AR15 Forward Assist - Anyone actually use it?

[clambo]

From an engineering standpoint I've always thought of the forward assist as a bandaid for a fundamentally bad design. You don't see them on Glocks or 1911's much. I always hoped that I'd never ever have to use an M16 in combat. Lord give me anything else.

 

[jake_16_1999]

I'm not arguing for either side of this, but I have to say one of the differences between the AR and those pistols is you can disassemble the pistols while they are open breach, where as an AR has to be fully closed in order to separate the upper from lower. Thus having a round not seated would make it difficult to open the AR to pull the bolt and remove it.

 

[Medic!]

Cost wise there are more uppers made with Forward assist and ejector port trap door. The uppers without are just a fraction of the huge number of uppers made every year. I just built a AR-15 last summer with DSA M-4 upper and SSA lower for $515 counting shiping. And it had a Forward assist. I bet the cheepest upper you could find on sale at any time will have the Forward assist. So dont pay more for an ar without one. Remember it's an AR-15. It needs a Forward assist!

 

[Trailboss]

From an engineering standpoint I've always thought of the forward assist as a bandaid for a fundamentally bad design. You don't see them on Glocks or 1911's much. I always hoped that I'd never ever have to use an M16 in combat. Lord give me anything else.

Agree completely. I have a few ARs, but would rather carry my Sig556 into combat

 

[Trailboss]

The addition of the forward assist to the Stoner designed AR was necessary because Stoner designed the gas system to dump burned powder residue back into the chamber. After enough rounds are fired, the chamber is so full of built up residue that the action won't close. This is poor engineering at best. I own a few ARs and enjoy shooting them but the gas system is a poor design in a rifle designed for battle.

If automobile designers were to do something similar, they would first route the exhaust pipe into the air intake, then they would cut a hole in the floor below the driver's feet so the driver could stick his/her feet out and push the car to get it moving when it fails to go under it's own power. I'm glad Stoner didn't assist in the design of my truck.

 

[svxr8dr]

I'll use it on the rare occasion that I run S.P.O.R.T.S ....some muscle memory never goes away

Slap, Pull, Observe, Release, Tap, Shoot.

Slaps gently upward on the magazine to ensure it is fully seated, and the magazine follower is not jammed.
Pulls the charging handle fully to the rear.
Observes for the ejection of a live round or expended cartridge. (If the weapon fails to eject a cartridge, perform remedial action.)
Releases the charging handle (do not ride it forward).
Taps the forward assist assembly to ensure bolt closure.
Squeezes the trigger and tries to fire the rifle.