Forward assist

[CHCRandy]

Another newbie question.....but does anyone ever use forward assist?

What happens if you hit the forward assist while pulling trigger?

Just wondering....not that I plan on finding out.

thanks

 

[figley]

1) if you should find yourself having to use the FA to chamber a round, you have another issue that needs to be remedied

2) you would probably break something. gun parts, or fingers

IIRC, some varmint rifles don't have FA, and its usefulness is debatable. It seems to be left over from the days when troops were issued underpowered ammo, and cleaning kits may have been hard to come by.

Maybe somebody with combat experience can tell us when, in the clearance of a malfunction, the shooter would bang on the FA, instead of using the charging handle.

 

[jwh20]

Having fired 100s, perhaps 1000s of rounds from various ARs over the years, I have NEVER had a need to use the forward assist.

But I've never used any of my rifles under "combat" conditions but rather keep them quite clean. I understand this was added to the AR-15/M-16 design in case the bolt failed to fully close due to foreign matter (i.e. sand, dirt, mud, etc.) in the action. The original M-16's didn't have this and if the bolt failed to close you were in big trouble.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

The Exploder? No, not never.

if the bolt failed to close you were in big trouble.

Unless you:

1. used the original forward assist that Stoner put on the weapon, or

2. Run the charging handle again.

The Exploder sucks and has destroyed more M16s/ARs than bad ammo.

Here's the Exploder in action (LANGUAGE WARNING):

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWygoxV_ApM[/ame]

 

[Sgtusmc]

Every time I fired my weapon in the Corps I made sure the bolt was seated by using the forward assist. It was a taught habit from boot camp on. Does nothing to your rifle but nudges the bolt forward if it's not fully seated.

The guy in the video above looks like he's treating it like a magic button instead of visually inspecting his chamber several times. Jamming everything tight, including the mag can cause problems. When you're firing in the prone, you should'nt balance the rifle on the mag or it jamms it up in the magwell and can cause problems.

Once or twice after the rifle went click, he recharged and did all his slaps without even inspecting the chamber. User error.

 

[XDLover]

That video..... Rap tap slap boooom
Then I ask, why. If you are having those issues why don't you stop and inspect. Oh well not my gun.

 

[Electronrider]

None of my AR's have a forward assist. I like the looks of the upper without it. I figure that if my round does not chamber properly on its own, then I will use the charging handle and try a new round, as obviously there's a problem with the one trying to be chambered.

As a re-loader, I shudder at the thought of having to use a device to get my cartridge all the way into the chamber

 

[ScouT6a]

I carried and used M16's and M4's for 22 1/2 years in the Army Infantry. I could probably count on one hand the amount of times I actually used the forward assist during range/training/combat firing. Even when my weapon was dirty from firing 750+ rounds in one setting, I did not need to use the forward assist. They train you to use it while clearing a malfunction.
The Army has an acronym for this. "SPORTS" Slap, Pull, Observe, Release, Tap, Squeeze. or Slap the bottom of the mag, Pull the charging handle to the rear, Observe a round/brass ejecting and look at the chamber, Release the charging handle, Tap the forward assist, Squeeze the trigger.

 

[remauto1187]

Every time I fired my weapon in the Corps I made sure the bolt was seated by using the forward assist. It was a taught habit from boot camp on. Does nothing to your rifle but nudges the bolt forward if it's not fully seated.

The guy in the video above looks like he's treating it like a magic button instead of visually inspecting his chamber several times. Jamming everything tight, including the mag can cause problems. When you're firing in the prone, you should'nt balance the rifle on the mag or it jamms it up in the magwell and can cause problems.

Once or twice after the rifle went click, he recharged and did all his slaps without even inspecting the chamber. User error.

Rifle either fired out of battery or the round was defective. (loaded with wrong powder, etc.)

 

[Sgtusmc]

When you're in 'stealth mode', should you need to chamber a round, you ride the charging handle home as the bolt closes. This then requires using the forward assist to fully seat the round. You should already be L&L though. Or just push on the indent on the bolt.

 

[Hogwylde]

Another newbie question.....but does anyone ever use forward assist?

What happens if you hit the forward assist while pulling trigger?

