Forward assist, or not?

[THE SENTINEL]

go with forward assit you are going to need it

 

[chraland51]

Boy, I can go back to sleep now that the question of the need for a forward assist is definitely settled. I am not going to give my opinion. I do not know the answer. I have a DPMS AR15 and a DPMS .308 LR and neither of them have the forward assist. I have never needed one, but then again, I do not get to shoot either of them very much. My answer would be about worthless.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

The weapon already had a forward assist, the divot in the bolt.

 

[Ol' Wiley]

Am I the only one here that does a brass check after chambering a round? Guess the Corps beat that into me... and now I NEED the forward assist. Wouldn't have an AR without one.

Slingshot, brass check, forward assist, sweep the sights, check the sights, close the ejection port cover.

Hahahaa, memories.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

No, Ol', you are not alone.

However, I just use a finger in the original forward assist to ensure that it is closed.

 

[Ol' Wiley]

There ya go, get rid of those pesky failure points and just use the ol' booger hook.

 

[Birdstrike]

Thanks for this thread. Very informative for a newbie like me.

 

[Mechy]

I'm no expert, but from what I've read, the spring in a .308 is stout enough to chamber any round that belongs in the chamber. As has been stated above, if you need the assist, that round probably shouldn't be in the chamber.

 

[U.S. Patriot]

For the type of shoting most of us do, I see no need for it. I have personaly never used it on any AR I have shot. It's not like you are taking in into combat. As others have said. I would take a look at M&P15 sport.

 

[Fordtough25]

Just to clear up what I was talking about earlier, I used the forward assist because a piece of something had made its way into the chamber and stopped the bolt from traveling all the way forward. Couldn't seperate the upper from lower because the bolt wasn't all the way forward, the forward assist allowed me to solve that problem and take the rifle apart to clean the piece of plastic out. Like I said that's the only time I had to use it, just my experience.

 

[patience0830]

Not sure how much difference there is

I'm no expert, but from what I've read, the spring in a .308 is stout enough to chamber any round that belongs in the chamber. As has been stated above, if you need the assist, that round probably shouldn't be in the chamber.

I'm using the collapsable stock, buffer tube, buffer and spring off a new DPMS .308 on a .223 platform and it functions fine. I don't know just how much difference there is in the springs. I've not tried a .223 spring in the .308 as the thought of tearing up my Oracle to test a spring doesn't appeal to me. The useable info is that if your .308 breaks an upper and your .223 needs a spring to work, you can scavenge the part from the .308 and go back to active defense mode.

 

[slyton]

I personally like the Forward Assist (FA). It makes it look more like the stero type "black rifle" and serves the purpose of making sure the round is in the camber since there is no connecting rod to push on. If you don;t want it don;t get it, but I think it add functionality to the gun.

 

[gloxrok]

the design is there for a reason, good or bad, so i say go with it. it's always better to have it and not need it than the other way around. i personally shoot a dpms a15 and think it's a pretty fine rifle, no issues or complaints. never needed the f/a though.

 

[ssgjason]

Stoner did not originally design it that way, nor is it needed.
Having used an M4 extensively in poor conditions, I never needed it, just CLP and lots of it.

 

[U.S. Patriot]

I still say that if it's going to be used for a range gun, then there is no need for it. My office was the ocean for four years. I never once had to use the forward assist.

 

[LPPOsecurity]

I recently became an AR owner, do you need the FA? I'm not really sure, do you want the forward assist? Yes if not for any other reason than it looks good on the rifle in my opinion

 

[WebSnyper]

I went for the S&W M&P Sport recently.

If there were 2 guns for the same price and otherwise identical, I would have probably picked one with an FA. Because I wanted to get into the AR game at a low entry fee (in this case $599), I selected the Sport, and the compromise of no FA and no dust cover.

I've only had it for a few weeks, but I'm pleased with it.

I can't speak to the DPMS.

 

[MrSmitty]

Ok, so it's settled, I'll either get one with or with out the FA.............45 v 9mm anyone?.......lol

 

[revsaxon]

Some of mine have it, some don't. Can't say ive ever used it, but I like the option of having it if I ever need it.

 

[justanotherjarhe]

the forward assist was needed because when combatants would use the cut-out on the bolt carrier(intended for same purpose by Stoner), a round would explode injuring the hand. With the FA your hand is away from the ejection port so it is safer. With that said, you NEVER try to jam a round in the chamber with the FA. Use no more force than you would if you were using your index and middle finger to set the bolt. If you PUSH on the FA to get a round to chamber, you are screwed in battle. Sometimes the carrier just needs a easy thumb press. This is caused by things such as a very dirty weapon or no lube. If something is damaged or there is debris in the chamber it will be difficult to force the bolt forward. If light touch on the FA will not work, sek remedial action.

With that said, ask yourself this. Do you like your fingers? Note that if you arent actually in battle, you are better off doing remedial action. But if you want to practice how you want to fight, better to have it than not.

Edit: It is also better to have a dust cover than not. If it's a battle rifle, set the odds in your favor. You wont be sorry!