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Posted: 2/4/2017 2:33:39 PM EDT
| Hi all. My first AR build and having a charging issue even before I have a barrel on. I have a black nitride toolcraft BCG in an aero upper. I was able to charge the BCG about 10 times when it started to bind up. Mortared it a couple of times but that essentially seized the BCG in the upper which I can only get out with a screwdriver. Have a spikes charging handle which looks like crap now after all of that. Its all spike lower if that info helps. Would just like to know what I need to replace, BCG, upper charging handle, or some combo of all three. Thank you for your help! |
| What's needed are pics of the upper and lower opened, showing the buffer and buffer retainer, the bolt carrier/bolt in relation to the barrel extension. Take out the charging handle and bolt carrier group and get us a pic of the CH and the CH channel in the upper. |
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Quoted:
Working off my phone which doesnt help, but what other info is needed? The end of the handle is all bent out of shape and doesnt travel smoothly in the upper. I cant pish the BCG into the buffer tube with my thumb, buffer retainer issue maybe? You need help identifying the problem and we can't see the parts. If we see the issue we can save you some money. You destroyed some shit because you went Neanderthal on it instead of trying to correct the issue. |
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I'm having a hard time picturing this. Also not understanding why you're repeatedly charging an upper with no barrel in it. Is your charging handle damaged because it's slamming forward with nothing for the bolt to lock into?
I suggest slowing down. If you want to check and see if you lower is working, then just hold the hammer with your thumb and run it through its paces. Put your upper together before you try running function checks. Until we can see some pictures of what you've got, it's pretty tough to come up with anything. |
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https://m.imgur.com/a/9gdDX
Pictures here. No barrel because I dont have one yet. Wanted to do a function check and it charged a few times when I first put the handle in then started to bind up and eventially seized. I can get the bolt out with a flathead but the furthest it will go back now is in one of the pictures. Sorry my internet posting skills suck. Let me know if any other pictures will help. Again thank you all! If im an idiot for doing all this before I have a barrel youre welcome to tell me that. Have one coming in a few days at least. Didnt really like the charging handle anyways so im getting an ambidextrous one. Anything else I should or need to replace? |
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Now I understand and can tell you EXACTLY what's going wrong.
You have no barrel, therefore no barrel extension. Randomly slapping the BCG home allows the cam pin to rotate into the locking slot in the upper, and with no barrel extension locking lugs to resist the bolt, there's nothing to drag the cam pin back to the unlocked position. If it's not coming open freely, you need to reach into the front of the upper and pull the bolt out to unlock the cam pin, and it should then slide back freely. Don't fiddle with it anymore until there's a barrel installed. |
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get your barrel, nut, gas block & gas tube installed before function checking anything further. There is no function check without all parts. Check your trigger in your lower by holding it with your fingers and making sure you can't drop the hammer while pulling on the trigger in "safe" position. Don't let the hammer hit the front of the magwell.
I would put the upper in the freezer or shoot a little compressed air upside down into the upper where you see the bolt. Than use a small piece of wood and GENTLY tap out the BCG. Order a new charging handle and don't try to put the bolt into battery until you have your barrel and gas tube installed. ETA: Try rotating the cam pin back first as mentioned above. |
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If any of you are around DC, ive got a homebrew with your name on it! Dont worry, I actually know what im doing with that...
Anyways BCG is out and will clean it as best as possible. Lower works as it did when first installed as it should. Will wait to ask about any other issues. I really just want to be sure that everything is ok to still use at this point. Other than the charging handle, ive got another one of those coming already. |
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I looked at your pics. And I have no idea what is going on.
Maybe your fist step should be to not do stuff that is dumb. I still don't know what the screwdriver comment means. Speak in civil terms with your wife and get her on board with what you're doing. Make good choices and proceed in a proper manner. Put your stuff together before you try operating it. Let us know how it works once you get all your parts. |
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If only I could...internet and my brain work about 50% of the time...screwdriver comment means that I took a flathead and pried my BCG out of the upper. The upper was unattached and I pulled on the charging handle at the same time. There was no tension at all on the BCG when I did that and it popped right out.
What is going on is I have no barrel and my wife would rather not be reminded Im doing any of this. She is on board, just not a fan. Needless to say, ill get the barrel on that I ordered and start troubleshooting from there. I thought a function test would work without a barrel but i thought wrong. Again new to this whole thing, excited, and not the smartest obviously. At the end of the day though, I would just like to know if I need to replace my BCG? |
| You shouldn't need to replace the BCG just look it over and make sure you didn't gouge the bolt or carrier with the screwdriver trick. And don't stress everyone makes mistakes starting out. I sheared my first 2 castle nuts and had to cut off a 3rd when applying too much blue Loctite. Just take your time and make sure you understand how all the parts interface and that you are using proper installation techniques. |
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Quoted:
Now I understand and can tell you EXACTLY what's going wrong. You have no barrel, therefore no barrel extension. Randomly slapping the BCG home allows the cam pin to rotate into the locking slot in the upper, and with no barrel extension locking lugs to resist the bolt, there's nothing to drag the cam pin back to the unlocked position. If it's not coming open freely, you need to reach into the front of the upper and pull the bolt out to unlock the cam pin, and it should then slide back freely. Don't fiddle with it anymore until there's a barrel installed. |
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