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Posted: 1/4/2011 4:28:41 PM EDT
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Sup guys how ya doin?
I bought my AR-15 almost a full year ago from my fathers friend. He purchased a Bushmaster XM-15 model and upgraded it to what it is now. He sold it to me with less than 100 rounds through it. Sadly, I have had nothing but issue after issue with this firearm. Anyway, more onto this specific issue... I have been having this issue for a couple months now and I just took the gun up to the range monday morning and it happened again. After firing a couple 30-round mags off with Federal Lake City American Eagle 55gr FMJ 5.56mm brass cased ammuntion, I will go to pull the trigger and I hear "click." It will fail to fire (obviously) because the gun failed to feed a fresh round out of the magazine after finishing its previous shot. The bolt will lock open after the "click" so I just slap the bolt release and it will feed another round. Regardless, obviously this isn't an ideal situation to have happen during combat. Another some-what related issue that I just noticed while at the range is that I cannot load a magazine with the bolt closed... Even after slapping the mag up into the lower it will not seat correctly and I can just pull it out without the hitting the mag release. If I lock the bolt open before feeding a mag it works like it should. At this point I am close to just selling the gun and cutting my losses or either taking it to a gunsmith to get a proper assesment. If you guys need any more info or anything else please post and I will get back to you as soon as I can. I appreciate any help you guys have to offer. Have a good one. |
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You can't load on a closed bolt because you aren't loading your magazines to a maximum of 28 rounds.
I am also betting that the rounds are failing to chamber because the follower is tilting and "locking" the cartridges into the magazine. Did you try Magpul PMAGs or USGI mags with Magpul followers? |
| what type mags are you using and how many seperate mags have you tried? i have trouble loading mags that are filled to capacity, i ususally load down 1 or 2 rounds. you need to try different mags to see if it is the rifle or the mag, and also try different brands of ammo. how often do you clean this rifle? |
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I use the Magpul Pmags as well as the standard metal magazine that came with the gun.
I already marked off each mag long ago to keep track if I was just having a problem with one specific magazine, turns out this happens on all of them. I clean the gun after every use. I have also used many different brands and types of ammunition. My gun is chambered for .223 or 5.56. |
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When the gun does not fire I cannot eject a round because it completely failed to feed a new one in the first place.
It happens randomly, more so after the gun gets heated up after 2 mags or so. It tends to do it in the middle of the magazine, not really in the beginning or the end. Thanks for the help so far. I am going to call it a night and check again in the morning. Have a good one guys. |
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We need more information to help you diagnose your rifle.
1) Assuming your rifle started as a factory assembled one, what configuration did it start in? 2) Did it work correctly in stock form? 3) If the rifle worked from the start, when did you start having problems? 4) What "upgrades" have been done to the rifle? 5) Does the bolt carrier group consistently lock back after the last round has been fired? 6) Where, relative to the rifle, do the empty casings land? Karl |
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Generally you want to start troubleshooting feeding issues by taking a hard look at your magazines first, but since it sounds like you've already done that, the next thing I would start looking at is your bolt catch mechanism.
If I am reading your post correctly, the bolt catch is engaging prematurely meaning something has gone slightly out of spec, and that shouldn't be too hard to fix. But then you say that you can't seat a magazine properly with the bolt closed, which is another issue. What "upgrades" were done to this piece? |
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Quoted:
We need more information to help you diagnose your rifle. 1) Assuming your rifle started as a factory assembled one, what configuration did it start in? 2) Did it work correctly in stock form? 3) If the rifle worked from the start, when did you start having problems? 4) What "upgrades" have been done to the rifle? 5) Does the bolt carrier group consistently lock back after the last round has been fired? 6) Where, relative to the rifle, do the empty casings land? Karl 1) The factory model was a Bushmaster XM-15 2) I was told the rifle did work correctly in both stock form, and this upgraded version. (However the seller shot less than 100 rounds.) 3) I started having problems right after I purchased the gun. Turns out this guy thought lining up all three gas rings was a good idea  Other issues that I had were it jamming up during the extraction of a spent case. I posted on here about it awhile ago and I was told to upgrade the extracter spring as well as put a rubber buffer on it, which I did and had good results with. Turns out Bushmaster uses the same extracter spring in their single fire ARs as their semi ARs...
