Just bought a stock with one of these installed. Does anyone know what kind of swivel stud (uncle mikes..etc) accessories this takes? It's the anshutz style rail.
McMillan forend rail
- Thread starter jsthntn247
- Start date
You will likely need an adapter for it. There may be several options, but the one I have for an Anschutz rail is the "No.6" from Harris.
ATLAS BT28 AFAR Kit
If you just want a basic adapter with a swivel stud that fits the Anschutz Rail in McMillan stocks the Harris HB6 adapter is what you want. The HB6 is designed to fit the rail slot of the Anschutz Rails on McMillan stocks, and consists of a short rail adapter with a stud threaded into it. Any swivel stud mounted bipod will work with the HB6. NOTE: Be sure that the rail installed in your McMillan stock is the “Anschutz Rail” and not a “Freeland Rail” (which is another optional rail that McMillan offers), as the rails are different.
The only thing I dislike about the HB6 (and the HB6A) is that the threaded stud can work loose under certain circumstances. Harris and Harris clones attach to the swivel stud by means of a pincer clamp that tightens as a thumbscrew (on the cheap clones it’s just a plain screw) is tightened against the integrated “Saddle/support platform” on the bipod. Next, the Harris’ saddle/support platform was originally designed to work with the fore ends of hunting rifles with narrower, more rounded fore ends. This is usually works fine because there’s enough bearing surface between the fore end and the “saddle/support platform” on most stocks to prevent slippage between the fore end and the saddle.
However, on certain stocks with wide, flat fore ends (such as the McMillan A5) the saddle/support platform doesn’t have as much contact, allowing the saddle/support platform along with the bipod itself to rotate off axis (not good). Repeated over-tightening of the attachment thumbscrew (or plain screw on cheap clones) in an effort to eliminate the rotation will eventually lead to the threaded stud backing-out and/or the adapter’s threads stripping.
You can eliminate this potential problem by going with an BT28 AFAR Kit | Accu-Shot Product Catalog – Monopods – Bipods - Accessories, which is a which is a short Picatinny-type rail that mounts in the Anschutz Rail. The BT28 is a stronger, more secure mounting system for your bipod I highly recommend it. The downside is that you’ll need to use bipods with Picatinny-type attachments (which are more expensive). However, if you have an A5 or other stock with a wide, flat fore end in the end it’s well worth the added expense in avoided frustration.
Bottom of forearm of Tac Ops X-Ray 51 with Birdsong Black-T -coated 10" Anschutz Rail:
Closeup of Birdsong "Tac Ops OD" Green-T-coated ATLAS BT28 AFAR installed in the Anschutz Rail:
X-Ray 51 with BT28 Accessory Rail installed in Anschutz Rail with Harris BRM-S + LT706 QD Mount Combo + KMW Gen 2 Pod-Loc:
Adapter rails are inserted at the rear and slid forward. Note the "lip" of the Rail the BT28's Body and Nuts bear against:
ACCU-SHOT BT28 AFAR Kit:
Just in case you happen to buy a used (or possibly NOS, i.e. "New Old Stock" BT28 AFAR Kit), it should be noted that ON OLDER BT28 AFAR Kits the profile of the BT28 Bodies that I've had seen (maybe two dozen), varied. Kasey at ACCUSHOT has assured me that this problem has been rectified. The underside of the BT28 is "dished", and the depth of the concave cut is deeper on three of the four older AFAR Kits that I personally own. When installed in McMillan "Anschutz" Rails, the short screws had barely a full thread engaged on my BT28's threaded "Nuts". IMO that's not enough thread engagement to ensure that the screws won't loosen or strip-out if the bipod is bumped around, so I shortened the included 1/2" long screws to use the BT28 on McMillan Rails.
The shallower the "dish" the thicker the BT28 Body is, requiring a very slightly longer screw length than the provided short screws are (ACCUSHOT provides a pair of longer screws that you can cut-to-length). If you're mounting the BT28 in a McMillan "Anschutz" Rail and the short screws are too long and you need to use the (supplied 1/2") screws and shorten them prior to use (if the screws are too long the ends of the shanks will bottom on the host rail).
Conversely, BT28 bodies cut with a deeper "dish" can use shorter screws. The BT28 I mounted in the rail of my brother's B & C Medalist Tactical Adjustable and the BT28s' I've mounted in numerous other McMillan "Anschutz" Rails have deeply cut Bodies so I used the shortest screws possible. Note that the B & C stocks also use thinner (cheaper) rails and the "lips" of these rails are also thinner. Because of this, when BT28s' are installed in Bell & Carlson rails the screws don't have to be as long so the short screws included in the BT28 AFAR Kit should work perfectly (the short screws worked perfectly when I tested them in the Rail of my brother's B & C Medalist Tactical Adjustable).
