7 Best AR-15 Charging Handles [2024]: Expert Opinions

When it comes to the AR-15, one component that often gets overlooked is the charging handle. This seemingly small part plays a pivotal role in the firearm’s functionality, allowing users to chamber a round efficiently.

Its primary function is to facilitate the manual cycling of the firearm’s action. This is achieved by pulling the charging handle to the rear, which in turn retracts the bolt carrier group, allowing a round to be chambered from the magazine or enabling the clearing of a malfunction.

What is the best AR-15 charging handle? How do you determine which one is the best? Why is it important?

Ahh, you see. Now I’ve raised your brow. Charging handles are way more than just the metal thing you pull on to chamber a round. And while there are some relatively cheap options, I would never advise skimping out on a tool you bet your life on.

I’ve searched near and far, got the opinions of gunsmiths, and got my hands on many of these charging handles myself. Without further ado, let’s jump in.

It’s essential to understand why we chose these charging handles. But if you’re crunched on time, here is a shortlist.

Image	Product	Price
	Best Overall – Radian Raptor	Check Price
	Runner-up Best Overall – Aero BREACH	Check Price
	Best Durability – Knights Armament SR-15 Charging Handle	Check Price
	Most Reliable – LMT Ambidextrous Charging Handle	Check Price
	Best for Low-Profile Operations – Radian Raptor SD-SL	Check Price
	Best Budget – Strike Industries ARCH-EL Charging Handle with Extended Latch	Check Price
	Runner-up Budget – BCM Gunfighter	Check Price

Best Overall – Radian Raptor

Specifications

Pros & Cons

If you’ve ever searched for a list like this one, the Radian Raptor is likely on it. Considered the “gold standard” by many in the industry, it’s well-suited for essentially any build.

Constructed from aircraft grade 7075 aluminum and MILSPEC anodized, you will never have to worry about taking it easy on it. It’s ambidextrous, so both left and right-handed shooters will have no problem manipulating it with ease.

The fit and finish are always on point, and you can even order it in several different Cerakote colors. If you happen to need a more specific charging handle for a niche build, there are several other models, such as a lightweight one and a suppressor-optimized one (which we’ll show you later).

If you like matching controls like I do, I highly recommend checking out Radian’s Talon safety and its extended bolt catch.

Runner-up Best Overall – Aero BREACH

Specifications

Pros & Cons

Another charging handle that you’ll find on many of these lists and that is a very stiff competitor for the Raptor is the Aero Precision BREACH.

I’ve been running these on a couple of builds over the last year or two and have had zero issues. Having big hands, I appreciate the large lever option and find it very easy to manipulate. The edges are rounded to avoid snagging, and each lever has its own spring system for redundancy.

In the rear of the charging handle, you’ll find a gas deflection shelf that helps redirect gasses away from your face. Even if you don’t shoot suppressed, it’s a nice touch to help keep your line of sight clear and mitigate the amount of gas you’re inhaling.

Great attention is also paid to even the smallest details. Added thickness and a reduced chamfer up top increase the ruggedness, and specialized cuts on the charging handle help clear debris and stuck-on carbon.

You can tell just how much research and design went into the BREACH charging handle, making it one of the best in the industry.

Best Durability – Knights Armament 5.56 Ambidextrous Charging Handle

Specifications

Pros & Cons

Knights Armament makes some of the best firearms on the market. It’s not just my opinion either, as the M110 won the U.S. Army’s “Top 10 Innovations” award back in 2007.

But does that quality and innovation extend to its charging handles? Yes.

Knights Armament focused heavily on durability when they developed this charging handle. For one, it has independent latches, so you can manipulate it even if one of the latches gets damaged. They are also designed to limit snagging.

And no matter how you choose to manipulate it, whether you use the pinch grip, single finger, or the good old-fashioned knife hand, you will find that this charging handle will work with you no matter what.

I recommend the KAC 5.56 charging handle to anyone focused on ultimate durability over everything.

Most Reliable – LMT Ambidextrous Charging Handle 

Specifications

Pros & Cons

Lewis Machine and Tool is another manufacturer that delivers great products that are regarded by many as the best on the market.

Not only is the LMT charging handle highly durable, but it also reduces the amount of gas coming back toward your face—not as much as the Radian Raptor SD-SL, but enough to notice.