4) This guy upgraded lots of things... - Pistol Grip - Stock - Trigger Guard - Handguard - Vertical Foregrip - Holographic Sight - Flip-Up Iron Sights - Also it now has a chrome-lined barrel, not sure if thats stock or not. 5) Yes it does. 6) I would say somewhere around 5 feet to the right of the gun. I was also told that since this guy changed the stock on the gun that he should have changed the buffer spring as well. I am not sure if he did that or not but the stock he put on is the telescoping 6 postion stock from Magpul. Would this be a possibility of causing the issue I am having? |
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We need more information to help you diagnose your rifle. 1) Assuming your rifle started as a factory assembled one, what configuration did it start in? 2) Did it work correctly in stock form? 3) If the rifle worked from the start, when did you start having problems? 4) What "upgrades" have been done to the rifle? 5) Does the bolt carrier group consistently lock back after the last round has been fired? 6) Where, relative to the rifle, do the empty casings land? Karl 1) The factory model was a Bushmaster XM-15 2) I was told the rifle did work correctly in both stock form, and this upgraded version. (However the seller shot less than 100 rounds.) 3) I started having problems right after I purchased the gun. Turns out this guy thought lining up all three gas rings was a good idea Other issues that I had were it jamming up during the extraction of a spent case. I posted on here about it awhile ago and I was told to upgrade the extracter spring as well as put a rubber buffer on it, which I did and had good results with. Turns out Bushmaster uses the same extracter spring in their single fire ARs as their semi ARs...
4) This guy upgraded lots of things... - Pistol Grip - Stock - Trigger Guard - Handguard - Vertical Foregrip - Holographic Sight - Flip-Up Iron Sights 5) Yes it does. 6) I would say somewhere around 5 feet to the right of the gun. I was also told that since this guy changed the stock on the gun that he should have changed the buffer spring as well. I am not sure if he did that or not but the stock he put on is the telescoping 6 postion stock from Magpul. Would this be a possibility of causing the issue I am having? Dude you aren't using a rifle buffer in a carbine extension are you? |
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To be honest I am not sure. The base stock was an XM-15 model, not the solid one like the M16s have but I am not sure if it was a telescoping one or not.
Would pictures help? If not I guess I could try to get a hold of this guy and ask him if he changed it. Is there anyway I could tell just by looking? |
| All else fails you can call Bushmaster . I have two and have had excellent customer service . ( really) . You could probably send it back to them and they would evaluate it . And since its a Bushmaster , there probably wouldn't be any charge. Frustrating problem though. Hope you get it worked out. |
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Quoted: Sup guys how ya doin? I bought my AR-15 almost a full year ago from my fathers friend. He purchased a Bushmaster XM-15 model and upgraded it to what it is now. He sold it to me with less than 100 rounds through it. Sadly, I have had nothing but issue after issue with this firearm. Anyway, more onto this specific issue... I have been having this issue for a couple months now and I just took the gun up to the range monday morning and it happened again. After firing a couple 30-round mags off with Federal Lake City American Eagle 55gr FMJ 5.56mm brass cased ammuntion, I will go to pull the trigger and I hear "click." It will fail to fire (obviously) because the gun failed to feed a fresh round out of the magazine after finishing its previous shot. The bolt will lock open after the "click" so I just slap the bolt release and it will feed another round. Regardless, obviously this isn't an ideal situation to have happen during combat. Another some-what related issue that I just noticed while at the range is that I cannot load a magazine with the bolt closed... Even after slapping the mag up into the lower it will not seat correctly and I can just pull it out without the hitting the mag release. If I lock the bolt open before feeding a mag it works like it should. At this point I am close to just selling the gun and cutting my losses or either taking it to a gunsmith to get a proper assesment. If you guys need any more info or anything else please post and I will get back to you as soon as I can. I appreciate any help you guys have to offer. Have a good one. How does the bolt lock open after the click? You cant pull the trigger unless the rifle is in battery. What direction does your brass eject? Closer to 6 o'clock would indicate an under-gassed rifle. I had a Bushy barrel once that was way under-gassed and would not cycle the bolt far enough back to strip the top round from the mag like you are describing. |
