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Brand new S&W M&P AR-15 5.56 will not perform


kaw0357

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I have had the above mentioned gun for only a few months and finally got to get out and shoot.I purchased it brand new through my dealer whom ordered it for me. I am using good ammo and MagPul clips but I get light pin strikes and bullets will not feed up. I have less than 30 (thirty) rounds through this gun and I am very frustrated. What could be the problem and how do I fix it? Quick note: I used the very same clips and ammo with my DPMS same day same time without a single problem.

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New guns can need a bit of a break in period.  Just went through a large number of S&W patrol rifles and some of them were a little stiff to begin with.  Make sure your bolt and bolt carrier are very well lubricated, don't spare the oil.  Take one or two rounds out of the magazine after you load it up.  Lock the bolt back, insert the mag, then hit the bolt release to let the action spring do its job.  If using the charging handle some people have the habit of riding it forward, if you do make sure you tap the forward assist.  If you still have problems then post some pictures of what its doing.  When you say it doesn't feed is the bolt pushing a round out of the magazine and it is not chambering or is the bolt coming forward over the top round in the magazine?

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Lots of crud from the factory in some of these. Not sure if you have cleaned it since getting it, but run the BCG wet with good oil. No grease. I use Mobile 1. If it ain't splashing you, there is not enough. 

 

gerritm

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  • 4 weeks later...

More info needed.

Ammo type, specifically.

S&W M&P15 - which one?

Mag - not a clip, is the magazine new? Do you have more to try?

After only 30 rounds, I would say you need more info. 

 

Clean the rifle thoroughly, then lubricate it liberally. Try 28 rounds in the magazine, then 27. Then try another magazine. 30 rounds is generally a bad idea with mags. Ensure you have FULLY seated the magazine, by inserting it into the mag well and then a firm tug, DONT SLAP THE BOTTOM OF THE MAG. 

 

Finally - if all that doesn't help then contact S&W.

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On 11/18/2019 at 2:50 PM, AKJD said:

Make sure your bolt and bolt carrier are very well lubricated, don't spare the oil. 

 

On 11/19/2019 at 4:18 AM, gerritm said:

run the BCG wet with good oil.

 

5 hours ago, Bull0369 said:

Clean the rifle thoroughly, then lubricate it liberally.

There's a pattern here....
The issues you're having could both be caused by a dirty(overgreased from factory) or dry bolt carrier group. Pull it out, clean it off(and clean inside the rifle, including bolt lugs), add oil: a drop or two into the gas key, onto the cam pin, thin layer on the bolt lugs, and thin layer on the bearing surfaces of the carrier(if you aren't sure where on the carrier, just get the whole thing oily).

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Lots of great info and I really appreciate it. Tore down my gun completely and it did have a bunch of crud and a very thick sticky lube through out that i removed. Today is my 1st opportunity to get out and shoot. I will leave feed back. I contacted S&W and got the automatic ticket number but no communication as of yet. 

 

Again thank you for the quick info.

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4 hours ago, kaw0357 said:

Lots of great info and I really appreciate it. Tore down my gun completely and it did have a bunch of crud and a very thick sticky lube through out that i removed. Today is my 1st opportunity to get out and shoot. I will leave feed back. I contacted S&W and got the automatic ticket number but no communication as of yet. 

 

Again thank you for the quick info.

 

Like the others I was going to recommend take down, cleaning, and oiling. 

 

Hopefully that takes care of it and the ticket with the manufacturer isn't necessary.

 

Good luck.

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Interested to hear the outcome. Don't neglect magazines, they inevitably are the number one issue with the AR platform, not that they are poorly designed, just the fact that feeding from a magazines which are worn or neglected have caused a fair share of stoppages. Feed lips, the follower, spring, casing all should be inspected from time to time to ensure they are still in spec. 

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I took it out yesterday and taking the advise given here, it was an oily dripping mess. The action was fast and very smooth and it felt totally different. My ammo is Federal (the usual target stuff, nothing hot) and my mags are Magpul. I only loaded 3 rounds in each of the 5 magazines. Result: It is short cycling. It fires and ejects the shell but does not grab the next bullet in line. After using all 5 magazines I'm Sure that it's a gas problem. I put a hand guard on when I first got it and that required a new gas block.

 

Long story short, I have taken it apart again and I'm in the middle of correctly aligning and pinning this block. I should have never taken the original off and just used a shorter hand guard and that my end up being the right path to take after all is said and done. S&W does not dimple their blocks they actually pin them. My mistake. 

 

You guys have been great and I want to just say thank you all for the help.

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Oh, short stroking/undergassed makes sense.
Was the gas block you had switched to misaligned or did it have something wrong with the port in it(plugged by a burr or something)?
If the original was an A2 style front sight gas block, and it didn't fit under the handguard, you could cut it down and reinstall it.
If it was just a simple misalignment the carbon ring around the port should tell you if it was centered/which direction to move it.
Good luck!

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I could not see anything blocking the port. I have not had anytime to look into the problem further(I busted up my knee). My M&P AR15 did not come with the A2 front sight. It was this. image.png.8ffcc84665ea57a309ecfead46abdf41.png

Could have saved everyone a lot of time if you mentioned this earlier. Reading your original post makes it sound like you were shooting a brand new factory configuration rifle that didn’t work when, in reality, you tried to play gunsmith and had no idea what you were doing. This forum has a wealth of information but you have to give to get.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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12 hours ago, kaw0357 said:

I could not see anything blocking the port. I have not had anytime to look into the problem further(I busted up my knee). My M&P AR15 did not come with the A2 front sight. It was this. image.png.8ffcc84665ea57a309ecfead46abdf41.png

That sucks about the knee.
If the new block is correct in terms of rotation, you might use a business card or something to shim the block forward off the shoulder the width of that retainer plate(though some blocks do compensate for that distance).

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1 hour ago, Matt1911 said:

Using clips from Magpul is the best way to go. I've always had great performance from Magpul clips. Some clips don't work as well as other clips, so it's good you made the right choice on clips from the start. 

 

Align your gas block and all should be well. 

 

Paper clips, binder clips, hair clips, E clips, movie clips, song clips, news clips, sport clips, stripper clips

Edited by HCH
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