How often does your AR jam? honestly.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - How often does your AR jam? honestly.

Posted: 6/24/2001 9:50:23 PM EDT

Would you consider a AR that has a failure to feed about 1 out of 50 rds(using USGI mags and Q3131 or So. Afr. ammo) normal? These are simple
to correct but I was curious. Usally when leaving the range the typical conversation consists of..."two" with a reply of "zero" or the dreaded no reply and turning the radio up.

Posted: 6/24/2001 9:52:44 PM EDT

[#1]

NEVER. I have seen it happen but mine never have. The majority of jams I have seen are due to crap mags.

Even in full auto my AR conversion will not jam or fail to feed.

Posted: 6/24/2001 9:55:52 PM EDT

[#2]

crappy ammo (that Ruskie steel case stuff) and/or bad mags . . . I've had the bolt jam with hand fed ammo, but that was my fault.

Otherwise, it NEVER jams.

Posted: 6/24/2001 10:13:37 PM EDT

[#3]

the few times i have had any gun jam it was usally bad ammo or mags most of the bad ammo jams ive had where when i was tring out a new load and ended up not sizing the thing right or something

Posted: 6/24/2001 10:18:00 PM EDT

[#4]

At the Memorial Day Tennessee Black Rifle Group shootout I left my rifle sitting out in the rain with the ejection port facing up. I purposefully did not lube it before or after this. I fired about 20 rounds and the next cartridge failed to go fully into battery.

Shot a little CLP in there & it ran almost another 500 rnds in the rain with no more problems.

That was the only time in over 1500-1700 rounds it has malfunctioned.

Posted: 6/24/2001 11:55:30 PM EDT

[#5]

My Bushmaster Shorty AK frequently short-stroked through 700 rounds of PMC and Winchester (white box, 55 grain). Had several short-strokes per magazine up through about 300 rounds, and about one per magazine through 700.

This occurred regardless of the magazine used. All of my mags are GI issue, black and green follower, except for a couple of Thermolds.

I'll keep it nice by only saying that I was [b]very[/b] disappointed [:(!] .

As I got around the 700 round count, I discovered AR15.com. Normal lubrication did no good, so after reading the troubleshooting section I tried Tetra grease on the carrier, which was a disaster.

Finally I clipped one turn off of the buffer spring and ran 300 rounds through in one sitting with about 2 instances of the bolt not locking back, but NO short-strokes [:D] .

That was the last time I've shot it, as I transferred here to Korea.

I've got both of my AR's here with me now, and should be taking them to the M16 range next month, and I don't anticipate any problems.

Chris

Posted: 6/25/2001 12:05:00 AM EDT

[#6]

My frankengun which is only "occasionally" cleaned, has never jammed.

Posted: 6/25/2001 12:13:04 AM EDT

[#7]

only had my Colt nt feed once.... I didn't slap the mag all the way into the mag well.

Posted: 6/25/2001 12:19:05 AM EDT

[#8]

If all else is in good working order (rounds, mags etc), my experience tells me that if there is enough lube, it's not going to jam. A shot of CLP and all is forgiven.

My cleaning habits well, "suck" sometimes. During those times of laziness and slothlike activity, I may get a jam from one my AR's. At which point I blast the bolt and innards with clp, and presto..... no more jams.

Posted: 6/25/2001 12:19:21 AM EDT

[#9]

I just recently purchased 2 new Bushmaster barrels.
I put 1 on my pre-ban and 1 on a post-ban...

Both guns had MAJOR problems after Installing the Bushy barrels...
They worked fine with the old DPMS barrels that were on before...
Seems the Bushy chambers were WAY too tight...

I could hardly get the empty brass out of the chambers...

I sent my COMPLETE uppers back to Bushmaster last Monday, and they Fixed & Shipped them out on Friday...I should see them by Wednesday I hope...
I'm gonna call them today & ask what was wrong with the barrels...

Forgot to mention....

I also have a factory "out of the box" Bushmaster XM15 E2S 20"HBAR gun...

It shoots 100%...approx. 1000 rounds NO JAMS!...Not a single one.
Beautiful gun...

Posted: 6/25/2001 12:26:01 AM EDT

[#10]

My Bushmaster functioned good, then my friend that was an armorer took it apart and did it according to the book....tremendous difference. No hesitation or jams, action works rel slick.

Posted: 6/25/2001 12:39:50 AM EDT

[#11]

I keep gun logs on every gun in my collection. I know exactly how many times any given gun has malfunctioned.

My large collection of AR type rifles averages about a 3% malfunction rate.

