JonKC Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 I purchased a Stretch 16 back in late June and it has set in it original box since then, until today. I finally got around to mounting it up to a Wilson Combat upper/lower I purchased in July I believe. I am using a BCM BCG and BCM charging handle. I wanted to get the rifle assembled in time to make it to the range today but I ran a bit late. So I decided to run a patch down the barrel, it looked dirty when I opened the box today, and just cycle some ammo through to check for feeding and extraction. I sprayed some CLP down the barrel and to my surprise the patch came out "rust" colored. 10-12 patches and 2 applications of CLP the patches were clean. I found this odd because I ordered the melonite barrel. I then began cycling Hornady 55gr fmj ammo through the rifle. This is brand new ammunition. When "sling-shoting" the bolt with the charging handle the ammo was impossible to extract by simply using the charging handle. I had to pull back on the charging handle and hit the butt of the rifle against a table to get the ammo to extract. I did notice when I would lock the bolt back, then used the bolt release the extraction issue would only happen 1 out of 5 times. Upon close inspection of the chamber I noticed some rust, and all 20 rounds I cycled had very noticeable markings after the first time through. Any advice would be much appreciated. Chamber: Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonKC Posted September 22, 2015 Author Share Posted September 22, 2015 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonKC Posted September 22, 2015 Author Share Posted September 22, 2015 Ammo: Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonKC Posted September 22, 2015 Author Share Posted September 22, 2015 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonytheTiger Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 It seems you found the problem. Calling the manufacturer will get you further than any replies you will get here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonKC Posted September 22, 2015 Author Share Posted September 22, 2015 (edited) It seems you found the problem. Calling the manufacturer will get you further than any replies you will get here.Ok, just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something. I've assembled a few rifles but it's always been GI spec. I've sent Strongside an email. Hopefully it'll get sorted out. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Edited September 22, 2015 by JonKC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullittmcqueen Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 (edited) Call Lew and he will take care of it. Have you fired the rifle with the barrel installed? Manually cycling the action is not a reliable indicator of function. Edited September 22, 2015 by Bullittmcqueen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpom Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 (edited) read somewhere that meloniting leads to major salt deposits, that may not have been totally removed with your cleaning. would scrub the chamber some more with a brush, not just patches, and see if problem is resolved. doubt you will hurt the chamber, and lew will certainly take care of you if problem persists. had to really clean my stretch 16 to get all the crud out, well worth it though. Edited September 22, 2015 by mpom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonKC Posted September 22, 2015 Author Share Posted September 22, 2015 Call Lew and he will take care of it. Have you fired the rifle with the barrel installed? Manually cycling the action is not a reliable indicator of function. No I haven't had a chance to fire it. That was my plan, but ran out of time. Lew emailed me back last night and is going to call me this morning. He said the rust is normal due to the melonite process, and we will discuss the chambering issue. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonKC Posted September 22, 2015 Author Share Posted September 22, 2015 (edited) UPDATE : Lew called me first thing this morning, and as it happens I was on my way to the range with the rifle. Mpom1-you are correct. The "rust" is left over salts from the meloniting process. Lew was very helpful and patient with a "newbee". He explained the melonite process and also informed me that by using the components I did everything is just tight and I needed to shoot the rifle. He recommended using just plain American eagle 5.56 due to Hornady's brass sometimes being out of spec. I took the rifle to the range and fired 150 rounds through it. Initially I had issues with the bolt not locking back on an empty magazine, but I'm running a heavy buffer (what I had lying around). After sight in I applied a lot of lube and loaded every mag with 5 rounds for roughly 130 rounds. It locked back every time after that. I must say....this barrel is AWESOME! The recoil impulse is incredible. I first heard about the barrels from Bullitt's YouTube channel and then reading about them on here....the hype is real Coming from duty rifles, BCM and Wilson Combat, it's night and day, and I'll put my initial accuracy findings up there with any of my rifles. I called Lew back to inform him of the results and thank him for his time. The customer service he has provided me the past 2 days is top notch. I will definitely be buying another barrel for my next build in a few months. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Edited September 22, 2015 by JonKC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullittmcqueen Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 Jon, glad you got it sorted out and like the barrel. Enjoy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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