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Posted: 3/10/2007 8:18:08 PM EDT
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This is mostly for NFA class III owners but here goes. Anyone have any problems/malfunctions with their weapon, firing full auto, that could have been fixed with a forward assist. Obviously the military did or they would not have added the FA, but for those of us who do not drag them thru the mud? Asking because I am going to build a GAU-5 and want to be prepared. Thanks, RMiller |
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I have never had to use my forward assist with the many M16's that I have used. Some will say that if you are easing a round into the chamber so as not to make noise by letting it slam home, then you use the forward assist to make sure that it is seated. Not many situations you would be in where you wait until you are close to the enemy to chamber a round. I have a master gunsmith that works a lot on AR15's and M16's, and he is adamant about not using a forward assist. As he states, if the round has trouble chambering, then forcing it in with the forward assist is only asking for trouble. If the round does not chamber, do not force it in with the forward assist, rather just eject the round and chamber a fresh round. The master gunsmith said he has had many people bring in their AR15's with rounds jammed in the chamber from using the forward assist. At any rate, the Air Force saw no reason for the forward assist. I have a number of slick side uppers that I use with full auto lowers, and they all work really well. Charles Tatum Alamo Professional Arms |
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+1 We've discussed this question too. All the one's who have had experience in combat and/or training in combat or IPSC style shooting are agreed: The FA is a great none answer to a none problem. We all agree with the previous poster - if a round doesn't chamber, clear it and try the next round. To jam a round further into the chamber is asking for trouble - if it gets stuck then your weapon is out of action. The notch in the bolt carrier that activates the cover can be used as a forward assist - if thumb pressure there can't close the bolt then that round needs to be cleared pronto. Just our opinion. |
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I think the FA is an uneccesary add-on to an AR; if you use clean ammo and your rifle is well maintained, then the FA is worthless; if you have a malfunction, clear the round and move on. I do not see any other modern rifle that has a forward assist (FAL, G3, G36, SG55X, etc...), so why did the M16 uses one is beyone me. |
The other rifles you list all have a cocking piece that's tied directly to the bolt assy, so you can move the bolt forward OR backwards with the handle. The AR15/M16's cocking arrangement is only tied in on the backward movement. And that's why the Army insisted on the forward assist. Whether or not it was a good idea is certainly debatable, but that is the reason. 
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This is not true of either the FAL (with the exception of the Israeli version) or the G3. Neither has a cocking handle that can be used to push the carrier forward. I cannot comment either way on the G36. I would also like to point out to the original poster that there is no reason to believe the Army ever added the forward assist because they had problems. The army looked at the design and said they would never buy it unless it had the forward assist. They never even tried it, except in small numbers in field trials. |
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Guys, guys! You're all barking up the wrong tree! You have to understand how the military is about their acronyms! The only reason they insisted on the forward assist is that the acronym SPORS just wouldn't cut it. So, they had to figure out a way that they could use the acronym SPORTS. They decided on the word TAP but there was nothing to tap so they suggested a device to ensure that the bolt was fully closed. By the way, for those of you that don't know, SPORTS stands for Slap Pull Observe Release Tap Shoot. You Slap the magazine to ensure it is seated. You Pull the Charging handle to the rear. You Observe the FUBAR in the ejection port. After removing the FUBAR you Release the charging handle. Then you Tap the forward assist. Now it's time to try to Shoot again. In reality, I'm pretty sure that the military never intended for grunts to force bent or corroded ammunition into the chamber. It is more akin to what HK calls a "silent bolt closure device" which is what it does if you use it properly. The forward assist was not made to clear a jam, only induce one. Never force ammunition into the chamber. I've been using M16's close to 20 years now and I've never had to use the forward assist to put a round in the chamber and the bolt into battery. |
Whoops.  Well I guess you can tell that my total experience w/FALs was in Israel. Always thought the G3 was a tied in bolt handle assy. Never have used one, since I won't buy stamped out garbage from the same bastards who murdered my mother's family in Lithuania, and half my father's people in France.
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