Saga of the AR15 Forward Assist: A Solution Searching for a Problem

I used it once with a S&W AR-10 that has a cycling issue, intermittently not fully seating each round (turned out the gas tube was not pinned). Saved my range day. I suppose it would also be useful if your weapon was choked with a lot of dirt or mud that was interfering with cycling.

Stoner didn't put it there, cause he thought it could cause a greater jam, which you would not fix without tools. The best thing is to do is discharge the round. It has an issue(dent, ding, etc.) and should get rid of it. Not try to push it on in the barrel.

I've never used the forward assist. My only experience with m16s was in the army and honestly I didn't like it. I felt like it was unreliable and underpowered. I think I would probably like a civy ar15 chambered in 7.62 though. The reliability problems were probably more of because all the shit the gun went through in training

It don’t do anything anyway

I will say my initial marksmanship training in the corps was to conduct a brass check prior to starting my course of fire (after loading a new magazine). The forward assist was part of that (pull back the bolt just enough to see brass, release, then ensure the bolt was seated with the forward assist).

I had no idea that was why we didn't have the forward assist while I was in the USAF.

Some logistics moron changed Stoner's specification for all chromed BCG and chrome lined barrel. Additionally, the DoD changed the powder for the munitions. The logistics idiot decided to save a few pennies per weapon by parkerizing the whole weapon. With the chrome, the carbon would not be able to bond and would fall off. The parkerized parts were a magnet for the carbon. This is where all the jamming and bolt problems came from.

Only thing forward assist is good for is a "quietly" seating a rnd. Jamming the bolt forward on a dicked up chamber is stupid

Lol AF was right weird

The forward assist on a cheap S&W AR15 saved Kyle Rittenhouse's life, it has merit….. When your AR is extremely dirty or cheap af and can't run a full magazine without jamming

Persistence and stubbornness… yep that sounds about right

All of my "serious" AR's dont have forward assists on the uppers. Makes it much easier to run the charging handle when you're shooting left handed.

If Stoner thought it was unnecessary it most certainly was.

The biggest reason the forward assist is necessary is because of the nature of the charging handle. Unlike the AK with its side charging handle. A round not going into battery with an AR could make it difficult to clear and go to the next round. So having that assist allows you to ergonomically be able to solve the problem instead of pulling the charging handle to clear the round

Slap Pull Observe Release Tap Squeeze

Marine Vet here…. Forward assist is nessisary. I have used it a handful of times

Eugene Stoner did not anticipate the grimy conditions and even more grimy ammo that the AR would endure. Especially blank ammo, which is 75% coal dust.

Main reason to have FA is that it looks cooler.

The Air Force doesn’t fight in the jungle or desert.

M16A2 upper married to an A1 lower in Basic. After 40 or more years of service and hundreds of thousands of rounds, feed ramps are scuffed, buffer springs are worn, bolts don’t cam like they used to, and god forbid they get serviced correctly.
Malfunctions from said wear and tear mean the exact thing the forward assist was meant to fix happened, IE, rounds don’t fully chamber and no amount of slingshotting your charging handle will fix it.

The Kenosha kid used it in his altercation. I'll take mine as it comes. i look at it as a cup of coffee or a key bump. Sometimes, you need a little push to get u going.

Whats ian talking about? Thats cleary a sniper button

This debate was ended in 2020. Ian is wrong

Forward assist is extremely useful lol

F&CK a forward assist.

Given that 99% of other rifles don't have it, couldn't the charging handle serve this function without additional external parts?
I understand the sentiment of "nice to have just in case".
Why, mechanically, is it not on more rifles if incomplete cycling is a concern not exclusive to the AR?

You miscalled the malfunction assist.

Oh well. At least Kyle Rittenhouse got a use out of it.

I understand the overly cautious approach of the army initially, but their concerns have proven unwarranted and it’s time to ditch it

In the probably one million rounds I fired in 8 years of infantry, I not ONCE used the forward assist. It is like a human appendix …. unnecessary. A useless piece of junk on an otherwise superb rifle.

I have the 604 slick side and have never had any issues, in my mind if you have to forcefully chamber a round that cant be self chamberd, there is an issue.

Kyle Rittenhouse is a pretty big fan of the forward assist, I would imagine. He used his to get his rifle into battery and then defend himself immediately after while he was being chased down by a violent mob. Saying you don’t need one is sort of like saying you don’t need to wear a seatbelt because you haven’t actually had your life saved by it yet.

I’ve used M4s/ARs professionally and privately for the last 15 years, to include a combat deployment, and I’ve never met a person outside of the internet who actually ever had an issue caused by a forward assist. I think it’s an overblown topic.

I like having a forward assist to help return the bolt to battery after a press check, and to ensure the bolt is in battery after long movements. I have had experiences in training where you do a multi-hour infil, then get to the objective and go to crank off a round and realize your charging handle caught on your kit at some point and move the bolt just out of battery. This is easily remedied by occasionally tapping the forward assist, and keeps you from having to open the dust cover and manually push on the carrier.

Additionally, if I’m in a combat environment, I like the option of being able to shove a round in if needed despite environmental issues or round deformation. Sure, that’s not something you want to get in a habit of as a civilian, but in extremis it is a nice option.

AR-7 also does not have a dedicated forward assist. The charging handle always follows the bolt, so it could be used as a clunky forward assist.

I only like it because you can quietly chamber a round using it and the charging handle while hunting

Before the AR I knew only AKMs. When I first was shown an AR I was confused why there were three possible mechanisms involved to chamber a round (charging handle, bolt release, forward assist). AKM is simple, utilitarian. But I like the AR as well – it is fun to shoot and accurate; I have two.

All of them have a forward assist as designed by Eugene Stoner. The bolt under the dust cover has a thumb groove for your right thumb to push the bolt carrier into battery. So the new army style design has two forward assist options! Committees and cover ups are wasteful and stick around any too long.

The forward assist isn’t completely necessary, but after 25 years in the infantry, I’m not going to say it doesn’t have its uses.

It is completely useless and unnecessary for its stated purpose. If the rifle has a firing malfunction or a bad round, beating the bolt into battery is stupid and counterproductive.

Where the forward assist shines is on training exercises with crimped blanks, which by their shape and nature frequently don’t feed as smoothly as live ammo. Or when trying to chamber a round quietly. It’s convenient to have the ability to ride the bolt home, then press it quietly into battery with the forward assist that last 1/4 inch.

"The Army won out, kind of by persistance and stubborness"

Which is why they have won practically every single conventional war

I'm not a combat veteran, but I've coached many a Marine on the rifle range. By the gods has that little button been invaluable.

Now today we have a forward assist and mostly deleted pinning the gas block.

I like the forward assist for doing bump checks

I always liked the ideas of integrating the forward assist and the bolt release into the same control. Essentially you have one button whose job is to make the bolt go forward, in either instance. Alternatively you could have the forward assist that also trips the bolt release button, instead of one button. I think it could be done but you would have to redesign some things, so I get why it wasn't.

That buffer thingy is stupid. Why not extract ..rather than jam force it ?

Funnily enough I never needed any forward assist, BUT on my mk18 REPLICA gbb airsoft, cause the didn't "lock" properly

People only hate it because the internet told them to. Having a way to force the bolt closed in a dire situation is a necessity on a serious use rifle.