AR Forward Assist

kmittleman · Oct 5, 2014

Hey folks,

I don't have an AR yet, but was wondering about the Pro's and Con's of having a forward assist.

-K

clandestine · Oct 5, 2014

An AR without a Forward Assist is a range toy.

An AR does not have a reciprocating charging handle (Unless Modified) so if you get a popped primer and the bolt is slightly out of battery (Jammed) then you cant get the upper off without removing the buttstock or mortaring the rifle.

iH8DemLibz · Oct 5, 2014

Not needed if you keep your firearm clean and use clean ammo.

If you want a really good looking AR, find one that doesn't have any of that stuff on it.

I built a 300BLK using a DPMS upper without an assist or port cover.

You should check them out.

Fox123 · Oct 5, 2014

iH8DemLibz said:
Not needed if you keep your firearm clean and use clean ammo.

If you want a really good looking AR, find one that doesn't have any of that stuff on.

I built a 300BLK using a DPMS upper without an assist or port cover.

You should check them out.

Range toy or hunting tool then. Would not keep it for defensive purposes

iH8DemLibz · Oct 5, 2014

Fox123 said:
Range toy or hunting tool then. Would not keep it for defensive purposes

Strictly hunting and range.

lee2 · Oct 5, 2014

besides an ar, how many other rifles have a forward assist?
so is it really necessary or is the ar that bad of a design?

Boom Boom · Oct 5, 2014

lee2 said:
so is it really necessary or is the ar that bad of a design?

It's more of a battle/field feature than a hard requirement. That said, I wouldn't buy an AR upper without one.

AK rifles also have a forward assist. It's there for real-world use when all kinds of crap can get in there.

rdc · Oct 5, 2014

lee2 said:
besides an ar, how many other rifles have a forward assist?
so is it really necessary or is the ar that bad of a design?

Lots of rifles have a handle already attached to the bolt and don't t need an extra "forward assist" - AK, mini14, garand, M14, etc

ericoak · Oct 6, 2014

Can't you always just use your thumb to press on the cutout on the bolt if needed?

Half-cocked · Oct 6, 2014

You will never, ever need to use the forward assist - that is, until the day you really, really need to use the forward assist.

lee2 · Oct 6, 2014

if you are having issues where you need the forward assist , you had better examine the rifle before you pull the trigger.

clandestine · Oct 6, 2014

lee2 said:
if you are having issues where you need the forward assist , you had better examine the rifle before you pull the trigger.

You are kidding right? You are saying you should stop after each shot using a semi automatic rifle and examine the battery of the bolt?

The forward assist isn't just there for a fouled gun, its there to get the bolt to seat so you can remove a popped primer or damaged casing that made it into the chamber.

Damage can occur to the casings when feeding or clearing a malfunction. Popped primers will lock up an AR and other rifles too. Whether the ammo is bad, the throat is short causing a pressure spike, or murphy decides to show up. AKs and SKSs lock up hard when a primer makes its way into the action too.

On weapons with a fixed bolt handle you can smack it it wood, a boot or a solid object to seat or take the weapon out of battery. The AR requires the FA to force the bolt closed to remove the upper to clear any nasty obstruction.

5.56blaster · Oct 6, 2014

I carried some sort of AR/M-16/M4 for almost thirty years in just about every environment you can think of and I don't remember ever using a forward assist.

wilcam47 · Oct 6, 2014

5.56blaster said:
I carried some sort of AR/M-16/M4 for almost thirty years in just about every environment you can think of and I don't remember ever using a forward assist.

I guess Im lucky, I havent had any of my AR's need to use the fwd assist either. Could it happen? Sure...As of today I havent ever needed to use it.

trickg · Oct 6, 2014

This is an interesting topic and one that came up when chatting with a friend the other day. He was looking at a couple of different ARs - specifically the S&W M&P 15 Sport, and a Ruger something or other. He liked the fact that the Ruger had the forward assist and dust cover, and the S&W Sport does not.

My personal perspective is that in my experiences shooting AR15s and M16s, I never needed the forward assist. I read an article about it recently and the same question was asked - is the forward assist truly necessary anymore?

If I was getting a gun for a range toy, no - not necessary at all IMO. For combat? I'd want one on there. Like others have said, rifles such as the Garand, M14 and M1 Carbine had a default "forward assist" with the way the bolt handle attached to the bolt carrier so that it could be pulled back or bumped forward. The charging handle on an AR is reward only, so there has to be something there to get the bolt back into battery if it gets jammed up for any reason (heavy powder fouling, as an example, but by then you've got bigger problems and probably need to clean the gun altogether) and it can't go back into battery.

My advice to him was that for a range toy, there's no need to change your mind if the only reason is for those two features - the forward assist and dust cover.

lx1x · Oct 6, 2014

food for thoughts

http://weaponsman.com/?p=329

FlatsFlite · Oct 6, 2014

5.56blaster said:
I carried some sort of AR/M-16/M4 for almost thirty years in just about every environment you can think of and I don't remember ever using a forward assist.

20 years here with A1s and A2s and never used the FA either

How many of you guys are operating in combat conditions?.

clandestine · Oct 6, 2014

FlatsFlite said:
20 years here with A1s and A2s and never used the FA either

How many of you guys are operating in combat conditions?.

Who are you trying to debate?

I have fired hundreds of thousands of rounds through the AR platform as a civilian gunsmith. The U.S. Military uses only a few types of ammunition. In the civilian world there are thousands of ammunition combinations, different chambers, and weapon manufacturers to throw in the mix.

If ammo malfunctions in the way I have described repeatedly above, the FA is a necessity. If you haven't experienced it, its because of the sampling of ammo you are using in the particular systems your firing the ammunition from.

Its there for a reason, because its needed when ammo or conditions cause the weapon to crap the bed.

clandestine · Oct 6, 2014

lx1x said:
food for thoughts

http://weaponsman.com/?p=329

His food is lacking seasoning.

He assumes its about fouling alone. Its not.

lx1x · Oct 6, 2014

clandestine said:
His food is lacking seasoning.

He assumes its about fouling alone. Its not.

there are others... was bored just googled when fa design started.. found that article.

i have both... never had issue (blown out primer..,knock on wood.. havent exp it.)

only one time on my lr308.. a friend rode the charging handle to load the round. only time it didnt seat the round correctly. mortared it.. slam the next round. no issues after.

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