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Posted: 1/1/2005 8:30:11 AM EDT
I recently rented a full auto Bushmaster carbine at a range. It appeared to be clean and maintained. Magazine appeared to be newer. The only cheap ammo the range had was 55gr Wolf, so I bought 200 rounds of it. The Bushy made it through 150 rounds over the course of about 20-30 minutes before it choked up, had a failure to extract, and the bolt locked shut. The rangemaster took the rifle back to the counter and was able to remove the stuck casing. He said it was overheated  . So after another 10-15 minutes I asked if would be okay to use it with the rest of the ammunition I had purchased and was given an okay to do so. 20 rounds later and the bolt locked shut on an empty casing again. This time it was put up for good and I was allowed to burn up the remaining 30 rounds through an HK G36 (which was pretty sweet, I must say. And which I also witnessed digest several hundred rounds of the cheap Wolf). Another patron of the range asked the rangemaster what was wrong with the Bushmaster to which he replied "It's an AR, what do you expect?". That comment kind of pissed me off, because I know that a well built and kept AR15/M16 CAN digest FAR more than a couple hundred rounds of ammo before choking on it. Not that I make a regular habit of it, but my own Colts have seen more cheap Wolf and Norinco ammo than that without so much as a hiccup. Unfortunately, I am left to only speculate as to the true nature of the malfunction of the Bushy, but I never had anything like this happen before on even well worn Colt and Hydromatic M16s.
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i have never had any problems with any of my bushies or ar at that! i would think that it wasnt taken care of as well since its a range whore.  and obviously the rangemaster doesnt think much of it neither. i have noticed that most rented guns are really beat up and poorly mantained. |
Hmmmmm... 6K thru just one of mine with no problems. Could the range gun be the problem? Ever rent a car and find it perfect? |
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Anything rented is suspect. Anything rented shooting Wolf is suspect. Renting an AR from a person who thinks ARs are trouble prone is suspect. To say that it's a Bushmaster problem is a stretch. Could be a tight chamber when it's cold and even tighter when heated up. Just a guess. |
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I would not pass judgement on a manufacturer's entire product line based upon your one experience with range gun. When you stated "It appeared to be clean and maintained." were you referring to the exterior condition of the rifle or did you field strip it and examine it? I'm not trying to be a jerk here, I just would like clarification on that statement please. The very fact that the "rangemaster" (sounds like an oven model) said "It's an AR, what do you expect?" might indicate the type of maintenance ARs receiver under his watch. As far as the AR overheating, IIRC, an AR is capable of sustained fire for 12-15 RPM without danger of "overheating." A ROF greater than that can creates conditions within the rifle suitable for a cook-off but even then, it would still function. Heck, I've popped off 400 rnds of XM193 through my M-4gery (with Bushmaster Upper) in 95 degree whether without a hitch so you an I both know the "rangemaster's" comment about overheating is B.S. |
Actually, yes. I've had rental cars that were literally brand new. And when I've rented equipment, it's always performed and done the job as expected. And as I noted, the HK G36 ran flawlessly with it's 30 round mags. The Beta-C I saw being used seemed finicky, but that was definitely a mag issue. |
I'm not going to argue that Wolf ammo isn't crappy, Because it is. But I've fired similar or greater amounts of it through my own ARs without malfunctions. |
Was it fired full-auto 
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It was just a casual observation. No buildup of carbon on the bolt or the exhaust port, chamber and locking lugs appeared clean, overall appearance of decent maintenance. This particluar rangemaster was one of several, so I don't know that he can be blamed for poorly maintaining the AR. Also, the range is part of a store that stocks a LOT of AR type guns and accessories, so I'd think they wouldn't want to show it in a bad light. Not saying the failure was entirely the Bushy's fault, just a disappointing experience with one. Maybe it was just a combination of a gun with a high round count, worn parts, crappy ammo, etc. I don't know for sure. |
Does rapid fire semi-auto count? How about bump firing? Is 150 rounds fired in full auto in 20 minutes that different from 150 rounds fired in semi-auto in 20 minutes? |
| Since we are talking about a weapon of uknown use/maintenance, I hardly think its fair to say its Bushmasters fault. Do we known if it was a factory Bushy? Parts gun with a Bushy Lower? Since its a full auto rental at a range, how many times has it been rebarreled? Was it rebarreled with a Bushy barrel? Was it a Bushy bolt/carrier? Sorry, with all do respect, there are just way too many variables in play to say that tis was a crappy Bushmaster and that its their fault it wouldnt run. |
Hawkeye makes a very good point. It's certainly something to think about before this becomes a 10+ page anit-Bushmaster flame fest. We know absolutely nothing about this particular Bushmaster. In my experience range rental firearms are some of the worst maintained weapons I've ever handled. It was also firing Wolf, some of the worst ammo for reliability. Edited for my bad spelling. |
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I have shot thousands of quality ammo (Q3131, Q3131A, XM193 and S.A) through my Bushmaster carbine without a hick-up. Sometimes, I didn't clean it between range trips. I have never used Wolf and probably won't, unless it's a SHTF scenario. I don't know if it was a tight chamber, Wolf ammo, poor maintenance or a combination of two or three. My Bushmaster is probably, the most accurate AR I have shot. It's a Post-ban with a plan barrel. I would like to see, if you go back, rent the same Bushmaster and use different ammo if it will lock up again? Colt_SBR |
Somehow I'd suspect this thread is nothing more than a left handed Bushmaster bash, had this rental AR issue occured with an AR that has a pony on the side I seriously doubt we'd see Boomer post a thread titled, 'Disappointed with Colt'... |
My thoughts as well. |
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That is a good point. The finish appeared uniform and it didn't look like a frankengun, but you never know. |
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i work at an indoor range. while in theory the range guns get cleaned in a semi-regular rotation, it just doesn't happen. we usually clean our guns WHEN they malfunction (with the AR's it involves soaking the bolt/carrier in solution for a few days, because there is a measurable layer of carbon on it). our Cavalry Arms range gun has hundreds of thousands of rounds thru it (literally, because it was the only rifle rental we had for almost 2 years...), and the only part we've replaced is the extractor. we would never allow wolf to be shot thru a rental gun. we don't even sell it. i know its cheap and works fine for casual shooting, but for a gun that is shot with little maintainance a few hundred rounds a day its just asking for trouble. on a funny side note, our Romanian SAR1 rental gun has gone back to Century twice in less than a year (under 6 months actually). |
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