Recently I've noticed when I chamber a live round and eject the round unfired there is a small dent in the center of the primer.  It makes no difference wether I chamber the round by charging the rifle, or the round is chambered while shooting the rifle.

Is this normal?

I never noticed this until recently.

The rifle is a Pre-ban Pwa with a 16 inch bushmaster upper, and a real telestock.

It has about 8000 rounds through the current setup.

I haven't cleaned the gun for about 2000 rounds now, the gun has never malfunctioned.

Yes, its normal.

The firing pin is inertial and not held back by a spring. So everytime the carrier moves forward the firing pin dings the primer. It's a good reason to be muzzle conscious.

Thanks, I was getting kinda worried when I noticed the dents.

has anyone tried the titanium firing pins to see if they dent primers?  i've heard that since they are supposidly lighter they dont have enough inertia until they're struck by the hammer

From what others have posted, titanium firing pins aren't really recommended for ARs. Apparently, they have a higher tendency to puncture the primer, the escaping, pressurized cases destroy the titanium pins requiring replacment.

thanks...glad i asked