First built AR-15 won’t chamber next round

[Warm_Garand]

The action is Short stroking , measure the gas port and then open it up

Because it’s too small , like every other budget complete upper on the market

I would check that my gas key is A) properly staked and B) isn't leaking before opening up the gas port.

Who made the bolt carrier group? BKings house brand? Swap in a known-good bolt, if you have one. Borrow one if you don't.

I'd also break the rifle in for a hundred rounds with full-boat 5.56 loads, just to carbon up the tolerances in the gas block a bit.

If it is still not cycling with a known good bolt after a hundred rounds of 5.56 XM193 I'd talk with BKings--he'll make it right.

 

[StevieP]

You say it's the first AR you've built. But is it your only one? Try swapping uppers with your lower, or swap lowers with your upper, and see what the problem follows

 

[jkelly1229]

Love to help ya out but I haven't figured why my last build keeps f***ing up, good luck! Oh yea, probably gonna need to give more details on the build. Off the cuff it sounds like your short stroking.

He might not be that big don't be presumptious...oo yeah the rifle you mean

 

[Uzi2]

Any bets whether this will be another dead end AR malfunction thread?

 

[MGnoob]

Likely the mag or mag release..

Regardless like most new guns…put rounds through it how ever you half too…
Once you get 500rds through it probably work fine.

 

[Bodhisattva]

What brand of upper?

 

[oldguy68]

First off, don't over think this problem.
Simply find someone with a working AR-15 rifle and functioning magazines.
Start with swapping magazines and then by swapping the upper and lower receivers to narrow down the problem.
Doesn't sound like a magazine issue but start there first.

1: Try swapping the lowers as that is where you assembled it and the issue may be there.
2: Did swapping the lower receivers fix the problem? If yes, the problem is in your lower receiver. Compare the two lower receiver assemblies. Try swapping buffer spring and buffers and see if that resolves the problem. I know, lots of combos of springs and buffer weights. But it is work a check.
3: If the problem is with the upper receiver. Swap the upper receivers and function check the rifle with your lower installed.
4: If the rifle functions properly with the working upper installed. Swap the bolt carrier group and test fire with the known working bolt carrier group in your upper receiver.
5: If the rifle functions properly with your upper receiver installed with the other bolt carrier group. The problem is in your bolt carrier group.
6: If not the issue is in your upper receiver and you should contact the manufacturer of your upper receiver.

If you find it was in your bolt carrier group. Look at the gas key for looseness and proper torque. As well as the bolt gas rings.
Bolt carriers are cheap right now. It's always a good idea to have a spare complete bolt carrier group on hand. Buy a known brand and quality one.

You could try swapping his bolt in your carrier as well to further narrow down the issue.

 

[Uzi2]

First off, don't over think this problem.
Simply find someone with a working AR-15 rifle and functioning magazines.
Start with swapping magazines and then by swapping the upper and lower receivers to narrow down the problem.
Doesn't sound like a magazine issue but start there first.

1: Try swapping the lowers as that is where you assembled it and the issue may be there.
2: Did swapping the lower receivers fix the problem? If yes, the problem is in your lower receiver. Compare the two lower receiver assemblies. Try swapping buffer spring and buffers and see if that resolves the problem. I know, lots of combos of springs and buffer weights. But it is work a check.
3: If the problem is with the upper receiver. Swap the upper receivers and function check the rifle with your lower installed.
4: If the rifle functions properly with the working upper installed. Swap the bolt carrier group and test fire with the known working bolt carrier group in your upper receiver.
5: If the rifle functions properly with your upper receiver installed with the other bolt carrier group. The problem is in your bolt carrier group.
6: If not the issue is in your upper receiver and you should contact the manufacturer of your upper receiver.

If you find it was in your bolt carrier group. Look at the gas key for looseness and proper torque. As well as the bolt gas rings.
Bolt carriers are cheap right now. It's always a good idea to have a spare complete bolt carrier group on hand. Buy a known brand and quality one.

You could try swapping his bolt in your carrier as well to further narrow down the issue.

Just a note that swapping out parts is not always going to produce positive results. There's a thing called additive error.

 

[Tinkermatic]

Chiming in because I hadn’t seen it mentioned, what’s the ejection pattern?

 

[sschevy]

Except for the ones that are severely over-gassed

Better than severely under gassed!!

