Strike Industries Enhanced Bolt Catch

The Strike Industries Enhanced Bolt Catch is the entry point for fixing the AR-15's fiddly factory bolt catch. It is a one-piece steel replacement with an enlarged, extra-wide lever surface that gives the thumb more contact area during lock-back and release. There is no right-side lever and no added parts; it swaps in using the standard spring, plunger, and roll pin.

At under $20 it undercuts every other catch here, and the extra-wide steel paddle gives the support-hand thumb noticeably more contact area than a basic mil-spec catch. The wide centered paddle is usable the same way by right- and left-handed shooters, though it is not a true ambidextrous control.

Buy this when budget is the constraint and you still want a meaningful improvement over mil-spec. It does not have the diamond texturing of the Seekins or the duty pedigree of the Geissele, but it is the cheapest way to make the bolt catch easier to hit.