In order to participate in the GunBroker Member forums, you must be logged in with your GunBroker.com account. Click the sign-in button at the top right of the forums page to get connected.
Options
AR forward assist???
matwor
Member Posts: 20,594
Anyone have pros or cons to the round vs. teardrop forward assist?
Comments
I have to say, I still don't understand what this is for. [V]
It's for slappin'
I have to say, I still don't understand what this is for. [V]
when the weapon gets excessively dirty, that dirt may impede the bolt carrier from being completely closed. in that case, a few raps on the forward assist will force it the rest of the way. thats what the serations on the side of the bolt carrier are for.
What's it for? To assist the bolt forward. Hence the nomenclature "forward assist." Sometimes the bolt doesn't go all the way forward, especially when one is conducting a brass check, thus the need for a forward assist.
if you pull the trigger and the hammer doesnt release it is usually because the bolt isnt all the way locked a slap to the assist will finish closing the bolt, then you can fire it
Does it work on a ratchet action because it only has about a 1/2 inch of travel. I mean do you hit it a few times to get it closed when it fails to close?
Note this wasn't on Stoner's original AR design or the M16. The US Army's rifle designs had been equipped to allow the user to force the bolt home if necessary since the 1800's and they wanted the same capability on this rifle. The forward assist assembly came out as a modification on the M16A1 and has been with us ever since, useful or not.
The vast majority of users will never see the need to use it.
quote:Originally posted by scottm21166
if you pull the trigger and the hammer doesnt release it is usually because the bolt isnt all the way locked a slap to the assist will finish closing the bolt, then you can fire it
Does it work on a ratchet action because it only has about a 1/2 inch of travel. I mean do you hit it a few times to get it closed when it fails to close?
That's what all the little notches in the side of the bolt are for.
The capability - or the need - of seating a bolt by forcing it forward isn't unique to the AR.
Note this wasn't on Stoner's original AR design or the M16. The US Army's rifle designs had been equipped to allow the user to force the bolt home if necessary since the 1800's and they wanted the same capability on this rifle. The forward assist assembly came out as a modification on the M16A1 and has been with us ever since, useful or not.
The vast majority of users will never see the need to use it.
Ever do a "brass check"? You'll need it if you do.
In basic we were taught this failure drill.
Gun does not fire, slap the mag to make sure it is locked in tight, pull back on the charging handle and look in the action to make sure there is not a round in the chamber, let the the bolt fly home, hit the assist 3 times, try to fire again. This can be done in about 3-4 seconds.
Now the downside to this is say you have a round that is out of spec, or you have some kind of dirt in the chamber and this round is not going to load no matter what. By hitting the assist you now have just made your problem worse to the point of maybe you can not manually get the round to eject.
The Marines we [corpsmen] were with were trained to retreive the ejected round during the routine clearing-of-weapons when coming back into the compound after patrol. The round is replaced into the magazine. It's bound to get re-chambered again. Maybe a third time, don't know for sure. But you are looking for an AD, as the firing pin hits the primer each time the round is chambered.
I got a CDNN surplus Colt M-16A1 upper and use the bolt assist to "walk" the bolt into battery, rather than allow it to slam home.
Eject a chambered round (at the range, not at the computer!!) Notice the little "dimple" in the primer? Do it again. And again. How many times is too many? Do it and get back to me with the count, or use the forward assist and gently send the bolt home. Yes, I know that one [inertia] strike will most likely not cause an AD, or you would have doubles. Why flirt with the remotest of probabilities at all? Best, Joe
Give it up. It's the Chauchat of our day, always has been.
The fact that this rifle has a device which allows you to force the bolt forward has nothing to do with it's overall reliability. As I stated, the Army has had this capability on their rifles since latter part of the 19th century and they like it.
As for needing to hit the forward assist when checking for a loaded chamber, I've never had to have it. As long as your recoil spring is up to snuff, if you pull back more than about 1/2 inch and let it go forward freely it will relock.
The problem many have is not opening the bolt anough during this. For some reason some people only want to retract it enough to peek the bress. Go ahead and pull it on back, then release without riding it forward. As long as you aren't pulling back an entire cartridge length you're okay.
Anyone have pros or cons to the round vs. teardrop forward assist?
Which ever one feels best aganst the bottom your boot. It's called a kick starter for a reason
Which ever one feels best aganst the bottom your boot. It's called a kick starter for a reason'Kicks starting' an AR refers to putting the butt on the ground, holding the muzzle out to the side and raking the charging handle with a boot, not the forward assist.
If you have to kick a bolt forward to get it seated you're only making a bad problem worse. [:0]
I have to say, I still don't understand what this is for. [V]
To help you jam the weapon worse that it could do on it's own.[;)]
The AK on the other hand, because of a powerful driving spring, will chamber anything resembling a 7.62x39, 5.45x39 or .223 round.
You can kick the operating handle if that doesn't work.
my a.k dont need no forward assist.
UUUMMMMMM I hate to break this too you but your AK has a forward assist on it too. That thing that sticks out on the right side of the gun that you pull back to load a round is also a forward assist. Same as a M1A, or a Garand, or a M1 Carbine, or a Tommy gun, or Galil, or SKS, or ect.
Since the changing handle is not fixed to the bolt in an AR there is nothing to push forward so it needs to have something else to do it.
This comes from firing on the range a lot, When firing the rapid fire and you load a mag of 5 rounds, Let the bolt go home and just in case hit the forward assist. Have felt it move a couple of times.
My Bushmaster carbon 15 doesn't have a forward assist and I've seen others that don't have this feature anymore.
In a situation where chambering a round quickly is a matter of life and death, of course. If simply plinking away, it is, IMO, better to find out why rather than take the chance of increasing the problem.
Case in point - a broken case. Obviously the next round did not chamber. First step was to drop the mag, eject the round and find the problem. Not quite sure what would have happened if I had tried to force the new round into the 1" of case left in the chamber.
Brad Steele
quote:Originally posted by wlfmn323
my a.k dont need no forward assist.
UUUMMMMMM I hate to break this too you but your AK has a forward assist on it too. That thing that sticks out on the right side of the gun that you pull back to load a round is also a forward assist. Same as a M1A, or a Garand, or a M1 Carbine, or a Tommy gun, or Galil, or SKS, or ect.
Since the changing handle is not fixed to the bolt in an AR there is nothing to push forward so it needs to have something else to do it.
dam it man,,, you got a point[:(][;)]