Poll: Forward Assist or No

[LRRPF52]

Forward Assist, as Stan points out, was an Army Ordnance Board requirement that Stoner disagreed with them on. The Air Force told them, "We don't care. Our rifles will NOT have it, so do whatever you want."

The chamber check is something Kyle Lamb specifically says not to do in that manner, and to check the magazine feed location instead when you load the AR. I'll take Kyle's word on anything AR15 and CQB related over all of the SWAT guys combined, credibility being the biggest factor in that. On some guns, you might not get a full bolt rotation, especially with debris in an ongoing series of actions. Coming out of a van, that shouldn't be a problem in a clean, urban setting.

In a hunting setting, we want a full power chamber of the cartridge before we get into the area where noise discipline is an issue. I've spent decades working with AR15's and M16's outdoors, using selector lever discipline without issue. I don't see why that can't be done once you embark on a hunt.

If the gun is properly assembled, correctly sprung, lubricated, fed quality ammo, has reliable mags, and chambered correctly for a gasser, it will chamber quality ammunition made to the specs.

Here's one of the first production AR15's, the Colt Model 601, before they had the problems which were induced by a totally different propellant introduced later in the war. Jim Sullivan suspects sabotage.