Quote History Quoted: The father brought up an interesting point last night after he read the Armalite Ejection Pattern...which states that if the ejection is at 5:00 the ejector spring is worn and should replaced. Being that the rifle is brand new...were wondering if it simple has a bad ejector spring. If its already at 5:00 and brand new...wheres it going to be after a few hundred rounds?
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A simple test for ejection spring is to cam a spent case under the extractor and push the case into alignment with the bolt: there should be noticeable resistance as soon as you move the case. If there is not, there is the possibility that there is a burr in the ejector channel that is causing the spring to bind and not provide full strength. Normally ejector springs are a no-maintenance item that lasts thousands of rounds, so if, indeed, that is the problem, it's either binding in the channel, or defective from the factory.
On a slightly different note, that ejection chart you mentioned has probably been responsible for more unnecessary parts replacements and tooth-gnashing than any other single thing in the AR world, and they'd do well to not obsess over it. Given the wide variety of gas port sizes, ammunition recipes, buffer weights, springs, and bolt carriers out there, and how they can combine to shape the ejection pattern in different ways, it's usually sufficient that if the spent cases exit the upper anywhere from 1:30 to 4:30, you can call it good. Of course, if they just *have* to "fix" it, there are always adjustable gas blocks (and even an adjustable gas key). HTH