Just wondering....not that I plan on finding out.

thanks

The forward assist is on the right side of the reciever. I'd LOVE to see how you manage to pull the trigger with your right hand AND hit the forward assist at the same time. Maybe if you hold it bass ackwards and pull the trigger with your left hand you'd be able to pull it off.

 

[CHCRandy]

Thanks guys. I now understand it's use.

Another question.
When you insert a loaded mag if you would just start pulling charging handle would a shell eject every pull?

I am just trying to get a little more knowledge before I take mine out. I appreciate you guys not flaming on me for these questions.

Thanks

 

[CHCRandy]

The forward assist is on the right side of the reciever. I'd LOVE to see how you manage to pull the trigger with your right hand AND hit the forward assist at the same time. Maybe if you hold it bass ackwards and pull the trigger with your left hand you'd be able to pull it off.

Actually it felt comfortable hitting it with my thumb. That's why I asked what would happen, it almost seems like it would be easy for someone to do that.

 

[giovani]

The main reason you want have the forward assist as a civilian...........resale value.

 

[figley]

When you insert a loaded mag if you would just start pulling charging handle would a shell eject every pull?

Yes, but, it's potentially dangerous.

If you remove your BCG, and seat a round on the face, you'll see how the extractor claw snaps over the rim of the round when it chambers. This pulls the round out, fired or not.

The danger comes from the fact that the firing pin is "floating", meaning that is isn't held in position by any kind of spring. While you have your BCG out, push the bolt back into the carrier, then turn the carrier bolt down, and you can shake it until the firing pin pokes out the bolt face. This is what happens when you release the charging handle, and the bolt slams home. It strips a round from the magazine, and chambers it, the bolt recedes into the carrier, and the extractor claw snaps around the rim of the chambered round. This inertia actually carries the firing pin into the primer. If you inspect the round you just chambered, in your living room, while the muzzle of the rifle was quite possibly pointed in an unsafe direction, you'll see that there is a little indentation in the primer.

Fortunately, it didn't hit hard enough to detonate the primer. Hopefully, you'll always be so fortunate. The odds are in your favor, but just in case, always keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction. The selector being on safe, only blocks the trigger's movement, and has no bearing on the firing pin. I have heard that mutiple re-chambering can result in detonation, causing a lot of rifle-using people to enact policies of only chambering a round once, then rotating it to a lower position in the magazine.

Your Glock, or 1911, has a spring on the striker/firing pin to prevent this. AFAIK, this is an issue pretty unique to the AR-style rifle.

 

[figley]

Actually it felt comfortable hitting it with my thumb. That's why I asked what would happen, it almost seems like it would be easy for someone to do that.

There are probably very few people dumb enough to do it twice.

 

[Cerberus]

When you're firing in the prone, you should'nt balance the rifle on the mag
or it jamms it up in the magwell and can cause problems.

A myth long ago proven a myth. Yes, I know, tradition dies hard in the Corps.

When you're in 'stealth mode', should you need to chamber a round, you ride the charging handle home as the bolt closes. This then requires using the forward assist to fully seat the round. You should already be L&L though. Or just push on the indent on the bolt.

If you are in "stealth mode" and don't have a round chambered then there is a serious failure of leadership.

 

[dansgotguns]

1) if you should find yourself having to use the FA to chamber a round, you have another issue that needs to be remedied

2) you would probably break something. gun parts, or fingers

IIRC, some varmint rifles don't have FA, and its usefulness is debatable. It seems to be left over from the days when troops were issued underpowered ammo, and cleaning kits may have been hard to come by.

Maybe somebody with combat experience can tell us when, in the clearance of a malfunction, the shooter would bang on the FA, instead of using the charging handle.

Its called S.P.O.R.T.S slap pull observe tap shoot. Thats what we do for malfunctions in the military.

 

[CHCRandy]

Figley, Thanks for info. I wondered about how the safety worked on these and now I know.

By the way, I haven't chambered any rounds or even inserted a loaded magazine in my rifle yet, especially in my living room, lol. This is my first AR and I just want to learn what I can. I think I will have a friend who is knowledgeable on these, go with me my first time.

I have so many questions I could bug you guys for hours. Wondering about lube on gun....I keep hearing guys talking about they must be lubed. But with what and where, how often?

Optics is another thing. Man we have come a ways since just scopes and see thru mounts. I want a cheaper red dot but don't want to spend a fortune. This will be a different post.