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Sup guys how ya doin? I bought my AR-15 almost a full year ago from my fathers friend. He purchased a Bushmaster XM-15 model and upgraded it to what it is now. He sold it to me with less than 100 rounds through it. Sadly, I have had nothing but issue after issue with this firearm. Anyway, more onto this specific issue... I have been having this issue for a couple months now and I just took the gun up to the range monday morning and it happened again. After firing a couple 30-round mags off with Federal Lake City American Eagle 55gr FMJ 5.56mm brass cased ammuntion, I will go to pull the trigger and I hear "click." It will fail to fire (obviously) because the gun failed to feed a fresh round out of the magazine after finishing its previous shot. The bolt will lock open after the "click" so I just slap the bolt release and it will feed another round. Regardless, obviously this isn't an ideal situation to have happen during combat. Another some-what related issue that I just noticed while at the range is that I cannot load a magazine with the bolt closed... Even after slapping the mag up into the lower it will not seat correctly and I can just pull it out without the hitting the mag release. If I lock the bolt open before feeding a mag it works like it should. At this point I am close to just selling the gun and cutting my losses or either taking it to a gunsmith to get a proper assesment. If you guys need any more info or anything else please post and I will get back to you as soon as I can. I appreciate any help you guys have to offer. Have a good one. How does the bolt lock open after the click? You cant pull the trigger unless the rifle is in battery. What direction does your brass eject? Closer to 6 o'clock would indicate an under-gassed rifle. I had a Bushy barrel once that was way under-gassed and would not cycle the bolt far enough back to strip the top round from the mag like you are describing. Lets say I am in the middle of a magazine, I just fired a succesful shot and have around 10 rounds left. I will pull the trigger to fire another round and the trigger will just "click." I can slap the bolt release to chamber another round or either pull the charging handle back. That said, maybe I am misunderstanding the problem. Maybe the bolt is failing to come forward after ejecting a spent case? The brass is ejecting around 4 o'clock I would say. |
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Quoted: So it's locking back in the middle of a magazine? If so, sounds like you have a problem with the bolt catch. Do you have a spring resistance on the bolt catch to keep it in the lowered position? Quoted: Quoted: Sup guys how ya doin? I bought my AR-15 almost a full year ago from my fathers friend. He purchased a Bushmaster XM-15 model and upgraded it to what it is now. He sold it to me with less than 100 rounds through it. Sadly, I have had nothing but issue after issue with this firearm. Anyway, more onto this specific issue... I have been having this issue for a couple months now and I just took the gun up to the range monday morning and it happened again. After firing a couple 30-round mags off with Federal Lake City American Eagle 55gr FMJ 5.56mm brass cased ammuntion, I will go to pull the trigger and I hear "click." It will fail to fire (obviously) because the gun failed to feed a fresh round out of the magazine after finishing its previous shot. The bolt will lock open after the "click" so I just slap the bolt release and it will feed another round. Regardless, obviously this isn't an ideal situation to have happen during combat. Another some-what related issue that I just noticed while at the range is that I cannot load a magazine with the bolt closed... Even after slapping the mag up into the lower it will not seat correctly and I can just pull it out without the hitting the mag release. If I lock the bolt open before feeding a mag it works like it should. At this point I am close to just selling the gun and cutting my losses or either taking it to a gunsmith to get a proper assesment. If you guys need any more info or anything else please post and I will get back to you as soon as I can. I appreciate any help you guys have to offer. Have a good one. How does the bolt lock open after the click? You cant pull the trigger unless the rifle is in battery. What direction does your brass eject? Closer to 6 o'clock would indicate an under-gassed rifle. I had a Bushy barrel once that was way under-gassed and would not cycle the bolt far enough back to strip the top round from the mag like you are describing. Lets say I am in the middle of a magazine, I just fired a succesful shot and have around 10 rounds left. I will pull the trigger to fire another round and the trigger will just "click." I can slap the bolt release to chamber another round or either pull the charging handle back. That said, maybe I am misunderstanding the problem. Maybe the bolt is failing to come forward after ejecting a spent case? The brass is ejecting around 4 o'clock I would say. |
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snip Lets say I am in the middle of a magazine, I just fired a succesful shot and have around 10 rounds left. I will pull the trigger to fire another round and the trigger will just "click." I can slap the bolt release to chamber another round or either pull the charging handle back. That said, maybe I am misunderstanding the problem. Maybe the bolt is failing to come forward after ejecting a spent case? The brass is ejecting around 4 o'clock I would say. If the bolt is locked back the trigger will not fire. Anything resting near the BC while your shooting causing the bolt catch to lock the rifle back? is the bolt catch broken? |
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See thats the question, I am not sure exactly what the problem is thats why I am asking on here. I just know the "symptoms" that my AR-15 is having. Am I correct in assuming that I would not be able to hit the bolt catch to release the bolt to feed a new round unless the bolt is indeed locking back? If so, then I can rule out that my AR is failing to feed a round out of the magazine and that the problem, is like you said, the bolt catch?
