I have an Armageddon Tactical GMS-15 Gen I Charging Handle in hand for review and I am very impressed so far. It has a lot to offer in terms of functionality and it is fairly innovative in terms of design.
Suppressor owners will like the GMS-15 for its special gas port and chamber. The port runs up diagonally from the underside of the charging handle to redirect the excess gas into a chamber on the handle. The chamber is a large, semi-circular void that is shaped in a way it contains the gases and slips slightly over the top of the receiver to form a better seal. It’s far simpler than it sounds.
The GMS-15 is ambidextrous in that it can be operated from both sides of the AR-15. However, you should note that it’s design requires tension on the charging handle so it will not release when pulled from the ejection port side on a locked back bolt. On the first pass that sounds like a big deal but it was accounted for with the addition of a fairly large textured button (for lack of a better term) that when pressed, provides the tension necessary. This is the only time this “button” is needed and it is fairly intuitive in its use.
The most exciting thing about the GMS-15 is it’s robust construction and mechanical nature. While other charging handles attempt to overcome the shortcomings of roll pins, the GMS-15 removes them from the equation entirely (they are present but not in any sort of load bearing way). The entire handle moves back on the shaft via a robust internal mechanism. Its rearward travel is stopped, not by a roll pin, but by a large rear lug and the internal structures.
Most of the GMS-15 is machined from billet 7075 aluminum and the latch machined from heat treated 4140 steel. The aluminum components are finished with a Teflon impregnated hard anodized finish which, according to Armageddon Tactical, ” produces a durable non-reflective surface and reduces the coefficient of friction between moving parts”. The latch is Mag Phosphate finished.
I will be continuing to work with the GMS-15 to see how it holds up and how well the gas mitigation functionality works. So far, I am very impressed. The one fly in the ointment is the locked back bolt issue but a left-handed friend felt that this was overcome easily enough that he is very interested in spending more time with it.
Check out the Armageddon Tactical GMS-15 Gen I Charging Handle.
