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Old January 23, 2021, 08:25 PM   #26
stagpanther
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My standard for a charging handle is pretty simple--is it going to resist bending when the time comes to mortar that stuck cartridge.
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Old January 24, 2021, 01:41 AM   #27
ed308
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I’ve mortared plenty of AR’s over the years. The worst was a PSA 6.8. Whenever the round count got up to around 300 rounds, it stick and I’d have to mortar it. Finally figured out I needed to keep bolt tail cleaned carbon buildup. Anyway, those Bravo Company Gunfighter charging handles never broke on me.
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Old January 25, 2021, 12:53 PM   #28
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I would never mortar my AR unless I was in a life or death situation. In fact I would probably get shot in the back running away in that I could never bear beating on sweetness in that manner!
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Old January 25, 2021, 01:25 PM   #29
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Mortaring works, and you are applying no more force to the charging handle than you would just pulling as hard as you can.

You are simply using the inertia of the BCG mass assisted by a pull on the CH. You may get some dirt on the stock.

I’ve done it, unless you are a clutz and can’t make a straight down motion you might damage something.

That being said, I do avoid doing it.
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Old January 25, 2021, 08:55 PM   #30
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Quote:
Mortaring works, and you are applying no more force to the charging handle than you would just pulling as hard as you can.

You are simply using the inertia of the BCG mass assisted by a pull on the CH. You may get some dirt on the stock.

I’ve done it, unless you are a clutz and can’t make a straight down motion you might damage something.

That being said, I do avoid doing it.
Uhhh, I know it can work. I wasn't talking simply about damage to your charging handle. You might damage much more than just the charging handle even absent being a "clutz," as you put it. Get real rickyrick.
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Old January 25, 2021, 10:01 PM   #31
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Doesn’t take much force to do it, but I’m also not endorsing it. Seems to be done commonly enough with no ill effects.
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Old January 25, 2021, 10:07 PM   #32
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Fair enough rickrick. Still not going to see me beating up on sweetness like that unless there is a dire emergency. Doesn't take much to open her up gently and message cooperation.
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Old January 26, 2021, 03:51 PM   #33
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Dang, Doc Intrepid brings up some really good points.

I've always switched my charging handles out to BCM Mod 4 with the larger latch, but not ambi. Now I'm thinking about switching to all ambi.
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Old January 27, 2021, 10:48 PM   #34
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Radian SL x2 here. (In a couple separate weapons). I wanted solid, reliable, ambidextrous, and short wings. Not having to deal with big ape fingers, my optics don't interfere with my charging. I know my back appreciates not getting grooved. But at a total cost of around $180.00, I'm not so sure I shouldn't have just gone along with grooves.
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Old January 28, 2021, 10:54 AM   #35
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You gotta up grade the charging handle. It makes the rifle more powerful and more accurate, gotta have it.
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Old January 28, 2021, 11:14 AM   #36
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Quote:
Respectfully, IMHO this discussion overlooks one critical aspect:

You may be assuming that any use of the rifle for actual self-defense will occur in an environment where you have full use of both arms and hands. In fact, many real life examples indicate you may lose use of either a hand or an entire arm during an encounter. You may need to run that rifle using only one arm and hand.

Will Petty has several videos that explain how to do that with both rifles and handguns, and has conducted training in same with numerous local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. Note the utility of the ambidexterous charging handle. These videos are worth your review, and perhaps some range time to practice:

AR rifles:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghy6akCjEnM

Handguns - similar ideas:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBAcyST32ew

Remember the lessons from the 1986 FBI gunfight with Platt & Matix and Murphy's Law: "whatever can go wrong will, and at the worst possible time". It is true.

It is unwise to expect you will go through an actual engagement retaining full use of all your faculties. Ambidextrous charging handles are worthwhile investments if you ever envision potentially using your rifle in any environment other than a range environment.
I always figured the charging handle to be ambidextrous anyway. I have no problem manipulating it with either hand, so I don't understand the fascination with needing a special charging handle to accomplish the task. I actually believed the central positioning of the charging handle was to be ambi, but what do I know other than I don't need a special charging handle to use it with either hand.

