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Posted: 11/21/2004 6:48:31 PM EDT
| Iv'e got a bushmaster carbine with about 3k thru it and not one hiccup. Suddenly it likes to jam almost every shot. The cartridge gets stuck half way between the mag and the chamber with the bolt over the top of the shell. I tried three different kinds of ammo and 4 different mags. Same result. Sometimes it short strokes and doesn't even pick up a shell. I can't think of anything I did different to cause this, this rifle has been flawless.....til now. Suggestions? Help please! |
| That happened the first time I used my new Bushy AR. I realized that I was loading the mag too quick and the front or back of the bullets were digging into the front and back of the inside mag walls. When i started loading the mags slower and paid attention to making sure the rounds were in there correctly, I never had the problem again. |
| Thanks for the suggestions, the rifle gets cleaned about every time I shoot it. Everything seems tight, I tried a different stock, spring, buffer, same prob. I dont have another AR to swap parts back and forth. How long do gas rings usually last? Mine don't seem to be as tight as they used to be. |
From here: www.ar15.com/content/guides/parts/carrier.html, up top under "INFORMATION", imagine that.......  Part 2 in this diagram:  Mike |
Sorry I don't know the torque, but I locktite them & just shower down on 'em till their tight, THEN "STAKE" THEM in place so they can't back out, as they should be when they comer from the factory...... Mike |
How quickly they fall...  "Staked" means the metal on either side of the screw, parallel to the screw head and 90 degrees to the long axis of the barrel, is deformed to hold the screw in place. Take out your bolt and look at the carrier key screws and you'll see two "stab" marks pointing at each screw, one on each side. These are the "stakes". Unfortunately, Bushmasters are notorious for having poorly staked carrier key screws (mine shot loose, too) so it's no great surprise to see a BFI rifle suddenly start jamming out of the blue. That's why checking your carrier key screws to make sure they're secure should be part of your cleaning routine. P.S. Word is Bushmaster has a "new hydraulic staking machine" (they've been doing them by hand all along?) so perhaps this little surprise is slowly coming to an end. |
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