Lets talk forward assists

[Valorius]

Am I the only one that thinks the forward assist is not only the dumbest idea, but the most dangerous as well? I mean...lets take something that produces 55,000 PSI and not seat it properly and fire it. In my opinion, if you cant get the round in, you dont fire the gun. If thats any other gun, you'd field strip and clean it, you wouldn't dare fire that round. But in an AR it seems "OK".

I only bring this up because I had a few people interested in my one upper I'm selling, which is a slick side. Some people just dont like the look, thats cool. They like the extra doo dads. I dig that. But to think you need it, I think is ridiculous. My buddy says he smacks his every time he chambers his round. I'm like do you fire every time you pull the trigger? He says, well no. I said then why hit it at all? If you hit the ping pong paddle, thats the same as the gun cycling itself once fired. Why are you hitting the forward assist? No other gun has one. Do you smack the slide on your SIG when you chamber a round in it as well? The gun is an automatic. Its capable of chambering its own round. Thats what an automatic does.



So, am I the goofball here? Is there a real reason to have this thing? Is it actually useful? Is it safe? Am I missing something? Does any other gun that you guys know of have a forward assist?

I'm actually hoping to be wrong here. I just can't fathom why it would still be common practice to still manufacture a worthless and dangerous part on a gun for 50 years. I want someone to say "your a dumbass franky, its used for _______________" Because right now, my opinion is, slick side or go home.

Yes, to quote you, you are a "goofball." As an ex infantryman i can tell you that i have had to use the forward assist on my M16A1 and M16A2 countless times in field problems to get it to chamber a round properly.

During the 2003 invasion of Iraq, one soldier had to use his forward assist over and over, using his M16A2 like a manually operated rifle to hold off dozens of Iraqis. He was eventually over-ran and taken prisoner, but not before killing numerous Iraqis. No one else in his unit had a functioning weapon or was capable of fighting. Had he had no forward assist, he would not have a Silver star for his troubles. (This was Jessica Lynch's unit that this happened to).

It's on there to begin with because a lot of good people lost their lives in Vietnam. It's been on every single AR variant fielded by every single military force on earth that uses AR pattern weapons ever since for a reason.

Building an AR intended for defense/combat without an AR is stupid. Period.

[knight0334]

I think the problem with FA's is all in part the user's misuse. They have a reason and proper times to be used. But misuse can cause KB's.

Like a fire extinguisher, I'd rather have it an not use it, than not have it and need it.

[39flathead]

A lack of a forward assist may have prevented THIS, that being said I like the forward assist.

Knowing to check for a blockage may have prevented that also.

[ungawa]

That was my bad.. As a part of my duties I was power-scrolling through the posts and thought I saw a personal attack. I totally missed interpreted the situation. I've asked the admins to remove the infraction.

My apologies. Apparently I am the dumbass here in this thread. lol

As long as you make it home safe tonight Quickdraw!

[knight0334]

As long as you make it home safe tonight Quickdraw!

LMAO!

Yeah.. ..well, I promise not to moderate before having some coffee and cigarettes.

[Legion_Prime]

My response to use of the forward assist in this stated situation is that it's still unnecessary, as you can manually push the bolt forward through the ejection port. I was told that the dent in the side of the bolt (as viewable from the ejection port when the bolt is forward) is there for that reason.

Actually the cutout in the side of the bolt carrier is for the dust cover latch. The recess on the bolt carrier is where it sits while the bolt is in battery & when the bolt carrier travels backward after firing a round the recess moves backwards and the latch is pushed out of the upper receiver causing the dust cover to open so that spent cartridges may be ejected.

I can understand for life-or-death purposes when you're military and deployed, but why do 99% of uppers sold for civilian (plinking) use have it? I'm pretty sure it's just to look cool, but that's just my opinion. I personally think that on a gun being sold outside of military, law enforcement, or contractor/mercenary-style duty, a forward assist is an unneeded, antiquated accessory. It was implemented decades ago on a gun that kept jamming due to less-than-ideal manufacturing tolerances and being dragged through dirt, mud, sand, water, etc. I highly doubt it's quite necessary on modern guns with modern uses.

I also think ARs look better without them, but that's likely because I think they're useless for 99% of people so why even have it.

People want things that say milspec. While many still go for items that are not milspec they still buy them insisting that since they say they are milspec then they must be milspec. The TDP specifies a FA so they are built with a FA, getting a new forging built would also add more cost than the FA assembly would, maybe not in the long term but you still come back to the whole milspec thing.
That being said while the ammunition issue with ball powder that was substituted in early Vietnam era ammunition was solved by switching back to the extruded powder specified we still got chromed chambers (in addition to a chromed barrel) and we got the FA and an institutionalized obsession with scrubbing the M16 clean down to the forging. The FA CAN be detrimental to running the gun, but that is due to the .mil still teaching the long outdated SPORTS. The tapping of the FA after charging the handle can actually induce a double feed. Rather than explain it all here I'll just post a link to this article which goes into immediate action drills with far more detail than I feel like typing or even C&Ping today.
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m...3/ai_n6362171/
TPtripleRS

[orionz06]

How does someone actually get a round to fire with the FA?

[DennisH82]

I have only seen it once but it appeared to drive the bullet of round#2 into the primer of round#1. Something's that sound impossible can be made to happen when you give an Infantryman pointy things

[orionz06]

So if you have a double feed and do not properly handle it or diagnose it you might make a nasty boom?

[Valorius]

I've never seen anything remotely happen of that kind.

I don't think it's even possible...?