I am considering running a Redi-mag on my AR as this is my do-all rifle, and I am not stiving for uber-light weight. My question is the operation of the Redi-mag with a BAD lever installed from MagPul.
I think I have seen Travis in the Magpul Dynamic Carbine Class running both on his carbine, which makes me believe they can be run in combination without issue.
Can anyone confirm if they can be run as a combo? And assuming they can, for those with this setup, what do you like/dislike about the manipulation of the Redi-mag with the BAD lever? I understand the benifits of both items, I simply don’t want to over complicate the controls of the weapons with too many fine motor skill type movements. I am willing to train to get it right, I was just looking for some first hand experiences, either good or bad!
They can be ran together, but you may have to file some material off of the B.A.D. They tend to drag on the metal of the Redi-mag inside of the trigger guard. Any contact will result in your BCG not locking back, reliably.
I have the Redi-Mod, which is the lighter version on the Redi-Mag, and Bad Lever installed on 2 of my ARs. I haven’t found your statement to be true. In fact, no issues at all.
My friend has a BAD on his AR, and a redi-mod. It seems to work fine, but I’ve no idea if he had to file it down or modify it.
After using his AR with the BAD and redi-mod combo, I have come to the conclusion that it is not for everyone. Nor is it particularly easy to master. I believe it’s definitely faster for a reload, but it certainly takes a good bit of time and use to become efficient with it and achieve that speed that you see someone like Mr. Haley use it with.
I have only used it once, so it may be my unfamiliarity with it, as well as jumping the gun, but I found reloading + releasing the bolt at the same time with speed to be a bit difficult to master without fouling the whole reload up.
Releasing the magazine from the redi-mod as well felt odd, but of course that’s because I was not used to the motion of it.
Overall, I felt that the combination wasn’t for me, although I do think I could get used to it. My opinion is that, if you do decide to run the pair, you will need a lot of practice time familiarizing yourself with the motions of the system, as well as getting the timing down.
Another thing to consider is that, and please someone correct me if I’m wrong, Travis runs a generation 1 redi-mag. Which releases both magazines simultaneously when the magazine release is pressed.
As far as I know, the generation 1 redi-mags are not being manufactured any more, although I’m sure you could dig one up somewhere.
Good luck.
I run the Redi-Mag/BAD Lever combo on my 5.56, and the BAD only (until I can find another Red-Mag…) on my 6.8SPC. Zero issues, no problems, nothing but dramatically enhanced performance. The key to both is very, very simple: train, train, train. If I don’t have the time to shoot and clean, I’ll do ‘dry’ practice with malfunctions and mag changes, etc. It’s a good opportunity to practice with both, and it’s now second nature. I ran the combo in a Trident Concepts course with no issues, definitely an improvement.
I run the Redi-Mag/BAD Lever combo on my 5.56, and the BAD only (until I can find another Red-Mag…) on my 6.8SPC. Zero issues, no problems, nothing but dramatically enhanced performance. The key to both is very, very simple: train, train, train. If I don’t have the time to shoot and clean, I’ll do ‘dry’ practice with malfunctions and mag changes, etc. It’s a good opportunity to practice with both, and it’s now second nature. I ran the combo in a Trident Concepts course with no issues, definitely an improvement.
The combination works fine, you may have the BAD brush up against the mount of the Redi-Mag inside the trigger guard but it won’t affect function.
It does take some practice to run the system as a whole as there are obviously more controls to think about, but nothing that one couldn’t get used to IMO
I have a Redi-Mod and BAD Lever on one of my guns. I have the BAD Lever on all of my guns. When I pick up another persons rifle I automatically reach for the BAD lever. I have had no issues with the set up at all. I found my Redi-Mod on the EE on another board for $80 it is the version that drops both magazines at once
The only two issues I have are minor. It adds the extra weight of the unit and magazine. It also covers up your serial number. Mine is on a SBR so it would take a few min to remove and show the serial number ever asked. I’ve never been asked. It would just be an annoyance. The addition of the second mag is very comforting. The gun is ready for serious work out of the gate with 60 rounds at my fingertips.
With my Redi-Mod and BAD combo, I did have to notch the BAD lever slightly to clear the Redi-Mod. My guess is that there are some variations in “depth”/protrusion into the trigger area depending on exactly how the RM is bent and welded.
The combo works great, certainly don’t let the potential for the minor mod deter you.
I’d consider yourself lucky then, because I ran into a similar issue on my Redi-Mod. It appears that there’s some amount of variation of the welds with the redi-mags, coupled with any potential slack in the fitment of the bolt catch on a given lower might lead to such issues where it can bind against the mag holder. FWIW, it’s not a big deal, I just polished up the weld area and got my BAD to ride smoothly.
As for running the setup, I find that they work best together. Alone, neither quite feels like the full “package”. The redimod is slower to use without a BAD to send the bolt home while a two hand grip is being re-established, and the BAD feels slow if you’re going to a pouch anyways. But together, BAM. Release the mag, grab and press the tab to get the second mag, insert, and while you’re non-firing hand is getting a grip, you’re sending a round into the pipe. Very fast.
About the only thing I don’t like is having to release the mag with the redi-mag v.2 (which the redi-mod is made from) I feel like my hand is prone to getting too high of a grip to make hitting the button easier, and when I go to insert the mag, my hand keeps it from being inserted fully in the mag well.
It happens rarely, and the good thing is, a fumbled redi-mod/BAD reload is still faster than a typical reload. It’s almost as fast as a draw… almost.
I just bought a redi-mag to put on my rifle, initially I had problems with
the redi-mag interfering with operation of the B.A.D lever…
I have a Vltor VIS II so there were some clearance issues clearing the rearmost section of the rail.
I of course realized this after I dremeled some off the redi-mag and my B.A.D lever
(dumbass me for not checking first) but for those running a mono upper
it seems you will have to shave some material off the redi-mag to make
it work. just sharing my experience
I have (at least) three different types of Redimags. I have a Gen I where the press of the rifle mag release dropped both the mag in the gun and the mag in the Redimag, a Redimod (not current production version with the upgraded finish) and the Redimag of the current design. The last two both have independent releases for the magazine in the gun vs. the fresh magazine. Both the Gen I and the Redimod that I have include a button to be used in locking the bolt to the rear, while the current gen Redimag (and the now current Redimod) have no such button.
Slinger 646’s photos shows a current gen Redimag, and if you buy a current gen Redimod it will also lack the button.
I have never had to remove material from either the BAD or the Redi in order to get proper function. However up until last week I had also never seen a gun with any problem related to the BAD until we got a shooter who’s gun was locking back on every single shot until he removed the bAD.
I had issues where my bolt failed to lock back on an empty mag until I removed my bad…(didnt have the issue before, DD rifle). I am assuming these problems are related to the small variances in the LPK used. I have been meaning to replace the internals at fault and see if the problem would be resolved.
I run a Redi-Mod on my work SBR. Its nice to have that extra mag for malfs or extra ammo and not have to worry about grabbing another mag from the car if I’m not able to throw my carrier on. Having a BAD with the Redi-Mod just makes it that much more efficient and user friendly. No isses with having to remove material for the two to work together.
