Q: Injury - AR15 charging handle to the nose. Ever happen?

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jakeswensonmt

New member
Has it ever happened, or have you ever heard tales, of an AR15 malfunctioning, and the charging handle seizing up with the BCG and hitting the operator in the nose/teeth?

Is this a legitimate concern, or is it so unlikely/impossible that it's like fretting about being struck by a meteor?
 
A

AngloSaxon

New member
I guess if you don't completely latch the handle, it could come back and hit you.
But I never had issues or lost any sleep over it.
 
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HuntAndFish

New member
Is this a legitimate concern, or is it so unlikely/impossible that it's like fretting about being struck by a meteor?
Click to expand...

Well, if this had happened in a rifle class it would have been indicated in an AAR somewhere. I've never heard of it happening, but I've only been paying attention for the last 15 years or so. AR's have been around for almost half a century now though, so I'm hardly the last word.

I would say it's very unlikely. Each time you charge the gun manually you prove to yourself that the handle isn't seized to the BCG.
 
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H

hoytinak

New member
Between shooting and teaching marksmanship with M4's for the past 12 years, I've never seen it happen. I wouldn't worry about it. :)
 
Z

zoomie

New member
If the bolt carrier actually did seize on the charging handle, would the force overcome the latch holding the charging handle forward so that it could smack you in the nose? Or would the charging handle bend and warp but not come unlatched? Or would the BCG come to a screeching halt?

Any educated guesses? My thought is the charging handle would stay latched, but be destroyed/bent/gutted inside the upper receiver.
 
S

Sidetracked

New member
It's one of those firearm issues that is really a non-issue in guns qualifying as safe to shoot.

I've seen it happen once. My father forgot to latch the handle on his SP1. It took 6 shots before the handle made it back far enough to touch his cheek. Needless to say... there was no injury.

With some kind of internal failure... you never know what could happen, but I wouldn't worry about it. An AR in good working order should never have a chance to cause a failure like that. If it did, I would put my money on Zoomie's thoughts.
 
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Scorch

New member
Being as the bolt is moved by the charging handle and not the other way around, I say it's impossible. The charging handle has a hole that hooks over the bolt key to draw the bolt to the rear. The bolt key does not fit tightly into the charging handle.

Sounds like someone has too much time to sit around and worry about things that would never happen. Kind of like your Grandma telling you not to make faces or your face would "stick" that way.
 
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bigjack59

New member
Spent 3 years teaching BT troops how tof ire an M16,and have been around them shooting andteaching for 25 plus years. NEVER seen or heard ofit. Put it inthe meteorite category, and don't worry.
 
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woodland

New member
Also, it wont fire unless the bolt is closed all the way, and if the bolt is closed all the way then the handle will latch. So the only way it could even be floating around at all while shooting would be if the handle's latch was worn or broken off.
 
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wag51486

New member
I read about this happening to someone in a "Guns and Ammo" article one time, and belive it or not it was actually the author that wrote the article that it happened too. He was telling of a time he first shot the newer Bushmaster 450 and the charging handle didn't latch and it gave him a bloody lip. The later in the article he went to shoot an AR-15 and made sure the charging handle was latched. It may of been the other way around with him shooting the AR-15 first and then the 450, but all I remember is him mentioning he was not familar with AR's and that the charging handle came back and busted his lip. I really couldn't imagine a gun writer making that kind of mistake, if I can find the article again I will try to post it. It was a while ago, probably a little of a year or two.
 
4

44 AMP

Staff
I'd like to see that article

There is nothing pushing rearward on the charging handle. If unlatched, it might slide back during recoil, but being as this is a very light part, it won't have much energy. Now, in a .450, the recoil might be enough to send an unlatched charging handle back fast enough to give a mild bump, and lips are very sensitive, but it sounds like a fluke.

I have never heard of anything like this happening with an AR15 or M16 in 5.56mm, and I started shooting them in 1975.
 
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AMX

New member
A well known AR basher (on the internet) once claimed he'd seen it happen. I had doubts so one day at the range I tried to make it happen. I stood about 15 yards in front of the back stop so I could fire from the hip, and look down at the charging handle.

I tried it 4 or 5 times and each time I pulled the trigger the charging handle latched itself before the rifle fired, or as the rifle fired, it was so fast I couldn't tell. Either way, the charging handle didn't come flying back.

When I was an 11B I'd never seen or heard of it happening either.
 
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hoytinak

New member
Well, yesterday I took the M16 out back and fired 100rds on full-auto with the charging handle unlatched. I don't put my nose on the charging handle when firing but it did "work" it's way back to my nose with the constent recoil but there's no way you could get hurt by it. ;)
 
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Crosshair

New member
I've seen plenty of people being tacticool and slapping themselves in the face while charging their ARs. That is one advantage of the AK, better charging handle positioning. (Best place would be on the left side.)
 
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