Reviews & Ratings for Manticore Arms Gen 2 Scoprion EVO Extended Switchback Charging Handle — 7 reviews — Page 1

My Switchback broke a few weeks ago. Not the plastic handle, but the metal rod. It snapped clean in half. When it was working, it was great to use. And no, I have not abused it in any way. I don't baby my kit, but I do not abuse them either. I certainly was quite surprised when the bolt was jammed in the open position when operating it normally. Took me a bit to figure out that the broken rod was the cause.
Since I enjoyed it before it broke in half, I bought another one and just installed it. We shall see how long this one lasts.

To summarize, the plastic connector between the rod and handle unexpectedly broke under normal use after only a month. Furthermore, unless one grips the charging handle's base, proper operation is extremely difficult, contrary to expectations regarding leverage.

Once I received my CH I immediately installed it and three days later I went to the range.

We were training doing drills such as getting off the X, El Pres, use of cover, etc. Well upon the third emergency reload the CH snapped off right at the rod.

Optics Planet has been pretty good about getting me a replacement CH (It's on the way).

Im on the fence until the replacement CH arrives and I run it for a while then I'll do another reassessment.

I'm hopeful this was just a fluke.

I'm 5'10"; 175 lbs -- not a "big" guy by any stretch of the imagination. So you understand when I say that the stock charging handle is too small, this isn't an exaggeration. There's literally only enough room for a single finger, so good luck not breaking your finger pulling back the bolt multiple times to clear a jam or to demonstrate proper operation to a friend who's new at the gun range. The issue is that the Scorpion 3+ micro makes several sacrifices in order to maintain its small, backpack-ready size, and an uncomfortably truncated charging handle was one of them. Larger, 3rd-party charging handles address this issue, but now it isn't so discreet in a backpack or comfortable on a sling. The folding charging handle is absolutely necessary!! So there are 2 companies that make them: Manticore and Ascalon -- difficult to find either in stock, but I recommend 1 for each side. The Manticore option is the larger of the 2, MUCH easier to pull back the bolt!! And it folds nicely!! The Ascalon one is smaller, more compact (i.e. doesn't compete with my OLight attachment for precious real estate), and the hinges seem sturdier. So I keep the Manticore as the main charging handle on the left side, and the Ascalon as back-up in case of failure of the first (I read a review that a customer had one break on him). This is optimal!! I have the 4.2" barrel, so having both charging handles (Manticore for ease and comfort, Ascalon for size and sturdiness) were PERFECT!! Now I'm just waitin...
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Bought two just for the flexibility and while they feel better to use than the stock handle, its harder in some situations to pull. Dont know if its because i get too much leverage or if its because i got particularly stiff springs but i have to yank hard if i want to pull back on a loaded mag. The "yes" is tentative.