Re: Anyone not like the AICS chassis? Why?
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Jon Lester</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Does anyones trigger finger hit the badger knob on there remmington or is it just me? My Badger action is ok but the remmy hits the back of my first knuckle. </div></div>
I don't mean to hijack the thread, but this is a legitimate question that applies Remington 700s' mounted in AICS Chassis and other stocks, so I will answer this question throughly. It also applies to some other actions as well.
<span style="font-style: italic">Jon</span> - do you have large hands and/or is your hand "thick" at the web and knuckles? Maybe you wear gloves when shooting? The contact you are experiencing is typically caused by one or more of what I just mentioned, with the installation of tactical bolt knobs that <span style="font-style: italic">have the net effect of shortening the overall length of the bolt handle.</span> This is true of the Badger Bolt Knob as well as <span style="font-style: italic">nearly</span> every bolt knob around because the factory bolt knob is cut-off, the bolt handle shank is then shaped and threaded, and the new bolt knob is threaded-on. While the amount of "lost" handle length is small, clearance can become an issue for shooters' with large hands and/or thick fingers or who wear gloves.
What you need is more clearance at the knuckle, so what you need is really a longer bolt handle. Short of replacing the bolt handle, the only thing that I know of that might be able to fix your clearance problem is a Tac Ops Bolt Knob Conversion. I say <span style="font-style: italic">might</span> because you already have a Badger bolt knob installed, and your bolt handle has been shortened and threaded. Depending upon how short the handle of your bolt is, you should be able to improve clearance, and possibly eliminate - the contact at your index finger's knuckle by having a Tac Op's Bolt Knob Conversion installed. The problem is the threads - covering them up might require that they be welded-over, then the handle ground and re-shaped smooth and uniform. Thats' a PITA. I don't know how they've done it, but I do know that Mike Rescigno and <span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic">monteboy84</span></span> have fixed bolt handles that had Badger and other bolt knobs installed by others.
You should contact <span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic">monteboy84</span></span> here on the Hide' or over at Sniper Central, explain the contact problem that you are having, and ask him about installing a Tac Ops Bolt Knob Conversion. The conversion involves adding a hardened steel threaded stud that is TIG welded onto the bolt handle, which actually slightly lengthens the bolt handle. This will increase the clearance between your trigger finger and the bolt knob, as well as getting you a larger, easier-to-grasp bolt knob.
Check-out the photos below I borrowed from <span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic">monteboy84</span></span>'s
<span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic">"Some bolt knob install pictures"</span></span> thread to see some great photos of the steps required to <span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic">correctly and cleanly</span></span> install a Tac Ops Bolt Knob Conversion, which is NOT a DYI install.
<span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic">Rob01</span></span> here has big mitts too and suffered from the same problem you had. Then Mike Rescigno of Tac Ops replaced the Badger knob on <span style="font-style: italic">Rob01</span>'s rifle with one of his Tac Ops Bolt Knob Conversions (which, BTW - was built by a well-known Hide gunsmith), and that gave Rob01 enough clearance that the problem was eliminated. Rob's bolt handle had been shortened when the Badger knob was installed, but the Tac Ops BKC still provided enough extra length to the bolt handle to solve Rob's clearance issue.
As I mentioned above, the Tac Ops Bolt Conversion actually adds more clearance by lengthening the bolt handle slightly through the installation of a hardened, threaded steel "bung". This is preferred over shortening the bolt handle as with most other knobs because shortening the bolt handle reduces the operating clearance between the bolt knob/fingers and the scope's ocular bell.
For the record, if for some reason, someone wants a short bolt handle as with other bolt knob installs the bolt handle just needs to be cut a bit shorter before the "bung" is TIG welded on. However, shortening the bolt handle somewhat defeats the purpose of changing the bolt knob because you are actually decreasing the <span style="font-style: italic">working clearance</span> between the scope's ocular bell and your fingers
Below are some photos I stole from <span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic">monteboy84</span></span>. They show photos of Tac Ops Bolt Knob Conversions he is doing in progress:
Check-out my post below this one for some of <span style="font-style: italic">monteboy84</span>'s post-grinding & sanding photos, as well as photos I shot of the bolt from my Tac Ops X-Ray 51 rifle compared to a bolt knob conversion (and bolt) from a competitor on and off of the respective rifles.
Keith
