copterdrvr

I know you have to do a "plunk" test and all that good stuff but my question is regarding the "published" OAL for a load in the manuals.... Is that the MINIMUM OAL listed by the powder companies to insure that the pressures don't exceed whatever limitation they've decided to use for their data? I'm making two assumptions-if the bullet is seated DEEPER it would increase the pressure and/or it's because the bullet profile wouldn't cycle in a "standard" chamber.... Is it really because of the pressure issue?

looks more like an indentation rather than a protuberance to me......

Pretty good bruise there as well......

Bet they were pi$$ed at the range when they heard THAT go off!!! Just curious-is it a new build and whose trigger is installed? When my firing pin broke in the same location, the gun quit shooting..... During my initial build I had a trigger with too light a trigger pull and it would occasionally double-didn't go fully monty though......

Exactly!

I guess that what I really want to do is educate future Lefty builders to take into account the differences between the two bolts and the "feedback" you will receive if you choose one over the other. The only guns I shoot without glasses are my PRS bolt guns-everything else is with glasses. If I was going to keep an AR9 in the bedroom for defense, it would be with the "old style" bolt, but the pistol grip pump shotgun that compliments the two 9mm pistols we have, works just fine so I 'll stick with that.

This is what I'm referring to..... The bolt on the left is the "new style" extractor and the bolt on the right is a true "left hand bolt" with the old style extractor so that I could put the side with the extractor on the same side of the bolt facing end to end. I guess I was just surprised at how that different cut on the bolt would make such a huge impact on the amount of crap I would feel on my face....

You are correct SCS, I AM using the original bolt until I get the gas deflector. I had purchased two bolts with the new style extractor for another upper build of my own and for a friend I'm building a gun for. I would ASSUME (maybe incorrectly) that the new style extractor would be an overall higher reliability part due to the fact that it is SIGNIFICANTLY larger than the original AR9 style extractor and would be better suited to grab and remove "difficult" cases and would last longer before failing. I've had ZERO issues with the "old style" extractor, just always looking at ways to improve reliability in the long run. I do enjoy using the "old style" bolt as I get no appreciable particle blowback and if there's not a history of the original style extractors failing, I'll probably continue to use it on the PCC I use for USPSA.

Thanks Southpaw-I ordered the CMMG kit.

All of my AR's (except the Lefty 9mm colt mag model) are the standard right hand version. I have them in 6.5 Creedmoor, 300 Blackout, .224 Valkyrie, 223 Wylde and the 9mm AR that I have been describing. I don't have any issues with ANY of them to include the 9mm UNTIL I install the 9mm bolt that has the "new style" AR extractor which uses a much wider and deeper cut in the bolt face for the wider, AR style extractor. Silver Surfer, where did you get that deflector????

Hate to say it but I'm glad to hear that because it corroborates my recent experiences.

I think you missed the point.... What I'm referring to is the fact that a right handed shooter shooting any AR has the ejection port to the RIGHT of his aiming eye and debris ejected from the ejection port is thrown out to the RIGHT of the shooters eye. Being a Lefty and using the newer style bolt, I get a crapload of stuff hitting my face during a shooting event and that is because the ejection port is IN LINE with my RIGHT EYE which causes the debris from the chamber to be thrown directly into my face. The two bolts I have are the same weight and I am positive that the issue is because of the fact that the "new" bolt" has a much deeper cut that allows debris to fly past the cut directly into the right side of my face...

My first PCC was a dedicated left hand rifle with everything reversed for a Lefty. Unfortunately it takes Colt mags and I'm just not a fan so I built a new rifle using an FM lower that is for you righties but it uses Glock mags and I don't have any issues with the mag release location. I also like the DDC side charger and it doesn't work on left side ejection actions so that was another reason for the new build. Gun runs 100% EXCEPT for the fact that not too long ago I broke a firing pin and replaced it with a titanium pin. ANYWAY, I have two different bolts for my righty PCC-one is the "old style" narrow extractor and the other is the "new style" AR type wide extractor that requires a much wider cut in the bolt face. What I have found is that because of the much deeper and wider cut in the bolt face, I find that I get a significant increase in the amount of crap that gets thrown back in my face during firing. I'm using Sport Pistol and a light bullet in a really light load and was also wondering if I jazzed the load up a little-would it make a difference? It's obvious that it's powder that is hitting my face and I'm assuming it's unburnt powder, maybe from not complete combustion? Wondering if any of you Lefty's have noticed the difference in the bolts......

Yeah, I'm not talking about the weight of the whole gun as that would be ridiculous-I'm talking about the weight of the firing pin which is the subject of this post.

I like the lighter pin theory and went with a titanium pin. It does feel significantly lighter. Only run it through two matches so have a ways to go to see how it works out.

FM-9 lower has been awesome! Installed a 3.5 .b CMC trigger and it's been a great choice.

I have two of the ETS 40's and four of the ETS 30's and they've been 100%. My first PCC was with a Colt mag lower and if I dumped a mag with ammo in it there would usually be rounds flying all over the place. I've dumped the 3o's numerous times with rounds in them and nothing happens and no cracks in the mags.

I ordered two titanium pins from Iron City it seems like yesterday (not really) and they arrived TODAY! They are really finely machined and I immediately installed one of them in my bolt. They are definitely well machined pins with no sharp edges on the shaft anywhere and very finely finished. They make the other pins I received from another manufacturer look like crap.....

Thanks for the info!

Anybody have any idea why the 9's break so many firing pins? I have numerous AR's and I've NEVER broken a pin in any of them and shot the heck out of them all !!!!

Thanks for your reply! Yeah, they are out of stock for that item-of course!!!!

Thanks for the info! I never heard of Iron City-they actually had titanium pins in stock and I ordered two. Curious about how the springs can get bent or broken without the pin breaking-is that because of the finish/contour of the inside of the bolt? Also, when I first put the rifle together I did a BUNCH of dry firing in general AND with swapping triggers-could that have an "impact" (so to speak!) on breaking the firing pin with a relatively low round count?

Thanks for the info!!!

Thanks!