The ambi handles I have seen do have more parts, so technically, have a greater possibility of something going wrong.
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Old January 28, 2021, 11:54 AM   #37
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^^^agreed^^^
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Old January 28, 2021, 02:40 PM   #38
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Having been through an assault on me, I have realized that you may become injured during an attack, because I did. I discovered that trying to dial 911 soaked in your own blood is useless, the touchscreen doesn’t work. Also manipulating a firearm is difficult with that same blood soaking your hands.
Because I was caught off-guard, the assailant also got my pistol... a beretta 92, (that I’ve shown here often. The assailant tried to shoot me with that beretta, but they didn’t know about the safety.
I was able to wrestle the person and eject the mag and get the pistol away.

Not having a chance to use the gun, there was a round in it, I was able to throw the pistol out of reach of my attacker and me.
I spent the rest of the event keeping the attacker from getting to the gun.

During the entire thing, I was able to continuously keep screaming at the assailant loud enough until someone in a nearby apartment complex called the police.


That event really opened my eyes about what can go wrong. I realized that the next time, I may be injured again, and one handed operation with a non-dominant hand might happen to people.

While I’m sure that an AR can be fired one-handed I do have some doubts about the charging handle.
I can cock and operate many semi pistols one handed pretty easily using a corner of a wall or shelf.

If anyone has a good technique to using a charging handle with only one good arm, I’d like to hear it. Like I said, I “think” an ambidextrous charging handle “might” be better. I don’t know, because I haven’t delved into AR use while injured topics yet.

For a long time I had the mindset that if I could shoot good at the range, then I’m ok, but as my anecdotal story indicates, real emergencies require some real training and practice.

It’s not a good thing to be defending yourself from your gun and another person.
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Old January 28, 2021, 02:56 PM   #39
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It’s not a good thing to be defending yourself from your gun and another person.
I've always thought the worst way to go would be to be shot with your own gun--I always have a trust issue when shooting at a public range and leaving all weapons behind on the firing line for that reason. I give everyone a very careful scan and rarely is there a situation when nobody doesn't activate that inner warning alarm.
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Old January 28, 2021, 04:41 PM   #40
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It’s a terrifying thing to consider.

In my case, my ineptitude saved the aggressor for sure, I have no doubt if I had not been useless with my gun, I would have shot the person and I would have been justified. Being that things played out the way they did, we both made a full recovery. The person is out of jail now, and as far as I have heard, living a normal life.

I just got lucky that the beretta has that kinda goofy safety on it.

My interest in ambidextrous controls remains in my forethought.

It’s been a few years since the assault, I’m ok about it all, but it has obviously popped into my head a few times. It took some time, but I’ve decided to practice doing things in less than ideal range conditions. Lately I’ve started thinking about some of my ARs, and how to perform tasks if all of your limbs aren’t working.

I was also embarrassed about it for a while and I’ve told the story as “I needed a gun and didn’t have one” leaving out the part about why I didn’t have a gun.
I think now that it doesn’t bother me, I feel it is helpful to others to relay the story as it happened.
Any training that I have had in the past is old and vague to me, so it’s time to learn new things.
On the topic of mortaring an AR, I didn’t think it was something that I would have ever done. But I decided I needed to do it just in case. So I have done it with stuck cases and it works like a charm. I haven’t done it in a while, and don’t plan to in recreational shooting, but I know what to expect if I “need” to do it.

Never had anything but the regular style charging handle, but I can see that the one-sided latch could present a problem... maybe... I’m not a tactician, so I have no clue...
Just trying to find out from those that do know.
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Old January 28, 2021, 04:59 PM   #41
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Thanks for sharing.

