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Posted: 2/4/2003 10:22:03 PM EDT
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I have a Bushmaster I bought second hand some time ago. I went to the range tonight and realised that the only mag I had brought with me was an Orolite. I had never used it in this particular rifle before. Anyway I load five rounds, insert the mag and it won't engage. Fit is fine except that it hits the inside of the upper before it will let the mag catch engage. Now, I was at the store I work at so I tried the mag in the new guns we have. 3 Bushmasters and 2 Colts on the shelf at the time and it worked fine in all the guns. I suspect the upper may not be Bushmaster or are there some models that don't like Orolite mags? The upper has no marks other than an "FK" on the right side of the carry handle right in front of the rear sight. TIA, Pots |
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Orlite (and Thermold) mags were made to fit Colt built ARs. Niether Bushmaster nor Rock River cuts the bevel at the bottom of the mag well as deeply as Colt does, so the mags won't quite go in far enough to lock. The solution is to smear a bit of lipstick around the overinsertion ridge on the mag, put it into the reciever, and note where it hits. Then take a fine cut file, and cut down the ridge on the mag, til it'll go in far enough. Have ten Orlites that always worked well in a Colt. Built a gun on a Rock River reciever, and had to spend an afternoon doing this [;D]. Later got some Thermolds and a Bushie recievered piece, and had to do the same, tho the Thermolds didn't need quite so much taken off. It's a pain in the butt, but when you've already got the mags it's a whole lot cheaper than going out and buying new metal jobbies[:D] |
| Thanks guys, I really don't have any other plastic mags. I tried this mag in several new Bushmasters and 2 new Colts and it worked fine like I said. Thats why I was suspicious of the upper. This mag also works with my RRA which is under my 458. I guess it is no big deal as I made sure I had metal mags in my range bag now but I would still like to see if someone knows how to identify that upper. |
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Quoted: Thanks guys, I really don't have any other plastic mags. I tried this mag in several new Bushmasters and 2 new Colts and it worked fine like I said. Thats why I was suspicious of the upper. This mag also works with my RRA which is under my 458. I guess it is no big deal as I made sure I had metal mags in my range bag now but I would still like to see if someone knows how to identify that upper. The only ID on nearly all uppers is the foundry mark, found somewhere around the rear sight. Nearly all the current makers, including Bushmaster, are having their forgings done by the samr people, and the ID mark is a split "A" on the reinforcement just ahead of the rear sight. Found out last week that even Colt is using them now, tho a Colt upper will have a tiny acceptance stamp just ahead of the ejection port. Best way I've found to confirm the same maker is to look at the finish and note any differences between the upper and lower. The three I'm most familiar with, Colt, Rock River, and Bushie, all use a slightly different finishing method that gives a slight difference of appearance, when under a strong light. I'd say that if your upper and lower look the same, you've got a match. |
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