Firearm having a handle assembly for charging and forward assist

A firearm comprising:

• a receiver defining a receiver bore;
• a bolt carrier disposed in said receiver bore and moveable relative to said receiver between a firing position and a rearward position;
• a rod fixed relative to said bolt carrier;
• a hand guard coupled to said receiver and disposed about said rod and defining a first slot and a second slot spaced from each other;
• a handle assembly including a body disposed in said hand guard and a slider removeably coupled to said body and slideably supported by said hand guard, said handle assembly moveable toward said receiver to define a charging motion with said handle assembly moving said rod and said bolt carrier toward said rearward position when engaged with said rod and moved in said charging motion;
• wherein said slider and said body are selectively arranged in a first configuration with said slider extending through said first slot and a second configuration with said slider extending through said second slot;
• and
• a pin supported by said slider and engageable with said body to retain said body to said slider in both of said first and second configurations.

A charging handle assembly for a firearm having a hand guard defining a first slot and a second slot, said charging handle assembly comprising:

• a body;
• a slider removeably coupled to said body for slideable engagagement with the hand guard and being selectively arranged relative to said body in a first configuration for extending through the first slot and a second configuration for extending through the second slot;
• and
• a pin supported by said slider and engageable with said body when said slider is arranged in said first position and when said slider is arranged in said second position;
• said slider defining an assembly bore receiving said pin with said pin slideably retained to said slider in said assembly bore.