I just sold and Armalite rifle that I bought second hand at a gun show that appeared to be in excellent condition but after some problems with the gun jamming up with factory and aftermarket mags I sold it. So, now I want to give the AR another go but want to buy a rifle that is going to be reliable or I will just go back to the AK's.

This irritates me because I like the look of the AR. However, the AK's that I have had in the past were simply flawless and shot everytime without a flaw. Is it just me or are the AR's very flawed? After viewing the posts here it seems the rifle has a history of being unreliable.

Thanks for the help.

You probably want one of Bob's ASA barrels without a gasport mounted on a Hesse lower with a re-welded bolt carrier assembly and a genuine SARCO Thai (pronounced: Genuine USGI Parts) fire control kit.

Just kidding.

I've had nothing but good luck with Colt and Bushmaster.

P.S.  When an AR fails to feed one (or a combination) of these three problems is usually to blame:

1. You may have a worn buffer spring.  In which case you simply replace the spring.

2. You may need to use that neat little USGI chamber brush and a gallon of Hoppes to sufficiently clean your chamber.  Or you may have to pay a gunsmith to polish it for you.  In certain cases of neglict, the AR's chamber can become so pitted and layered with gunk that it will fail to feed.

or

3. You may need to invest in GOOD magazines.  After a few years of screwing with commericial mags I gave them up.  I sold them or traded them for USGI mags.  Be careful, not all USGI mags are worthwhile either.  Stick with Colt or Adventureline.  In most cases feeding problems are casued by $hitty mags.  (A note to the wise:  The high capacity mags that usually come with a used AR don't work!!!  They're only there to sweeten the deal.  They are - in essence - window dressing.)

I hope this helps.

Schnert [;)]

Schnert,

Your reply was amusing only because it is so close to a lot of the people that I have talked to that have a good working AR.

I had set out for a Bushmaster when I ran across the Armalite. Should have stayed on track.

I forgot to mention when the Armalite jammed it was so tight I had to pull the chaging handle with everything I had to get it open and remove the round. Didn't matter the ammo or the magazine either....

Did you use any USGI.  The factory mag they provide made mine jam and aftermarket mags like USA don't work.  With a USGI my ArmaLite has  never had a falure.

In a review for the ZM Weapons AR upper kit, they said that they ran 3,000 rounds of various types of ammo through it, and had zero errors. It was on a Colt pre-ban lower. I don't know if you could count that as an AR-15 anymore, I don't, since it uses a completely different gas system, but, I figured I'd mention it. Hopefully, mine will come in soon. Hopefully.

i have five ar's and not a problem with any them.  the only failures have been magazine/ammo related.  if you experience a stuck case simply (gently) slam the buttstock on the bench/ground at the same time pull the charging handle.  this should clear most jamms.

my ar's are colts with the execption of a bushie/fn hybrid. one is a factory gun, the rest i had put together with help of a colt armorer.  had an ak once and all it did was jamm up when hot!!

steve

I don't have an AK but I know these weapons are made for the pesant.They are not tight so jams are less likely. They also don't give you the accuracy of an AR. I think most jams in all semi auto's are magazine or ammo related. This is the first time I have heard someone saying something bad about Armalite. I have heard people talk bad about Bushmaster and colt. I have a couple of Bushmaster receivers and I was thinking of putting an Armalite upper on one of them. I hope I don't have a problem.

Call John at JP Enterprises. They're on the web, use any search engine.

It's the finest AR I've ever known with zero problems. And accurate? Oh yeah...........


Cheers!
[beer]



WL

I doubt that changing the brand will help much since armalite is good. Did you take the gun to more knowledgable people before selling it? I would stick with bushmaster or armalite again if I were you. I like my ak more but I would get an ar lower sooner or later because you can add so many things to it and change it to a different gas system.

I don't know if I can take this any more.  The ZM weapons gas system still bleeds gas into your bolt carrier.  The only change in the gas system is that your gas tube is shorter and your bolt carrier key is longer.  The system still requires gas be bled into your carrier to rotate the bolt.  It is a damn fine looking weapon just not the "end all, be all" system everyone totes it as being.  The main reason the system seems to be designed this way is to accomidate a folding stock.
LooterJ Out.

Buy a Hesse parts gun and keep it well lubed with Mobil 1...oh..wait [BD]

Nomex suit on
Tin foil beanie securely duct-taped in place

Are you sure that you bought an Armalite?  That may sound like a stupid question, but sometimes gun show dealers aren't as honest as we would like them to be.  Perhaps they sold you an Armalite that was cannibalized for parts and reconstructed with junk parts?

Maybe they sold you a green gun that was re-barreled?

Be careful.  There are a lot of crooks out there.

True!

Each manufacturer (even the beloved prancing pony) occaisionally ships a lemon.

I've had friends who have cursed just about every AR manufacturer out there due to their own horror stories.  And yet others praise the very same maligned companies because they have experienced good luck with their products.

I have even wrenched up some franken-guns from junk parts that just kept going and going and going...[heavy]

So I guess the trick is finding the groove.

(The same goes for AK's.  I've owned my share of jam-o-matik 47's as well as weapons that would keep going even if they were encased in concrete!)

It's a little late to be posting your problems
and asking questions as you have sold the rifle.
If it was an armalite, and I guess we will never know, you could have gotten a lot of
help from some very knowledgeable members of the
board and from the manufacter. Tsk Tsk. When I buy a gun I break it down and give it a major
cleaning. I use GI mags only. I use mil. surplus
ammo.

My Bushmaster has only jammed when it got some sand in it (desert shooting) and my preban Colt GC has never jammed......ever (over 10 years), and I've gotten that thing so dirty that sludge was coming out of the bolt carrier.  It's a work of art.  It's true AK's rarely jam, (I had a Polytech sidefolder), but I'd rather clean my thoroughbred than shoot a pack mule.

MG

I have a Colt preban HBAR that I got in 1985 or so. I have around 5 or 6 thousand rounds through it and I would have to guess that it did jam once, I just can't remember it. Reciently got a Bushy AK Shorty and it also runs like a top. I use Colt mags and decient surplus or generic ammo with an occiasional box of match ammo. It may be like "Location, location, location" except we should say "ammo, ammo, ammo and mag, mag, mag"

Bill

Happiness is a warm gun...
Bang bang, shoot shoot...

Own a Colt and a Bushmaster for severals years now and no problems with both.

Get a Pre-Ban Colt. I feed it with all kind of ammo, IMI, Federal Eagle, Spanish ss109, PMC with no problem. But I have to admit that I cleaned and maintained my rifle well.