User Panel
Does the bolt lock back on empty mag if one rd fired from that mag?
If yes: gas OK If no: could be gas First gas issue to check is gas block alignment. |
|
Thanks for the response.
To answer the question; usually. I think it did except for once. |
|
My bet is that there is a gas problem, and the locking back of your bolt was on the carrier, not the bolt face. It certainly sounds like short stroking to me. I suspect you jammed the gas block up slam against the shoulder on the barrel, the gas block seat, and with most AR barrels the gas block needs to be spaced off the shoulder by about .035 inch. I have seen them that did need to jammed up tight against the shoulder and I have also had them that need to be spaced as much as .055 off the shoulder, and everywhere in between.
If you did not measure the port distances, do so. Since this is low end barrel, I bet they cut the shoulder so that the gas block needs to be set off from the shoulder some. Measure from the shoulder to the center of the gas port on the barrel, and from the rear of the gas block to its port hole. Subtract, and that amount is how far off the barrel's gas block shoulder it needs to be spaced. Eyeballing is good enough for vertical alignment but not for fore and aft alignment. IMO, measure it. If the barrel is dimpled for the gas block set screw then that makes it simple to align the gas block with the port. If the bottom of the barrel is dimpled, then look at the gas key to make sure it is tight and not leaking, and also look for excessive leaking around the gas tube going into the gas block and around the gas block on the barrel. A little leakage is normal and will seal off, but a lot, that could cause your short stroking. Next, are you using standard weight buffer and spring? If not, go back to standard before moving onto HBs and XP springs. Last, while you have your gas block off, check the diameter of the port hole in the barrel. It may be undersized. Most are over sized but you never can tell, measure with drill bits and check against one of the many lists in the build it yourself section for what the port size should be. |
|
Man, you guys are slick!
Quoted:
My bet is that there is a gas problem, and the locking back of your bolt was on the carrier, not the bolt face... View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
My bet is that there is a gas problem, and the locking back of your bolt was on the carrier, not the bolt face... I bet I slid it back too far and it's up against the shoulder. I was using the dimple to mark it's location and never did space it out. In the past I used a business card, but I don't think I did this time. Quoted:
Could be a lot of things, but pull your buffer and check the face of the buffer bumper to see if something has been tagging the center of it... Gonna check that for sure. Quoted:
FTX or FTE? Is the fired case still held under the extractor? Thanks, gents! |
|
Just a FYI on steel case ammo.
You have to make sure to scrub the chamber clean by hand with CLP and a chamber brush every cleaning, since the poly coating on the cases get scrapped off to cause a powderized poly fouling that no standard cleaning solvent will dissolve to removed it that way (has to be scrubbed out of the chamber by hand). Also, have to run the upper on the wetter CLP lubed side to allow the CLP to flush out the powderized fouling before it gets a chance to collect and bind up in the chamber to begin with. |
|
Quoted:
Man, you guys are slick! I will double check my gas port. I bet I slid it back too far and it's up against the shoulder. I was using the dimple to mark it's location and never did space it out. In the past I used a business card, but I don't think I did this time. I never would have even thought to look at the buffer! Gonna check that for sure. No. When the case doesn't eject, it's still in the chamber. Thanks, gents! View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
Man, you guys are slick! Quoted:
My bet is that there is a gas problem, and the locking back of your bolt was on the carrier, not the bolt face... I bet I slid it back too far and it's up against the shoulder. I was using the dimple to mark it's location and never did space it out. In the past I used a business card, but I don't think I did this time. Quoted:
Could be a lot of things, but pull your buffer and check the face of the buffer bumper to see if something has been tagging the center of it... Gonna check that for sure. Quoted:
FTX or FTE? Is the fired case still held under the extractor? Thanks, gents! If brass cases do cycle properly and steel does not honing the chamber to a mirror shine may get steel to cycle also. A tight or rough chamber and steel cased ammo can result in stuck cases. The bolt not locking back is also a result of stuck cases because the carrier loses momentum from the stuck case trying to be pulled. The extractor must be slipping off the case if the casing is left in the chamber after discharge so using a stiffer extractor spring with a spring insert and O-ring may be enough to pull the stuck case. A weak extractor will slip off a case rim if the casing is sticking but a stiff extractor will either pull the case or rip off the case rim. If you have the same problem with brass cased ammo then other problems may be present as well. I'm betting brass cased ammo will cycle though. I have seen your same problem several times and the solution is to use a stiffer extractor. If stiffening the extractor is not enough, honing the chamber is necessary. |
|
^
That's great info. I know that steel cased ammo isn't recommended and I honestly forgot to bring brass to the range that day. Also, I know that I'm using inexpensive components, but I'm confident it'll run. Thanks for all the advice. I hope to get to the range on Thursday and I'll report back. |
|
Not a fan of using the term "Horning", when polishing lapping an Ar chamber.
