Why is there still a forward assist on AR's?

[Ligito]

M4 feed ramps may also have reduced jams, over earlier designs.

 

[erudne]

My observation; confirmed by the US Army Ordnance Corps is that 90% of failures are user caused and 90% of those failures are from improper/non-existant cleaning, which includes mags and ammo.
If you are worried about your poodle shooter get an AK

 

[SVT-ROY]

Oh my, seriously who flipping cares. Grab an AK then. Go shoot and quit taking about it. Yes I'm an AS$!&, must be the beard.

 

[PORSCHE928S4]

I never once in the time I served had to use the FA but.... I was in charge of cleaning my own weapon . I did however use the FA several times while working in the private sector where only the "ARMOR" is authorized to clean the weapon.

 

[Idaho44]

Because you can very quietly load a round and know the bolt has been closed on the cartridge and is ready to fire! A very nice feature when you don't want to spook your targeted object.

 

[KillerBD]

Because you can very quietly load a round and know the bolt has been closed on the cartridge and is ready to fire! A very nice feature when you don't want to spook your targeted object.

on a side note, why is it in every single zombie show/movie. You see zombies roaming around moaning, growling, stumbling, stepping on glass/sticks/making-noise. But then the second a 'normal' human steps on a twig *snap* all the zombies zero right into the target? Makes no sense, not very thought out on the directors part I suppose. Unless the zombies are sort of like the ones in 'I am Legend' where they seem to be more rabid-animal like, than totally-brain dead, but cunning enough to still kill survivors...

Sorry for the 'hollywood' off topic reference. But I've had arguments with people who swear up and down ARs are inherently quieter than AKs, specifically 'turning off the safety'. Which they try to convince me by their extensive video-game/movie research flipping the safety off an AK is a loud click, while the AR is almost completely silent. Which leads me to another point, usually on missions in hostile areas rounds are already loaded in the chamber. If you were loading another magazine, releasing the bolt would be the least of your concern, since you probably blew through 28-30 or whatever rounds in the first place. So back to square one, the 'loud safety lever' neither one has any advantage. It's simply how careless the operator is in moving the selector, and from my experience the AK is a bit more forgiving/easier to move quietly.

So in effect you do make a point, but IMHO it's a very insignificant one

 

[usagi]

Because you can very quietly load a round and know the bolt has been closed on the cartridge and is ready to fire! A very nice feature when you don't want to spook your targeted object.

dont need a FA for that. just push the BCG with your thumb.

 

[Certaindeaf]

Why are there still sights on some AR's? indeed.. talk about uppity.. forward assist, feh. just pray to Jesus and spray. lol

 

[Medic!]

Dose the AR need a forward assist for you to hate it? Or to love it? Strange how the gun cant just do it's job and put rounds down range.
But people can't get there minds off this rifle design. It's almost a bigger target than it is a rifle.

 

[oli700]

In the forty or so years since Vietnam, with all the research and development that has been put into the AR by all the various gun manufacturers, why does this gun still need a FA? .

Tradition, specs and blue prints

July of ’62 AR15 goes to Vietnam and fires 80,000 rounds, no stoppage, no breakage
Army likes, Army can’t leave alone, Army changes propellant from cleaner stick powder to dirty ball powder with overabundance calcium carbonate for political and monetary purpose and in one swoop ruined what was deemed the “best all around shoulder mounted weapon in existence” per the publication resulting from the 80,000 round test. Because Gov is in bed with this powder manufacture the Army treats the symptom and not the disease, the forward assist was born and then chrome lined chambers as well as chrome lined bolt carriers.
Now the forward assist is there mostly for tradition, it can have use but it mostly makes a simple problem worse, usually resulting in the “mortaring” of the rifle by slamming the butt on the ground while simultaneously gripping the charging handle to extract the stuck round. Technology in powder has about done away with this problem but lack of maintenance by the end user can still cause the symptom.

 

[notchman]

The question is, why is there still a forward assist? No why was one designed.....

Easy answer - money.

Think of how many AR lowers have been built with an FA.....nuff said.

Hmmmmm, funny, I always thought the FA was on the UPPER. Silly me

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

Some manufacturers make uppers without a FA (or dust cover for that matter), like DPMS. Looks weird. I don't ever use the FA though. If I have a FTF the last thing I want to do is try to cram the problem into the chamber harder.

 

[cookie]

They are necessary in real life use, a range toy that gets used little use and over cleaned often may not need an assist.

 

[cookie]

Some manufacturers make uppers without a FA (or dust cover for that matter), like DPMS. Looks weird. I don't ever use the FA though. If I have a FTF the last thing I want to do is try to cram the problem into the chamber harder.

Those are the lowest of the low end ARs.

 

[Netspirit]

I have replaced my FA with a gas vent (looks the same, but redirects some gas away from your face).

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

Those are the lowest of the low end ARs.

Exactly. I prefer BCM and Noveske.

 

[bzltyr]

I have sw mp/sport. No assist or door. Its been flawless. My 2 cents

 

[Lange22250]

Better to have and not want then want and not have. Its not going to make the gun less reliable.

All of the AR's that were completely locked up were the result of someone pushing the forward assist. There is also a good video of someone blowing up an AR by pushing a squib with a live round using the forward assist.

 

[Martini_Up]

All of the AR's that were completely locked up were the result of someone pushing the forward assist. There is also a good video of someone blowing up an AR by pushing a squib with a live round using the forward assist.

All?

Link to said video??

BTW, aren't you the guy while RO's a PR match said I was 'bump firing' / doubling due to the way I was holding my rifle (off hand) when in fact it was as I said, malfunctioning (hammer pin walking out)?? And also the guy who said someone else's AR was malfunctioning because of bad ammo when in fact it was as others said, loose gas key? All that fail in only one match.

 

[Trailboss]

In my Sig556 the burned residue is vented into the piston vs. the chamber on my AR. After shooting 500 rounds of Wolf 556 I broke my Sig556 down to inspect the piston/cup/spring area. The buildup of residue was interesting. The Wolf ammo leaves a built up hard black residue that eventually flakes off the piston spring but doesn't flake off the piston and cup easily. It's easy to see that if left to build up, this black hard residue would eventually coat the chamber of my AR and would prevent rounds from chambering properly. If I lube my AR well and clean after shooting the residue doesn't build. Same with my Sig556. However if I don't clean after shooting then buildup will occur. Eventually making my AR less than reliable while my Sig556 doesn't seem to be affected. If you want a reliable AR, clean it often and keep it lubed.