carrying handle necessary? (possible repeat thread)

[NYY]

i thought i saw a thread about this on here somewhere.. i looked but cant find it! post URL if you know of it. Anyways, choosing between a BUIS or one which is also a carrying handle. Will i ever even need to use the handle....? Thanks

[chead]

Do you plan on carrying it via a handle?

[rattlesnake_nm]

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=427495&highlight=carry+handle

[bob7122]

carrying handle helps on long treks and when you cant hold it with both hands imo

[Cokebottle]

What did your DI do to you the first time you carried your M16/4 by the handle, and did you ever do it again?

It was not designed to be a carry handle, it was designed to be a cover for the original top-mounted charging lever.
Production designs went to the familiar "pull" style charging handle, but the cover on the upper remained.


There is no need for the "carry handle"... and in fact, it makes optics mounting less than optimal.

[tacticalcity]

No. Not really.

The term "carry handle" is a nickname based on its looks. It was never meant to be used as an actual handle. By doing so you break all kinds of basic firearms safety rules. If you were military it would be a quick way to get reamed by your superior. A range master will yell at you for it too. There is no more "bubba" move than carrying it that way.

These days your choice of rear sight is more about looks than anything else. What general look are you going for? Vintage? Then you need an A1 receiver. 90's? Then you need an A2 receiver. Current? Detachable carry handle or flip-up buis. The type of shooting you plan to do plays a roll as well. Optics (scopes and red dots) work better on flat tops than carry handles. They cheek better. Which is the reason we have flat tops in the first place.

Elevation adjustsment can be done by adjusting the front sight post. So all you need on the rear is windage. If it is a precision rifle, and you will be making very long range shots on the fly, then it is nice to have elevation in the rear sight as well. But on a M4, it is not necessary. You will set it and forget it.

Usually you can pick up a quality carry handle cheaper than an equal quality flip-up rear sight. So price comes into play as well.

[bob7122]

i just learned something new...

[NYY]

What did your DI do to you the first time you carried your M16/4 by the handle, and did you ever do it again?

It was not designed to be a carry handle, it was designed to be a cover for the original top-mounted charging lever.
Production designs went to the familiar "pull" style charging handle, but the cover on the upper remained.


There is no need for the "carry handle"... and in fact, it makes optics mounting less than optimal.

I am not a marine haha. (check my sig line..recently changed. long story) but anyways, i never knew that! thankyou for the info and yes i agree with you on making it inconvenient when u want another optic on

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/s...t=carry+handle

thanks! appreciate it

[NYY]

yea i dont really like the look of the A2 style, IMO. after all, it is all about looks right? but on a serious note, it bothers me that it covers the entire top of my receiver (cant use other optics). appreciate the info guys! thanks

[tacticalcity]

That notch is there because the original design had an upside down trigger that I believe was a kind of forward assist (the historians can feel free to correct me on its function). When that was removed from the design, that hole under the sight was left in place. Probably because filling it would add weight. The top long part was probably left in place because it worked well (at the time) as an optional scope mounting platform. Rails had not been invented yet. So it made an all in one solution.

As for boot camp, somebody always makes that mistake. Makes for an entertaining morning. They don't just punish the guy who does it. They punish everyone. Ah basic training. The most fun you never want to have again! So many great stories.

Another FYI, military life gets progressively better after basic training. So if you find it to be more difficult than expected, just keep reminding yourself it only gets better as time goes on. Stress level drops by half when you leave basic. Then by half again when you finish training and show up at your first duty station. At least it did for me. Overseas asignments are the least stressful. Probably because people depend on each other more. Not just for work, but for their social life. Being so far from home. I never felt more at home in the military then when I was deployed overseas.

[NYY]

As for boot camp, somebody always makes that mistake. Makes for an entertaining morning. They don't just punish the guy who does it. They punish everyone. Ah basic training. The most fun you never want to have again! So many great stories.

i wouldnt know, but i sure plan on looking forward to it!

[rattlesnake_nm]

It was the charging handle. The "carry handle" just protected it.

[ojisan]

Original Armalite with top mounted charging handle:

[Droppin Deuces]

Well, if you're joining the military, you might as well have one and learn to use it. At least it'll put you that one step ahead of the curbve.
I'm not joining and I made sure I had an A2 sight of some sort just to learn...

[killshot44]

Seems to work for this guy........