I have been watching some of the Magpul carbine course trailers and videos on youtube and have noticed how the charging handle on their rifles works so fast and smooth.  Are they using some sort of aftermarket charging handle, or will mine get that way with more use?  I have an M&P 15X, and it is almost a chore to put the weapon into battery compared to other rifles I have seen.

Thanks

I suspect it has more to do with user technique than anything, but I could be wrong.

Make sure your bolt carrier is well lubricated if it doesn't want to go into battery.  Gun oil works, but I'm personally a fan of molybdenum disulfide grease.  It resists heat better and lasts longer.

Exactly.  Although many of the guns in the video are aftermarket gadget clusterfucks and probably have the tack latches, it's really a matter of learning weapon manipulation.

taken the classes; practice practice practice, repeat,  till you are smooth.

Control the weapon, and it will be smooth. Let the weapon control you, and it won't be smooth. Those pros (the instructors) in the Magpul DVD add a splash of urgency into their handling and manipulation. It's not really about muscle or having a tac latch (though it sure makes it easier!), but more mindset when it comes down to it!

Did we see the same video?

Costa was the only master of weapons manipulation in the video I saw  (disc 2).  The student were regular shooters fighting through it like the rest of us.

Maybe because I learned with an A2 that had a standard stock, but it isn't hard, just get the motion down to pull it straight back.  With a standard stock, its the same distance over the top of the stock the whole way, kinda guided the motion with my hand sliding over the stock as I pulled.

Never tried a collapsible stock until I had became proficient with a standard stock.  I guess its like riding a bike, because I only recently got into AR's, years after I last touched an M-16, and it seems almost surprising to me, people can't pull the charging handle back quick and smoothly.

I always think the same thing.  Even with handguns, it always seems in training vids or even in classes I've taken, they barely grip the slide with their fingertips and rack it like it's got a feather for a spring.

I meant the instructors (Costa and Haley taught the disc 1 class), not the students. That said, the students in disc 2 are clearly at an advanced level, and their competence with their weapons systems is quite good, in my opinion. Especially compared to the disc 1 students, which were closer to a more beginners level.

I've found that once the rifle is well broken in it's just a matter of training the muscles to get the right leverage on the thing.

I pull it one handed, with my left hand, grasped between my index finger and thumb. Eventually your arm/hand just figures it out and it's no big deal - you do it without thinking. Mine doesn't have any special latch or anything, it's just the standard $20 charging handle.



ETA: It was the same for pistols for me. They were difficult at first. Now it's almost like zipping your fly - you don't even think about it, you just do it, and it's not difficult.

It just takes getting used to manipulating your weapons. Then it becomes second nature.