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Posted: 4/14/2008 8:24:15 AM EDT
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Fellas - I have a DPMS dedicated .22LR upper. I think the firing pin or some part of the firing pin assembly is broken. It will not retract into the bolt after firing, which causes the gun to jam because it won't allow the next bullet to load. I was actually able to pull the firing pin out the front of the bolt assembly until it almost came out. It would not come out however. I think the firing pin assembly is made up of at least two pieces and a couple of springs. Does anyone have any experience in tearing into the bolt assembly on one of these, or maybe have an exploded view schematic/parts list, or maybe experienced the same problem? I think the cross-pin at the rear of the bolt will release the firing pin assembly, which should then fall out of the back of the bolt. I have contacted DPMS, but no comms from them as of yet. Thanks in advance for your time. JK |
| I just Called them, Mine did the same exact thing. They told me to send it in and they would make it right. My firing pin actually cam out of the front of the bolt. I took a picture, but Ill have to post it later. The Firing pin is the shape of a T, it has one spring and is held in by the cross-pin. Ill post some pictures this afternoon when i get home. -Adam |
| Same experience here with DPMS. I've spoken to Shane numerous times over the years. Last year I had an out of battery ignition which blew out the right extractor. I checked and the firing pin was also broken. I called DPMS and they advised me to send the upper to them which I did. I got the upper back in about three weeks. The Bolt had been repaired and they removed a lodged bullet out of the barrel. GREAT customer service for me. I was prepared to pay but they covered mine under warranty. I've bought a lot of DPMS products since and have been satisfied. I even bought a second dedicated 22 bull barrel upper a couple of months ago because I liked my AP 4 22 lr so much. I wish DPMS would put their 22 lr products back on the market. |
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Okay here it is, This is what actually happened with mine, you can notice where the firing pin is not connected to anything. Thats BAD!!! I had one shoot out the side of the gun because it kept my firing pin forward and the round jammed causing it to go BOOM! Luckily it was a .22 and I didnt have anyone on my right side. I spoke with Adam on the phone as well, and he told me that it was covered and to send in whatever parts were broken and what not. I went ahead and sent the whole upper just for them to check out there was no other damage that I couldnt see. Just after my phone call today. I will definately buy another one FROM DPMS. -Adam http://render-2.snapfish.com/render2/is=Yup6aQQ%7C%3Dup6RKKt%3Axxr%3D0-qpDofRt7Pf7mrPfrj7t%3DzrRfDUX%3AeQaQxg%3Dr%3F87KR6xqpxQPoJxJeexPPJxv8uOc5xQQQGalJ0Go0JeqpfVtB%3F*KUp7BHSHqqy7XH6gX0QPnP%7CRup6G0P%7C/of=50,590,391 http://render-2.snapfish.com/render2/is=Yup6aQQ%7C%3Dup6RKKt%3Axxr%3D0-qpDofRt7Pf7mrPfrj7t%3DzrRfDUX%3AeQaQxg%3Dr%3F87KR6xqpxQPoJxJeexPPJxv8uOc5xQQQGalJ0GQJJPqpfVtB%3F*KUp7BHSHqqy7XH6gX0QPne%7CRup6G0P%7C/of=50,590,391 |
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Quick side note on this. My bolt's away to DPMS, and I should have it back w/in about 3 weeks. But, I wanted to make a comment about Federal Ammo. When this first happened I blamed the ammo because the cause of the problem was not immediately apparent. I wrote the guys at Federal and told them I was having FTF and cycling issues, and asked about known or suspected problems with the ammo based on lot #. Dude wrote me back and said "sounds like a problem, let me send you some more ammo". I provided my shipping info and he wrote back to tell me he's processing the shipment. Knowing now that it's not the ammo, I wrote him back and told him to forget about it -- that the problems were caused by hardware failure. I thought you guys might like to know that Federal really stands behind their stuff - no hassle. BTW, I am using cheapo Federal Champion bulk packs. Cheers. |
Sorry let me rephrase it. The next upper I buy will most likely be a 6.8 or something. I dont need another .22 upper, but their service has been up to my expectations so im happy with the way I was treated so they will keep my business. -Adam |
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Follow-up report. Bolt is back from DPMS. No function/field test yet, but the ticket from DPMS says "function test" as though it was performed. Cycling the bolt by hand shows good function. Bolt is super clean. I smeared a small amount of oil on the exterior of the bolt and dropped it in the upper. I'm sure it will be fine. Repair bill and return shipping? $0.00. Kudos and thanks to Shane and Adam with DPMS. On another note, Federal wrote me back after I informed them that the malfunction was hardware related and to stop the customer service claim. Their reply? "Keep it". I received replacement ammo a day or so ago; no fuss, no bother, just a nice package shipped to my door. Good to know they stand behind their product. Peace. |
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My 3 or 5 year old DPMS M4 .22 upper had awful reliability (misfires) on my Clark Gator lower (JP trigger group). Email discussion with DPMS yielded the suggestion to put in stock hammer and spring. The stock setup is a two piece firing pin with a spring retained by a roll pin similar to the standard centerfire setup. So, punch out the roll pin and clean up the parts and the hole and see how you stand. Maybe you need a spring or just cleaning, In my case, I made a one piece firing pin with a chisel tip, and a flat for the retaining pin rather than the annular groove on the rear stock part. The first one broke, but the second one has run a long time reliably, even with my trick lockwork. Since then, I've modified a JAC chamber insert to work in the DPMS upper so I can use JAC ( and, now Black Dog Machine) high cap mags. I was frustrated with the tendency of the DPMS mags to bind the bolt if any sort of pressure in any direction was applied to the mag. I consider the accuracy of the DPMS unit adequate, but not stellar, maybe 1"@ 50yd on a calm day with selected ammo. I plan to try a Model 1 Sales upper (ER Shaw bbl), if no better, I'll ask Model 1 to turn a Lothar Walther blank. My Clark 10/22 (Douglas) shoots Fed AutoMatch under 1" at 100yd, and my other Clark 10/22 (Walther) shoots Fed 714 into 3/8" at 40 meters. Watch out for this AR 15 crap. It started with the Gator .223, now there's the M4 .22, a Rick Kuehl 20".22, an Oly .45 on a Cav Arms lower, extra Cav lowers, and severe temptation to get one or more of Spike's .22lr marked lowers (I don't know why, but it appeals to me). |
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