Feeding Problems in AR15

[Lilly]

I am hoping some of you experts out there can help me. I have a pretty much stock Bushmaster carbine that has been running great for 3 years with the same magazines and has now decided to give me problems. I use Thermold mags. The rounds are not making it up the ramp. They are hitting the bottom of the ramp and not feeding. When I rack it to try again, the bolt just hits the bullet harder. Do I need new springs or followers in my mags? Or is there something in the gun that has messed up?

[Zak Smith]

Start with new springs, or better yet, new USGI mags.

[stingerjg]

try some mags from Brownells.

[TRUBL]

I believe you are having the classic "steel vs plastic" battle going on there. And the steel is winning.

Your rifle has a steel mag catch....and you are using plastic (ok...high tech polymer) magazines. I suspect that the magazine is wearing out in the area that is being held in by the 'steel' magazine catch. Take a look on the left side of the mag and check for wear in upper portion of that little notch in the 'plastic' magazine. I also suspect that because of this....your magazine is seating lower than it was in the begining and your bullet tips are now starting to hit below the feed ramp on the barrel nut. This is common with plastic mags when they wear out, and will also eventually happen with aluminum magazines as well (although the feed lips tend to crack on those before that happens).

So.....make sure you check all your magazines in the notch area and feed lip area, and that is not limited to only plastic or aluminum magazines either. Everything wears......and sooner or later fails. (oh...checking the magazine catch would be a good thing too....but if all you've ever used is plastic mags....there probably is no wear, hence it is winning the battle) Another area to check could be where the magazine catch fits into the lower, however, I've personally never that area worn excesively and doubt that is your problem.

One thing about aluminum.....something that people tend to over look. It is actually a very abrasive mat'l and dirt or grit can also embed into it as well, and in extreme cases.....can case excesive wear on steel (one reason why we should not use aluminum cleaning rods on our rifle bores either)

Tim

[EricW]

What Zak said. Since I got new, USGI mags, I have no use for plastic mags. Plastic mags blow chunks. Sooner or later they will fail, and will do so at the most inopportune time.

[Lilly]

Thanks. I will get some metal mags and check mine for wear.

[smokshwn]

One thing to also check is your charging handle. If you have cleared a stuck case malfunction or otherwise put undue stress on the charging handle it can become bent. This in turn slows the bolt and can cause both FTF's and FTE's.

+1 on the new mags as well.

Take care Craig

[SinistralRifleman]

Magazines are made to be disposable items...when they mess up, get new ones.

[TBF]

One other item to check is the possibility of a " shot stroke " , see if the bolt locks back on a mag loaded with one round.

I had on that had a really similar problem when the gas rings on my really picky upper were being eaten repeatedly by a rough carrier bore.

There are plenty of other things that can cause this problem too.

Travis F.