Gun Zone Deals

AR owners, learn from my mistake...

The #1 community for Gun Owners in Texas

Member Benefits:

  • Fewer Ads!
  • Discuss all aspects of firearm ownership
  • Discuss anti-gun legislation
  • Buy, sell, and trade in the classified section
  • Chat with Local gun shops, ranges, trainers & other businesses
  • Discover free outdoor shooting areas
  • View up to date on firearm-related events
  • Share photos & video with other members
  • ...and so much more!
  • rushthezeppelin

    TGT Addict
    Rating - 100%
    3   0   0
    Dec 28, 2012
    3,821
    31
    Cedar Park
    Still kicking myself for doing this, but here goes.

    So I was hand cleaning some 223 brass (even though I don't have stuff to reload it yet) and I was noticing each one has a nick on the case neck. After some research, i found it might be a rough spot on the back of one of my bolt locking lugs on the barrel hitting the neck on extraction. Wanting to test this theory I grabbed a live round and took the firing pin out of my bolt, threw it in and pulled it back out. This didn't reveal much so I put everything back together and go about other things last night.

    Today at lunch I noticed I forgot to put the firing pin back in a it was sitting on my gun table. So I pickup my AR, take the lower off and pull out the bolt but it won't budge. Then it dawns on me the can pin turned sideways and was locking up inside the bump on the left side of the upper. Google the problem and see allot of "your fucked" and "better call a smith" so I'm pretty well freaking out (especially considering I'm supposed to be shooting the multi gun match this Sat).

    I tried taking several small objects to try and push one of the bolt lugs to no avail (thinking back I should have known that wouldn't work). Threw a ton of frog lube in there and frantically/hopelessly started wiggling the charging handle back and forth and shaking the upper all over the place and finally it popped out.

    So stupid that this didn't cross my mind as I know exactly how the mechanics of the AR bolt works and have actually looked at that and wondered if the bolt would lock up without the firing pin. So just so it's out there NEVER put your AR bolt in without a firing pin, you could get lucky like me or you could have to look like a real dumb ass in front of a smith.

    Anyone else have stupid mistakes they will admit to?



    Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 4
    Gun Zone Deals
     

    rushthezeppelin

    TGT Addict
    Rating - 100%
    3   0   0
    Dec 28, 2012
    3,821
    31
    Cedar Park
    I'm glad you got it to open.

    Tell me about it, I'm doubly lucky that it didn't lock on me initially with the live round in there, that would been a bit scary to hand to a smith. I'm tempted to grab a second pin that I can grind down to where it completes the mechanics of the bolt but can't strike a primer in case I want to investigate this further, although I might just be best letting a smith investigate that.

    Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 4
     

    Ole Cowboy

    TGT Addict
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    May 23, 2013
    4,061
    96
    17 Oaks Ranch
    Well Rush, stupid, damn stupid but YOU had the GUTS to admit it and post it, WOW, hats off to you on that. My bet is you will NEVER make that mistake again...maybe it was not so stupid after all...
     

    London

    The advocate's Devil.
    Rating - 100%
    6   0   0
    Sep 28, 2010
    6,286
    96
    Twilight Zone
    I've never built an AR upper, so forgive me if this sounds stupid, but could this problem be solved by removing the barrel and going from there?
     

    grumper

    TGT Addict
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Jul 5, 2012
    2,993
    96
    Austin
    Lol.

    Don't pull the charging handle to yank the bolt carrier back when you don't have the recoil spring and buffer inside the stock/tube.

    This one isn't as bad as the bolt getting stuck locked forward, but it's almost. The bolt carrier will get hung up on the buffer retainer and half of it will be in the upper and the other half will be in the stock and you won't be able to open it up to free it.
     

    Blind Sniper

    Well-Known
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Apr 12, 2013
    1,825
    21
    Bay City, MI
    Lol.

    Don't pull the charging handle to yank the bolt carrier back when you don't have the recoil spring and buffer inside the stock/tube.

    This one isn't as bad as the bolt getting stuck locked forward, but it's almost. The bolt carrier will get hung up on the buffer retainer and half of it will be in the upper and the other half will be in the stock and you won't be able to open it up to free it.

    Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't you just need to loosen up the castle nut, unscrew the buffer tube, then reach in and wiggle the retainer loose? Or am I envisioning the problem wrong?
     