That is not as good as my AK or even Mini 14 which average less than 1% malfunction rate.

But its better than my Benelli, 10/22, or rimfire pistols.

Posted: 6/25/2001 12:43:27 AM EDT

[#12]

Have a Col SP-1...never had a problem with jams until a month ago...due to a worn out follower in the mag. Replaced the follower and is good as new.

Posted: 6/25/2001 12:44:16 AM EDT

[#13]

Haven't done any shooting in a long time, but back when I still had my first AR, I had about 700 rounds on it and had 2 malfunctions. One was due to bad ammo (crappy gunshow reloads) and one due to bad mag (weak spring probably). After I stopped using the bad ammo and switched to a new mag, no problems for the last 500 rounds or more. Still building up my latest addition, when I finish it I'm gonna have to find a place to shoot.

Posted: 6/25/2001 1:41:38 AM EDT

[#14]

I have put approx. 600 rounds through my Bushy V-match and approx. 450 through my Bushy M4 postban. The V-match has never jammed.(100 of the 600 was through a C-mag that ran like charm!)The M4 jammed three times the last time I shot it about a week and a half ago and it was caused by the mag!(it was a 30rd USGI) The bolt was catching the mag and dragging across the top of it. I put a 20rd in (re-loaded 4 times)and fired 80 rds with no incidents at all.
You'll find most problems to be Ammo or Mag related and or the occasional Extractor...etc..
BTW-I'am now.....

[red]Evil-Beagles[/red]

Posted: 6/25/2001 1:46:01 AM EDT

[#15]

Sorry, as to your original post:
I would say that it is not normal and you should try to diagnose the problem through process of elimination. Clean thoroughly first then inspect internal parts. Go to the range check with different mags and different ammo etc....

[red]Evil-Beagles[/red]

Posted: 6/25/2001 1:48:51 AM EDT

[#16]

All I have shot through my Bushy M4 has been the"DREADED" Wolf ammo and I've never had a jam.I've shot rapid fire and bumped fired to the point where I could not touch the barrel and had no problems.

Posted: 6/25/2001 5:44:01 AM EDT

[#17]

The only jams I have ever had on a factory-assembled AR have been due to the use of Barnaul 223 ammo.

Posted: 6/25/2001 6:28:17 AM EDT

[#18]

1 out of 50 is a high failure rate. Here is how my Bushmaster M4/AK has done to date:
Rounds Fired: 4K-5K of 5.56/.223
2K-3K of .22LR through a USGI Conversion kit

Problems:
- 2 double feeds due to crappy USA aluminum magazines (very early on) - definate mag problem. I tossed these mags after my first 100 rounds.
- 5 Failures To fire with some Wolf 62gr (out of 1000 rounds), one resulted in a jam.
- 1 Bolt over base malfunction (the only *real* jam I consider, this was using SA ammo and a USGI magazine during rapid fire) at the 3500-4000 round mark.
- 1 son-of-a-bitch locked up tight jam due to a primer poped out of a bad 1999 lot of Winchester Q3131. I had 2 primers pop out of 100 rounds fired (out of 120 rounds I purchased that day). One resulted in a bolt lockup. Ammo problem not a rifle problem.

I've run the rifle in heavy rain, in dusty conditions, and in clean environments. I've run it over 1000 rounds between cleanings (and several times over 500 rounds between cleanings). She runs like a champ, and is only cleaned & lubed with Breakfree CLP.

Posted: 6/25/2001 6:43:26 AM EDT

[#19]

My personal AR has never had a stoppage (about 1000 rounds).

My issue M4 only had stoppages when we were forced to "create" stoppages in atactical carbine course I attended.

My Colt 9mm SMG jams all of the danged time. WHat really scared me was that the last time I shot it, my SMG jammed on the second burst. It was very, very clean and in good shape. There was no reason for it to do this, other than the fact that these are not very reliable weapons. WHat really amazes me is that Simunitions makes an excellent, extremely reliable 9mm conversion for .223 weapons, and is much more reliable that Colt's SMG.

For a .223 AR15 series weapon, anything more than the very occasional jam is unacceptable, assuming good magazines and factory ammo.

Posted: 6/25/2001 6:44:45 AM EDT

[#20]

None on any of my Pre-Ban Colt.
Few time on my Wilson Combat AR (SAMI Spec)

Ammo used:
Federal American Eagle
IMI M855 & M193
PMC
Spanish SS109 (jammed on my Wilson)
Winchester Q3131A

Posted: 6/25/2001 7:03:21 AM EDT

[#21]

610,

I agree with the others. 1 jam out of 50 rounds is unacceptable.

