Forward Controls Design Augmented Bolt Catch/Release, 5.56mm, upper paddle (ABC/R, FB, RB, AA, FB/AA, RB/AA, 5.56)

ABC/R (Augmented Bolt Catch/Release) with its angled and larger top paddle and lower paddle with increased surface area, is purpose designed for use with AR15/M16 receivers equipped with ambidextrous magazine releases. Specifically, it is designed to address the difficulty with accessing the factory bolt catch’s lower paddle with an ambidextrous magazine catch, such as Norgon’s Ambi-Catch, on the receiver. Many of the ambidextrous mag release’s lower paddle is on the same vertical plane as the factory bolt catch lower paddle, making identification difficult by feel, especially with a gloved hand.

The ABC/R’s chief effort is focused on that single issue. The lower paddle protrudes further, and is angled at 10 degrees to give it even more surface area. These measures put the lower paddle and Ambi-Catch’s paddle on different vertical planes. That done, we worked on the top paddle. While we don’t use it ourselves, preferring to pull back on the charging handle instead to load and reload, we do recognize far more users use it, so the ABC/R’s top paddle is made larger, and given a 5 degree angle at the lower 50%, and 10 degree angle at the upper 50% cant. The angled paddle makes it easier for the palm or thumb to access.

The notch immediately above the ABC/R’s lower paddle isn’t there by accident. As you run your finger down the bolt catch towards the lower paddle, the notch is meant to provide tactile feedback to indicate the beginning of the lower paddle. It is important be able to differentiate one control surface from another, all without diverting one’s gaze to it.

ABC/R v4 upper paddle options accommodate individual user’s reloading technique.  Upper paddle options include FB (forward biased), standard (centered, non-biased), and RB (rearward biased).

Standard (non-biased) upper paddle remains the same position as v1 and v4 ABC/R, its upper paddle isn’t biased towards the front or rear.

RB (rearward biased) is for left hand users that use their extended left index finger to access the bolt catch paddles.  The RB version has the upper paddle shifted to the butt stock end to make the upper paddle more accessible.

ABC/R v4 changes:

ABC/R v4 is the latest iteration of ABC/R.  First introduced in 2015 (v1), we continue to incorporate user feedback to an already sound design.

ABC/R v4 has all of the improvements we made on previous versions, the most noticeable difference of the v4  is its forward biased lower paddle.  The forward extended lower paddle has several benefits:

1. Vastly increased surface area for both left and right hand users.

2. The forward biased extension further distances itself from the ambidextrous magazine catch’s lever

Below picture shows the ABC/R v4’s lower paddle and the new EMR-A v2’s lever.  The bolt catch’s lower paddle is forward extended, while EMR-A v2’s paddle is rear extended, this effectively separates the two control surfaces.

A forward extended lower paddle isn’t new, SIG is among the first do implement it.  We can’t take credit for its design, we incorporated a very feature on ABC/R, with some changes:

1. The length isn’t quite as long as SIG’s. We extended as long as we deemed necessary, and went no further.

2. The thickness of the lower paddle is significantly reinforced.  A long lever has more mechanical advantage, we made it as thick as necessary, and went further.  Over built in strength (within reason) mitigates unintended consequences.

We want to thank Jimmy Rodriguez for talking us into making this update.  You can find Jimmy’s YouTube channel here, please support Jimmy by subscribing to his channel: https://www.youtube.com/@jimmybrodriguez/featured

Machined from billet 8620 alloy steel and heat treated with DLC finish. The ABC/R v4 is proudly designed and made in the USA.