    London

    The advocate's Devil.
    Rating - 100%
    6   0   0
    Sep 28, 2010
    6,286
    96
    Twilight Zone
    Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't you just need to loosen up the castle nut, unscrew the buffer tube, then reach in and wiggle the retainer loose? Or am I envisioning the problem wrong?

    I just banged my bore onto a towel so I wouldn't eff up my flash hider. The bolt decided to come back down after five or six slams. I'm sure some Arfcom snob will read this some day and start shouting at his screen how I ruined my "Barrel harmonics." :rolleyes:

    Your way could work, too. Of course, it's beyond the capability of the 99% or AR owners who buy them and have no clue how to build them. Shit, I've only built a single lower, so I'm hardly sitting in an ivory tower.
     

    London

    The advocate's Devil.
    Rating - 100%
    6   0   0
    Sep 28, 2010
    6,286
    96
    Twilight Zone
    Super noob AR mistake: Make sure the cam pin in is the right position before dropping in the BCG. Actually, experienced people do this all the time, too. :D
     

    grumper

    TGT Addict
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Jul 5, 2012
    2,993
    96
    Austin
    Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't you just need to loosen up the castle nut, unscrew the buffer tube, then reach in and wiggle the retainer loose? Or am I envisioning the problem wrong?

    Yes, removing the stock is how I got it unstuck once. Another time I undid the rear takedown pin and was able to crack it open a smidge and reach in with a feeler gauge and get the bolt carrier unstuck from the retainer.

    I actually got it stuck up in there twice, didn't learn my lesson the first time. :p
     
    Last edited:

    Blind Sniper

    Well-Known
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Apr 12, 2013
    1,825
    21
    Bay City, MI
    I just banged my bore onto a towel so I wouldn't eff up my flash hider. The bolt decided to come back down after five or six slams. I'm sure some Arfcom snob will read this some day and start shouting at his screen how I ruined my "Barrel harmonics." :rolleyes:

    Your way could work, too. Of course, it's beyond the capability of the 99% or AR owners who buy them and have no clue how to build them. Shit, I've only built a single lower, so I'm hardly sitting in an ivory tower.

    Hell, I've never built a lower yet myself, but I still know how much of a pain it can be to get the rear takedown pin detent installed, and how to NOT reinstall the hammer (or more exactly, why you shouldn't screw with it when your hands are sweaty and slick).
     

    Blind Sniper

    Well-Known
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Apr 12, 2013
    1,825
    21
    Bay City, MI
    Heh, yeah. When I did mine, I just dropped it in through the back of the lower, screwed in the buffer tube, then slid the plate thing down to lock everything in place and tightened up the castle nut. May not have been the "right" way, but it's what worked for me.
     

    robertc1024

    Moderator
    Staff member
    Moderator
    TGT Supporter
    Lifetime Member
    Rating - 100%
    20   0   0
    Jan 22, 2013
    20,781
    96
    San Marcos
    When are you guys going to have an AR-101 class? I'll attend. Seriously though - can y'all suggest any resources for more knowledge? On AR15, I'd get flamed in a heartbeat. I know how to do the basic stuff - like field stripping it, cleaning it etc. but I'd like to put in a better trigger and don't know how to do that. YouTube has lots of info, and lots of idiots. Not knowing them, I don't trust them.
     

    itchin

    TGT Addict
    BANNED!!!
    Rating - 100%
    4   0   0
    Jul 15, 2011
    7,071
    31
    Corpus Christi, Texas
    Robert. A trigger swap is super simple. You can handle it. I have a slave pin you can use to make it even easier if you want. Or I can help you swap em out. Aren't you a mechanical engineer or something lol?
     

    robertc1024

    Moderator
    Staff member
    Moderator
    TGT Supporter
    Lifetime Member
    Rating - 100%
    20   0   0
    Jan 22, 2013
    20,781
    96
    San Marcos
    Robert. A trigger swap is super simple. You can handle it. I have a slave pin you can use to make it even easier if you want. Or I can help you swap em out. Aren't you a mechanical engineer or something lol?
    Yep, but I know better than to try something when you have no clue what I'm doing.
     
    Every Day Man
    Tyrant

    Support

    Latest posts

    Forum statistics

    Threads
    116,119
    Messages
    2,953,343
    Members
    34,941
    Latest member
    Irowland1994
    Top Bottom