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Badger EFR questions

brand692

brand692

Gunny Sergeant
Supporter
Full Member
Minuteman
Oct 22, 2009
1,369
95
45
Western NE
#1
Looking to put a Badger EFR on the next build. For those of you who use them or have some sort of knowledge about them, enlighten me.

What is the ID of the mount or what is the heaviest barrel that will fit in one?
Will a Krieger MTU or HV contour fit?
If the barrel is too big, can they be milled at all to accept a larger diameter barrel?
What have guys been paying to have it installed?

From my looking around, its the best option out there. Its not an immeadiate needed accessory but something I'd like to have done when the rifle is built. Barrel won't be done until July and stock won't be here until July or August, so I have some time before I have to makeup my mind.
 
#3
Re: Badger EFR questions

The MTU/HV will be too big. Chuck up the EFR in a lathe and open it slightly if needed.

$150 installed, EFR not included. ID opened if needed, painted and bedded in place.
 
#4
Re: Badger EFR questions

Much appreciated. Exactly what I was looking for.

I have both a MTU and a LV contour barrel I can put on this rifle, but the idea was to use the MTU as I was having reservations regarding the LV. The LV is really not that much smaller than the MTU, but it may fit. I just could not find dimensions for the EFR anywhere.

My other concern was if it had to be opened up, was whether or not there was enough material between the wall of the barrel opening and the screws that hold the top to the bottom.

Thanks for the help.
 
#6
Re: Badger EFR questions

Although they can be opened up, there's not a lot of material that can be removed because of the screws that hold the halves together. I've had to open two of them and when doing so, I opened them at a taper to match the barrel contour and to avoid running the risk of cutting through the areas where the Heli-Coils are. To avoid having to do this, it is much better to start with a barrel that has a 1.2" breech diameter instead of the 1.25" diameter. A breech length of about 3" (for .308) and then straight taper to around .930" (this would be considered a MTU contour) or so at your finished length will allow for enough float room through the EFR. The EFR in the photo is as it comes from Badger....Not opened up....

zv7i92.jpg
 
#11
Re: Badger EFR questions

I do have a LV countour which is 1.2 for 6 and the straight tapers to .875 at 28. Would that be a better alternative?

I don't know if there would be enough of difference in accuracy between the LV and MTU contours. Both are 11.25 5R rifling. Both should be .5 MOA shooters. I can always use the MTU on something else.
 
#12
Re: Badger EFR questions

brand692,

I would not recommend opening up the I.D. of any of the EFR type mounts. Not only have they already made the I.D. as large as they can without compromising the integrity of the mount but opening up the I.D. will remove the hardcoat which adds a considerable amount of strength, especially in already thin areas.

If you want to put this on for looks, just open up the top half and glue it over your barrel.

Howver,if you may actually want to mount a NV unit on top at some time in the future, I would solve this problem from the barrel O.D. direction and not from the mount direction. The MUNS/PVS27 weigh around 3.7 pounds. Some of the hybrid thermal/NV units are over 4#. If your rifle falls with a $8-9K chunk of optic mounted on it, I for one would not want to chance having the top hemisphere of the NV mount tearing away.

If you are spec'ing the rifle, get a barrel contour that is made to work with the EFR type mounts. I get Krieger to cut a custom contour that has all the major O.D. stepdowns I need prior to even going to the rifling machine. Any good barrel maker should be able to do the same for you. If choosing a standard contour, anything with an O.D. of 1.100" or less at 7" from the receiver will give you 0.050" of clearance.

Also, you didn't mention what stock you are getting in. Does it have enough ass in the forend to accept the NV mount? If it does and if you are getting in the stock from McMillan or Manners, you should immediately contact them to add the inlet for the EFR. This usually adds nothing to the price of the stock and the cut is made when the stock is fixtured under the mill. This cut is made at the same setup as the receiver and barrel channel inlets are made so alignment is guaranteed.

Unless you are doing this project yourself, you need to be working this out with your builder instead of an internet forum. The shop doing this job is the one that should be telling you everything about this feature and how to navigate the integration of it into your build. If the rifle doesn't fly straight or something breaks 6 months after hitting the range, the builder is the one that you will want to hold accountable. Keeping them as a partner in the major specs and decision making is the only way to go about this in my opinion.

Good luck with the rifle project.
Everybody have a safe week.

Terry
 
#17
Re: Badger EFR questions

Funny thing is that duct tape would probably still get you a hit if you were using the better NV.

I have actually hand held some of the OSTI units in front of the day scope during demos and had the group overlap the previous one.

