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AR-15 Forward Assist: What It Does & Do You Need One?

Annihilator

Annihilator

Emissary
Founding Member
Nice little article here on what is a AR forward assist and do you need it. There are several AR manufacturers that omit this, but if I remember right, the original AR design didn’t have it, I may be wrong here.

www.pewpewtactical.com

AR-15 Forward Assist: What It Does & Do You Need One?

Should your rifle have a forward assist? We walk you through what a forward assist does and tell you whether it's worth having on your AR-15.
www.pewpewtactical.com www.pewpewtactical.com
 
I don't own an AR, because I don't have a need or desire to purchase one. However, I did fire one last year before the pandemic. It had been 22 years since I last fired my standard issue battle rifle, and I hit the forward assist without even thinking about it. It's something that was ingrained in us as young privates during basic rifle marksmanship to hit the forward assist after releasing the charging handle. I've never experienced a failure to feed, but often wondered why they are still included in civilian models.
 
Anni, when M16's were first issued they didn't have chrome lines barrels and chambers. The other problem was that the gov't decided to use a different powder than what the designers originally intended , and rifles weren't cleaned often enough because of a lack of cleaning kits. Use in a tropical environment brought these issues to the forefront. As a result GI's had problems with M16's not fully going into battery and failing to extract fired rounds. So to answer the question: If one keeps his or her rifle reasonably clean, and use ammo that's recommended then it won't matter if there's a forward assist or not. But if you suspect that you'll ever carry your AR in a combat situation with extended use in questionable conditions I'd stick with the current gov't specs. :)
 
Recusant said:
Anni, when M16's were first issued they didn't have chrome lines barrels and chambers. The other problem was that the gov't decided to use a different powder than what the designers originally intended , and rifles weren't cleaned often enough because of a lack of cleaning kits. Use in a tropical environment brought these issues to the forefront. As a result GI's had problems with M16's not fully going into battery and failing to extract fired rounds. So to answer the question: If one keeps his or her rifle reasonably clean, and use ammo that's recommended then it won't matter if there's a forward assist or not. But if you suspect that you'll ever carry your AR in a combat situation with extended use in questionable conditions I'd stick with the current gov't specs. :)
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Thanks for the info, didn’t know that.
 
Bassbob said:
If I'm not mistaken the military mandated that they had them. That said I have never used or had to use one on any of mine. And the latest one I put together is a side charger like an AK so it doesn't have or need one.
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I never understood why the forward assist and not a side charger. This article give a rationale for the forward assist:

https://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/ar-15-forward-assist/
 
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