Lets talk forward assists

[Franky4Fingers]

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.

[chrisazo1]

All I know is if my life depended on getting off one more shot, I would take my chances of some gas blowback then to be a sitting duck. These rifles run dirty and it is possible that the chamber could carbon up allowing a round to not fully seat. A couple quick ratchets with the FA and you can still go hot. Don't forget the locking lugs on the bolt face that will ensure proper seal prior to firing. Also these rifles are not designed for me to shoot a couple hundred rounds through and go home and clean it. They can see many hundreds or a thousand rounds when in service.

[Asmodeus6]

I bought a rifle without a forward assist or ejection port cover. So after a while, I swapped the upper out for one with those items. I have never used the forward assist ever. Not once. But the ejection cover I think is nice to have if you end up running through some junk with the rifle.

I've since used the slick side upper to build another AR. The DPMS ones are more than twice as thick as a normal upper receiver. So it seemed suitable for 7.62x39.

[Breadman03]

The forward assist isn't needed for most, but for the Grunt in the sandbox who is facing an enemy assault, there is a very real possibility that it will bethe difference between life and death.

[39flathead]

I know people that can go 20 years without using their spare tire, but they still carry one.


The FA is probably never going to be used by the backyard plinker, but I know one guy at least that told me the FA on his Colt saved his ass years ago.
Could be bullshit for all I know, but if he is telling the truth, that FA might be one of the reasons I'm here.

[renalp]

I want someone to say "your a dumbass franky, its used for _______________"

OK, you're a dumbass, Franky. It's used for... uh... well, it's been there for 50 years and hasn't killed anyone yet, so it's still there.

Seriously, the FA is a field expediency, a somewhat kludgy add-on requested by military users, which most recreational shooters will never need. As for "no other gun has one," most other guns have a reciprocating bolt handle, hence no reason for the FA.

[ViperHummel]

Ever chamber a round quietly? Ever want to make sure you did chamber a round before shit is about to happen? (ie ambush or a planned attack) By pulling the charging handle back slowly, observing the chamber and then riding it back forward, the bolt face will not seat all the way into the star chamber. This rifle has very tight tolerances in comparison to most other military issue rifles of the world.
Is it needed on the civilian side? Most likely not, but it is far from a dangerous addition. The rifle operates by spewing carbon back into weapon and on the bolt carrier/bolt. All you need to do is tap it, don't slam it or bang it and that is only done if the carrier did not seat all the way.

[DennisH82]

It's there for a reason, I have used mine on occassion. That nifty flash hider doesn't seem to make troops invisible at night either but it is still there.

[41800216]

Ever chamber a round quietly? Ever want to make sure you did chamber a round before shit is about to happen? (ie ambush or a planned attack) By pulling the charging handle back slowly, observing the chamber and then riding it back forward, the bolt face will not seat all the way into the star chamber. This rifle has very tight tolerances in comparison to most other military issue rifles of the world.
Is it needed on the civilian side? Most likely not, but it is far from a dangerous addition. The rifle operates by spewing carbon back into weapon and on the bolt carrier/bolt. All you need to do is tap it, don't slam it or bang it and that is only done if the carrier did not seat all the way.

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.

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.


*edit* seriously, renalp was issued an infraction for that post? It's pretty clear to me that the "dumbass" comment was made in jest, considering the tone of the rest of the line.

[knight0334]

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.

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.


*edit* seriously, renalp was issued an infraction for that post? It's pretty clear to me that the "dumbass" comment was made in jest, considering the tone of the rest of the line.

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