The number of things that can go sideways - or turn out differently than you envisioned when you visualized a combat encounter - are staggering. Over a career of training people on ranges I've seen the simple effects that adrenaline can have on shooters, never mind adversaries bent on violence - things like tripping and dropping your pistol, which slides beneath an adjacent parked car.

I try to learn from what has happened to other guys, to the best of my ability.

So thanks for relaying what happened to you.
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Old January 28, 2021, 05:14 PM   #42
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Words of wisdom there Rick--glad it worked out for the better, too.

As for mortaring, I've done it "in earnest" maybe a half dozen times (including other people's AR's who got a stuck cartridge at the firing line and thought the way to fix it was hit the assist). Some think it's inherently unsafe, nothing with these guns is entirely risk free. If my choice comes down to do I get the cartridge out as safely as I can out in the woods--or do I drive back home with a weapon charged with a live round and unknown state of battery-- I'll mortar (making sure if at all possible the muzzle is directed at a barrier as opposed to straight up in the air). Lately, I've developed a pronged wooden peg which when tapped with a weight usually has the same effect as mortaring.
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Old January 28, 2021, 11:19 PM   #43
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Never paid much attention to the charging handle until I went to my first defensive carbine class. Maybe it was just mine, but boy was it a pain using the stock one that cameiwth the rifle.

Asked around and the more experienced guys all had aftermarket ambi CHs.

I ended up getting a Geissele ambi charging handle. Much smoother operation, big, easy to grab handle. Much easier to use in a stressful drill/exercise, especially in low light. I forget what I paid, but I think it was around $65? Whatever. It was well worth it.
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Old January 29, 2021, 10:28 AM   #44
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Since I've never thought my standard charging handle was/is a problem, I've never tried anything else. That being said, an ambi charging handle may be a huge improvement, but I don't know what I don't know, you know.
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Old January 30, 2021, 07:16 AM   #45
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They are nice upgrades, and I have one, but I also have two rifles outfitted with standard GI.

Its something that you'd have to try and decide if it is worth the money.

I bought one ambi, and I'd say it was worth it, but then I bought two standards and I'm happy with both.
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Old January 30, 2021, 08:17 AM   #46
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The only two ARs (well, one is an upper) I have with “standard” charging handles are my Heat pistol build and .22 upper. The .22 uses the CMMG anti-jam charging handle.

My Stern 9mm build uses their enlarged handle, which I’m ok with. Everything else... Raptor. If weight is a concern, like on my lightweight and truck AR pistol builds... I did the one with the polymer coated aluminum wings.

I set my ARs up to run either strong (righty) or weak (lefty). Ambidextrous selectors and magazine releases. While it might be a tiny chance I’d have to work the handle with my right side, the simplicity of doing the similar movement, just reversed (can grab either side to unlatch it), is a plus in my eyes.
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Old January 31, 2021, 02:04 PM   #47
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So have been thinking about this, in the regards to the ambidextrous part... It is a t-shape for a reason. You can grab it with your right or left hand, on either side, one finger on either side of the T and pull it. So ambi is pointless unless you just want to grab one side or the other like a traditional bolt, which can torque the charging handle right or left with the possibility of bending it, vs a straight pull back with a finger on either side...
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Old February 1, 2021, 06:16 AM   #48
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rangerrich99 View Post

Asked around and the more experienced guys all had aftermarket ambi CHs.

I ended up getting a Geissele ambi charging handle. Much smoother operation, big, easy to grab handle. Much easier to use in a stressful drill/exercise, especially in low light. I forget what I paid, but I think it was around $65? Whatever. It was well worth it.
...what he said. I'm running a Geissele on my good gun, and a Strike Industries on my beater. Both are ambi with extended handles.
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Old February 3, 2021, 02:36 AM   #49
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Shadow9mm, stop thinking about it and actually try one out. Then you'll probably see why many of us prefer an ambi.
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Old February 5, 2021, 08:50 AM   #50
stagpanther
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You can always retrofit a conventional handle with extended latch.
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