 

[Rick O'Shea]

This thread was answered in post 29. If you are unable to check this, then drop it off at Northeast firearms,.

 

[Amputee Marksman]

Setup a camera and film it. Play it back in slow mode and look at the ejection pattern and observe the action to see if you are short stroking.

 

[50wt]

This thread was answered in post 29. If you are unable to check this, then drop it off at Northeast firearms,.

Actually, before #29

 

[Rick O'Shea]

Yes, at post 3. It was TLDR. Let's keep this thread going into double digit pages.

 

[Joeldiaz]

Chiming in because I hadn’t seen it mentioned, what’s the ejection pattern?

Unfortunately I’m not really sure, I don’t have a 2nd person available to watch me shoot and the range I went to doesn’t allow recording

 

[Bodhisattva]

Unfortunately I’m not really sure, I don’t have a 2nd person available to watch me shoot and the range I went to doesn’t allow recording

Is it a prebuilt upper? What brand? Did you build it from scratch? What brand barrel, gas block? Does it eject the spent casing?

 

[Joeldiaz]

Is it a prebuilt upper? What brand? Did you build it from scratch? What brand barrel, gas block? Does it eject the spent casing?

I posted these details it in my original post. It’s a complete BKF 14.5 upper. It does eject the spent casing.

 

[Rick O'Shea]

Its a less than $300 complete upper,.. call em up and tell em it's under gassed already. Try it on a different lower to prove it,.. or keep on scratching your chin.

 

[Stape]

Didn't read both pages but it seems to be gas related. A build last year was giving me fits, same symptoms. Long story short, I used a YHM low profile gas block in my build, turns out I didn't read the fine print in that THIS particular gas block had a 50% reduced sized gas port specifically for a suppressor application. Looked like any other low profile YHM gas block though. Anyway, put on correct gas block and viola! Ran like a champ.

 

[DW357]

This thread was answered in post 29. If you are unable to check this, then drop it off at Northeast firearms Arms

FIFY

 

[DW357]

Unfortunately I’m not really sure, I don’t have a 2nd person available to watch me shoot and the range I went to doesn’t allow recording

What the...This is an indoor range I'm guessing?
If it's an outdoor range then just quickly look to your side after shooting to see where the brass lands.

And shooting an AR indoors is awful. I hate shooting indoors regardless of caliber, much prefer being outside in the nice weather.

 

[1903Collector]

Yes, at post 3. It was TLDR. Let's keep this thread going into double digit pages.

Well not to toot my own horn but I mentioned it in post #2

 

[silversquirrel]

One time this guy I know bought a badass 18" heavy bbl ss upper from radical arms. Rifle gas port not mid.
Somebody on NES posted a link when it went on sale for 149.95 so it was purchased on a whim.
First test shot did not cycle. Brass sat there in the chamber.
Manual extraction worked and stripped the next round which fired but did not cycle. Again.
Well. He went home and took it apart.
The port on the gas tube was pointing up! 180 degrees, So NO gas! Either drilled upside down or the bend in the tube was formed upside down. Oops.
A new gas tube and roll pin later and it's running fine.
Or so I heard.

 

[Da_lucche]

AR-15 won’t chamber next round

I recently built my first AR-15. It’s a BKF complete 14.5 upper with a Muzzle device pinned and welded on an Anderson lower I assembled myself from a lower parts kit. Has a standard carbine buffer and buffer spring. After firing it’ll eject the spent round but won’t load the next round in the magazine. It does indeed charge the gun because I can pull the trigger afterwards and it still clicks. In order to load the next round I have to eject the mag and reinsert it in order to manually charge the gun and allow the BCG to pick up the next cartridge. I was thinking I may need to switch out either the buffer or buffer spring from standard to some sort of combination of either heavier or lighter buffers or springs. Am I correct in this assessment? If not, what could be the issue? If so, what combo would I need to use? H1, H2, H3, Sprinco Blue, Yellow, Green, etc? Any help is greatly appreciated.

Is it short stroking or is the mag not able to hold the bolt back? If it's the former, check to see if your gas port is obstructed by the gas block being incorrectly positioned over it. If it's the latter, it's too much gas and the bolt is overriding the mag catch. Try using a heavier buffer. I use an h1 on my 14.5 with a sprinco spring.

