What does bolt catch do

The rifle will easily chamber a round from a loaded magazine when you pull back the charging handle and release it. The Forward Assist is designed to aid the bolt to go into full battery when chambering the first round. Using the Forward Assist is usually only necessary if the bolt has carbon build-up from a lot of shooting.

The military manual mentions to tap the forward assist every time the weapon is charged to insure the bolt is all the way in battery. Note there are notches down the right side of the carrier. These are the notches that the forward assist engages in to push the bolt carrier and bolt forward.

This could be caused by cheap steel cased ammo. If this is the case please try it again with some decent quality brass ammo and seeif the malfunction disappears. If it does not then give us a call and we will repair it under warranty.

The handle and bolt catch are used together to manually lock the bolt open. Knowing when and how to use the charging handle and bolt catch in harmony is key to operating the AR efficiently.

Improper technique of the charging handle creates friction and wear, and it requires more force than necessary. In fact, you can actually torque the handle out of shape. Incorrect technique could also break the latch, allowing the charging handle to follow the bolt back, thereby impacting your head. Cycling the handle is all about using proper technique, not brute force. Normally, the strong hand maintains its grip on the AR, and the support hand is used to operate the charging handle, which is a three-step process: First, position the thumb of the support hand on the back of the handle in its center.

Next, use the index finger to unlatch. Then, using the elbow not the shoulder , cycle the handle aggressively, pulling it straight to the rear. The thumb should follow the center line of the stock as it moves rearward, maintaining alignment between the handle and its channel in the upper receiver. Once the handle has reached full extension, allow it to strip from your hand: Release it as you would a bowstring, allowing the bolt group to snap forward under full spring pressure. This creates a stoppage, requiring additional manipulations.

Pull the charging handle all the way to the rear and release it — every time. Lefties can install an ambidextrous charging handle with a release on each side. Just remember that you might not always be firing your AR, so you must know how to work with a military-type handle. As mentioned earlier, the charging handle is used to check the condition of the chamber. It sounds simple, right? The strong hand comes off the grip to the charging handle. The charging handle is also used to manually lock the bolt to the rear.

Here, again, the strong hand is used to pull back on the charging handle, while the support hand is positioned at the magwell of the lower receiver. The follower from an empty magazine extends upward enough to pivot that portion upward and act as a catch to the front face of the bolt carrier. Inserting a loaded magazine, pushing down the external button that acts as the otherside of the catch's pivot releases the bolt carrier and allows it to move forward under spring pressure and chamber a round.

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