Forward Controls Low Drag Forward Assist - Minuteman Review

AmbGun Ambi AR page
https://www.ambgun.com/ambidextral-rifle/ar15/ambiar

I am not a fan of the forward assist, but I’ve resigned myself to tolerating it thanks to the UTG Pro prototype upper which has the forward assist shifted forward about 2”. I can reach my ambi charging handle without too much of an obstruction. I still suspect the forward assist is responsible for injecting more malfunctions than it resolves. Waiting for that all-cause malfunction study.

To further reduce the profile of the forward assist, I chose to install a Forward Controls Low Drag Forward Assist button.

Basically the LDFA has eliminated the rim and added a bit of chamfering to the outside portion to reduce the snag hazard.

The low drag forward assist reduces the risk of snagging on gear or breaking a nail. So I like it.

You could accomplish much the same by just grinding off the rim of your stock forward assist and adding a bit of outboard chamfer…kind of like how I used to cut off those big ACOG mounting nuts before the elegant Shaffer mount eliminated those ugly snag happy hazards.

The LDFA slimming solution is super easy to install on my UTG Pro upper with its torx head retainer screw. Not much more difficult with standard uppers using a roll pin retainer..

Forward Assist, better to not have it and reduce the risk of malfunction injection than to have a rarely beneficial “assist” solution. Still, if we must have the pimple on the side of our AR, Forward Controls has done their part to make sure it's not a blackhead to boot. Well worth adding to your ambi safety shopping cart.

So here we are nearing the conclusion of this Ambidextral AR series.

Starting with the UTG Pro ambi receiver set, I installed a SOLGW BCG, mounted a Faxon Gunner barrel, swapped out a MilSpec trigger for the Giessele SSA-E, picked up a Giessele buffer tube kit on sale, QD mounted a canvas GI sling, installed a Breek Arms Warhammer charging handle, slid on a Mission First Tactical BattleLink stock, switched to a BCM KD Grip, clamped a Breek Arms handguard to their aluminum barrel nut, a Shaffer Machining rear sight sits on the pic rail and set screwed a BCM Front Sight Base onto the gas block journal…iron sights, ended up placing a standard bird cage flash hider out on the muzzle, pinning the Forward Controls 50 degree Q ambi safety, and making the forward assist tolerable with the LDFA…thinking I’m done.

However…After my experience with Forward Controls, I believe their charging handle merits consideration for the ambidextral gunfighter.