[CourtJester]

So I found a nice shooting range in my new location here and took the AR out for it's first shots.

It would not eject the rounds after firing. I only shot six rounds through it just seeing what it would do and decided best not to full with it any further. It has plenty of oil so that can't be the issue.

The only thing I can figure is something isn't properly lined up with the slide. The unfired casing (5.56mm (62) FMJ M855 Penetrator) falls right in and I can drop a spent casing right back in, tip it over, and it falls right out. The action slides back and forth with no issues but after it's fired and I have to pull the slide to eject the round, it's a tough pull to get it opened. After the initial tug, it slides fine.

Any ideas???

 

[Argyle_Armoring]

Bad extractor? Does your extractor on your bolt move or is it stiff?

 

[CourtJester]

The bolt slides in and out and turns but the extractor doesn't move in or out. It will throw the case when the slide is pulled manually though.

 

[Sourdough54]

Have you any dummy rounds? If you do try putting on in the mag and then try to run it through the action. The round should feed into the chamber, be sure to let the bolt go forward under the power of the spring only. DON'T hold onto the op handle, just pull back and release.

When you pull back again, the dummy round should come out of the chamber and eject out the side.

If this does not happen, open the upper from the lower receiver, then remove the bolt carrier and check to see if the extractor is broken or chipped, then check to see that the ejector pin is installed as it should be under pressure to push the brass away from the bolt ejecting the case from the receiver.

 

[W. C. Quantrill]

Lube that bolt!! I lube it wet with synthetic oil.

 

[CourtJester]

It's got a slew of lube but just rem oil.

Here's a few photos. After the question of the extractor, I looked a little close at the few casings shot. There's a small ding at the 12 o'clock position. That normal??? Any extra insight from that???

 

[Dillinger]

I'm sorry, I need a little more info here to wrap my mind around the problem. Probably because it's Sunday afternoon and I have been watching American Ninja Warrior all day.

When you fire the weapon, I assume it cycles, but what specifically happens? Does the round just not come out of the chamber? Or is it extracted from the chamber but doesn't get ejected physically from the receiver?

JD

 

[CourtJester]

I'm sorry, I need a little more info here to wrap my mind around the problem. Probably because it's Sunday afternoon and I have been watching American Ninja Warrior all day.

When you fire the weapon, I assume it cycles, but what specifically happens? Does the round just not come out of the chamber? Or is it extracted from the chamber but doesn't get ejected physically from the receiver?

JD

I though American Ninja was dumber than hell the first time my kids turned it on, but I watched a few runs and I've been pretty hooked on it myself.

Okay; When I pull the trigger it slides about an inch or so and stops in that position. The bolt doesn't completely open to cycle through the ejection. I have to manually pull the slide and it's pretty damn hard to pull. At this point, it spits out the casing just fine. It's my first AR so I don't know for sure but it's harder to pull than I think it should be.

 

[broke-again124]

I'm sorry, I need a little more info here to wrap my mind around the problem. Probably because it's Sunday afternoon and I have been watching American Ninja Warrior all day.

When you fire the weapon, I assume it cycles, but what specifically happens? Does the round just not come out of the chamber? Or is it extracted from the chamber but doesn't get ejected physically from the receiver?

JD

I was thinking the same. If this is a home assembled upper receiver the headspace could be off. This causes the round to swell up the casing in the chamber when fired. Thereby not allowing the ejector to pull out the spent casing. Which from the pics of the spent rounds appears to be what is happening. If I'm off in any way someone correct me please.

 

[Sourdough54]

I've been thinking some more about your problem. How old is your AR? Is it a factory built gun? Was it built by a gunsmith? Was it built by a doityourselfer?

The reason for these questions is to find out if the extractor spring may be weaker then needed. Some shooters are installing heavier springs or a small D shaped force multiplier to improve extraction.

You might check this out before spending big bucks for a cheap upgrade. Brownell's, Midway and others will most likely have what you need, or possibly your local gunship.

Good luck.

 

[broke-again124]

I've been thinking some more about your problem. How old is your AR? Is it a factory built gun? Was it built by a gunsmith? Was it built by a doityourselfer?

The reason for these questions is to find out if the extractor spring may be weaker then needed. Some shooters are installing heavier springs or a small D shaped force multiplier to improve extraction.

You might check this out before spending big bucks for a cheap upgrade. Brownell's, Midway and others will most likely have what you need, or possibly your local gunship.

Good luck.