Keith
If you just want a basic adapter with a swivel stud that fits the Anschutz Rail in McMillan stocks the Harris HB6 adapter is what you want. The HB6 is designed to fit the rail slot of the Anschutz Rails on McMillan stocks, and consists of a short rail adapter with a stud threaded into it. Any swivel stud mounted bipod will work with the HB6. NOTE: Be sure that the rail installed in your McMillan stock is the “Anschutz Rail” and not a “Freeland Rail” (which is another optional rail that McMillan offers), as the rails are different.
The only thing I dislike about the HB6 (and the HB6A) is that the threaded stud can work loose under certain circumstances. Harris and Harris clones attach to the swivel stud by means of a pincer clamp that tightens as a thumbscrew (on the cheap clones it’s just a plain screw) is tightened against the integrated “Saddle/support platform” on the bipod. Next, the Harris’ saddle/support platform was originally designed to work with the fore ends of hunting rifles with narrower, more rounded fore ends. This is usually works fine because there’s enough bearing surface between the fore end and the “saddle/support platform” on most stocks to prevent slippage between the fore end and the saddle.
However, on certain stocks with wide, flat fore ends (such as the McMillan A5) the saddle/support platform doesn’t have as much contact, allowing the saddle/support platform along with the bipod itself to rotate off axis (not good). Repeated over-tightening of the attachment thumbscrew (or plain screw on cheap clones) in an effort to eliminate the rotation will eventually lead to the threaded stud backing-out and/or the adapter’s threads stripping.
You can eliminate this potential problem by going with an BT28 AFAR Kit | Accu-Shot Product Catalog – Monopods – Bipods - Accessories, which is a which is a short Picatinny-type rail that mounts in the Anschutz Rail. The BT28 is a stronger, more secure mounting system for your bipod I highly recommend it. The downside is that you’ll need to use bipods with Picatinny-type attachments (which are more expensive). However, if you have an A5 or other stock with a wide, flat fore end in the end it’s well worth the added expense in avoided frustration.
Bottom of forearm of Tac Ops X-Ray 51 with Birdsong Black-T -coated 10" Anschutz Rail:
Closeup of Birdsong "Tac Ops OD" Green-T-coated ATLAS BT28 AFAR installed in the Anschutz Rail:
X-Ray 51 with BT28 Accessory Rail installed in Anschutz Rail with Harris BRM-S + LT706 QD Mount Combo + KMW Gen 2 Pod-Loc:
Adapter rails are inserted at the rear and slid forward. Note the "lip" of the Rail the BT28's Body and Nuts bear against:
ACCU-SHOT BT28 AFAR Kit:
Just in case you happen to buy a used (or possibly NOS, i.e. "New Old Stock" BT28 AFAR Kit), it should be noted that ON OLDER BT28 AFAR Kits the profile of the BT28 Bodies that I've had seen (maybe two dozen), varied. Kasey at ACCUSHOT has assured me that this problem has been rectified. The underside of the BT28 is "dished", and the depth of the concave cut is deeper on three of the four older AFAR Kits that I personally own. When installed in McMillan "Anschutz" Rails, the short screws had barely a full thread engaged on my BT28's threaded "Nuts". IMO that's not enough thread engagement to ensure that the screws won't loosen or strip-out if the bipod is bumped around, so I shortened the included 1/2" long screws to use the BT28 on McMillan Rails.
The shallower the "dish" the thicker the BT28 Body is, requiring a very slightly longer screw length than the provided short screws are (ACCUSHOT provides a pair of longer screws that you can cut-to-length). If you're mounting the BT28 in a McMillan "Anschutz" Rail and the short screws are too long and you need to use the (supplied 1/2") screws and shorten them prior to use (if the screws are too long the ends of the shanks will bottom on the host rail).
Conversely, BT28 bodies cut with a deeper "dish" can use shorter screws. The BT28 I mounted in the rail of my brother's B & C Medalist Tactical Adjustable and the BT28s' I've mounted in numerous other McMillan "Anschutz" Rails have deeply cut Bodies so I used the shortest screws possible. Note that the B & C stocks also use thinner (cheaper) rails and the "lips" of these rails are also thinner. Because of this, when BT28s' are installed in Bell & Carlson rails the screws don't have to be as long so the short screws included in the BT28 AFAR Kit should work perfectly (the short screws worked perfectly when I tested them in the Rail of my brother's B & C Medalist Tactical Adjustable).
Keith
