Luth- AR Retro 601 Style Triangle Charging Handle - Black

I totally agree with the previous reviewer. This is an item from the early AR-15/M-16 which NEEDED to be changed. Eugene Stoner must have been having a bad day when he designed this part. That said, this is intended for a dedicated .22 LR build disguised as an early 601 AR. As the .22 action only requires a small movement I am sure this charging handle will work fine. And it will look COOL! As to the quality of the product... It looks very well made. However, the latch is a quite gritty and the split pin which holds the latch in place is not fully driven in. It would score the upper receiver if used as is. I popped out the split pin and observed that the spring and latch were dry. There was some machining debris in the spring hole. A little cleaning, a little LSA and back together. The charging handle now works smoothly in my upper receiver. Minus one star. One final note... this handle is BLACK. That matches the upper receiver I have so it is fine. If you have a gray retro receiver... Luth-AR says on their web site that they are in the process of producing the gray version. Call JSE and check before you buy. I did and they are very friendly and helpful.

If there is one thing I have learned doing "retro" builds, it has given me hands on experience as to WHY certain things were changed during the M16's teething pains in Vietnam. This is one of them. Essential to a 601-602 "retro" build and a fine product, but its design shows you why it was replaced early. If you are use to the standard handle, learning to use this is a brand new experience. No fast knuckle pull. You have to go slow or pinch the sides to manipulate it. And if you don't have the mechanics down, you can miss entirely and not even unlatch it. It is darn cool to look at, but to be brutally honest, I would NOT use this on any AR that I would be using in a panic or "hot" situation. The "standard" version is WAY better from a practical point of view.