Hello all,

I know I am a bit of a n00b but am really trying to learn more & I was hoping someone here would have some insight or lend some troubleshooting for my "trouble shooting" in diagnosing my AR-15 Failure to extract/eject. My setup is as follows.

JD Machine 16" AR-15 Upper / Lower. Formally Kaiser Defense. Magpul Pmags. I've probably shot roughly 1400-1600 rounds through my system. I picked up a 1000 round box at a gunshow for $200 of that Wolf stuff everyone hates (I know.. I know..). I do clean my rifle every other time I go shooting.. roughly every 200 rounds. This latest trip out to the range I cleaned it just days before.

My problem: I am having Failure to extract issues to the best of my knowledge. The spent shell is being left inside the chamber while the new cartridge is being rammed up its corn hole. This happened after 20 rounds or so and continued on until I left. I did swap mags, didn't have any different ammo with me. I did make sure the Bolt Carrier Group was decently lubricated (flick test).

I am forced to lock the carrier back, drop the mag, take my upper apart and feed a rod through the throat of my barrel to knock out the spent shell. This takes considerable force, meaning its really jammed in there. I was able to have a tiny bit more luck oiling the rim of a few cartridges before loading them into the mag. Not sure if that is a clue of something.

I have done some research on troubleshooting this myself & have been lead to a few possible scenarios.
1. Buffer tube spring tension is too weak, or heavy buffer needed. (maybe, but my gut is telling me it is too new for me to be worring about this...)
         Referenced this buffer tube FTE video and a few other threads...
2. Extractor damaged, spring is too weak etc..  (I did visually inspect my extractor for deformations.. looked fine in my unprofessional opinion. Maybe my extractor spring is not putting enough pressure).  
        Referenced this extractor issues FTE video
3. Gas tube not feeding well, causing "short-stroking".  (possible, I did swap out the A1 gas block myself when I installed my free float rail. That was quiet a while ago though approx. 7-800 rounds, its fired well since then.)

4. Chamber dirty b/c of ammo and should be cleaned thoroughly.( I think this is unlikely. I may be wrong but this system should be able to overcome a small amount of carbon buildup.)

So is there any tests I can perform for the numbered causes above anyone knows of? Please reference the number and what steps I should take to verify. One thousand thank yous, from me and anyone who stumbles on this issue for help. Pictures very welcome .

Use a newer chamber brush and clean the heck out of your chamber. Use solvent and get it squeaky clean.

Upgrade your extractor spring and run the black colored insert. Maybe even run the o-ring as well.

Check to see your extractor claw is still sharp, lightly drag it across your finger- should feel sharp, not smooth. Also ensure the extractor is not bent from the diet of steel cased ammo.

Get your replacement parts from Bravo Company, they ship quick and you can have them in hand in about 3-6 days.

"4. Chamber dirty b/c of ammo and should be cleaned thoroughly. I think this is unlikely. I may be wrong but this system should be able to overcome a small amount of carbon buildup."

Junk building up in the chamber, don't care if its carbon/laquer/burnt lube/dirt,etc..........will cause hard extraction and failures to extract. Clean the chamber

I will clean it again tonight and see how much residue comes off. Also going to take apart my extractor and check the claw for sharpness. Thanks for these tests!

I have been having some problems with Failure to Eject (FtEj) with one of my rifles. So far using fritz and doing a polish job on the chamber I have had no more problems but I have fixed this issue several times and it keeps coming back. So time will tell

If you have not read this do so.http://www.ar15.com/content/page.html?id=114

I just found out something else to look for.................
http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_3_66/544050_Failure_to_extract__Also_check_this_____.html

Wow sweet thread.. would have taken me forever to think to check the extractor specs. I have to purchase a digital caliper to measure mine & report back if that fixes it. Thanks much for the info!

mine was doing exactly like that video you showed i put o ring in on top of extractor spring problem solved hell yeah

Sounds like a ftej issue rather than a ftex issue.  What kind of ammo are you shooting.  I have seen this happen most often with wolf.  Clean chamber good and chck out the SOPMOD extractor upgrade kit from bcm.

I think you're dead on. I am shooting up the last few boxes of wolf I have left. Just went yesterday and this is what I've done since first post.

1. Ran a rod w/rag dowsed in CLP down the barrel.
2. re-cleaned the BCG and visually inspected the extractor. *I'll upload a pic of it soon.
3. checked the gas tube.
4. greased up my BCG rails.
5. cleaned the chamber some... didn't look too dirty.

So I actually went to the range to try out my new SAIGA and FS2000. I ran only about 10 rounds through the AR but this is what happened.
1st round - chambers and fires ok, but doesnt extract/eject. I drop the mag, crank the charging handle to try extracting it manually.. it grabs the cartridge rim well enough to make the charging handle almost impossible to rip back. I am forced to take the upper off (*safety) and run a rod down the throat to dislodge the round.
My buddy has me run another 3 rounds he lightly oiled. All 3 rounds of wolf cycle ok.

So at this point I'm thinking my breech walls are dirty and need to be cleaned w/the rod? I'll clean my breech w/the rod and report back after I go again. Thanks much for all your help and tips guys!

My AR is running smoothly! No jams after 80 rounds!

I cleaned the breech, ran a rod down the barrel with a ton of CLP. I also ran out of the wolf stuff I had been using and switched to the federal ammo they sell at the Wal, so that probably had a big impact as well. I immediately noticed the cycling was much smoother. Many thanks to a308garand & jmh-ar-15 for pointing it out almost immediately!