m16 forward assist

[k arga]

why did the military want the forward assist, seems to me that it would cause more trouble than it would fix. why try to pound a problem round in tighter.

[togor]

Round might be hung up in the magazine but chamber OK once free. Like bumping op-rod to strip the first round in an M1 or M1A

[rider]

why did the military want the forward assist, seems to me that it would cause more trouble than it would fix. why try to pound a problem round in tighter.
I'm sure there were situations in combat where GIs had "assisted" the bolt into battery with the op rod handle of their M1s or M14s.

[Johnny in Texas]

I have used it on more than one occasion on my M16A1 it was dirty the round was still hard to extract. I have an early SP1 and had to take it apart to get a round out of it. A forward assist would have solved the problem.

[Rock]

If I remember correctly, during the ambush of the Jessica Lynch convoy, a soldier's M16 failed to function and he had to manually cycle the rifle and hit the forward assist to fully chamber and fire each round.

[Garden Valley]

The reason the forward assist was developed and incorporated into the rifle was not necessarily to pound a round into the chamber. If the bolt carrier were to become stuck at some position other than in full battery the rifle cannot be opened to remedy the problem. The forward assist provides the shooter a means to return the carrier to battery so the rifle can be opened. Otherwise, the rifle has become an awkward and someshat fragile club.

[Griff Murphey]

Every so often an M-1 will hang up with a round not fully chambered. You cannot safely put a boot on the op rod without pointing the muzzle at your head or torso. I have shown more than one shooter how to pad the op rod with a shooting glove and lean into the gun while the op rod is up against a concrete bench or firing line roof support.

If I may amplify on what Garden Valley just said: Even though the M-16 forward assist is able to snap the extractor over the case rim, it does not give you much forward oomph if you are trying to force the action closed. As far as using rearward force against the charging handle with your body weight against some immovable object to get a jammed '16/AR bolt open, on several levels; FORGET it. It is way too fragile, and there is no effective purchase point to force open the bolt. Disassembly would then be your only option and if the bolt is jammed too far back for the action to allow rotating the upper and lower apart, theoretically, the gun would at that point be done. The M-16/AR-15 is best kept clean and hopefully running. The best use for the forward assist is NO use. JMHO.

[joem]

I did use mine the other day but the rifle was really dirty. Usually I don't let them get that way.

[Art]

Every so often an M-1 will hang up with a round not fully chambered. You cannot safely put a boot on the op rod without pointing the muzzle at your head or torso. I have shown more than one shooter how to pad the op rod with a shooting glove and lean into the gun while the op rod is up against a concrete bench or firing line roof support.



While this is off topic on this forum I was shown years ago a method of fixing "frozen bolt syndrome" with an M1 or M14. Hook your right thumb over the operating rod handle. With the muzzle pointed up and maintaining firm downward pressure on the op rod handle, smack the butt down smartly on a bench, table or other hard surface. If this is not avaiable kneel down and use the ground. It works every time, is perfectly safe and dosen't marr the metal.

[da gimp]

if bolt is frozen on an M14, remove mag, while in a prone position & with muzzle pointed away from you, kick the op rod handle back with the rubber heel of your boot. Clean gas system & chamber if it occurs.You never have to raise up into an exposed position.

[RED]

I don't know how M-14's are related to the forward assist on a M-16/Ar-15 rifles. In any event I owned a registered M-16A1 from 1986 until 2006. I wore out at least one barrel and probably had a round count of well over 1,000's of rounds and I cannot recall ever having used the forward assist with a positive result. Now I wasn't in combat with a AK-47 looking at me but I do claim a bit of experience with the weapon.


... stuck at some position other than in full battery the rifle cannot be opened to remedy the problem.

Oh, I seem to remember a similar situation where I pulled both pins and managed to separate the upper from the lower... but I'm 4 into a 6 pack and my memory may be a bit fuzzy.

Remember the gal that got the Silver Star in the Iraq invasion... she testified that her weapon jammed and she never was able to get off a round? How does an unfired weapon "jam?"

[Griff Murphey]

The AR-15/M-16 rifle was the first semiautomatic or select-fire weapon which was designed without any provision for positively forcing the bolt forward (which the present forward assist solves, to an extent) or rearward (which the forward assist did not solve, and which is still a problem - at least in theory - for the AR-15 platform). Some people have said: "That's what you get when an aircraft design team designs a rifle."

Just for kicks I went onto Wikipedia to see if Armalite was related to the Aircraft industry. Did not find that, but according to them, Colt said the Forward Assist was not needed because the design was "Self Cleaning" (there it comes again). The Air Force argued against the Forward Assist, saying it needlessly complicated the rifle, and added $4.50 to the unit cost of the rifle! However, the Army went ahead with it and that is why the XM-16E1 had it and USAF M-16s didn't. At least according to Wikipedia however much stock you put in THAT.

A discussion of how much more user-friendly the M-1 and M-14 were in this regard is certainly a useful contrast, since they were the principal service rifles for at least 30 years previous to the AR-15 family, and did NOT suffer from this problem.

[Art]

if bolt is frozen on an M14, remove mag, while in a prone position & with muzzle pointed away from you, kick the op rod handle back with the rubber heel of your boot. Clean gas system & chamber if it occurs.You never have to raise up into an exposed position.

A frozen bolt in combat with an M1 or M14 is a very serious situation. I never had it happen in combat but did in a rainstorm in basic training. all attempts to open the action including stomping on the operating handle to no avail

[Col. Colt]

Stoner's original "forward assist" was the semi-circular cutout on the side of the bolt, for your thumb! The only good use of the forward assist is when you have to chamber a round silently - which is why they welded one on HK's G-3 Sniper rifle. Generally, forcing a bad or dirty round into the chamber is a very bad idea. Kick it out and clear the problem, then try again. CC