purchase every so often. They were supposed to be available towards the end of July, but I’m still waiting.

 

[patriot_man]

Norgon Ambi Catch + New Badger C1 Safety is the heat.

Not a big fan of the Maritime, too big and the weight and opportunity to apply more leverage is extra stress - I'd recommend the Badger oversized Bolt release over the Maritime.

 

[user12358]

I'd recommend the Badger oversized Bolt release over the Maritime.

Can you release the bolt as a lefty using your trigger finger with this release? I haven't had any hands-on time with one but I was under the impression it is approximately the same size as a Mil-Spec bolt release. For reference, I am 6'4" with fairly large hands and I find that I have to slightly rotate my left hand to trigger finger release a Mil-Spec bolt release. Digging out a Mil-Spec lower, my trigger finger covers half of the top of the Mil-Spec bolt release without breaking my grip on a BCM Mod 2 with the largest panel.

This rotation hurts my control of the weapon until I get my other hand back on the rail and makes it a lot harder to let the bolt go forward before I have my right hand on the gun. It is because of this that I favor a Maritime or Radian style bolt release with material kicked out towards the rear but I am curious if this is not a problem for others.

 

[patriot_man]

Can you release the bolt as a lefty using your trigger finger with this release? I haven't had any hands-on time with one but I was under the impression it is approximately the same size as a Mil-Spec bolt release. For reference, I am 6'4" with fairly large hands and I find that I have to slightly rotate my left hand to trigger finger release a Mil-Spec bolt release. Digging out a Mil-Spec lower, my trigger finger covers half of the top of the Mil-Spec bolt release without breaking my grip on a BCM Mod 2 with the largest panel.

This rotation hurts my control of the weapon until I get my other hand back on the rail and makes it a lot harder to let the bolt go forward before I have my right hand on the gun. It is because of this that I favor a Maritime or Radian style bolt release with material kicked out towards the rear but I am curious if this is not a problem for others.

I think the rounded profile of the Badger causes people to perceive it a lot smaller than it is but it's approximately the almost the same width as the Forward Control ABC/R.

I press the paddle when my hand is still place on the magazine so it does alleviate some of the weight in addition to the stock being tucked underneath my armpit in addition my hand is already slightly broken off the grip because of manipulating the safety and release so that may be why I do okay with it even with my medium sized hands.

 

[user12358]

I press the paddle when my hand is still place on the magazine

This makes sense now combined with it being larger than I previously thought. I personally move my hand to the handguard before releasing the bolt when running the less pronounced bolt catches as a lefty to provide the additional reinforcement you are talking about. Have you seen how your times differ between the bolt catches that let you maintain your grip and ones where you have to have your hand on the magazine or rail to provide some opposite force? I was finding a fairly noticeable half second difference which was my deciding factor to move to the Geissele Maritime/Radian extended towards shooter style that let me release the bolt with only one hand on the gun.

Obviously there is a hundred different ways to do every thing and I will definitely try out releasing the bolt with my hand still on the magazine tomorrow with some Mil-Spec sized bolt catches to see what that does for me.

 

[Cgarcia]

As a lefty, I went through several regular ambi controls before settling on my current setup.

Troy ambi safety and mag catch paired with a BAD Lever lasted a couple years. Mike at SOLGW warned me that besides being a snag hazard, the BAD Lever has the unfortunate side effects of putting additional pressure on the bolt catch spring and possibly causing the bolt to lock back on the lip of the carrier rather than the bolt face. Additionally there can be extra wear on the bolt catch similar to what some have reported from redi-mag use.

The Troy ambi safety worked alright besides having a slightly soft detent. The Troy ambi mag catch worked decently but was a tad too far out to easily hit without adjusting my grip.

I ended up swapping to the Forward Controls bolt catch, forward assist, and mag release (ambi) along with a Radian Talon set up for ambi 90 degree throw. The FCD parts were flat out awesome from the start. I could easily reach the bolt release or lock the bolt back with minimal grip adjustment from the strong hand. The Talon was a step up from the Troy selector, having much more surface area for purchase on the levers. I found within a week of dry fire and a couple range trips that I simply could not stand the detent on the Talon as it felt mushy and not positive at all.
Just a subjective observation.

