Atlas Copco Jackleg & Stoper Drills — Underground Production Drilling
Jackleg drills bore horizontal blast holes off an air-powered pusher leg; stopers point the same power overhead for roof bolting. Here is the Atlas Copco underground line — plus the in-stock jackleg and stoper alternatives we ship today, because a heading cannot wait on backorders.
The short version
The BBC 16W is the Atlas Copco jackleg-class drill — pair it with a BMT 51 or ALF 71 pusher leg (call to quote the package). Need a complete jackleg setup off the shelf? The American-made BTE Mid-Western S83 ships today with its feed leg. Need a stoper for roof bolting? The Canun 260B stoper is on the shelf. Every rock drill we stock is at the all-brands rock drills category.
Jackleg & Stoper Drills You Can Actually Get
BBC 16W Underground Rock Drill
The Atlas Copco underground production drill: 2-3/4 in. (70mm) piston, 2,340 BPM, built-in water flushing for silica control, drilling 27–41mm blast holes. On a BMT 51 or ALF 71 single-telescopic pusher leg it becomes a full jackleg rig — the leg carries the weight, the miner steers the steel.
Choose it when: you drill underground production rounds and want current-production Atlas Copco iron.
Key specs
BTE Mid-Western S83 Jackleg
The American-made jackleg we stock complete: S83 drifter built to the original Gardner-Denver specs, 2,302 BPM at 90 psi, with TUL2B telescopic or FL7 power-retractable feed legs and swivels ready to ship as one package from $4,500.
Choose it when: you want a complete drill-plus-leg jackleg setup shipping today, with US-made parts support.
Key specs
Canun 260B Stoper Drill
The overhead machine: the 260B stoper with integral airleg for roof bolting and up-hole drilling — 2,250 BPM class on 170 CFM, 7/8 x 4-1/4 shank, with S250-pattern parts compatibility.
Choose it when: the hole points up — roof bolts, up-dip rounds, back stoping.
Key specs
Legs, Steel & Support
Jackleg & Stoper Questions
What is a jackleg drill?
A pneumatic rock drill mounted on a telescoping air-powered pusher leg. The leg braces against floor or rib and feeds the drill into the rock, so one miner drills horizontal and angled blast holes all shift without carrying the drill’s weight. Also written jack leg, and called an air leg or pusher leg drill.
What is a stoper drill?
The overhead version: drill and airleg built as one rigid unit that points up, for roof bolting and up-hole drilling. You cannot aim a stoper down, and a jackleg fights you overhead — they are complementary machines, not substitutes.
Jackleg vs sinker vs stoper – which do I need?
Direction decides: jackleg drills horizontal off its leg, a sinker is hand-held drilling straight down, a stoper points up. Underground headings run jacklegs; shafts and surface work run sinkers; roof bolting runs stopers.
Does Atlas Copco still make jackleg drills?
The BBC 16W remains the jackleg-class drill in the handheld line, with BMT 51 and ALF 71 pusher legs to match — we quote drill-plus-leg packages. Some legacy models like the BBD 94 are discontinued; our remaining BBD 94 stock is $2,500 by phone while it lasts.
What air supply does a jackleg need?
The BBC 16W wants 147 CFM at 90 psi and the S83 class about 185 CFM — plan on a 185-CFM towable compressor per drill, plus water for flushing. Undersized air is the number one cause of slow drilling underground.
Why is water flushing important?
It clears cuttings from the hole and controls respirable silica at the source — the standard engineering control underground. The BBC 16W and S83 wet models flush through the drill steel itself.
Do you stock jackleg drill steel?
Yes — hex shank jackleg steels in 7/8 and 1 x 4-1/4 in., extension rods, and carbide cross and button bits, shipping with the drill in one order.
How fast do these ship?
In-stock drills ship same day on orders by 4 PM Eastern. Pusher-leg packages and the Canun 260B stoper are quoted by phone — call 1-888-883-5144 with your heading size and air supply.
Keep the Heading Moving
Tell us the round, the rock, and your air — we will spec the drill, the leg, and the steel from stock wherever we can.