Quoted: Yes, I contacted Fab 10. They said they have produced a number of these with no issues. They also said they use brand new, top of the line components for the springs and follower. If I attempt to replace the mag spring it voids the little warranty. They offered I ship the weapon to them for them to trouble shoot.
Is it normal for the bolt to push done on the rounds when the charging handle is pulled?
I would prefer not to ship if it is something I can solve on my own.
I would love to have a "real" AR but living in CA has other advantages so moving isn't a practicle solution to this problem...thanks again for any uselfull feadback.
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I am completely familiar with your issue as I have it with my FAB-10 as well.
Yes, it is normal for the bolt/bolt carrier to push the rear of the rounds down on it's way back, how else would it strip the rounds off the magazine on it's way forward?
The problem is that in order to fit 10 rounds (no more/no less) they cut the anti-tilt legs off the green follower. Obviously those anti-tilt legs were there for a reason and this is exactly why. Look carefully when using 2-5 rounds in the magazine, pull back the charging handle; the rear of the top round (and all below it) are pushed down, the 2nd round from the top lifts up and rolls outward where the neck "sits" on the indentation in the magazine and doesn't come back down.
When firing 10 rounds often times the vibration & recoil is enough to make it operate without jamming when you get to rounds 5-2. Sometimes it's not.
I've experimented with magazine springs of different length, strength, etc. I've messed with different followers, cutting off certain amounts of leg, etc. Nothing works 100% AND gives me full 10-round capacity.
Currently I have a full-sized green follower in my FAB-10. It limits me to 6 rounds, but operation is 100%. I can jam a 7th in there but you need to leave space for the rounds to be pushed down when you pull the charging handle back. I also have a modified Magpul follower which should allow me to fit 8 rounds and still retain 100% operation.
I have talked with the people who make the FAB-10 and they always deny having problems. Funny that he said the same thing to you even when I talked to him AT LENGTH (hours) about this issue. Even if I could send it back and get it "fixed" I don't think I'd ever trust it. Without the anti-tilt legs the potential for this FTF is CERTAINLY there regardless of if you've ever experienced the problems with your FAB-10 or not.
Good luck and feel free to contact me publicly or privately with further questions.
Just a few other beefs about the FAB-10: Grip area is wider than spec, causes problems fitting grips and not having them interfere with the safety. Buffer retainer hole is just slightly rearward of where it is supposed to be. The finish on the receiver is crap... I've heard they've changed this.