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Posted: 1/28/2005 6:53:19 PM EDT
| Okay, I got my first AR built today and went to test fire. Loaded 'er up...pulled back the charging handle...let it go...and....nothing. The round wouldn't strip. So I finally coaxed it in..then jacked it back out to see if it was just a fluke, but it happened again..and again. I went ahead and made one chamber and went ahead and fired it. Everything cycled as it should, next round chambered, as did the rest without a hitch. I should mention that the magazine was kind of hard to seat when it was full. Empty it would catch every time, but loaded it took a little extra push. And this magazine is an OLD Adventure Line, the plastic it was wrapped in said 1983 and it has a black follower. I know I should only use USGI greens, but I picked this one for $6 and thought it'd do for today. So, to finally get to my question, could this ONLY be a magazine problem, or could it be something else? The fact that after the first round fired, it fed fine has me wondering... |
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A brand-new mag (meaning unused) often has a really stiff spring, and if you load it to max capacity the first time, it can make it hard for the bolt/carrier/recoil spring to overcome the pressure on the ammo caused by the mag spring/follower. Once you've loaded and unloaded the mag a few times, it will loosen up and this should go away. Also, you normally want to load mags with the bolt locked to the rear. It is normal for it to be difficult to seat a fully-loaded mag, as the top round hits the bolt and has to be pushed further down into the mag in order for the mag to seat. AR mags have *just* enough room for this, but again, on a brand new mag, it's even tougher than normal. Oh, and you ARE using a USGI mag, in case there was any doubt. -Troy |
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