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Charging handle question

6K views 45 replies 13 participants last post by  G.I. Bro 
#1 ·
Ok,
I've heard a lot about it, and read in the manual about but I have yet to figure out what it's for. What am I missing? To me it feels kind of flimsy but it has been a "non factor" item for me as of yet.

I open the bolt and lock it with the bolt lock in front of the trigger, I mash the button and the bolt closes. Fire the last round in a magazine, bolt stays open, eject magazine, insert new mag, mash button, bolt closes.

When am I going to use the charging handle?
 
#3 ·
I'm confus-ed,not the first time...lol. Big cylindrical knob on the opposite side of the ejection port ='s charging handle,or cocking knob/handle if you prefer.
 
#5 ·
So what's the blasted thing on the left side of the gun? That's the one I was talking about. It says it's a non-reciprocating handle located on the left side of the rifle with a forward assist.
That is the charging handle.When I said opposite side of the ejection port I meant the opposite side of the weapon.more specifically the left side if you're holding it in a firing position.The appendage next to the ejection port is the brass deflector.By non-reciprocating it means that you pull the bolt to the rear with the charging handle to charge or load the chamber,but when you fire the weapon the charging handle does not move to the rear with the bolt when it cycles.To actuate the forward assist you must push in on the charging handle knob then push forward to move the bolt into battery if for some reason it didn't fully seat.
 
#7 ·
By it I suppose you mean the forward assist.If yes,I feel the same way.The forward assist on an AR is the most useless appendage ever mounted on a rifle.If there's something causing the bolt not to return to battery...it might be a good idea to get it the hell out of there..instead of attemping to shove the offending whatever in there further.Ok rant over...lol. 8)
 
#8 ·
Yup, by it I meant the forward assist. And true, I would think if the bolt didn't go all the way forward I would want to know why rather than trying to jam it forward. That seems to make most jams even worse.

Thanks a bunch for the assist. I appreciate it, stanc as well.
 
#9 ·
The forward assist on the rifle is meant to fully seat the bolt if it does not do so after a brass check. Mostly useless on the XCR, but still a nice feature to have just in case. On an AR it gets a LOT of use if you frequently brass check your chamber, which most of military types are used to doing (and everyone should do when going condition 1), and is definitely not useless. It is not meant to to force the bolt closed if there is some type of obstruction. Actually on the AR even an improperly lubed bolt can cause it to not seat properly after slingshoting the charging handle so it does get occasional use for that.
 
#13 ·
The forward assist on the rifle is meant to fully seat the bolt if it does not do so after a brass check. Mostly useless on the XCR, but still a nice feature to have just in case. On an AR it gets a LOT of use if you frequently brass check your chamber, which most of military types are used to doing (and everyone should do when going condition 1), and is definitely not useless. It is not meant to to force the bolt closed if there is some type of obstruction.


I agree 100%.

Sean
 
#10 ·
Actually on the AR even an improperly lubed bolt can cause it to not seat properly after slingshoting the charging handle so it does get occasional use for that.
Another reason why I never cared to own an AR.Any weapon with an apparently needed bolt helper is a flawed design from the word go. :2cents:
If it doesn't go shut after releasing the bolt forward it could be a damaged round and still not a good idea to try to force it shut..hence my admonition to get the possible obstruction out.If you clear it,you should be getting a fresh round instead of possibly making a bad situation worse.You will fight as you train,therefore in my opinion it's better to make sure that you will get a bang instead of that deafening click when you need it most.On a static range this is all meaningless,with lead flying past your ears it could get you a free ticket to a dirt nap.
The proper way to check your chamber is mostly situational awareness.When loading the rifle,visually confirm the position of the top cartridge(which side of the magazine it's on),insert the magazine,either release the bolt hold open or rack the charging handle...then pop out the magazine,make sure the top cartridge is on the opposite side.Reinsert magazine...push pull to make sure it's seated.From then on it's situational awareness,you should always be aware of what condition the weapon is in.If you forget and you absolutely must check it,just rack the bolt,ejecting the live round if there's one there.It's faster and more positive than fumblefucking around trying to partially retract the bolt,possibly having it not fully close because it did have enough recoil spring tension...as in never ride the charging handle either.
 
#12 ·
Actually on the AR even an improperly lubed bolt can cause it to not seat properly after slingshoting the charging handle so it does get occasional use for that.
Another reason why I never cared to own an AR.Any weapon with an apparently needed bolt helper is a flawed design from the word go. :2cents:
You preaching to the choir here. I am going to have to disagree with you about checking your chamber though. While your method is fine, there is absolutely nothing wrong with brass checking, and as far as the forward assist goes it's just one of the prices you have to pay to have a non reciprocating charging handle. At least on the XCR it was built in to the charging handle and isn't an extra appendage (and I have never used it, with the exception of once when I deliberately didn't seat the bolt just so I could test it).

VB,

When I first started reading this I was confused too, but it eventually made sense. Maybe that's just because I was a little drunk though.
 
