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Thread: With all the improvements, anyone still using steel charging handles?

  1. #11
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    Yeah it isn't like we manipulate the CH a lot during actual COFs, but it does happen. CH's are really just one of those things that aren't worth thinking about unless it breaks. Some people use one, some people use another, some people use steel CHs.

  2. #12
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    double tap
    Last edited by NWcityguy2; 03-02-15 at 12:45.

  3. #13
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    I broke an aluminum handle years ago. Busted it clean off.

    But this was after hammering on it with a block of wood. I had a case rupture and actually bend the extractor out and into the barrel extension.

    Would a steel charging handle have made a difference? Maybe. But we're talking once in a lifetime occurrence.
    “The rifle itself has no moral stature, since it has no will of its own. Naturally, it may be used by evil men for evil purposes, but there are more good men than evil, and while the latter cannot be persuaded to the path of righteousness by propaganda, they can certainly be corrected by good men with rifles."

  4. #14
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    Leitner-Wise I think makes a steel one? Don't really see the need.


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  5. #15
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    I don't think I've ever seen a steel CH .

    That said a while back I had a carry handle open when I didn't notice and
    it got caught and bent at a run and gun .
    It got bent pretty easily and had to be replaced .
    It was a stock Colt CH and not a cheap one by the way .

    I've since switched to the BCM medium latch and don't see any reason
    to change to anything else . ALL my ARs have a BCM latch now .

    Not just because of the stronger CH ,but because the BCM grips
    the receiver stronger then the stock CHs I had .

  6. #16
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    I use a steel charging handle on my otherwise ultralight gun because I bent a charging handle and was completely hosed once. DPMS made the steel charging handle I use. I like it.

  7. #17
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    I could care less about what happens in the competition world, though I know a few guys that use the BCM handles. I have a few BCM handles that are about 4.5 years old and still going strong. I have seen all kinds of charging handle failures. Most recently a USGI style handle that was bent upwards near the front where the gas tube passes through. I also still have a PRI handle from Afghanistan where the latch broke during a firefight.

    In Iraq on the DOS contract at the U.S embassy they burned through at least 50 ish charging handles that I know. Though there are a few reports of Gunfighters breaking, they are so rare that when it happens I recommend a lottery ticket. The Gunfighter and Raptor are probably the king of the roost. But like anything else some people are cheap and don't see the value.



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  8. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by TED View Post
    DPMS made the steel charging handle I use. I like it.
    I have a couple of the DPMS charging handles and used one with a Badger tactical latch during my first Iraq deployment in 2005, before the Gunfighter handles were released. If you haven't tried one, it feels noticeably different to me compared to a GI handle, which seems to flex a bit to the right when you charge it with your left hand. The steel DPMS handle is rock-solid, and despite their reputation, it's pretty hard to screw up a charging handle, especially when it's made of steel. As mentioned above, I think the latch pin is the weak link in that system. I honestly didn't use my M4 that much and was never involved in a firefight with it, so I probably only manipulated the charging handle a couple hundred times or so over the course of the year, between training and missions.

    I've used Gunfighter handles since then, but if those weren't available, I'd probably stick with the DPMS handle. It does cause wear on the inside of the upper receiver, but I think you'd have to manipulate it tens of thousands of times or more to reach the point where you were causing any significant damage. Still, I'd prefer not to do that to my personal rifles, since the BCM handle is great.

    Dave

  9. #19
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    I've used Raptor's in all my AR's/builds, but with my recent pistol lower I only had a stock aluminum CH in the spare parts kit. I threw it in for time being, but it really makes you realize how beneficial "upgraded" CH's are, esp for a lefty shooter. I tried the BCM Mod 4 ambi recently as well, but didn't care for it compared to the Raptor - but now I wish I would have kept it as a spare lol. Oh well time to order another Raptor...
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  10. #20
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    "The Gunfighter and Raptor are probably the king of the roost. But like anything else some people are cheap and don't see the value."

    Yup.


    As for steel chs....I guess there could be an advantage, but that advantage quickly disappears if the pin isn't also reinforced or redesigned as that is the weakest point of a basic ch.
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