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ar10a4c help
u6045708
Member Posts: 11 ✭✭
I tried this post in general, but no one seems to have any information. Fired my brand new from box armalite ar10a4c yesterday using factory mags and new federal nato 149 grain fmj ammunition. First shot out of the gun, the first case partially ejected, and the next round tried to get into the chamber at the same time, creating a jam that had to be removed with pliers (carefully). Through 30 rounds using the two stock magazines, the gun then ejected properly when fired but failed to cycle a new round into the chamber. The cartridges are loaded all the way back to the back of the clips, and I simply can't figure out what I may be doing wrong. Someone with more knowledge of this type of weapon than me- please assist. Thanks
Comments
This is your response from the General Discussion thread:
" I would first like to thank those who replied. I have received three main opinions regarding the source of this problem.
1. Bad ammunition. I am firing what I thought to be premium ammunition from the gun, new Federal nato 149 grain fmj. Opinions of this ammunition from those who have fired it?
2. I did NOT clean the weapon before firing. I've never needed to do this previously, and would assume that the weapon should come properly greased and ready to shoot, as all weapons that I have purchased before have been. Is this assumption wrong?
3. That I have not fired enough ammunition through the weapon and that it is binding due to tight initial tolerances.
Please forgive my ignorance of this type of weapon. Being told that ar's "JUST DO THAT" is unacceptable to me. The last thing that I need is a weapon that does not fire reliably when I need it! I thought that I was avoiding any issues by purchasing a supposedly superior weapon instead of buying what some consider to be cheaply built ak47 style rifles. (I'm not saying that I believe this, as I have never owned one). If anyone would like to respond to the above issues, that would be great."
The first thing I will point out is that to ASSUME anything is wrong. Assumptions where firearms are concerned can lead to accidents.
The second thing is that ALL new firearms need to be cleaned thoroughly and then properly lubricated before firing. This is common sense and a common practice with all firearms. If you didn't do this previously, you were lucky. Firearms shipped from the factory or manufacturer are usually coated with a protective substance of some sort to prevent the firearm from rusting during transit.
Third, if there is something wrong with a brand new firearm, call the manufacturer and find out what to do. It might be an easy fix that they can relay to you over the phone or they may want you to send it back for examination and correction. This is far better than asking around and trying several things that may be wrong and exacerbate the problem rather than fix it.
Sometimes 'stuff' happens in manufacturing and a less than perfect firearm makes it out the door and into the hands of a customer. This by no means is a reason to castigate a manufacturer considering how many are in the hands of customers and are working just fine.
You bought a terrific rifle. Call ArmaLite and discuss this with them. They built it, they know how to fix it.
To contact the ArmaLite Sales Department, please call:
Phone: 309-944-6939
Fax: 309-944-6949
or email: sales@armalite.com
http://www.armalite.com/Categories.aspx?Category=772965a5-5e3f-425d-a4dd-ca3313653a3e
Best.
u6045708,
This is your response from the General Discussion thread:
" I would first like to thank those who replied. I have received three main opinions regarding the source of this problem.
1. Bad ammunition. I am firing what I thought to be premium ammunition from the gun, new Federal nato 149 grain fmj. Opinions of this ammunition from those who have fired it?
2. I did NOT clean the weapon before firing. I've never needed to do this previously, and would assume that the weapon should come properly greased and ready to shoot, as all weapons that I have purchased before have been. Is this assumption wrong?
3. That I have not fired enough ammunition through the weapon and that it is binding due to tight initial tolerances.
Please forgive my ignorance of this type of weapon. Being told that ar's "JUST DO THAT" is unacceptable to me. The last thing that I need is a weapon that does not fire reliably when I need it! I thought that I was avoiding any issues by purchasing a supposedly superior weapon instead of buying what some consider to be cheaply built ak47 style rifles. (I'm not saying that I believe this, as I have never owned one). If anyone would like to respond to the above issues, that would be great."
The first thing I will point out is that to ASSUME anything is wrong. Assumptions where firearms are concerned can lead to accidents.