Seems like its extracting fine once the carrier can pull the casing loose. I'm thinking that it isn't an extractor issue.

 

[Sourdough54]

You said when fire the carrier comes back about in inch and stops. Does it stop dead or does it go back forward under pressure of the recoil spring?

Could the gas tube be partially blocked?

Is it a carbine stock or full size?

 

[CourtJester]

stops dead

 

[broke-again124]

stops dead

Really sounds like casing swell to me. Check the neck of the casing very close. Compare to other unfired casings the best you can.

 

[Sourdough54]

Who made the ammo?

Do you have some different ammo you can try?

You said that the recoil spring felt to heavy when cycling the action by hand. That's kind of hard to judge over the Internet. Have you had experience with similar models of rifle to try and compare to?

 

[Quentin]

I'd definitely try different ammo. As said above it sounds like the extractor is doing its job if when you manually pull back the bolt it pulls the casing out of the chamber and allows the ejector to kick it out. Could be a tight chamber, is it .223 or 5.56?

I almost hate to ask since I'm a known snob but it is important: what brand of AR are we talking here.


ETA: Rem Oil and WD40 shouldn't be used to lube any firearm.

 

[CourtJester]

I've been using rem oil since I was about 13 years old and still use some of the same guns with no issues. I'll try the synthetic stuff on this one once though.

It's not the case. The same cases used that where not ejected, fall right back into place when put back in.

It's not the ejector as it kicks the case right out when manually pulled open.

It's a do-it-youself DPMS

 

[Sourdough54]

I'm going to ask this question. You said its a DIY, did you actually chec the headspace with headspace gauges?

To me it's sounding like it is NOT an ammo problem but a gas system problem. Did you remember to install the gas tube pin?

 

[Quentin]

I've been using rem oil since I was about 13 years old and still use some of the same guns with no issues. I'll try the synthetic stuff on this one once though.

It's not the case. The same cases used that where not ejected, fall right back into place when put back in.

It's not the ejector as it kicks the case right out when manually pulled open.

It's a do-it-youself DPMS

In a tight chamber the hot case can stick. Then the case shrinks after it cools down and can drop in and out of the chamber.

Could be a short stroke issue as Sourdough points out. I don't like the hard bolt operation though, does that happen when working the action with no ammo?

 

[SSGN_Doc]

Make sure that your gas tube isinstalled correctly and tha tthe gas tube retaining pin is in place in the gas block. I had a carbine do similar things when the gas tube retaining pin backed out. The gas tube was then moving forward and the gas ports were not lining up. This would keep the bolt from cycling when fired, basically turning my rifle into a single shot that required manual ejection.

If your gas tube is properly installed in teh gas block an dthe retaining pin is in place, then check teh gas key on top of the bolt carrier and make sure that no gas is leaking around the edges at the bottom of the key where it mates up with the carrier. If you do see signs of leakage then tighten the two allen head bolts and then stake the gas key to keep the bolts from backing out once they are tightened. If all is good with the gas key, tehn check teh gas rings on the tail of the bolt.

There should be three gas rings. They should fit inside the carrier tight enough to keep the bolt from sliding into or out of the carrier under it's own weight. To test you would simply pull the bolt all the way forward with the carrier assembly removed from the rifle. Then you can stand it on a table on teh bolt face. The rings should keep the carrier up. If the carrier can slide down on the bolt, then the gas rings need to be replaced.

Another couple things could be the issue. Sometimes the wrong size recoil spring gets installed. A rifle length recoil spring in a carbine buffer tube may not allow the bolt to cycle fully. (I would think thatthis would keep you from cycling the action by hand though)

As others said, the extractor may not have enough tension to work under firing. While firing the gasses that expand to push the bullet out will also have the walls of the rifle case pressed against the chamber walls. This is especially treu in a carbine where the gas port is closer to the chamber and the gasses cycle the bolt while chamber pressures are higher. This was largely why kits were designed to increase extractor tension for carbines. Another way to help your carbine is to run a heavier recoil buffer like an H2 or a 9mm buffer. This delays the opening of the action a bit, and lets extraction begin after chamber pressure has dropped a little more.

The ejector plunger may not be moving freely in it's bore in the bolt, or the ejector spring behind the ejector may need replacing.

Some bolt carriers that do not have shrouded firing pins can hang up on notched hammers.

Tight or dirty chamber is another possibility.

All of these things can contribute to cycling problems. Good luck. Hope this helps.