The original design was for iron sights.
Rear charging handle was relatively easy to get to.
Manual of arms required RH person to hold the rifle with the left hand and activate the charging handle with the right hand (using the index and middle finger).
Was not designed for one-hand operation because of this.
Up to this point in history, almost all military firearms used a charging knob (it could also be used as a forward assist which was done with the M1 Garand to seat the first round after loading the chamber).
It was easy, intuitive, and could be used as a visual reference to see if the bolt was either in the forward or rear position (handy on either a closed or open bolt design).
Fast forward to 2019.
Military service using fixed sights is basically obsolete (other than for backup).
Depending on the optics used the charging handle is awkward to get to. Hence the explosion of extended (and ambidextrous) charging handles to take care of this issue.
I would surmise that a standard bolt will always require less time and effort (try charging an AR-pattern rifle while holding a cheek weld on the stock) to charge a rifle.
It is even made easier by placing it on the left-hand side of the receiver for RH shooters (WK180-C) or forward on the handguard (HK pattern rifles - not 416 or variants).
It is good enough for the military because that is what they are ordered to use. Police will adopt what the military is using as they a) have ex-military members who are familiar with the manual of arms (less training) and they are often given firearms (USA) from military procurement programs. In addition, the sheer number of AR-pattern rifles means you can buy them cheap and outfit them any way you want to.
Competition evolves based on what tools you need to win the game (like driving F-1 car to 7-11 to buy a liter of milk - competition and real-life diverge considerably. The modularity and after-market accessories to dress up the rifle is second to none.
The civilian market uses them due to a)fanboys/girls, b)video game selection, c) that is what the Military and Police are using.
Don't get me wrong - I own 3 AR's and like them for what they are. However, I'd take my restricted length CZ-858 every time due to the easier manual of arms (charging the gun, seeing the condition of the bolt and loaded/unloaded status).
Charging handles aren't fast or intuitive.
Bolt handles are easy to operate, can be used to easily determine the position of bolt/carrier, can be used as a forward assist, bolt release (without additional controls). Never mind the manual of arms for clearing a type 1 or 2 stoppages in an AR (there are countless videos (some lasting 20 minutes or so) instructing you how to get the gun up and running. Think about it. Because of the charging handle you need a)forward assist b) bolt release, and c) have to visually check the chamber (by having to rotate the gun 90 degrees ) to determine bolt position. Non-AR guns are at most 2 minutes (drop the magazine and pull the bolt back).
If there is a stuck round in the chamber (oversized round being thumped by forward assist or stuck fired round) one needs a cleaning rod in an AR. I've cleared jambs by slamming my boot down on the bolt handle to extract a sticky round (being very aware of muzzle relative to my head).
The AR is a great platform. The Achilles heel is the charging handle. Ask yourself while no other serious military or police weapon system uses this method.
L
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(It's not that serious of a service weapon though.)