Hence if the chamber is reamer chattered with deep grooving, then if you try to hone such a chamber, will end up with the ID sidewalls demensions of the chamber to large and it going to end up trashing brass even from the brasses first firing. Hence in case of a chamber with bad reamer job, barrel should be sent back for replacement instead. Also to point out, if the chamber if chrome plated, a stone will end up chipping off spots of the plating in the chamber, making the chamber even worse. As for lapping a chamber, this too is not really needed as well, since live fire will brass case ammo, and just using a brass chamber brush by hand during cleaning, will polish the chamber walls if they are less than a mirror finish. |
|
Quoted:
Not a fan of using the term "Horning", when polishing lapping an Ar chamber. Hence if the chamber is reamer chattered with deep grooving, then if you try to hone such a chamber, will end up with the ID sidewalls demensions of the chamber to large and it going to end up trashing brass even from the brasses first firing. Hence in case of a chamber with bad reamer job, barrel should be sent back for replacement instead. Also to point out, if the chamber if chrome plated, a stone will end up chipping off spots of the plating in the chamber, making the chamber even worse. As for lapping a chamber, this too is not really needed as well, since live fire will brass case ammo, and just using a brass chamber brush by hand during cleaning, will polish the chamber walls if they are less than a mirror finish. View Quote I agree that if a chamber is visually damaged or has deep lines your going to end up removing a lot of material to polish it out. Checking the chamber dimensions and making the decision of whether or not ''polishing'' will work is on a chamber to chamber basis, IMO. In situations where the chamber appears normal and has correct head space but is just undersized at the body to the point steel can not expand without becoming stuck Honing does nothing more than polish the chamber to usable condition. Chambers that stick steel cases are sometimes so undersized that rounds must be forced forward into the chamber to fully lock the bolt, they will stick before expansion. An undersized chamber often times is able to cycle brass but steel will not. I have polished several chambers that were undersized at the body and sticking cases and sometimes it is the only solution if you want to shoot steel reliably. It usually takes very little polishing to make steel cycle if brass already cycles. I realize polishing a chamber is frowned upon by most people but I personally have no problem with it as long as you avoid the shoulder and neck and don't get carried away enlarging the base diameter beyond spec. An undamaged 5.56 chamber cut to spec. should be able to cycle steel cased ammo without issue. |
|
Quoted:
...but pull your buffer and check the face of the buffer bumper to see if something has been tagging the center of it... View Quote I installed a BCM extractor kit (wicked tight BTW) and will be testing with brass tomorrow, weather permitting. Thanks again, guys! |
|
New extractor works great!
I even cycled a few steelies thru with my mags of brass. I took a video to try to catch the cycling problems, but there weren't any. Slow-mo vid However, I've got a new issue... After 25 rounds or so (shooting mags of 3-5 each) I started getting mags that fell out. I'd fire a few rounds and the mag would fall out. It happened with 5 separate Magpul mags. It did NOT happen with my old metal Okay mag that my brother brought home from the Marines years ago. What should I be looking at now? |
|
^
Yeah. That's all I could think to do. I've got the post sticking out thru the button and it was still doing it. I tried loading with the bolt back and I slammed it in and gave it a pull. The mags seat fine, but then fall while shooting. It's weird because I have a few hundred rounds thru this lower and this never happened before. |
|
Got out to the range again and this thing just randomly drops mags.
I've got the catch screwed in so far it looks like it's going to fall into the mag well! Anything else I should be looking at? |
|
Quoted:
Got out to the range again and this thing just randomly drops mags. I've got the catch screwed in so far it looks like it's going to fall into the mag well! Anything else I should be looking at? View Quote The catch part of the mag release that locks into the mag could be rounded on top. The catch could be shaped to long and it is not fully fitting into the mag cut out horizontally. The catch could be to shallow. The spring could be to weak. Look at the catch and identify what about it allows the mag to slip off. A bit of filing or a new mag release may be necessary. |
|
I think the parts look right and the mag lines up properly with the cut out.
I put a different spring in and I'll see what happens. One thing I noticed, if I slam the mag in it will go about 1/8" too high and then pop back down. This is the only lower that does it to me. |
|
Well, I installed a new mag catch spring and it works better, but not fixed.
Guess I'll try a new mag catch all together now and see what happens. The gun shoots great when the mag stays in. Even steel cases work now. |
|
I had a minute to play, so I swapped the mag catch assembly (catch, spring and button) with a mil spec PSA unit.
It feels completely different than before. I think I fixed it now. I'll test it out soon. Thanks for the help, all. |
|
edit/update added to first post.
cliff notes; mags drop even after new mag catch assembly. |
|
Do you have a variety of mags to try? Do multiple mags drop out or maybe it's a particular mag that's the problem? If the mag catch is fully engaging into the mag it should not be able to fall out.
You could compress or remove the follower from an empty mag and install the mag without the upper attached, then you can visually look down into the mag and see the catch engage. Maybe this would make it easier to identify what's going on. Use a mag that is known to fall out. |
|
Sign up for the ARFCOM weekly newsletter and be entered to win a free ARFCOM membership. One new winner* is announced every week!
You will receive an email every Friday morning featuring the latest chatter from the hottest topics, breaking news surrounding legislation, as well as exclusive deals only available to ARFCOM email subscribers.
AR15.COM is the world's largest firearm community and is a gathering place for firearm enthusiasts of all types.
From hunters and military members, to competition shooters and general firearm enthusiasts, we welcome anyone who values and respects the way of the firearm.
Subscribe to our monthly Newsletter to receive firearm news, product discounts from your favorite Industry Partners, and more.
Copyright © 1996-2024 AR15.COM LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Any use of this content without express written consent is prohibited.
AR15.Com reserves the right to overwrite or replace any affiliate, commercial, or monetizable links, posted by users, with our own.