Quote:
Originally Posted by zeke
One of the biggest advantages of a bolt locking back is the clear signal you are out of rounds. On a AR-15, especially with a scope prone, it is a major pita (position adjustment) to use the rear cocking handle, as compared to bolt release.
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Also, I would suppose that in the heat of battle, the bolt locking back was a better indicator of an empty magazine that just a click from an empty chamber. It has been reported that some civil war battlefield pick-ups had several charges, one atop of another, indicating that the fact the the weapon had not fired (and had not recoiled) was not enough to make the soldier realize that his weapon had not fired.
It is too bad that the M1 Carbine was not designed to lock the bolt all the way back on empty ...I think that in a "target rich" environment as were some of the battles in Korea, that such a feature would have been a welcomed improvement.