I took my AR out for the first time last weekend.  After busting off a few hundred rounds, I noticed that the black finish was slightly chipped off just behind the ejection port.  I guess it was from the fired brass coming out and hitting the deflector.

Is this normal, or is the finish on my rifle substandard?  It's a small patch of bare metal just behind the ejection port.

-Nick Viejo.

Normal

If it is brass residue(easy to tell) it will come off with a little solvent and a soft toothbrush.

Normal..

Some guys put on a piece of sticky back velcro on the brass deflector to keep it from scratching.  But heck, that is like putting a car bra on your 4x4.  Duh.

Happens on mine too.  It's normal.  If it really bugs you, you can get a case deflector cover.  It's a little rubber hood that fits over it.  I don't know anybody who actually uses those though.  Only for safe queens is my guess.

Well, I'm glad to hear it's normal.  Thanks for the replies.

I'm not going to put any tape or anything on it because the finish is already chipped and I figure if I have a patch of velcro or a patch of bare metal there, either way it doesn't look "right" so what's the difference.  Thanks again.

If it's where I think it is, right on the sharp edge at the base of the brass deflector, it is bare metal, and not brass smears. It's usual; they all get it right there. Sometimes I think it's from the case hitting that edge just right (or wrong) as it comes out; and sometimes I think it's the edge of the dust cover hitting that edge as it opens, but it happens to all ARs and M16s; even the old ones that don't have the case deflector. The older models have a little ridge right at that spot, and they get chipped too.

One of the joys of AR ownership[:D]