Forward assist

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Forward assisting is the practice of moving the bolt or bolt carrier of a firearm fully forward in battery when the return spring has not done so (or there is a chance that it will not have done so) to prevent out-of-battery firing. It is only used on closed bolt only firearms. Some firearms have a dedicated device to allow forward assisting; on others, it is simply a procedure performed on reciprocating (IE: attached to the bolt/bolt carrier) charging handles.