You might consider checking the tightness on the hex head bolts that secure the carrier key to the carrier. I had one rifle that had unpredictable feed behavior; stove pipes, short stroking etc.

Upon looking at the carrier I noticed that the carrier key wiggled slightly when bumped. The bolts had not been staked very deeply and so the carrier key was loose causing a gas leak.

Such a discussion makes a point: If the gas system on an AR is leaking or plugged then a whole world of seemingly untracable/unsolvable problems can happen.

This means also that the gas rings on the bolt should be checked to make sure the gaps are correctly spaced.

Other than that, check your magazines for proper feed and function as the others have said.

Hephaistos

Posted: 6/25/2001 7:37:56 AM EDT

[#22]

I can shoot between 600 to 700 rounds before a jam. If Im shooting Wolf ammo then I get a jam right away , one jam out of 10 shot.

red man

Posted: 6/25/2001 8:14:58 AM EDT

[#23]

My BM shorty used to jam every 20 rounds or so during the first 300 rounds than got worse. It was jamming every 5 rounds or so for next 200 rounds so I sent it back to BM. Once I got got it back from factory it has not jammed in past 500 rounds or so. When using good ammo and mags I expect no more than once every 1,000 rounds or so.

Just for comparison here are my records for some other rifles I have:

MAC90 - 1 failure to feed in 3,800 rounds.

Ruger Mini-14 - 4 failure to feed in 2,300 rounds (3 were with 30 round USA mag and Wolf steel case ammo)

Ruger Ranch Rifle#1 - 6 failure to feed in 6,900 rounds (3 were with 30 round USA mag and Wolf steel case ammo)

Ruger Ranch Rifle#2 - 1 failure to feed in 1,400 rounds (with 30 round USA mag). I have never fired Wolf steel case ammo in this rifle.

Ruger Ranch Rifle#3 - 0 failure in 800 rounds. Never used USA mag or Wolf steel case ammo in this rifle.

My Ruger rifles have been very reliable when using factory hi-cap mags and good brass ammo.

Posted: 6/25/2001 8:19:40 AM EDT

[#24]

I had jams from bad ammo, a few with bad mags, and once with a jammed ejector spring.

Posted: 6/25/2001 8:37:32 AM EDT

[#25]

I Don'tecall my bushmaster ever jamming.[sniper]

Posted: 6/25/2001 1:53:58 PM EDT

[#26]

Twice in ten years for my Colt. One caused by a blown out primer, causing the cam pin to bind in the carrier. The other one caused by a Thermold twenty round magazine, where the tip of a bullet snagged on the much softer magazine wall (this is usually cured by smacking the magazine against your helmet).

Posted: 6/25/2001 2:00:52 PM EDT

[#27]

My BM has jammed only once in thousands of rounds w/ one of those crappy see-thru Eagle mags. Mag replaced, problem solved. I [b]never[/b] use crappy ammo.

Posted: 6/25/2001 6:42:13 PM EDT

[#28]

Colt, never...Bushmaster, never. I shoot only Federal American Eagle 55gr.

Posted: 6/25/2001 6:49:04 PM EDT

[#29]

I shoot almost exclusively full auto with an M4 & 20" Bushmasters. Very rarely have jams. If anything, a jam tells me something is wrong with a mag. Check mag & yep, garbage. The M16 is a wonderful firearm in my book!

Posted: 6/25/2001 7:03:38 PM EDT

[#30]

Early on I had jams caused by weak springs in some surplus G.I. mags I bought. After repairing these and replacing the followers with the new GREEN followers, no more problems.

he only mags I have that cause problems, and i expect them to, are some really cheap USA mags I got prior to the ban here in California. They were really cheap so i thought i'd experiment with them, maybe get them to actually work.

I'd say that for the past few years, no jams unless I use the USA mags.

Posted: 6/25/2001 10:09:17 PM EDT

[#31]

Thanks or all the replies, Ill try some of your suggestions. I do have 2 AR's that almost never jam, and the one that does too often. Since Im using the same mags, ammo and cleaning-lubricating for all three maybe the one Im having problems with is due to it being a "SAAMI" or different chamber than the other 2 (one COLT the other not sure). I also just put a new stock and buffer on so I'll see if this helps. Im also going to check the carrier. Thanks

Posted: 6/25/2001 11:02:14 PM EDT

[#32]

Twice, both with Wolf ammo. I've never had a jam with any of the 2000- plus rounds of S.A. ammo, or any of my handloads. I've also shot several hundred UMC and Winchester without any problems.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - How often does your AR jam? honestly.

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