 

[whatluck]

One time this guy I know bought a badass 18" heavy bbl ss upper from radical arms. Rifle gas port not mid.
Somebody on NES posted a link when it went on sale for 149.95 so it was purchased on a whim.
First test shot did not cycle. Brass sat there in the chamber.
Manual extraction worked and stripped the next round which fired but did not cycle. Again.
Well. He went home and took it apart.
The port on the gas tube was pointing up! 180 degrees, So NO gas! Either drilled upside down or the bend in the tube was formed upside down. Oops.
A new gas tube and roll pin later and it's running fine.
Or so I heard.

Making a mistake like that is OK, but it passing QC is an entirely different and bigger problem.

 

[Uzi2]

Unfortunately I’m not really sure, I don’t have a 2nd person available to watch me shoot and the range I went to doesn’t allow recording

You don't need a second person.
Hold the rifle level and down range on a shooting bench. Pull the trigger three times and watch where the brass flies.
This is not "rocket science".....just observe what angle the brass ejects.

 

[paul73]

Making a mistake like that is OK, but it passing QC is an entirely different and bigger problem.

whoever buys cheap 'deal' complete uppers and does not take them completely apart is doing it on his own risk.
i wrote up step by step what to do, but deleted it later, as those who want to fix it - will find instructions of how to fix it.
it is all rather simple and doable.

 

[Uzi2]

whoever buys cheap 'deal' complete uppers and does not take them completely apart is doing it on his own risk.
i wrote up step by step what to do, but deleted it later, as those who want to fix it - will find instructions of how to fix it.
it is all rather simple and doable.

Every upper I own is a cheap "deal" upper, whether a BLEM or otherwise and I've not taken any of them apart. I've tested all of them and they all shoot fine.
I sat next to a guy on a local range who was shooting his 12 brand name Gucci rifle that cost him ten times as much as the one I was using and matched him shot for shot.

As I've said before, there is no market in the entire gun world, more full of marketing hype than that of the AR15.

 

[paul73]

Every upper I own is a cheap "deal" upper, whether a BLEM or otherwise and I've not taken any of them apart. I've tested all of them and they all shoot fine.
I sat next to a guy on a local range who was shooting his 12 brand name Gucci rifle that cost him ten times as much as the one I was using and matched him shot for shot.

As I've said before, there is no market in the entire gun world, more full of marketing hype than that of the AR15.

i prefer not to talk to your kinds, and you are actually on my ignore as well. so you do you.

overall, then, it just makes sense with any gun to know how to do its full disassembly and re-assembly and to do that on the brand new gun, if not for safety - then for your own education.

on a dirt cheap ar15 uppers specifically, disassembly is usually helpful, as you make sure all bolts were actually torqued in and not hammered in, literally.
you'll also put a proper lube under a barrel nut to torque it to prescribed amount, i would also be getting the upper receiver lapped , as it also just a good thing to do. then torque it all back together - properly, with gas block sitting on properly.

when you have all the tools, whole thing would take 30-40 min top, it is a very simple procedure. and everything usually cycles properly after that, ejects like it should, and causes no questions on forums of why standard stuff exhibits non-standard behavior. an ar15 is an extremely simple design, not to know how to deal with it has little to no excuses.

 

[Uzi2]

i prefer not to talk to your kinds, and you are actually on my ignore as well. so you do you.

overall, then, it just makes sense with any gun to know how to do its full disassembly and re-assembly and to do that on the brand new gun, if not for safety - then for your own education.

on a dirt cheap ar15 uppers specifically, disassembly is usually helpful, as you make sure all bolts were actually torqued in and not hammered in, literally.
you'll also put a proper lube under a barrel nut to torque it to prescribed amount, i would also be getting the upper receiver lapped , as it also just a good thing to do. then torque it all back together - properly, with gas block sitting on properly.

when you have all the tools, whole thing would take 30-40 min top, it is a very simple procedure. and everything usually cycles properly after that, ejects like it should, and causes no questions on forums of why standard stuff exhibits non-standard behavior. an ar15 is an extremely simple design, not to know how to deal with it has little to no excuses.

Ya, and do you know how many AR owners "have all the tools"???? Hint: Very few, and along with not having all the tools, they don't have a fraction of the knowledge to "rebuild" the rifle. Hell, half of them can't even operate the thing or troubleshoot the most minor issue.

Oh, and I'm proud to be on your "ignore list", I'll wear it as a badge of honor.