Product Review - Bravo Company BCMGUNFIGHTER Charging Handle

Being located in northwest Florida, we're surrounded by military bases, airfields, forts, and other installations. Over the years, each of us has gotten to know a lot of our neighbors in the armed services. One fellow, at a recent gun show, gave one of the best endorsements I've heard for the Bravo Company BCMGUNFIGHTER Charging Handle; he slyly said that it would be a shame if the charging handle "fell out" of his service rifle, and the armorer had to replace it with one of these. Wry humor about misplacing government equipment aside, such a comment from an American warrior in a shooting job speaks to the respect and admiration professionals have for this product.

If you want to know what's good on a car, (try to) ask The Stig.
If you want to know what's good on a rifle, ask an American soldier.

When it comes down to it, the stock charging handle will get the job done, but it leaves a lot to be desired. Either hand can operate the stock charging handle, but the shooter has to significantly re-position the rifle to do so, because it needs to be pulled straight back with even pressure on both sides of the handle. Dainty fingers are not a requirement for operating an AR, but "sausage-ier" digits or gloved hands could slip off the stock handle; also, the stock handle doesn't allow much room for manipulating the handle around an optic. These aren't problems with the BCMGUNFIGHTER.

I've had a BCMGUNFIGHTER Charging Handle on my AR for a while - specifically, the "Mod 4" model. It was one of my first upgrades, and I've never looked back. Installation, even for an AR newbie, was a snap; if you can clean your AR (Pro tip: Clean your AR sometime.), you can install this charging handle. Replacing the stock handle, the BCMGUNFIGHTER allows for quicker and easier one-handed operation as it's designed in a way to allow asymmetrical manipulation. With the shooting hand still in place, the shooter can charge the rifle without having to move it far from being shouldered. The enhanced latch also provides a lot of real estate for getting a good hold on the handle for bigger or gloved hands or if interference with an optic is a concern.

The "Mod 4" model of the BCMGUNFIGHTER Charging Handle

The BCMGUNFIGHTER Charging Handle comes in a variety of sizes for the AR-15 including a fully ambidextrous model. Our favorite variant is the "Mod 4" model because it's the just-right "Mama Bear" size compared to the near-standard "Mod 5" or the even larger "Mod 3" ("Papa Bear"-sized) model. All are machined from 7075 T6 Billet aluminum alloy and sport a hard coat anodized finish.

You may not have to lace up your boots and go to work with a rifle, but you can trust the opinion of the brave professionals who do. Service men and women know what they want in a tool that their very lives depend on, and they want the Bravo Company BCMGUNFIGHTER Charging Handle.

- Matt