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Posted: 9/12/2016 4:35:06 PM EDT
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Do you have excessive wear on the face of your buffer? Is the edge of your buffer all chewed up? Had any broken buffer retainer pins lately? Thinking maybe that something here might be out of spec?
Well, I've found a product that offers a the cure. 
I recently discovered that my buffer looked like this example above. And a google search lead me to this thread about the problem - http://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?187098-Does-this-look-like-normal-buffer-wear The cause of the damage comes from the buffer not making contact with the back of the carrier when its fully forward. Usually due to a tolerance issue, which causes the buffer to stop against the retainer pin instead of the carrier, which in turn damages the buffer and eventually breaks the pin, possibly binding up the whole works. The thread mentioned a low-cost fix: a brilliantly designed offset pin - 
The above photos are from the maker’s webpage, where he offers his custom stainless pin for just $15 shipped The one I got worked perfectly and I couldn’t be happier! So much so, I bought another offset pin just in case I run into this problem with another AR. Note: I am not affiliated with the maker in any way. I paid for my pin just like you. I posted this because I was so thrilled with the results. Where to buy it - http://commonbullets.com/wp/archives/1727 |
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Quoted:
in my 45 years of shooting ARs, this was a first for me too. other shooters with this issue (in the thread i linked), and the fact that a product is made to correct it, indicates its isn't as unusual as we may think. Quoted:
Quoted:
Yeah.. We don't have that problem. in my 45 years of shooting ARs, this was a first for me too. other shooters with this issue (in the thread i linked), and the fact that a product is made to correct it, indicates its isn't as unusual as we may think. The point is, that if your buffer is hitting the pin something more important is out of spec that can fail and leave you in a worse condition. That pin is fixing the symptom, not the problem. |
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I have tons of heavy duty retainers that aren't nearly $15 http://www.carbonitefinish.com/images/heavy_duty_buffer_retaining_pins.jpg Are those the ones that Leitner Wise had for $15? |
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Quoted:
in my 45 years of shooting ARs, this was a first for me too. other shooters with this issue (in the thread i linked), and the fact that a product is made to correct it, indicates its isn't as unusual as we may think. Quoted:
Quoted:
Yeah.. We don't have that problem. in my 45 years of shooting ARs, this was a first for me too. other shooters with this issue (in the thread i linked), and the fact that a product is made to correct it, indicates its isn't as unusual as we may think. It was unusual before the market was flooded with cheap out-of-spec components, usually the detent hole being drilled too far back in the lower.... Your lower was an Anderson, wasn't it? And I think some of the others were simply commenting on the shill-y tone of the original post... |
| Meh...one of my carbines had a similar issue because the retainer pin hole was out of spec a bit. I just chucked the buffer in a lathe and took off a tiny bit on the outside face of the buffer. Been fine since, it's around 10k rounds with no new wear. Those offset pins weren't around then. |
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Quoted: It was unusual before the market was flooded with cheap out-of-spec components, usually the detent hole being drilled too far back in the lower.... Your lower was an Anderson, wasn't it? And I think some of the others were simply commenting on the shill-y tone of the original post... Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Yeah.. We don't have that problem. in my 45 years of shooting ARs, this was a first for me too. other shooters with this issue (in the thread i linked), and the fact that a product is made to correct it, indicates its isn't as unusual as we may think. It was unusual before the market was flooded with cheap out-of-spec components, usually the detent hole being drilled too far back in the lower.... Your lower was an Anderson, wasn't it? And I think some of the others were simply commenting on the shill-y tone of the original post... |
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my issue occurred when i added a side folding adapter to an discount lower, so that the buffer and carrier were barely touching, not solid contact. a few hundreds of an inch from making full contact meant the pin was stopping the buffer, not the back of the carrier.
it could have been due to the back of the lower being a hair too long, or the adapter's retainer hole too far back, or the carrier slightly too short, or the side folder's bolt extension a bit too long, etc... possibly it was due all of these things: compounded tolerances stacked in one direction. not having a lathe, i thought a simple $15 pin was an easier/cheaper fix than having a machine shop turn my buffer down. i had no interest in just waiting for the factory pin to break. imagine a broken retainer tip getting into the trigger-group, locking it up when needed most. or the problem being discovered when i opened the upper & lower, with my H3 buffer slamming into my hammer (or mag catch), or flying off into the brush. so sure, pins are cheap (who doesn't have a few laying around), but i didn't need those additional problems happening. what's $15 compared to the thousands we spend on our rifles, when it fixes an issue? as for "the shill-y tone of the original post", sorry, i thought you'd all enjoy a little light humor. oh well... regardless, the offset pin works, and works well. its another option in our toolbox i thought you'd want to know about. |
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