Closing bolt on a empty fired case
Is it OK to close the bolt of a AR on a one fired empty case?
Yesterday I was checking to make sure my fire formed once fired 5.56 case would fit in the chamber of my AR.
In the process of doing this I opened the bolt all the way and locked it open, inserted the once fire case in the chamber and then (not intentionally) released the bolt release and the bolt and carrier slammed shut on the empty case in the chamber. The bolt closed and locked OK but I was concerned that this could have caused some kind of damage to either the bolt lugs, extension lugs or the chamber.
I know one shouldn't make a habit of doing this but I just wanted to get some opinions.
Thanks
Brass is softer than steel. The lugs are (probably) OK.
Just don't make a habit of it. Repeatedly doing this may cause premature wear.
You wanted opinions. Too bad the real industry experts who could have given you facts were driven off this board due to idoicy in the past.
OK, while dropping the bolt on a dry chamber seems harsh, it is nothing compared to the forces involved in extracting a round. Several thousand PSI between the bolt and bolt carrier, driving them apart to cause the rifle to function, are going to cause more wear on the lugs and barrel face than dropping the bolt on an empty chamber.
There is nothing that you did to your rifle that it does not do when you fire it, as was said by the previous posters. If you do it a whole lot, you may see some wear on your extractor, but even that is doubtful.
extractor clips on the round during a firing cycle......it's not controlled feed.....nothing you did could hurt the weapon.
