2 AR Questions

[studman5578]

These are assembly and preference related questions, and am hoping for a good discussion on these.

1) How nessecary is a foreward assist? From what I've seen, it's about 70-30 for guns that do and don't. Is it worth turning down an otherwise perfect upper for?

2) I'm trying to decide between a 16 and 20 in barrel for my ar, what are the pros and cons of either? I'm guessing there isn't much of a difference in velocity, not enough to write home about atleast.

Any imput would be great. Thanks alot.

 

[Jimro]

Forward assist is not necessary in a civilian sporting arm.

20 inch barrel gives you a better sighting radius. There are some balance issues, but that shouldn't be a deciding factor unless you have a really specific idea of how you want your rifle to handle.

Jimro

 

[gotigers]

1. Forward assist isnt needed as stated above, but most ARs have it so it doesnt matter.

2. What will you be doing with your rifle? Less than 16 will require a stamp or perm attached FH.

 

[Warchild]

Agree with above on the forward assist, as to barrel length, 20 inch for range, 16 or shorter for standard duties, home defense, plinking, etc.

 

[DMK]

As far as the forward assist: If a round doesn't want to go in on its own, do you really want to jam it in there? I'd rather rack the action and try the next round. If that doesn't go in either, they you have a problem that needs attention (if you happen to be in a gun battle, it's time to switch to your sidearm).

As far as a 16" barrel length:

A hundred to two hundred fps slower in velocity for a 16" barrel

Slightly shorter sight radius with a midlength gas system, a much shorter sight radius with a CAR or M4 gas system

A bit more wear and tear on the bolt/carrier with a CAR or M4 gas system, maybe some slight decrease in reliability with a lower quality AR. (The 16" midlength and 20" rifle gas systems operate at a lower pressure so the forces on the bolt and the extraction of the spent shell are less violent)

At 16" AR is lighter and handier than a rifle with the same barrel profile.

Aside from the shorter sight radius(a non-issue with optics or a red dot), accuracy should be the same.

Out to 200yards, either should work just fine.

Notice no forward assist. Also notice the handguard length and sight radius. This is a Midlength gas system carbine

 

[studman5578]

I plan on using it for plinking and some benchrest shooting. I'm not looking for a match gun, just something fun to shoot. I'll probably get a 22lr conversion kit so it's definitely not going to be a match gun.

 

[Warchild]

My suggestion would be a 16' then, nothing special, can't go wrong. Small, manueverable, plenty of fun to be had.

 

[gotigers]

agreed a 16 is most versatile. If you can stretch the money a midlength is best.

 

[DMK]

One thing to keep in mind is once you buy your AR, you can always order another upper for it online in almost any configuration or barrel length as you wish. Sometimes you can even swap calibers. I have a 7.62x39 upper that I can use on any of my .223/5.56 lowers. You could do the same with 6.8 and some other calibers.

Only the lower requires an FFL and swapping the entire upper does not require re-zeroing a scope or sights (although, I would highly suggest buying a bolt and carrier for each upper to prevent accelerating wear on your locking lugs).

I have a few AR15 Lower assemblies that have gone through a number of different barrel lengths and configurations. I have even sold off some upper assemblies that I just didn't like all that much, to help fund the purchase of other configurations. It really is a very versatile rifle.

 

[RockyMtnTactical]

I like the forward assist.

As for the barrel length, I prefer a 14.5" with a permanently attached flash hider. The 16" would be my second choice.

 

[ranger dave]

ar 15

after you fire 300 rounds you will be glad you have a forward assist. does it real get in your way that much . why would you not want one

 

[studman5578]

It's not that I wouldn't want a foreward assist. It's just that I'm trying to figure out if it's a deal breaker or not if its got everything else I want. I do like the modularity of the ar platform, I think it's genious and that why I have one.

 

[riggins_83]

I've never had to use forward assit though it's nice to have (use it at times when chambering a snapcap quietly). The feature I won't go without is the dust cover and most models have either both or neither.

Far as barrel length IMO 16" is better for a home defense gun or a firearm you're placing a holographic or red dot on. If you're scoping the gun and using it at longer ranges or for hunting I'd go with the 20".

 

[DMK]

after you fire 300 rounds you will be glad you have a forward assist.

Why is that?

I have never used the FA on my AR15s. Not even once. It's like an appendix on my rifles. Kind of a waste of material. But I can take it or leave it. I wouldn't turn down an AR just because it had or didn't have one.

The feature I won't go without is the dust cover

I wouldn't want an AR without one either.

 

[Catfish25p2000]

I would go with the forward assist in a 16 inch barrel unless you are doing bench shooting - then I would go with a 20 inch. Either way, AR's are great guns and you will love it!

 

[RockyMtnTactical]

The forward assist won't be needed 99.99% of the time. But when you do need it, you'll be glad you have it. There is a lot of misconceptions out there about how to use the forward assist and I think that is part of the problem. I covered this a month or two ago in my AR15 blog.

 

[DMK]

The forward assist won't be needed 99.99% of the time. But when you do need it, you'll be glad you have it. There is a lot of misconceptions out there about how to use the forward assist and I think that is part of the problem. I covered this a month or two ago in my AR15 blog.

Can you give us the quick executive's brief on the misconceptions and how to use it? Nevermind, I found your blog post: http://www.ar15pro.net/2009/12/making-my-case-for-forward-assist.html

I never saw a need for it myself. Good point about quietly chambering a round while hunting though.

 

[Xanatos]

I've tried to intentionally cause a problem with chambering a round by riding the charging handle/purposely letting it to forward as gently as possible and not once has my AR-15 had any problems with the round not being fully seated. And each time I've done this I've been able to put all 30 rounds down range without any feeding errors either. I'm not sure if this is because the FA is really not needed until the rifle gets extremely dirty or whether Magpul followers have anything to do with it.

 

[Lloyd Smale]

the dished out notch in the bolt is all the forward assist i need.

 

[Skans]

The forward assist is on M16's for a reason. Since AR15's and their variants are M16's, without full auto or burst capability, I say it's absurd to have an AR15 without a forward assist. It's not like these rifles have a fixed charging handle on the bolt like other semi-auto rifles - that's why it's there.

If you reload or shoot reloads or even shoot cheap steel cased ammo, chances are that you will eventually encounter a cartridge that won't chamber properly without a smack on the forward assist - much easier than having to yank on the charging handle. And, if the AR15 can't handle a slightly out-of-spec cartridge without blowing all to heck, then it's a worthless chunk of aluminum.

FWIW, I have a Carbon-15 pistol (no forward assist). I like to abuse this gun by doing three or four mag dumps just for kicks and giggles. When the Carbon-15 gets dirty, it sometimes won't feed properly - and since I shoot lots of wolf ammo through it, IT DOES GET DIRTY! Nothing for me to do but break the entire gun down, clean it and put it back to gether again so that I'm not farting around with cartridges not feeding the last .1 milimeter. Since this is just a fun range toy, no big deal. But, if I were using an AR rifle for defensive purposes, it would be a big deal to me.