m24shooter's Profile
Protecting a rifle or scope during transport or field use can prevent damage. This protection may come in a variey of forms: hard cases, soft cases, drag bags. These will protect the scope and rifle, but are large packages and can actually be larger than desired or needed depending on the circumstances. Sometimes, a smaller and lighter package is all that is needed. The Eagle Industries Padded Scope Cover with Crown Protector is just enough protection for a mounted scope and the muzzle of the rifle. It is ideal for when you want to allow for some protection to the mounted optic and the vulnerable crown without having to carry the rifle around in a full soft case or drag bag.
The scope cover section is a fairly simple envelope that is composed of a closed cell foam pad in a cordura shell. The envelope is folded over the top of the scope and rifle with the opening below. Two square patches on the fore and aft of the pad are adjusted by means of Velcro to bellow the pad to fit the width of the scope. Three nylon straps secure the pad around the bottom of the rifle, and are secured by means of side release buckles. The pad is long enough to protect an optic up to about 18" in length.
On the fore end of the pad is a side release buckle that attaches the crown protector. The is a tube of cordura and foam that is open on one end. The strap connector is adjustable for length to allow for the pad and protector to be used with a variety of barrel lengths.
While these pads work well to protect the scope and muzzle from damage, the do leave the bottom metal and trigger guard exposed. Tactical Intervention Specialists made the Trigger Defender to be used with a scope cover to fill this gap. This is simply a double thickness of cordura with a strip of sewn web slots running lengthwise on the two long edges of the pad. Through these loops the straps of the scope pad are passed. The assembled pair of pads are wrapped around the rifle and scope, and the SRBs of the scope pad secure the entire assembly. While this is not padded with foam, the bottom metal is usually more robust and much cheaper to replace than an optic.
Because the Trigger Defender is meant to work with a variety of scope pads, it will not fit perfectly with all. Using the Eagle pad, the Defender is not quite long enough to be engaged by all three straps. I mounted mine to the rear two straps as that is where the trigger guard and bottom metal are. Depending on the size of the rifle and scope, there may be less overlap between the Defender and the scope pad.
The pads emplaced on the rifle.
The muzzle protector removed.
Scope cover with Trigger Defender. The crown protector is detached.
The fore end adjustment flap. The SRB for the crown protector is visible.
The rear adjustment flap. The muzzle protector is to the left of the scope pad.
The Trigger Defender with the straps of the scope protector threaded through the loops.
The rifle fitted into the pad assembly with the Trigger Defender left open.
The Trigger Defender secured around the enlarged bolt knob. The Defender will fit on a rifle with a standard bolt knob but the Badger model is too large to fit without fitting the pad underneath.
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