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Posted: 4/23/2011 2:06:09 PM EDT
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I just picked up a DSA paratrooper FAL. The brass that was ejected has case swipes, and rim is damaged from the extractor. I was using winchester white box 7.62 X51 ammo. Is this a no-no with these rifles?
Edit: Gas turned down, issue ceased. I hate that I cant reload this brass though. 
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Quoted:
Is just this case that is like this? As far as your rims being damaged...you may not have gas adjusted correctly (too much=more violent) No, I fired 10 rounds. All had the same result. Gas is set on 2........ I didnt adjust. Rifle cycled fine but brass didnt eject far from the gun. Should I try backing off? Im such a noob to this gun. I have only owned Ar-15's and Ar-10's for the past 15 years. I have seen my fair share of flattened primers, case swipes, and split necks, but nothing like this. Edit: Gas turned down, issue ceased. I hate that I cant reload this brass though.
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Quoted:
Something wrong with the chamber for sure. That may be causing the brass to stick and that would explain the extractor tearing up the rim. Thats exactly what my first assumption was. But this whole adjustable gas system stuff is new to me so I figured I would ask for feedback. More is appreciated, if anyone else has good input. I can bring it to a gunsmith, but its not free and the wait is long. |
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Try turning the gas off. Set the regulator to "g". Then fire a few rounds, manually cycling them out of the chamber.
If that ring persists, the chamber is at fault. Could be badly reamed, or excessive headspace. Proceed to a gunsmith for headspace check. You could also cast the chamber using cerrosafe. If the ring is gone, likely the problem is from excessive gas. To set the gas system, return to the "a" position and set the regulator so that the small bypass hole near the front sight is fully open. You want all the gas vented. Insert a magazine, load a single round, and fire. The bolt should short-stroke and fail to lock open. Now adjust the regulator to close the bypass hole, maybe 2 clicks. Continue to adjust the regulator and fire a round until the bolt locks open on the empty mag. Go 2 more clicks and you've found the magic setting. Now check the brass for deformation. |
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Thanks all. I forgot to mention this was a used rifle. I cleaned the hell out of the rifle prior to shooting this first time. I took it apart and put it back together until I was satisfied with how everything went together. I had asked about the gas system from the prior owner and he mentioned that he had never adjusted it. Theres a possibility he could not have even noticed. Most people dont look at their brass. Im a reloader so I always look. I will try the method of closing off the gas, then gradually bringing it back up to speed. I will post with results when I have time for those still interested. thanks again.
Edit: Gas turned down, issue ceased. I hate that I cant reload this brass though.
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Someone else explained gas adjustment above...here is something printable for you to take to range if you have short term memory problems like me 
Keep us updated |
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Quoted:
My first thought is that you have a ringed chamber. It makes the case very hard to extract and that would explain the damaged rim combined with minimal ejection distance. I have read about this. This seems to be a common chamber design to increase sealing properties in older automatic military rifles (mostly machine guns) which leads me to believe this is not common. I wil try backing the gas off to see if this improves. A few have said that once brass goes through this style of rifle, it is not intended to be reloaded. Edit: I talked to DSA, they have never seen his. |
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Quoted:
I've never heard of it being an intentional thing. My understanding is that it is probably the result of an obstruction, water, or cosmoline / preservative left in the gun when it was fired. It is not a good thing... But the good news is that FAL barrels are not hard to find and they are relatively easy to change (although you may need to also change the locking shoulder as well to get it to properly headpsace and that requires a press to do properly). Be advised there are inch and metric patterns and the gas block.front sight heights are different.
Quoted:
My first thought is that you have a ringed chamber. It makes the case very hard to extract and that would explain the damaged rim combined with minimal ejection distance. I have read about this. This seems to be a common chamber design to increase sealing properties in older automatic military rifles (mostly machine guns) which leads me to believe this is not common. I wil try backing the gas off to see if this improves. A few have said that once brass goes through this style of rifle, it is not intended to be reloaded. Edit: I talked to DSA, they have never seen his. |
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