Something I’ve pointed out in other discussions about the “hazards” of misusing the forward assist is that every standard US military rifle from the Krag-Jørgensen to the M14 had what was equivalent to the forward assist as part of their designs. The bolt actions of the Krag and M1903 Springfield allow jamming a defective cartridge into the chamber with much more force than the M16’s FA, as do the charging handles on the operating rods of the M1 Garand, M1 Carbine, and M14 rifle. It was evidently only after it was added to the M16 that anyone decided that military personnel were too stupid to use such a capability correctly.

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had what was equivalent to the forward assist as part of their designs

Indeed. Had I encountered the same circumstance with a Sig 551, and nudged the charging handle forward, it's likely no one would have anything to say; but, once you touch that forward assist on an AR15, it's game-over.

I thought about building up a "slick" AR with no FA but I decided I like having it just in case.

I do see why you probably don't need one on a blow-back AR-9. No locking bolt, much shorter cartridge, etc. If that thing hangs up you definitely aren't hammering the bolt home.

I don't think I ever saw an M16 in Vietnam till the Spring of 1966 (I was pretty far north in Quang Ngai, Phu Bai and Hue). And none of them I saw over there had the forward assist including the later CARs.

I never recall anyone complaining about being unable to fully seat the bolt. I do recall, a few years later, the Marines having some trouble with their recently issued M16s (on the TV news) but seem to recall that had to do with cleanliness and the ammo.

Later, long after I happily got out, in late '68, I saw an AR-15 back here in the States with the FA and had to ask what that thing was. That was probably in the late 70s.

But, if I was to acquire an AR ever again, I confess I'd want the FA, "just in case."

Bob

They are a PITA to install, though.

When I first got to Vietnam our Scout Platoon was still carrying the M14 rifle. Then, layer in 1966, we were issued the AR 15, no forward assist, 3 prong flash hider that got stuck on every vine and bit of vegetation, and a magazine release that got pushed on all of your web gear, constantly picking up dropped magazines. . Never needed a forward assist, but damn sure needed a cleaning rod to get stuck cartridges out of the chamber.


Forward assist not needed then or now.

The Bartocci video shared by Para is a good one. I performed the same action with my rifle, and it is certainly not quiet. It's quieter than the usual shucking, but still a far cry from stealthy. One can quiet it down a bit more than Bartocci by applying a minimal opposing force with the charging handle, but it's not worth it.

As mentioned in the OP, Karl Lewis said the Brits' request was driven by the desire to quietly press check, not stealthy initial loading. Other posters' mentions of the divot in the carrier being used for the same purpose are probably correct. I suppose success in employing that method may depend on the snugness of the chamber and locking recess, combined with the slickness of the carrier.

My use of the FA in completing the reload the other day could have also been achieved with the charging handle, at the expense of fractions of a second.

I still think the FA doesn't cause problems by merely existing, and does have the potential to help in a minority of circumstances.

I wonder if, in considering Karl Lewis' comments cited in the OP, the inclusion of a FA is more critical in a large frame AR, for some reason or another. JP also has a FA on their large frame competition gun; they omit it on the small frame gun. Yet, the SR25 doesn't have one.

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