The second thing is that ALL new firearms need to be cleaned thoroughly and then properly lubricated before firing. This is common sense and a common practice with all firearms. If you didn't do this previously, you were lucky. Firearms shipped from the factory or manufacturer are usually coated with a protective substance of some sort to prevent the firearm from rusting during transit.
Third, if there is something wrong with a brand new firearm, call the manufacturer and find out what to do. It might be an easy fix that they can relay to you over the phone or they may want you to send it back for examination and correction. This is far better than asking around and trying several things that may be wrong and exacerbate the problem rather than fix it.
Sometimes 'stuff' happens in manufacturing and a less than perfect firearm makes it out the door and into the hands of a customer. This by no means is a reason to castigate a manufacturer considering how many are in the hands of customers and are working just fine.
You bought a terrific rifle. Call ArmaLite and discuss this with them. They built it, they know how to fix it.
To contact the ArmaLite Sales Department, please call:
Phone: 309-944-6939
Fax: 309-944-6949
or email: sales@armalite.com
http://www.armalite.com/Categories.aspx?Category=772965a5-5e3f-425d-a4dd-ca3313653a3e
Best.
Thank you for your response. Since I like to keep things positive, I would like to reply that I had absolutely no intention of casting doubt on the manufacturer of this firearm, but was simply trying to ascertain exactly what my original post said- looking for those who have EXPERIENCE with this type of firearm to possibly guide me to the cause of the problem that might be a simple fix instead of contacting the manufacturer. I'm not the kind of guy who is going to get on this forum and tell people that I know everything about anything, when that is not the case. I am also not an idiot, and do have prior weapon experience. If the gun came with a coating of ANY questionable substance, I would have seen this and cleaned it prior to use. However, the weapon's barrel was clean, the breech had a light coating of oil in the mechanism, cycled properly without ammunition, and appeared ready to fire. I also find it interesting that the gun DID NOT COME WITH AN OWNER'S MANUAL OF ANY KIND. I suppose that at this point, I will need to contact Armalite in order to get some literature on the weapon, as it somehow got lost in between their hands and mine. Again, thank you for your response.
Something is wrong with this whole deal if you did not get an owners manual with the rifle. What was the purchase arrangement if I may ask? Meaning did you buy this from a store or an online dealer? Either may explain a missing manual. This is a standard practice as much as cleaning a new rifle before you fire it. READ THE MANUAL. No manual? Make a phone call. A lot of times a rifle put on display at a store will have been cleaned thoroughly and you won't have to actually clean. But you should still inspect it before firing. Which it appears you did if you could at least see the bore was clean. Did you shotgun it or look down the end of the barrel with the action locked open? Shotgunning would have been the way to do a proper inspection of a AR rifle. Anyhow, like nononsense suggested give Armalite, or who you directly bought the rifle from, a call and get a manual. Then shotgun, inspect and clean where necessary.
FWIW, Armalite makes some great rifles. I have an AR-30 that will shoot sub MOA @ 300 yds consistently. I plan on going back to them for more stuff in the future as well. Good luck with getting this rifle back on track and enjoying yourself shooting it.
Even though the gun appeared clean, and oiled, I am sure if you took the time to use a clean WHITE cloth, you would have been amazed at what came off it, let alone what was in it. You stated it came in a hard case with magazines, in plastic. No MFG, will wrap a gun in plastic without treating it, and in todays world it is not always a heavy grease that Ray Charles could see. A good barrel cleaning with a patch or a quickie with a Bore Snake would help. Take the bolt out of the upper, and dissassemble the bolt from the carrier, clean both with brake cleaner, and lube with a good brand like Rem Oil, Breakfree CLP, or Triflow(my fav). Also give the internal part of the upper this treatment too. Also take the little straw that comes with the brake cleaner, and blast it down the gas tube from the breach end to make sure the gas port in the barrel, and the gas tube are clear. Make sure the barrel and chamber are properly cleaned, and the barrel is lightly lubed. Lastly, if you can reach this forum on line, you can surely get an owner's/operator's manual...by all means get one. Have fun, and let us know how it all works out.
tim