[Kos-Mos]

The ONLY reason why the forward assist is there is to prevent damage to the piston/gears and accidental fire when you split open the gun.

It is there to release the spring and make sure the piston is forward before opening the receiver. Nothing more, nothing less. If you don't press it first, you WILL break stuff. And the receiver quality is on par with anything else M4 metal... King Arms metal bodies are about the same quality as the ICS ones... but the split mechbox is indestructible vs. a plain old v2. There is no connection between the mechbox/upper and lower/stock, so if you fall on it you might break the gun in two. That happens with ANY brand of M4, so it's not exactly a design flaw... I try not to fall on my gun, right at the rear body pin.

If you store the gun for a long time, it's also good to press the release make sure the piston is forward.

You can do it what ever how you fired before. But if you release after a full-auto burst, it is possible that there is a BB in the chamber and that it gets shot out at low FPS when you press the forward assist.