Devil Dog Concepts Side Charger! Have you guys seen this?

[Gowking]

This one(Matrix Arms) out of stock most everywhere but looks to be a good bet with the SCR:

https://www.chandlerhardwoods.com/product-p/ar15-ur-sc.htm

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Agreed the Matrix product was the best of that style SC upper. Too bad they infringed on Gibbz patents and had to stop making them. 7075-T6 vs 6061-T6 that most of the Gibbz style are made from. Has FA (if you like that sort of thing) and ejection port cover. Nothing coming out the back when you charge the weapon and minimum additional egress for dirt/debris to enter.

I have one on my SCR and I'm very happy with it.

[grim1U]

Idk, if I was doing a strickly "fun" gun SBR in 9mm I would think about using this product for something different.

But I tend to like my AR pattern rifles in the M16A2 or Car-15 style like when I was in. Simple and dependable with out gimmicks.

[solidfreshdope]

[CMBrowning]

OP has already bought the side charger and is trying to justify why. Lol Return it!

[AEtrane]

I honestly don't think it's a bad idea at all. I was looking at it myself but started going down the whole dedicated side charging upper rabbit hole and eventually decided I didn't need to reinvent the wheel and the standard style charging handle works fine. But if you want to run it, go for it and don't worry about the opinions of others here. It looks like it works well for it's intended purpose.

It does add some bulk to the side of the gun, which is what lost me, but I doubt it'll make your gun a 10 pound one. I love how people talk about light weight guns when the furthest they're carried theirs is from their trunk to the shooting bench.

[fawndog]

I love how people talk about light weight guns when the furthest they're carried theirs is from their trunk to the shooting bench.

"Light weight ARs" always made me

[k1dude]

"Light weight ARs" always made me

Then you're laughing at Eugene Stoner and his entire AR concept. You'd also be laughing at the US special ops community which continually tries to lighten their equipment and weapons systems. You'll notice most advancements in AR's over the past 10 years or so have tried to lighten the platform because they were becoming pigs.

[W.R.Buchanan]

Well at least now there is some positivity in this discussion.

I'll tell you guys a little secret about new products. Been doing it for a while and have several successful ones. The true test comes when someone looks at it for the first time and without hesitation Says,,, "Yeah!" That's what I did when I saw it.

If that response is the norm, you've got a winner. This product has a 130/130 5 star reviews on their website! They can't all be BS.

People do this with my Hand Press routinely. I got the same negative response here, never mind the overwhelmingly positive responses I have gotten elsewhere. Never mind I sold 36 in the first 2 days after release. Nevermind that I'm over 125 sold in just under 2 years and I'm a one man shop with limited Advertising abilities.

Some products just fit with specific buyers better than the rest of the world. I didn't design my Hand Press for everyone. I designed it to be the best one ever made, and it is. Not for everyone, but damn sure for those who know the difference. Priced accordingly. www.buchananprecisionmachine.com/ Go Look!

Not for everyone is why there's Ford's and Chevy's.

I am a Machinist/Toolmaker with 35 years of designing and building tools and tooling for production lines and specific uses. I know exactly what I'm looking at when I see something like this that falls under the heading of what I do for a living.

First thing I thought about this item was, Well someone got an Idea! and that idea solves my issues with mounting an inexpensive Side Charger on my SCR.

Then my first question was, " is it solid?" Since it has both ends of the sliding handle supported and is ran in a track it has to generate Strait Line Motion, which the standard charging handle doesn't under all conditions.

The standard Charging Handle will bind up in it's channel to some degree if operated with only your Support Hand. You don't get a strait line pull unless you use your Firing Hand and use both index and middle fingers on the handle and pull strait back. This unit eliminates this problem.

When you are laying on the ground firing at long ranges as in a "Precision Rifle Application," with a large scope on the gun, the stock charging handle is blocked by the scope. This is a PITB! thus the side charger.
Also you want the handle on the left side so you can operate it with your support hand and not break your firing hand grip or cheek weld on the gun. This eliminates about 80% of the products available. The ability to interface with the SCR BCG is another issue. I know some will, but which ones?

I did not see any viable options that were going to be cost effective for my uses. It would cost me $6-800+ to set up a side charger upper with a decent 24" bbl.

I am getting a PSA 24" Upper for $299 as soon as they are back in stock. Excellent quality and already built with no BCG which I don't need anyway. Should have bought one a few months ago but didn't want to build a Precision Rifle around the standard Charging Handle which I knew would cause big problems for this application.

These little fine points matter in long range shooting.

The only down side I see to this product going to be latching the bolt open.

Since you are using your support hand to cycle the bolt you need to be able to get to the bolt catch as well. With a regular AR you'd use a BAD Lever which I have on my AR. Remains to be seen how this will work, however you can still run the bolt by grabbing the charging handle in the conventional manner with the firing hand. This design allows for that as well.

Like I said: this thing is pretty well thought out.

I will give you guys a complete rundown on the product when I get it later this week. And contrary to what you might think, if it sucks I will say so, and send it back. however I doubt that is going to happen because I actually watched the video three times and saw exactly how it works, and was convinced it would do what I want or I wouldn't have bought it in the first place.

And make no mistake, the only criteria that matters here is ,,,

"Does what 'I' want!"

At 68 I can make my own decisions, and I'm reasonably well informed.

Randy

[HK Dave]

I like side chargers just fine.... I just like them on the right side.

[AEtrane]

"Then you're laughing at Eugene Stoner and his entire AR concept."

Stoner's initial concept was the ar10. L. James Sullivan was tasked with shrinking it down for the 223 for Armalite in the form of the ar15.

Interestingly enough, since this is a side charger thread: Stoner's original design incorporated a top mounted ch, integrated into the fixed carry handle. Sullivan opted for the rear ch due to heat issues with high rof. Also, that setup would suck for mounting any kind of optic these days.

So, a side charging ar would share a more similar manual of arms to the "original design" compared to the "standard design", while allowing use of a flat top upper.

[k1dude]

"Then you're laughing at Eugene Stoner and his entire AR concept."

Stoner's initial concept was the ar10. L. James Sullivan was tasked with shrinking it down for the 223 for Armalite in the form of the ar15.

Interestingly enough, since this is a side charger thread: Stoner's original design incorporated a top mounted ch, integrated into the fixed carry handle. Sullivan opted for the rear ch due to heat issues with high rof. Also, that setup would suck for mounting any kind of optic these days.

So, a side charging ar would share a more similar manual of arms to the "original design" compared to the "standard design", while allowing use of a flat top upper.

Eugene Stoner did his best to create a lightweight and weatherproof system to replace the heavy and aging Garand/M14.

[BigPimping]

Nope. Pass.....just a gimmick.

[W.R.Buchanan]

Well I got it yesterday. The thing is very well made and installed in a few minutes after removing my sight and moving it to the rear a few notches on the Pic Rail.

It functions perfectly right out of the box and the more I use it the easier it gets.

It is going to do exactly what I want with my 24" upper firing single shot with the gas block shut off. This is Long Range shooting while laying on your belly.

It will also make my AR much easier as I can use the BAD lever to lock the bolt open with the gun on my shoulder. No need to break firing grip.

here's a pic.

Randy