Still, I may have to try the duct tape. I have a lot left over from my dating days. . . . . .
 
#19
Re: Badger EFR questions

Terry,

I am spec'ing the rifle. In the onset of this project I talked to Gordy Gritters about putting the rifle together. However, since then I recieved a rifle GAP put together for me, and was very impressed with the outcome. So I don't know exactly where I will send it yet. I haven't even talked to Kerry to see if it is something they would want to do.

I have Gen 3 dedicated night vision optic that I am considering replacing with a front mounted device IOT minimize messing with my day optic. It is not just for looks. It will be a functioning part of the rifle.

The only part left to order is the stock. I have the action, bottom metal, trigger, and day scope all here. I have two barrels ordered, the MTU and the LV, and they will be here mid July. The action is a Octagonal BAT 3 Lug Long Action Repeater with Badger M5 Short Action bottom metal, so purchasing an off the shelf stock is not an option. The McMillan site was down last week or I would have ordered the stock not even knowing they offer an inlet for the EFR. Guess it was good that the site was not working. The stock will be an A4.

Working the clearance issue from the OD perspective of the barrel is fine but I could not, and still cannot, seem to find the dimensions of the EFR to know what I'm working with. Krieger can cut a different taper on the LV barrel and it would be fine, but its was little hard to do without knowing what the ID of the EFR is. Another option is to have 3 inches of the shank cut off (barrel finish length is 28 inches). The LV is 1.2 for 6 and I could have that set back to 1.2 for 3 and end up with a 25 inch or shorter finished barrel that tapers to .875.

Knowing I need to be at 1.1 at 7 inches to achieve .050 clearance, I at least have a place to start. But that is dependent on the muzzle diameter and at what length the barrel will finish. What finish length and muzzle OD are you using to come up with that measurement? Or are you saying that the ID of the EFR is 1.2 inches?

This is something that I've been kicking around. I don't even know if its something going to commit to yet. It just seems logical to quit using two compeletely separate optics for day and night. It would be easier to just use a front mounted device with a day scope. I'm not even sure I want to have a barrel contoured to fit an EFR as I 98% of my shooting is done during the day. It would just be nice to have the option in the future if I decide to go that route.

I appreciate the advice.
 
#20
Re: Badger EFR questions

My bad. I was in a hurry and assumed that the I.D. thing had already been answered.

The Badger and most other similar mounts on the market use a 1.200" +/- inside diameter.

If your barrel is due in July, there is a good possibility that it has not been to profiling/contour dept. yet. You can usually change specs while in process without losing your delivery date as long as it is not already past that point.

Ditto for the stock although yours not being ordered yet is GTG also.

You could certainly push back an existing contour or start with a 1.200" breech dia. to give you a running start on clearing the EFR but there are many creative things you can do to make it work.

I personally like having maximum shoulder contact with the receiver/recoil lug and want a 1.250 breech dia on my barrels. The contour can do whatever after it leaves the receiver.

Also, I was using the 7" figure because that is about where the EFR type mounts start on the type of stocks I use. Your A4 will have plenty of forend for the install but I do not use them enough to help on how the A4 forend length compares to what I usually use.

Moon and Flounder will certainly be able to work with you at GAP and have done plenty of this type of work.

Regardless of who does your build, the less corners you paint them into the better. If you are going to supply parts and spec the rifle, I think you are going the correct thing in researching what will work together as a system. Avoiding components that conflict with each other is a big help in getting your project through anybodys shop.

Good luck.

Terry
 
#21
Re: Badger EFR questions

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Northland</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Roscoe, do you open up the EFR or do we need to have that done before bringing it to you? </div></div>

I can open it for you if needed.
 
#22
Re: Badger EFR questions

Terry,

Again, I appreciate your help. Its nice having the expertise here on techinical questions like this.

I asked the 1.2 vs 1.25 breach question a while back. I too prefer the 1.25 shoulder at the reciever and had reservations about using LV on this build, but if it means the incorporation of the EFR, I'm ok with that. I wanted no less than a 20 inch barrel and no more than 26 so setting it back seems like the most viable solution.

It also helps that the recoil lug is built into the action. I think I can get away with the 1.2 inch shoulder with favorable results.

I don't know if I'll have it done when I ship the parts off for assembly, but I'd like to make this a switch barrel rig and have a 243 and a 260 barrel chambered for this action as well. It makes more sense to do them all at once, but somewhat costly.

BTW Terry, I appreciate the quality stuff you have come up with over the years. More than one rifle of mine has more than one thing with your name on it. Thanks for the help.
 
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