The bolt catch is under resistance, it will not just lock on its own. I am making sure to not touch the bolt catch while firing. It does work properly, I have to pull the charging handle back then apply pressure to the bolt catch to lock the bolt open. |
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"Lets say I am in the middle of a magazine, I just fired a succesful shot and have around 10 rounds left. I will pull the trigger to fire another round and the trigger will just "click." I can slap the bolt release to chamber another round or either pull the charging handle back."
bolt catch = bolt release I use the terms the same. only time while firing the rifle you should have to hit the bolt release is if the magazine fired the last shot and the magazine follower, pushed up on the bolt catch to lock the bolt back. What you are describing souund like something on the outside of the rifle is pushing the bolt catch on, say your thumb if your using a magzine well hold. Or your bolt catch is broken. the bolt catch should not be activated under normal use with ammo still in the magazine. eta: ever pull the trigger with the upper reciver removed? |
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"Lets say I am in the middle of a magazine, I just fired a succesful shot and have around 10 rounds left. I will pull the trigger to fire another round and the trigger will just "click." I can slap the bolt release to chamber another round or either pull the charging handle back." bolt catch = bolt release I use the terms the same. only time while firing the rifle you should have to hit the bolt release is if the magazine fired the last shot and the magazine follower, pushed up on the bolt catch to lock the bolt back. What you are describing souund like something on the outside of the rifle is pushing the bolt catch on, say your thumb if your using a magzine well hold. Or your bolt catch is broken. the bolt catch should not be activated under normal use with ammo still in the magazine. eta: ever pull the trigger with the upper reciver removed? Yeah I know how it should work, I just wish it did lol. I am positive I am not hitting the bolt catch while firing. So if it is locking open mid-magazine I guess it is broken then. Whats the fix for that, just buy a new one? And yes I have and can pull the trigger with the upper removed. |
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Quoted: And yes I have and can pull the trigger with the upper removed. If you've let the hammer fall hard without the upper, then you've probably damaged the bolt catch or the lower in the bolt catch area, causing it to either bind or be sloppy. Are there any cracks or deformed areas on the top of the lower around the magwell/boltcatch? Lock the bolt back, insert a loaded mag, and see how close the case rim of the rounds in the mag come to touching the bolt catch finger. |
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And yes I have and can pull the trigger with the upper removed. If you've let the hammer fall hard without the upper, then you've probably damaged the bolt catch or the lower in the bolt catch area, causing it to either bind or be sloppy. Are there any cracks or deformed areas on the top of the lower around the magwell/boltcatch? Lock the bolt back, insert a loaded mag, and see how close the case rim of the rounds in the mag come to touching the bolt catch finger. There are no visible cracks or deformed areas around the bolt catch or magwell. I did what you asked, the back of the case seems to be about 1cm away from the bolt release (which was locked open.) Also, not loading mags to capacity has fixed my secondary issue that I stated in my first post. Thank you. |
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Quoted: The bolt catch may have a broken spring as well Possibly... With the upper off, push on the bottom of the bolt catch. Can you tell that there is a spring there and is the movement smooth? ANOTHER THOUGHT! when you say it will chamber a round when you hit the bolt release after it jams, are you actually HITTING the bolt release, or just pressing it? You could have some upper/lower/buffer tube misalignment and you're just jarring the bolt/buffer loose. |
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The bolt catch may have a broken spring as well Possibly... With the upper off, push on the bottom of the bolt catch. Can you tell that there is a spring there and is the movement smooth? ANOTHER THOUGHT! when you say it will chamber a round when you hit the bolt release after it jams, are you actually HITTING the bolt release, or just pressing it? You could have some upper/lower/buffer tube misalignment and you're just jarring the bolt/buffer loose. I pushed on the bottom of the bolt catch with the upper off and yes I can tell there is a spring and it was smooth movement. As soon as I let go, the bolt catch dropped back down since the pressure of the bolt was not there to keep it locked up. I slap it, I am not banging on it like a caveman but I am not just pressing it like a button either. |
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If you have a competent AR gunsmith nearby you might try them, could probably ask around in the hometown forum here for a good one. Quick check, if you look inside the upper with the bolt carrier out, is there more wear to one side or the other? Also check inside the buffer tube with the buffer and spring out. Do you run the gun with any lube? |
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Both areas look fine as far as I can tell. The upper area where the bolt carrier sits looks good as well as the buffer spring housing in the stock.
I use remington grease as lubrication and I follow the directions given in the instruction booklet that came with this model. |
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I was not sure which one the guy had on this gun when I bought it but it looks like the first picture that you posted. Is that the one I should be using? Thats whats on it now.
Shit sorry forgot this. No I have a 6 position telescoping stock. My AR is the M4 style 16.5in barrel. |
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Quoted: I was not sure which one the guy had on this gun when I bought it but it looks like the first picture that you posted. Is that the one I should be using? No, that is the correct buffer for the collapsible (carbine) stock. A major problem could arise if you used that shorter buffer in the longer (rifle) tube. The binding could be caused by an out-of-spec or incorrectly threaded buffer tube. There are a few things i would tell you to try if you had things like a stock wrench handy... |
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