The vast majority of AR-15 rifles and sporting rifle platforms patterned after them are rear-chargers, which means that to cycle the action, you need to break your cheekweld, break your mount, and potentially take your dominant hand off the fire controls to cycle the action.
For some shooters, there is a better way, and many opt for side-charging builds. In a side-charging upper, or a side-charger, the charging handle protrudes from the side of the rifle where the ejection port is located.
If you’re not familiar with this configuration, there are several reasons you might benefit from getting a side-charging assembled upper for your next build. And, if you’re a loyal adherent to either 5.56 NATO or .223 Remington, you may as well make it an assembled upper with a .223 Wylde barrel. Here’s what you should know.
The Ergonomics Make Sense
First, the majority of semi-automatic rifles and shotguns out there have some sort of side-charging configuration even though they aren’t called side-chargers. ARs that side-charge are only called so because the standard setup has a charging handle at the rear of the receiver.
Just look at other popular platforms like the Remington 1100 or the Ruger 10/22. In both cases, and in countless others, the charging handle simply protrudes from the bolt and is used for manually cycling.
For most shooters, the muscle memory is there, especially if they’ve handled and shot these or any of countless other similar platforms. Translating it to an AR just makes sense.
Keep Your Cheekweld
Another huge advantage to upgrading to a side-charging AR upper is that you can manually cycle the action without breaking your cheekweld.
This is actually a fairly big drawback to rear-charging ARs. Whether you need to manually clear a jam or address some other malfunction, you need to remove your cheek from the stock, interrupting the sight picture.
Getting everything back on track takes not just physical effort but mental refocus. With a side-charging AR, you can keep your cheek on the stock and your eyes and sights on the target, all of which are highly beneficial to the operator.
Keep Your Dominant Hand on the Fire Controls
If you build with an assembled upper that has a side-charging configuration, not only can you keep your cheek on the stock, but you can keep your dominant hand on the fire controls.
That will not just give you better control over the rifle, but like maintaining a cheekweld, it will also help you respond more confidently and more quickly.
More Room for Optics Over the Receiver
The rear-charging handle of some AR-15 rifles actually gets in the way when you want to add certain optics, specifically oversized scopes, to the rail over the receiver.
Much of the time this is actually not an issue, but for those that would like to mount big, long-distance scopes to their rifles, or to practice long-distance shooting disciplines, it can be a drawback.
So, if you want the ultimate degree of flexibility when it comes to mounting optics to your rifle, go with a side-charging upper. The swap is easy enough to make.
Faster Manual Cycling
The long and short of a side-charging upper is that it enables faster, more fluid manual cycling, and general manipulation of the action, period.
The quicker you can charge the rifle or clear a jam the faster you’ll be back in the action with a hot rifle. That can be a massive benefit not just in competition, where time is implicated in scoring, but for obvious reasons can be a huge factor in defensive encounters.
Less Overall Movement Required
Your hand and body will need to move a greater overall distance to manually cycle a rear-charging action. Less movement overall is required with a side-charger, which sort of feeds into the benefit that they are faster.
A .223 Wylde Barrel Gives You the Best of Both Worlds
Just like most AR platforms are rear-chargers, so too are most chambered in either 5.56 NATO or .223 Remington.
A better option is .223 Wylde, which is a hybrid chamber that can feed and fire both cartridges interchangeably.
The benefit of an upper with a .223 Wylde barrel is that you can shoot either 5.56 or .223, so whatever you have available will work.
Ultimately you get the benefit of flexibility, plus you never need to worry about chambering the wrong ammo again.
Explore Side-Charging Assembled Uppers and .223 Wylde Barrels Here
Looking for a side-charging assembled upper and a .223 Wylde barrel to make an upgrade? Check out our collection; we have both and can help you customize your next build through our wide assortment of AR parts.
If you have any questions about the specifications of anything we sell, or the compatibility, get in touch with us at Sales@MCSGearup.com.