Hi there,

I'm not new to Highpower, or to the AR15, but I am new to the AR in Highpower shooting and I have a question. In the slow fire stages is it better to feed single rounds from the magazine by tripping the bolt release and just letting it slam home or to ease the bolt home and tap the forward assist? Is one more consistant than the other? Maybe with the case pretty much full of propellant it makes no difference? On my M1 and M1A I always ran the bolt home under control then tapped the charging handle but that is not what I'm seeing from most of the AR shooters. Thanks.

Never ride the bolt forward on any of them.  Release the bolt and let it slam home even on M1 and M1A's.  That's how it's made to operate.

I carefully insert the round into the chamber so that bullet is not deformed in any way then let bolt slam home.  Obviously I would only do this for single shot precision loading.  You can use a bob sled and accomplish almost the same thing which I use also.

And, posts 1and 2 above. I think now you understand my question.

If in doubt, guide the round into the chamber with the pinky, then reach over and press the bolt release. I stay in position and don't want to snap out to look to be sure it won't jam.

Most times, it won't make a difference, but if you care that much you run a test while also running the chronograph.

Check the runout and COAL on several samples. Load several with each method and very gently extract them to avoid extraction damage. Check for changes caused by your neck tension and loading method.

Next, shoot test groups from slung prone augmented with bag rests for added stability on a calm day.

By considering if the load/unload test causes any significant changes, and the group tests to see if those changes translate into group size at the target, you will have your own answer.

Good replies, thanks!