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Posted: 2/12/2011 4:58:10 AM EDT
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I have never come across this problem before so i figured I'd use the collective intelligence of this forum to find an answer. Here's what is going on:
If I chamber a new round(i.e. a round that has never been chambered in my gun before), I can not pull the charging handle back to eject it. It is stuck like a mutha and I have to revert to the "take a knee, slam the butt on the ground, while pulling the charging handle" technique and I can eject that round. However, if I rechamber that round, it will eject with a simple pull of the charging handle. What gives? I have looked at the brass and the only scratches I see are on the lead bullet itself, from the feed ramps. There is a small scratch on the back end of the round, presumably where the extractor grabs the round but that's pretty much it. Any ideas or anything you guys think I should try? 
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| Is the rifle new or has it been fired ?... even a totally brand new chamber needs to be thoroughly cleaned with a chamber brush (very important to use a chamber brush) and lubed well with some CLP before use and the same can apply to a used dirty chamber .... just because it looks shiny doesn't mean it's clean. It's possible the chamber is a little on the tight side and it might need to be reamed, you could have the head space checked and that would tell you if it's going to require reaming to correct the problem. I personally would clean it first paying special attention to that chamber and then thoroughly lube the upper, BCG and chamber then see where your at. |
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What kind of rifle? Do you know what kind of chamber it has?
Look more closely at the bullet itself after the cartridge has been ejected. Is there a scuffed up looking ring about 1/10 inch in front of the case mouth? If so, you have either a .223 chamber, or a Wylde or similar match chamber on your barrel, and what you are experiencing is typical. Different bullet brands and types might not be as sticky, depending on variations in the bullet shapes. Once you shoot a few hundred rounds there will be enough wear and erosion that bullets won't stick any more. Or else you might have a barrel where the chamber was not cut correctly. |
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Thanks guys for the tips. It's a fairly new rifle with only about 100 rounds through it so it could be that it just needs a good break-in. This past weekend I put another 150 or so down it. Afterward, I tried extracting a freshly chambered round and had it "lock up". But tried another round and it popped out like it was supposed to. It was a bit of a pull on the CH to extract it but it did come out without having to beat the rifle. I have cleaned and cleaned and cleaned the rifle/chamber and nothing seems to make a big difference. I even took it to my local gunsmith and he noted that i wasn't having problems because the weapon was dirty. He said exactly as you did, that many times it's because of a poorly cleaned chamber.
It's chambered for the 5.56. I have found that some brands of ammo will eject better than others, but *all* will lock it up eventually. It's just so random that I can't pinpoint a cause for it. I guess I need to blow through 300 rounds or so and see if it's still happening. |
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