Posted: 4/29/2001 3:23:50 PM EDT
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Sitting in church today and the problem keeps running through my head. Borrowed a case gage from a friend and checked the rounds that failed to completely chamber. All were within specs. Loaded two mags with factory ammo and cycled them through. Two rounds wouldn't chamber completely, even with forward assist. Same scratches on the cases. Chucked a rod in the drill, broke out the polishing compound and went to work. Loaded a mag with my reloads and tried again. All chambered but a few were hard to extract so I think I'm getting close. A little more polishing and I'll give it the acid test later this week. Will post results. Thanks to all who posted on the other thread. Eddie |
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Armalite is not known for their undersized chambers. They are known for their lifetime warrantee ... I think this one was rough; hence the case scratches. I don't think they cover any owner-induced issues. Huh? This problem occurred with the very first round ever chambered in the gun (other than factory test firing). Eddie |
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Send the rifle back to Armalite if you want it fixed correctly. The way to smooth a chamber is with a nice $150 Clymer finish reamer not a drill bit and polish compound. If it's rough enough to cause loading problems it must look like an unpaved road full of pot holes. The point was that I doubt that Armalite is going to honor their warrantee if you return it having done some backyard rifle smithing on it. Just offering some friendly advice here [:)] |
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Just offering some friendly advice here Just wasn't sure where that was aimed. No sweat. The neat thing about polishing compound is it makes the surface look better, not altered. If a smith can look at it and tell I did anything, I'll eat the repair bill. Just for info: I've returned modified trigger jobs, beveled chambers, etc.) (firearms to Ruger, Dan Wesson, S&W and Thompson Center and have yet to be denied warranty work. First time for everything, though. I'd just like to avoid a several month delay if it's a problem easily fixed. If I can't "polish" the problem away, I'm taking it to a reputable smith. Eddie P.S. Didn't use a drill bit; used a sloted patch tip and cotton cloth. |
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Lets see if we have this right. You took a rifle that had passed factory tests. You had trouble firing your handloads. You've sought help on the Internet but haven't contacted the factory. You're dinking around with the rifle. And you're confident we'll stand behind your work. You know, a lifetime warranty is a good thing. It isn't intended to back up home gunsmithing. Your work may be very good, but we aren't very inclined to patch it up. Our warranty program is a good feedback mechanism. Bottom line is that if there's a problem with one of our rifles it does us a lot of good to be able to see it. It doesn't do us, or you, a lot of good for us to see something else. |
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Loaded two mags with factory ammo and cycled them through. Two rounds wouldn't chamber completely, even with forward assist. Same scratches on the cases. LS1Eddie Lifetime warrantees are no substitute for doing things right the first time. If I buy a new rifle, I want it to be in MY hands, not ArmaLite's. |
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You took a rifle that had passed factory tests. I'm really beginning to question that. You had trouble firing your handloads. No. I had trouble chambering handloads. I also had trouble chambering factory loads. You've sought help on the Internet but haven't contacted the factory. Sent an email; no response, yet. You're dinking around with the rifle. Not sure what you mean by "Dinking." I've used polishing compound in the chamber. This stuff is no more abrasive than many products used to remove lead and copper fouling. J-B Bore Compound comes to mind; available from ArmaLite. You know, a lifetime warranty is a good thing. It isn't intended to back up home gunsmithing. Your work may be very good, but we aren't very inclined to patch it up. I'm a, "Screw me once, shame on you; screw me twice, shame on me" kind of guy. I have a product that has a problem; I return it and wait (insert number of months here); maybe it's right the second time around, maybe it's not. Our warranty program is a good feedback mechanism. Bottom line is that if there's a problem with one of our rifles it does us a lot of good to be able to see it. It doesn't do us, or you, a lot of good for us to see something else. Still waiting for a response to my email. Eddie |
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Sounds like this problem is consistent with the rifle I owned for a short period of time but didn't want the hastle so I sold it to a retired USMC Armorer. Maybe you should send your rifle to them so they can clear this up to keep others from having the same problems. In your defense, the steps you have taken to fix the problem yourself should in no way effect warranty on the rifle. The solvents recommended in their manual for break-in is harder on the rifle than what you are using. |
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Just received a response from ArmaLite. They think it's the locking lugs causing the scratches. Possible, but I hand loaded two smoked rounds into the chamber and dropped the bolt. It's possible the lugs scratched the cases during extraction, but the bolt tends to hold the case centered. The ejection side could be scratched, but I'm still getting scratches on all sides. That make sense? Eddie |