KRG Bolt Lift SV – Simple Brilliant Design

Today the postman did not disappoint!  Nestled away in a tiny tin box was my new Kinetic Research Group (KRG) Bolt Lift SV.

The stock bolt knob on the Remington 700 leaves a lot to be desired.  It’s a bit small and thin for the simple job that it is supposed to do.  You’ll see no shortage of “Tactical” bolt knob replacement services that charge about $100 for you to send them your bolt for a week or two, plus shipping time, to remedy this.  Those services grind down the stock knob, thread the handle shaft, and screw on a replacement knob that usually looks like it came from the little ball chain hanging from Grandma’s ceiling fan.

There’s really nothing wrong with those replacements, when done properly, but the down time and costs just weren’t justifiable to me when KRG offers this little dandy for $35 – shipped.

Installation is a non-event.  It comes with two pairs of o-rings in two sizes to use as spacers.  For mine, I used one thick and one thin o-ring.  The Bolt Lift SV simply mates two halves together with a hex head screw to compression fit on the bolt. One o-ring and half on top of the stock bolt handle, one of each on the bottom.  It’s solid!  I added a drop of blue loctite to the screw just for some insurance and to satisfy my OCD.  There are instructions for epoxy setting it to your bolt but that really isn’t necessary and would make it essentially irreversible.

In contrast to the original Bolt Lift, the SV (small version) is… well…  slightly smaller. More importantly it has a stipple textured top and bottom surface instead of the ribbed/fluted finish of its predecessor. The new texture is a welcome upgrade.  Aesthetics come in a distant third to function and reliability, and the Bolt Lift SV delivers on all fronts.

Palming the stock bolt knob upward was sometimes less than positive.  I’d sometimes skip off the edge of it.  Occasionally this would cause me to instinctively put my thumb on top of the knob and proceed to smash my delicate little thumb in to my scope.  This was about as fun as smashing your thumb can be.

With the Bolt Lift attached, there’s no missing or slipping yet it remains unobtrusive.  There is still plenty of clearance for the Nightforce NXS scope even with the Butler Creek flip-open covers and my sometimes ham-fisted bolt operation.

KRG’s polymer is obviously made of win and the Bolt Lift SV is even infantry proof tough and well designed enough for this ageing grunt to love.