O.K. AR fans, are these features necessary?

[Fremmer]

Looking at the latest American Rifleman magazine, which has a report on the DPMS Sportical Carbine, which kind of looks like a groovy little M-forgery style gun. The article states that the Sportical doesn't have the following features that you'd typically find on an AR-15 type gun:

1. No forward assist;
2. No shell deflector; and
3. No dustcover.

For those of you who like the AR 15 style gun, please provide your comments on why some (or all) of the above are or are not necessary/desirable on an AR 15 type gun. Thanks!

 

[teeroux]

Its not that they are not desirable

Its a cheaper to produce upper reciever that is all, similar to the carbon 15 style.

You see you can reduce the cost of the upper by not having to machine the slots and holes for those particular items along with price of said items, cutting cost at the expence of those desirable but technically uneeded functions.

Personally i would get an AR with forward assist.

It is a lot easier to push that little button on a slightly open bolt rather than to rack it back too far and double feed.

 

[DnPRK]

The 308 has a massive bolt/bolt carrier/buffer propelled by a strong spring. It has much more power to feed a cartridge into the chamber than a puny AR-15. Likewise, if something is wrong (bad/dirty cartridge or dirty chamber), the massive B/BC/buffer is more likely to cause a jam during feeding. The last thing you need is to ensure a non-clearable jam by pounding on a forward assist. IOW, the forward assist is not a reliability improvement on a 308. If you are in a stalk and want to quietly chamber a cartridge, you can put your thumb into the dished cutout of the bolt carrier and push forward to lock the bolt, no FA needed.

If you are a lefty, a shell deflector gives peace of mind that you won't get nailed in the face by an ejected cartridge. If you shoot right-handed, the deflector does nothing for you.

If your shooting time is spent on a quiet, clean range, the dust cover does nothing for you.

 

[Bogie]

I don't need a dust cover.

I don't need the lefty brass deflector (man, that would drive me NUTS...).

I would like a forward assist - then again, with decent ammo, that you haven't dragged though a mangrove swamp, you probably wouldn't need one either.

Lube the bolt, and everything be happy.

 

[ChicagoTex]

forward assists are nice, but the deal-breaker for me on the DPMS is the garbage barrels with garbage feed ramps/chambers. A Del-Ton is just as affordable and quite a bit better.

It could be worse though, it could be an Olympic Arms...

 

[freakshow10mm]

Forward assist: not needed. I haven't met a single person that actually had to use it. The military insisted on it, so it was put on.

Dust cover: not needed. Military in harsh environments? Yes. Joe Tactical at the range? No.

Brass deflector: not needed for right handed shooters.

 

[bobn]

i second the opinion on the feed ramp design, i also look at the gas block to se if it is pinned forged steel or alum with set screws.....bobn

 

[Tatsumi67]

I read that article too, and really, I didnt think it was a bad idea, but If I'm going to buy an AR15 the only real reasons I would is for the economical and "building it yourself" factors.

 

[clown714]

that rifle's upper was also was made outta 6606-T6 extruded Al.

one more thing,i'm a lefty and never had a prob. with or without

a case deflector.

you could put a better one together.

IIRC wasn't the upper wider,too?

just some thoughts from the peanut gallery

clown

 

[Fremmer]

Thanks for the responses. I didn't know about the DPMS feed ramp issue.

It doesn't seem like the forward assist or shell deflector (at least for a right handed shooter) are necessary for a combat gun, although the dust cover would be desirable to have in the field, yes?

 

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

All deal breakers----I try to keep my AR's as close to combat AR's as I possibly can----never know when it might be needed for that----not that I'm looking to do that anytime soon---but you never know.

 

[ChicagoTex]

although the dust cover would be desirable to have in the field, yes?

Sure.

I still don't agree the forward assist is entirely useless (though it's true that most people never have occaison to use it in their entire lives).

The case deflector is a nice add-on, but that I'll agree is pretty non-essential.

 

[Frankyoz]

You can get by without an assist of course, although a dust cover? I live in AZ and so my shooting enviroment even at the range is pretty dusty. I use my AR as a brush gun it gets slogged along with me through the desert on my quad and in the back of my open top blazer, so that would be a real deal breaker for me. Plus I like having a shell deflector as well, although not essential.

 

[teeroux]

I still don't agree the forward assist is entirely useless

Cause its not, its there in case the bolt did not close on the round in the chamber.

The bolt will not extract a round from the chamber it did not close on it.

It just gives you a quicker easier option to start out with on clearing/fixing the malfunction.

 

[overkill556x45]

After years of drilling, I would be unable to use an AR with none of the listed features.
I would be unable to load or reload: slap mag in, release bolt, tap forward assist, resume fire or close dust cover

I would also be unable to move under fire: identify next position, weapon on safe, dust cover closed, roll out, move to next cover

I would be utterly lost!

 

[fivepaknh]

16 years in the Army I don't think I've ever needed to use the forward assists except when firing A LOT of blanks. Blanks dirty up a weapon worst than live rounds. I use my AR for coyote hunting, and if the bolt didn't go all the way into battery then I could push the bolt forward by direct pressure on the indent on the bolt carrier through the ejection port.

I'm a lefty and I remember using the M16A1 which didn't have a built in brass deflector. Occasionally I would catch an ejected casing in the face.

When hunting It is nice to have a dust cover. As a range gun it's not needed. Even though I don't consider the AR the ideal home defense gun I know some my use one for that role, but here a dust cover is also not needed. There are plenty of semi-auto rifles that don't include on in their design.

 

[10-96]

I still wander off into places where I appreciate the dust cover- But I don't think I've used the forward assist since Uncle Sam had a thing for having me perform SPORTS drills.

But honestly, Why don't they put the charging handle latch on the other side of the handle? Anybody else with scoped AR's think that would be a dandy thing? Or am I just a odd duck?

 

[ChicagoTex]

Anybody else with scoped AR's think that would be a dandy thing? Or am I just a odd duck?

Honestly don't know, never had occaison to scope an AR.

 

[10-96]

Took the chance one time to let my A3 try it's hand at P-doggin and stuck a 8.5x25 varmint scope on it. No doubt- it's developed quite a taste for BPUT's up to 375 yards.

 

[zxclem]

I have one of the first Colt CAR-15's, bought new in the 80's. I shoot it A LOT (I'm on my second barrel). I've NEVER closed the dust cover. I've NEVER needed the fwd assist. I've NEVER (and I'm a lefty) been hit with an ejected shell.