I just bought a brand new ACR and it has the ambi charging handle.
Does anyone know how I can get just a left sided one for it? Are the left sided ones compatible with this new version?

I called bushmaster and they said they don’t know and referred me to a store that sells their parts. That store then told me to google it.  
I also asked bushmaster about the handguard because I bought this new form buds and it came with a damaged handguard. They said I can mail it to them for repair but won’t send me a new one for replacement. So that kind of sucks.

Reach out to bigdog200399 if he doesn’t post in here shortly.  He should be able to answer this question for you.

The old handles and the new ones are not compatible, they’re completely different.

Edited to add: I saw somewhere someone cut off one side. Do you dislike it on both sides that much?

Umm... no. If you're talking about just the knob itself, then you're correct, you can't put an old knob on a new charging handle assembly and vice-versa. But the complete charging handle assembly is completely interchangeable between ACRs. The only issue is that the 6.8 SPC barrel set requires the new ambi assembly; the 6.8 caliber conversion is the reason the charging handle design changed; using the original one with a 6.8 conversion will cause damage.

Thank you guys!

I have the 5.56 10.5” version, I a, happy to replace the entire charging handle assembly to have just a left sided one. How do I go about doing this? Where can I get the left sided assembly?
Thank you!

I found this, but it doesn’t look like this would drop in, I think I need more parts or more of an assembly to replace that ambi one.

https://www.midwestgunworks.com/page/mgwi/prod/f1000901

Thanks

This is relevant to my interests.  From watching youtube videos, getting the charging handle out of the gun for complete disassembly is not the same as the older guns.  I'd prefer to have a single side charging handle.  I'll chop one side once I figure out how to get the assembly out of the gun.  There just isn't a lot of media on the new guns and the gun shipped with the old manual.

As for bigdog, I was told he's been very busy with the ACR lower project and has less time for custom work.  He posts here and there, but but getting ahold of him for work he lists on his website is slow.

Yes, I was. Unless I’m mistaken the OP was too. The handles between the versions are not compatible with each other. The old assemblies are $350 or so new from Bushmaster or resellers like Midwest Gun Works.

OP, if you want a new, take off from a NIB rifle of the old assembly, e-mail me at hkbeltfed at yahoo dot com

Email sent. You’re the man!
Thank you very much.

The reason for the ambi charging handle is both the 6.8SPC conversion and the 450 Bushmaster.
Both have more recoil than 5.56.  With 6.8 & 450, the single charging handle became reciprocating.
Apparently it now latches on both sides.

If anyone's keen on a single side charing handle, I wouldn't mind switching things up to the ambi. Happy to trade!

Even if they have a 5.56 ACR, anyone who takes you up on that will be excluding themselves from ever getting the 6.8 or .450 conversion kits for their rifle...

What are the differences between the newer, ambi handles and the old single side handles?

Finally getting to disassemble my ambi, it looks like it interfaces differently in the detent than the single side ones.  This is from watching videos on how the old ones break down.

It is COMPLETELY different. A totally different design. The original has a latch that catches onto the bolt carrier, while the new one is held in place by a ball detent that engages the slot previously used to remove the one-sided handle.

^^^ Not quite correct ^^^

Both engage the carrier,  it that’s for the forward assist. The older type has a hook at the front that catches a window in the receiver wall on the left. The ambi type, as you mentioned, uses the ball shaped latch that engages the slot in the pic rail on the top.

Sorry I’ve been down with some sort of the plague for the last week.   I’ve been working on the lowers when I’m not dying but it’s been difficult this week.

So CJ is correct.  The new assemblies lock into the receiver using the top ball shaped detent piece.   They also work as a forward assist thanks to the rear hook.    The trunnion is what disables the hook from the bolt itself.

The first gen charging handles assemblies were the weak point on the Acr.  You would get 5000-12000 rounds through your rifle and need to either repair or replace the assembly.

The aluminum pin that was machined Into the assembly would start cracking and eventually snap off.  That would let it reciprocate sometimes.   Eventually the rear roll pin would wear an oval into the assembly and your rear hook pin would fall out.  That generally killed the assembly as far as forward assist and non reciprocating.  You could still use it but it wasn’t optimal.

The gen 2 replaced the aluminum machined portion with a steel pin.  The rear roll pin is also a solid rivet type setup which is much stronger.

They last 15-20k or so and I’ve not had to do many repairs to them.

The new assemblies (gen 3) were designed to not peen the receiver much at all.  They are also designed to work better with 6.8 and .450 where the old assemblies would slowly damage the upper until the rifle would be out of spec.  That took tens of thousands of rounds to get there but they wanted to avoid it all together.

That’s also why the 6.8 took so long to be released.

Dana
Any luck on a folding handle for the new assemblies?

I have the design completely done.   My personal Sbr has one.   I don’t have any made up yet outside of that one.   Once I get through a batch of lowers I’ll go for more folders.  Both old and new style

The DMR I recently acquired came with the single charging handle.
The 6.8SPC conversion kit comes with the dual handle assembly.
I'm trying to install the dual assembly.

The knob and short lever remove easily.
I released the hook at the front of the internal assembly.
However, the assembly inside the upper will only go back about 2" and stops.
The instructions don't appear to address this.
Am I missing something simple?

The single sided assembly comes out the front and the left side hook will get caught in the upper when you pull it out.

The ambi assembly inserts from the rear (Ex wife joke here).  Once it’s most of the way in you can use the bar to pull it forward enough to drop the pin in from the top through the receiver hole

Yeah, that's what I meant. Mixed it up a little bit.