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Posted: 8/5/2008 3:47:14 PM EDT
| Difference between forged and extruded charged handle? pictures would help |
The PRI Gas Buster Charging Handle is the best of the bunch.  Extruded charging handles use a Aluminum alloy a forged charging handle uses forged steel. Then there are just plain steel ones also. |
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Well I'm no expert by any means but the basics are as follows; (I think....) Forged is porosity free and has a very high strength to weight ratio. The parts are forged into a billet by pounding or pressing metal (sometimes hot, sometimes cold, the latter being stronger) between two dies usually close to the size and shape of the finished part and then machined and heat treated making a stronger part but at a higher cost. Cold forging sometimes use and extrusion processes but that is not the same as how a charging handle or receiver extension is made. Cast metal is heated to liquid and then poured into the dies. When the part cools it is removed, machined and heat treated. It is easier and cheaper than forging but the metal is very porous and not as strong. Extruded aluminum is heated and then pushed through a die that shapes the material. It is faster, easier and cheaper to produce parts this way, but not as strong as forged. Extruded is good for a lot of things but not parts that need to take abuse. Stamped is pressing a sheet of metal between two dies to form a desired shape. Again cheap and fast but not as strong as a machined billet, but sometimes much more practical. |
I have never seen a steel charging handle(on an AR). Just cast or forged aluminum. |
I believe that DPMS makes a steel CH. |
"standard" forged CH is forged from aluminim. There are a couple of steel ones out there but I kinda doubt they're forged. It's only a CH after all. Typically, a CH doesn't see much "abuse". That being said, a forged piece is always preferable to an extrusion. |
Sorry---wrong.  While there may be some forged steel handles on the market (I wouldn't know because I would NEVER put a steel handle in an AR); the forged handles usually found in the top brand ARs are Aluminum.. Colt and Bushie are two that come to mind. Not sure about which other brands use forged handles; but based on price, I'd suspect that DPMS pieces are extruded. On the other hand, i've got Colt, DPMS, and some aftermarket handles, and have never had a problem w/any of them. |
I wouldn't use steel because of the weight. I've never seen a forged aluminum unit fail. In fact the only charging handle I've EVER seen fail was a steel unit around twenty years ago, it was a total POS manufactured out of stamped sheet metal. PursuitSS |
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