Author Topic: AR15 Parts Failure/Breakage  (Read 5194 times)

Rastus

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AR15 Parts Failure/Breakage
« on: October 31, 2020, 11:06:10 AM »
Other than a broken lower (Mag Tactical...) I have never had a part fail on any of my AR's.  So, I was wondering....what have you guys had fail on one?  My lower was I think engineering on their part to get the lowest possible weight with an alloy that just did not hold up. 

Which brings up firing pins...ever have one fail?  How often do they fail?

What else?
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bulldog75

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Re: AR15 Parts Failure/Breakage
« Reply #1 on: October 31, 2020, 12:25:23 PM »
Parts fail. One when I first got to my unit and they had old A1s. The rear retaining pin would come out all the time. Brought that up to an armorer and it was fixed pronto.
Now malfunctions I have had a lot. Even the dreaded over bolt. Use to be a PMI instructor. I would give a class before I ran the range for my battalion. I would explain to new troops that they needed to fix their own malfunctions. No one is coming to fix your weapon during a real firefight. Never had a firing pin fail. I did see a troop put his weapon in the wrong place and a turret rotated and well that weapon could shoot around corners.
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les snyder

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Re: AR15 Parts Failure/Breakage
« Reply #2 on: October 31, 2020, 08:17:04 PM »
my early AR was a Colt and the firing pin was not shrouded by the carrier, so the rim got beat up, now I use M16 carriers...

my good friend developed the SOCOM bolt upgrade, with high temp O ring to help the extractor, high temp ejector spring, and McFarland style continuous gas ring... I added the kit to my AR before my first big time 3 gun match in 1995 (North Carolina Tactical at Ft Bragg) at the end the the next year, I dis assembled the bolt, and found that the extractor spring had vanished, but was still operational with the O ring... the continuous ring was replaced with standard 3 ring set as I was shooting cheap Russian ammo for local matches, and it carboned the ring to the point of failure

a friend has a Class 3 M16, and doing a mag dump with a 7.5" barrel melted the gas tube (not sure of its pedigree), but I replaced it and roll pinned the gas block for him

not had a problem with 5.56 firing pins, but had a 9mm spring break at about 400 rounds... I rounded the strike end (as is the 5.56 pin) of an OEM Colt pin, so that the hammer strikes it closer to the center line and has over 7000 rounds in a couple of PCCs without a problem

minor gas cutting on the bolt face from leaking primers, but overall never really had a problem with a 5.56 ... the 9mm guns, on the other hand, have a different learning curve

one match embarrassment... assembled the bolt with the firing pin flange behind the cotter pin....

Les

tombogan03884

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Re: AR15 Parts Failure/Breakage
« Reply #3 on: October 31, 2020, 09:51:28 PM »
Bulldog75
Ammo truck driver didn't need no stinking ground guide.
The only part they could salvage off the M 60 he didn't see was the trigger guard .
Got me a brand new Maremont .    The only M-60 I ever saw that wasn't a total piece of crap.

alfsauve

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Re: AR15 Parts Failure/Breakage
« Reply #4 on: November 01, 2020, 07:42:31 AM »
I had a bolt that was slightly out of tolerance around the gas rings.  The rings would jump out of the groove and jam inside the carrier.  When it happened on the second set of rings is when I figured it out.  Such a minor amount to be out of tolerance. 

But these failures, assuming they happen in practice not combat, help make you a better armorer.
Will work for ammo
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Re: AR15 Parts Failure/Breakage
« Reply #5 on: Today at 05:03:56 AM »

les snyder

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Re: AR15 Parts Failure/Breakage
« Reply #5 on: November 01, 2020, 08:20:18 AM »
Alf... yeah... I'll never install a firing pin incorrectly again

bulldog75

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Re: AR15 Parts Failure/Breakage
« Reply #6 on: November 01, 2020, 09:40:00 AM »
tombogan03884 was a pig gunner also. They broke all the time. Finally the we got m240s. I had one of the few that worked correctly. For awhile. A gunner and I fired our first round on qualification and I sat the pile of crap down and the range safety started screaming at us. I started grabbing for my hearing protection and the range safety started laughing and walked away. That was the qualification that they fired 155s over head. I thought a M60 was impressive. Nope 155s are impressive.
Citizens sleep peacfully at night knowing that rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf - George Orwell

tombogan03884

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Re: AR15 Parts Failure/Breakage
« Reply #7 on: November 01, 2020, 10:36:55 AM »
When I was in the Guard they fired a night mission 50 yards from me and I slept through it   ;D
The guys that got NEW M60's liked them OK, but it is an inherently bad design that beats itself to death.
Having safety wire on the gas plug is something some guns have just for luck.
A trigger group that can fall off during odd moments, including while firing is not.
The only part on that POS not prone to breakage is the Trunnion.
It's like they took the best ideas of WWII machine guns and worked to f#ck them up as much as possible.
OOOW, Quick change barrel ? Yeah, yeah, yeah, but lets hang an extra 15 pounds of bipod on every barrel so the gunner still has to work his ass off.
Between that and 7.62X51 I don't really blame McNamara for canning those jack asses.

Rastus

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Re: AR15 Parts Failure/Breakage
« Reply #8 on: November 01, 2020, 11:52:12 AM »
Thanks for the feedback guys.

gas rings and springs...
Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom.
It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves.
-William Pitt, British Prime-Minister (1759-1806)
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bulldog75

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Re: AR15 Parts Failure/Breakage
« Reply #9 on: November 01, 2020, 03:13:42 PM »
tombogan03884. The reason they put a safety wire on the gas block was because you could put it in backwards. If you did it turned the pig into a single shot.
Citizens sleep peacfully at night knowing that rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf - George Orwell

 

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