I ditched the Talon shortly afterwards for the Badger Ordnance C1 Selector on the sage advice of our own @Oregonleadfarmer.
The C1 is smooth, positive, and has that subjective feel of durability. Additionally, the ridges on both sides of the selector are very crisp and really grab skin when you use the selector. Not enought to cause discomfort or cut the user, but you know it's there.

I will see if I can got The Leadfarmer to post on here about his experience with the Badger C1 and other parts. Great thread, good to see all y'all fellow lefties.

 

[patriot_man]

This makes sense now combined with it being larger than I previously thought. I personally move my hand to the handguard before releasing the bolt when running the less pronounced bolt catches as a lefty to provide the additional reinforcement you are talking about. Have you seen how your times differ between the bolt catches that let you maintain your grip and ones where you have to have your hand on the magazine or rail to provide some opposite force? I was finding a fairly noticeable half second difference which was my deciding factor to move to the Geissele Maritime/Radian extended towards shooter style that let me release the bolt with only one hand on the gun.

Obviously there is a hundred different ways to do every thing and I will definitely try out releasing the bolt with my hand still on the magazine tomorrow with some Mil-Spec sized bolt catches to see what that does for me.

I think I'm a tad faster by doing all the controls while feeding the rifle but that is purely based off my feeling and not the shot timer. Now I'm curious to get out with a shot timer to try but I don't think I'd be giving your method a fair shake until I get the reps in.

 

[patriot_man]

I will see if I can got The Leadfarmer to post on here about his experience with the Badger C1 and other parts. Great thread, good to see all y'all fellow lefties.

Fooled you guys. I'm right handed. Don't worry though, I still do a lot of left handed shooting.

Related:

 

[PortableCougar]

Lefty here

The only ambi control I “need” is the selector. I have run a standard non ambi selector for years and I made it work. Sure you can run your trigger finger high up and sweep it down on to fire. I’ve found doing so sacrifices some of my control of the rifle. The problem is exacerbated for me at high ready.

I just started (last six months) using a ambi mag release. First with the Norgon and now with a FCD. The Norgon was too stiff and required too much pressure to drop a loaded mag on a closed bolt. The FCD has fixed this problem for me by using more leverage in its design. I am a bit different than most in this regard as I have limited strength with my left hand trigger finger do to a previous injury. The Ambi mag release has cut my reload times about in half over a traditional milspec release where you activate it with your support hand.

Bolt lock/ bolt catch have always been milapec. I can lock it and release it with my trigger finger relatively easily. So I have yet to look at replacing that part with an Ambi device.

 

[iFeelBad]

I am not happy with the PDQ lever. I worked mag changes this weekend, and had the bolt fail to lock back 5 or 6 times out of 100. XM193, 16in BCM midlength, pmag and okay G.I. mags, H buffer.

I wouldn't recommend it. I won't add something extra if it doesn't work everytime.

I'll have to look into the Badger stuff, I am just using a standard ambi selector. The long leg doesn't hit me when I am shooting. There is just enough clearance with my finger on the magwell for it to not touch me.

I have pretty much standardized on either milspec charging handles or the Geissele ACH. Anything bigger bothers me when carrying the rifle.

 

[Dpvaz56]

One lower has a Radian Talon, Norgan Ambi Mag Release

The pistol and sbr lowers have Arsenal Democracy F-117 Ambi selectors and Arsenal Democracy AMR Ambi mag releases.

The one upper has an OG AXTS Talon and the other has a BCM Mod A44.

I’ve messed around with a Ambi KAC lower and didn’t think that the ambi bolt release was enough of an advantage to warrant a full dedicated lower. Though admittedly I’d love to try a Radian ADAC lower to see how that is.

 

[patriot_man]

I’ve messed around with a Ambi KAC lower and didn’t think that the ambi bolt release was enough of an advantage to warrant a full dedicated lower.

I have a LMT MARS-LS which I consider to be a step above the KAC because you can now hold the bolt back with the right side bolt catch. I think they're around ~$250 stripped now a days (Comes with the ambi stuff installed of course)