My favorite part of the LMT charging handle is the lack of bending that takes place when manipulating it with one finger. You know, the side-to-side movement you usually see on flimsy charging handles?

Nope, not here. The LMT charging handle is solid, like a rock. But it does snag a bit at times.

Best for Low-Profile Operations – Radian Raptor SD-SL 

Specifications

Pros & Cons

With the same build quality as the standard Raptor, the SD-SL is a great slim-line choice with smaller handles.

The Raptor SD-SL also has a unique design that features porting on the shaft to redirect gasses, which is especially useful when shooting suppressed.

The low-profile design keeps the latches from snagging on the plate carrier or digging into your chest when the rifle is slung, but it can be difficult to use when shooting with gloves.

Best Budget – Strike Industries ARCH-EL Charging Handle with Extended Latch

Specifications

Pros & Cons

While Strike Industries is well-known for many of its innovative firearm parts and accessories, it also has some solid standard offerings. The ARCH-EL charging handle is one of those products that doesn’t recreate the wheel; it just ensures it’s high-quality and durable.

In addition to being constructed out of 7075-T6 aluminum, it has a highly polished surface that provides a nice and smooth operation. Of course, as you can see, it has an extended latch, which makes charging in a hurry or with gloves much more effortless.

However, I do wish it was ambidextrous. Even though I’m right-handed, I always prefer to have the option to charge on either side in case of an injury…you can say it’s the prepper in me.

At the end of the day, the ARCH-EL delivers quite a bit of bang for your buck. It falls into the budget category but proves budget doesn’t always mean lower quality.

Runner-up Budget  – BCM Gunfighter x VLTOR Mod 3B

Specifications

Pros & Cons

Bravo Company is well regarded in the shooting community for making high-quality rifles at a mid-level price point.

This particular charging handle was made in collaboration with VLTOR, which creates some of the best aftermarket parts in the industry for various weapon platforms.

It’s constructed from 7075-T6 aluminum and features a hard coat anodized finish. It also has a raised lip to help redirect those gasses. However, it isn’t ambidextrous.

The Mod 3B (large latch model) is my recommendation for any shooter who wants to assemble a fighting rifle but doesn’t want to spend an arm and a leg doing so.

This list of the best charging handles for the AR-15 results from hands-on experience, many conversations, and extensive research. We covered all of our bases.

You’re here looking for the BEST charging handle for AR-15s. Am I wrong?

A charging handle that you can rely on. One you can use, abuse, and never have to worry about. I’ve seen cheap charging handles come unhinged during use and send a fine shooter to the dentist with a broken tooth. I’ve also seen them snap in half and render a rifle useless.

Why would you ever skimp on a part critical to a working rifle?

But you wanted the best, so we found the best.

What Does A Charging Handle Do?

Think of the charging handle as the slide on a pistol. When you rack the slide back, you load a round into the chamber and set the pistol ready to fire.

A charging handle is similar. But it doesn’t slide back every time you fire a round. If it did, that would be ugly.

The charging handle is a means of manipulating the bolt carrier group so that the round may be chambered. Or so a failure may be cleared.

Charging handles do play a vital role in the function of an AR-15. How else will you get a round in the chamber if you don’t have a charging handle?

Advantages Of An Aftermarket Charging

Aftermarket charging handles can provide a plethora of different benefits.

Many factory charging handles are terrible for hard use and mitigating gases, and they aren’t usually ambidextrous.

If you’re a shooter who runs their rifle harder than most, you will definitely find that an aftermarket charging handle will benefit you in more ways than one.

As I said before, charging handles from the factory are rarely ambidextrous. So, an aftermarket charging handle is needed if you want to be able to manipulate from either side of the gun. It’s one of the ways to create a fully ambidextrous rifle.

Second, the raised lip of an aftermarket charging handle is a must if you shoot with a suppressor.

Sure, you can go with an adjustable gas block, but that requires much more work than simply breaking the rifle in half (not literally) and changing the charging handle.

Finding the best AR-15 charging handle for your rifle can take some work, but any charging handle on this list will be an upgrade from your basic mil-spec one.

Remember, you do not want to skimp on such a critical component of your rifle.

See you on the range, fine shooter.