smaller BCM here.
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smaller BCM here.
Considering I use the charging handle about 1% of all shooting. (Chamber that 1st round); it's not that important to me. I save my money and use the stock charging handles that have come with my AR's. It's not like I'm using the charging handle every few rounds. But that's just me.
"Born Wild; Raised Proud"
BCM Mod 3 on all my work guns
I use the standard charging handle without any issues
Perhaps I should give the BCM charging handles a try and see if I prefer them.
If someone was to list the advantages of getting an aftermarket Charging Handle compared to the original, i'd be really interested. I'm open to "improvements"; but at $45+/- for a part that is rarely used, I'd like to know the advantages. I'm a lefty; but I've lived in the "Right Handed" world for 50 years, and have been shooting AR15/M16 for the last 30 years. Charging the round using the stock charging handle is just 2nd nature to me. But I'd be interested in knowing any advantages to some other charging handles.
"Born Wild; Raised Proud"
I'll tackle a couple of points, and you can take or leave them as you like.
- First there is the issue of charging handle design. The legacy CH is designed to be used the way you see in the movies: rabbit ear your booger-picker and social fingers on either side, pull straight to the rear. With a more modern technique of pulling with only the left hand (for a right-handed shooter) there is lateral pressure being applied, along with less surface area for the hand to contact. This means in increase in friction, which means an increase in the amount of force required to retract the CH, along with a reduction in the area along which to apply that force. Add in wet conditions and the friction between hand and latch required to retract the charging handle is further reduced.
- This added force, and lateral force, can also lead to fatigue in the metal and can cause failure at the tip (muzzle end) as well as bending (along the length) and failure at the T-end (stock end). These failures, at best, make operating the charging handle difficult and, at worst, can cause a complete lockup of the action.
- In conjunction with this, the latch of the AR platform charging handle is not designed for this kind of use. With the sand cut in the back of the handle, the latch pivot point will shift from the roll pin to the body of the latch, putting shear stress on the roll pin. This can lead to the roll pin actually shearing in half and the latch becoming fully separated from the handle. While typically not a catastrophic failure it is certainly less than ideal to lose one's locking latch.
The BCM Gunfighter, alone IMHO, addresses all of these issues.
First, the increased latch size means more surface area upon which to exert the force. There are other solutions that address this issue but in turn create issues of their own, not the least of which is increasing the likelihood of #3 above. Longer lever = more force = more stress. The rear of the charging handle itself removes the sand cut on the BCM GF, and adds sand cuts to the latch while providing a bearing surface to stop rearward travel prior to the pin being placed in a shear condition. No shear force to pin = no sheared pin.
Second, the body of the charging handle appears to be more robust. I will try to take measurements to substantiate this claim and if it is not I will eat my words, but at the very least it is less flexible. This is evidenced by the reduced force required to pull the CH to the rear, in spite of an identical finish as the stock part which always bends at least slightly increasing friction and required force. Less bending also means less likelihood of breakage at the failure points mentioned above.
From my own experience I can relay that I have been in conditions where we went from shooting in the dry to shooting in the rain. I started out using a carbine with a PRI extended latch mounted in a stock Colt charging handle. Once the rain started I had trouble manipulating the charging handle. No amount of adding lube to the CH shaft was helping. I changed it out to a BCM GF, and the issue was GREATLY reduced if not eliminated entirely.
Finally, I'll point out that all shooting situations are different. In a training environment you may be clearing out the gun many times in the course of a day, thus requiring the manipulation of the charging handle. Malfunction clearance, typically considered a crisis condition, requires the manipulation of the charging handle, and more positive manipulation should be considered a good thing. Additionally, some instructors teach to run the CH on an emergency reload, and some even on a tac-load, again increasing the frequency, as well as potentially the urgency, of that manipulation.
If your application is bench firing to bolt-hold-open, insert fresh magazine, repeat, then no an aftermarket CH probably won't be of much use. If your question is "I'm a lefty and don't use the CH the same way righties do" then I'd say the question is a non-starter and akin to asking "those mud tires look great, but why would I want them on my Corvette?"![]()
Last edited by rob_s; 03-03-11 at 13:36.
I'll add....I really like the BCM large latch CH. The large latch makes it so I won't slip or miss the latch due to MBUS backup iron right above it on the rail. The only downside is that when I have the sling tight and gun across body, the CH latch is so big it pokes into me a bit. No big deal and I am very happy with it.
Thanks for the info Rob. I do appreciate it. Something to mull over for sure. I am a lefty; and have always charged with my trigger hand (Left). Don't see my self switching to my non-shooting hand. Sort of like how they change the way we learn/teach CPR training. Every year there's a different way. Doesn't mean the "Old ways" won't work. Just that "They"; whoever the "THEY" are, think they have a better way. But the old way still works. For me, I'll continue charging with my left hand (My shooting hand).
I also don't see myself in a training environment. 21 years was enough training for me. I stick with practicing and having fun. But I do like the supposed sturdier build. While I may never have had an issues with OEM charging handles, I do like some things that are built simply better. So, for that reason alone, it might be worth looking into it.
I think you're correct. Being I'm not into competition and have no need for carbine/tactical classes, plus the fact that I'm a lefty, and will continue charging with my left hand; an OEM charging handle probably will remain fine. But I will definitely research the "Better quality build" of some of these after market charging handles. Especially the BCM. Thanks for the info.
"Born Wild; Raised Proud"
Rob_S has got it down perfectly. I'm using a BCM Gunfighter Mod 5, which is the one with the smaller latch. I used to have a Badger Ordinance large tactical latch, but with the rifle slung across my chest with regular clothing, it dug into my chest hard. I sold it, and went back to the factory latch until I obtained the BCM.
It strikes me that if you're charging with your left (shooting, in your case) hand then you're actually charging in a way very similar to those of us without the curse. It's lefties that use their right hand and still bunny-ear or who have gone to an ambi handle that don't get much benefit from the GF other than the added rigidity.
Many of us who have spent a quantity of time around a variety of AR makes and models have seen all manner of CH failures. They're more common than most people think. One of the problems is few people really run their guns hard, so if you go somewhere like TOS you'll get hundreds of "Mine has never failed!" posts only to find out that they only have 200 rounds on the gun to begin with.
I'll try to dig up the picture I have of the Colt CH next to the DPMS version. It's... enlightening.
Last edited by rob_s; 03-03-11 at 14:21.
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