#15 ·
While your method is fine, there is absolutely nothing wrong with brass checking, and as far as the forward assist goes it's just one of the prices you have to pay to have a non reciprocating charging handle. At least on the XCR it was built in to the charging handle and isn't an extra appendage (and I have never used it, with the exception of once when I deliberately didn't seat the bolt just so I could test it).
I agree with you,and I too am glad the XCR design allows for having the assist if you feel you need it,but doesn't add anything extra to the rifle in terms of cluttering it up.It's there if you need it,out of the way if you don't.I can see your point as well about chamber checking,if you just want to make sure (before entering possible hostilities)there is one in the "pipe" you probably should use the assist anyway after a chamber check just to make sure it(the bolt) is closed fully.I just feel that sometimes simpler is better especially for non-gun people who don't train much/enough or are not as familiar with weapons as some more experienced people are.Therefore cycling the charging handle might be simpler for them as problems from either retracting the bolt to far or whatever can cause a malfunctions.Proper training should help eliminate any or all of these problems,but again not everyone has the time,desire or energy required to be properly familiarized.
I personally feel that making excuses why your not training can get you killed.There are legitimate reasons of course,but your safety is your responsibility.There can be no excuse however for not being familiar with a weapon you may have to actually defend yourself with.It doesn't cost anything besides a few minutes a day of your time,dryfiring,presentation drills,malfunction clearance(with dummy rounds) etc..Sometimes people think just having a weapon is enough,but that's a discussion for a different thread/time.All I know is that logic can get you or possibly an innocent person dead.
I not sure which part everyone was so confused about.I thought my explanation/description was clear.If you need further explanation I'll be more than happy to clarify.I'm thinking it was about the chamber checking and magazine part.
 
#16 ·
An easy was to do a chamber check I do after a reload is once I insert and drop the bolt, I pull the mag out and check the postition of the next round. If it's to the left (or opposite of what it was before you chambered), then you know you're loaded. Insert mag and give it a quick tug to make sure you're seated.
 
#22 ·
An easy was to do a chamber check I do after a reload is once I insert and drop the bolt, I pull the mag out and check the position of the next round. If it's to the left (or opposite of what it was before you chambered), then you know you're loaded. Insert mag and give it a quick tug to make sure you're seated.
Good point-and also something you can do in pitch black and feel with your fingertip to make sure you loaded successfully. :2cents:
 
#17 ·
An easy was to do a chamber check I do after a reload is once I insert and drop the bolt, I pull the mag out and check the postition of the next round. If it's to the left (or opposite of what it was before you chambered), then you know you're loaded. Insert mag and give it a quick tug to make sure you're seated.
That's exactly what I was talking about in my other post.
 
#18 ·
Just as a point of order...

The AR was designed without the forward assist. As I recall, it was only added after testers found that they needed some way to "assist" the bolt forward when the action became fouled after repeated use. It's a brilliant design, but the early iterations of the rifle suffered from a variety of issues, and many who used them in Vietnam do not recall the experience fondly.

Fact check: I missed Vietnam by a couple of years, so I'm relating what friends have told me over the years.

tk
 
#24 ·
Just as a point of order...

The AR was designed without the forward assist. As I recall, it was only added after testers found that they needed some way to "assist" the bolt forward when the action became fouled after repeated use.
Well, if we're making points of order... ;D

What I recall (from The Black Rifle, I think) is that the forward assist was added not as a result of testing, but solely because the Army, with its tradition-bound mindset, insisted on having it "just in case." Note that the Air Force adopted the M16 without a forward assist, since they agreed with Stoner's view that it wasn't necessary.
There was a different bolt handle on [the early AR10 and AR15] as well. I believe it was a reciprocating handle.
I'm pretty sure it was non-reciprocating, just like the T-handle.
 
#20 ·
The AR was designed without the forward assist. As I recall, it was only added after testers found that they needed some way to "assist" the bolt forward when the action became fouled after repeated use. It's a brilliant design, but the early iterations of the rifle suffered from a variety of issues, and many who used them in Vietnam do not recall the experience fondly.
Tk you are correct,actually if I'm not mistaken the AR10 came first then was downscaled to use the 5.56x45 as NATO was getting away from the 7.62x51,or something to that effect.In point of fact the AR10 didn't have a forward assist and I don't think some versions of it today do either.DPMS is making a budget minded AR style rifle they call the "sportical" and it too doesn't have a forward assist.I guess that one drawback to the charging handle not being part of the bolt is on an AK,SKS.Mini14,Garand,etc if it's frozen or rusted shut,you can just give it the boot kick without much fear of it breaking!... ;D
 
#21 ·
There was a different bolt handle on those as well. I believe it was a reciprocating handle.

They looked like this.....
 

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#23 ·
There are a lot of instructors out there today that would say that the forward assist only compounds problems. On an AR, if you can't reach your forefinger on your support hand (for righties) and pull the bolt closed with your finger on the dip in the BCG, (the dip where the retention pin for the ejection port cover would rest) then you're asking for failure.

Personally the only thing I use it for is to ease the bcg forward after doing a chamber check after firing from the mag. I'd definitely say if you are having an issue with a round not wanting to chamber completely from the momentum of the action, and you force it with the forward assist, then you are definitely asking for a malfunction.
 
#26 ·
Are there any AR10 versions that have a forward assist?
I don't think there are,but I should have said that because I didn't feel like looking up every variant... ;D
 
#33 ·
stanc: I think they are referring to some of the earlier Colt SP1's which "did not" have a forward assist...
I dunno what "they" might've been referring to, MadDog, but dmac was very specifically discussing the M16 in Vietnam, not the SP1.
...or ejection port door.
AFAIK, the SP1 always had an ejection port door. Why would Colt delete a feature that had been standard since the early AR15?

Are you sure you're not confusing that with the fact that early SP1s -- like early M16A1s -- had a solid rubber buttpad, which was later changed to a trapdoor buttplate with stowage for cleaning kit?
 
#41 ·
Maybe because these guys keep their rifles CLEAN and are not dumping tons of lead down that barrel.


tk
 
#42 ·
I'm not gonna lie to you, if you saw how some of the snipers keep the condition of their gun, you'd cry. Keep in mind though, depending on your job, that could just be one of four snipers guns you have in your inventory, on top of your everyday operational guns. Take into account different AO's and operating schedules/commitments, and some of those beautiful precision tools get seriously neglected.

Brings a tear to the eye really.
 
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