I have some issues going on with my Rarebreed and haven't seen much talk about the troubleshooting issues other than the known design flaw of the trigger lock bar.

Fit up issue:  First off, to install my upper I first mount the front take down pin.  I can not get the rear takedown pin to lineup until I slightly pull my charging handle back for the upper to drop down.  However, in the videos I have seen of installation nobody does this.

Function issue:  On the 3rd round I get a light hammer strike.  I have tried both H2 and H3 buffer weights.  H2 I was only getting one shot, H3 I now get two shots off.  I have tried this on two uppers, one carbine and one pistol, but using the same BCG.  I ordered an aimsurplus NiB BCG, I am going to try that and then report back.  I have also ordered an adjustable gas block for the carbine length and plan on opening up the barrel gas port in small increments if the new BCG does not resolve this.  I have a #41-60 drill bit coming.  I am also considering getting a different buffer spring to try that.  I tried brass and steel cased ammo.

Looking for some feedback to see if anybody has experienced anything like this or have recommendations.

Lower: Aero precision stripped lower, carbine buffer tube, spring, H2, and H3 weights.

Upper: 1) PSA 10.5" Pistol, with full auto BCG. 2) Bushmaster with 16" barrel, this did not have a full auto BCG which is why I was using the same full auto BCG on both uppers.

Image of a round that did not go off and shows sign of hammer strike.  Again I have tried several different ammo brands.  

Try an H1 or carbine buffer. The fitment issues where you have to pull the charging handle back is a result of the locking bar. If I were you, I'd take my trigger out of the upper and see if your spring is bent. I would bet money that it is.

A lot of us are having issues with heavier buffers and only lighter buffers are working. Don't ask me why. That part I haven't figured out yet.

Are there marks on the safety lever? If it hits when closing, the M16 cut might be too "long" and could artificially wear both the lever and the spring. At least thats my theory for why some people have these issues with certain guns.

It may have a longer m16 cut, but it shouldn't be too long to where the locking bar doesn't reset properly.

I forgot to mention that before I installed the trigger I modified it to prevent the spring from getting bent.

It doesn't prevent the spring from being bent 100%, but it surely should help longevity.

It's simply a flawed design. What does the spring look like now?

I can't see your image. I'm guessing the light strike is a form of bolt bounce.

You can use an extended 7.62x39 firing pin to reduce bolt bounce problems.

Mine closes without issues. Sounds like your upper/lower/bcg has some timing issues. That may be contributing to both the light strikes and making the upper hard to close.

I have nearly 1500rds through my RRA AR9 with no problems. Locking bar spring only has a slight bend in it. I was told by Rare Breed that the spring issue stems from people manually moving the locking bar manually beyond
what it actually move by the bolt returning into battery.

Thats a complete bullshit reason by rare breed. They're telling people that your finger will do more damage than a carrier slamming into battery at full force. Do me a favor and put your finger in the ejection port while firing and tell me what happens to your finger. The carrier force to battery is legit like a hammer hitting a nail at full force. When the carrier hits the locking bar, it will cause the locking bar to extend to it's limit because of something called inertia. What is in motion stays in motion right? The spring to the locking bar isn't strong enough to keep the Carrier's force from causing it to become fully compressed.

Clearly Rarebreed isn't going to take responsibility any time soon and they think people are stupid enough to believe that bullshit nonsense.

That’s what I am thinking.  I have a batch of aero lowers coming in and got a PSA Easter sale on a build kit.  Can you run one of those firing pins in a 556?

I do pretty regularly. Thousands of rounds through my BumpSAW without problems.

Alright new Aero lower and new PSA upper.  Now I can not get the upper to seat.  Front takedown mounted, the rear will not go down no matter what I do.... calling Rare Breed customer service tomorrow.  Hopefully they will exchange the trigger because something is obviously wrong.

Some of mine I have to pull the charging handle back slightly so it can push the locking bar forward.

Well they dont have a number posted so I emailed them... good grief

I tried that

Do you have any other upper/lower/bcg combinations you can try? It's probably tolerance stacking between the three.

I doubt it’s a tolerance issue if I have the same problem on 3 different lowers and uppers no matter what combination I try.

Yeah, that would seem to indicate a bad unit.

Alright so I finally got a hold of somebody at Rare Breed.  They claimed my upper/lower was out of spec so I sent them measurements and pictures.  Then they claimed my BCGs (all 3 from different manufacturers) were out of spec.  In there last email they said “the distance between the back of the carrier and the sear trip surface is a critical measurement and should 1.57 inches”.  So I took a caliber to my BCGs and all measured 1.57 inches.  So I got to thinking about that and decided to file down the trigger lock bar ever so slightly.  Now I can put the gun together!  I did drill out the gas port to the next size up and installed an adjustable gas block.  The gun finally works the FRT-15.  I went through a 50rd drum with no issues and then friends shot their ammo through it and hundreds of rounds later very happy.

Spare lock bar is $25, so it seems like a good part to file on.  I'm glad you got it working.

Thanks!

LoL & Gun Companies trying to sound technical and authoritative..... 1.57" to a machininist could mean 1.560 to 1.580".

IF it was "critical", it would have a three place decimal.


They should just be honest and start telling customers "We don't think the legal lifespan of the product justifies us trying to fix what is out there on our dime or improve the design. If it works for you, great. If it doesn't work for you and you're good with a bridgeport or a dremel, great. If you suck at life, you'll still suck with our trigger. Peace Out."


Remember who the gun company behind this is when it all unwinds.....

My CMMG Banshee bolt carrier measures 1.566" with my Mitutoyo calipers and the trigger works for now.

I like the concept and realize I might have to modify the locking bar at some point I don't have a problem with that.

My problem is the company telling the customers they're jacked up.

I cant find it but some where there is a print showing the tolerance of that area of the bolt carrier. Anyone have it?

Any other problems associated with this? I installed a RB into a Spikes lower tonight and I’m having to do that to close my upper and send the take down pin home.

I’d file the locking bar for science but right now it doesn’t seem you can order new ones on their site and I don’t think I want to mess with the original one.

Mine shoot fine with the slight interference fit. I would close it and test it.

Shot my Rare Breed Trigger Sunday. I could get one round off before it would malfunction. This was on multiple magazines. I went home, looked at their videos again and figured out what the problem was. In my case, it wasn't the locking bar per se. With the upper removed, I could fire the hammer without the locking bar activated. So the hammer was just following the carrier forward, never recocking the hammer. That's why it was jamming. I tried putting it in another lower, and it was the same. Either the trigger or the hammer is out of spec, because the locking bar, while engaged, is allowing enough trigger travel to release the hammer with the locking bar engaged. I sent Rare Breed an email two days ago, and haven't heard back from them. From what I've seen, watched, and read, this company seems a little sketchy, and I wish that I hadn't bought this damned thing.

What BCG do you have?  I know some of the 9mm BCG's don't stick down low enough to reset the hammer.

M16. If it won't function correctly without the upper, it won't function with one.

I think I understand what you're saying now. The locking bar will let you pull the trigger while it's still toggled to the rear. If that's the case it's definitely a problem in the trigger group.

That's correct. Something is out of spec.