edin508 said:Send it all to Bushmaster. They might just look into what happened for you to see if there was any failure on their part. If you could send them some ammo with the gun as well I am sure that would help them out. Some companies like to see their failed product from the field just to see if they can somehow improve on it.
I had a 500,000 c.p. cordless flashlight that ignited in my hand while I was using it. I sent it back to the company with a letter and my phone #. Sure enough to my surprise they called me to see how I was using it, weather, how long it took before it went up in smoke, etc.. I talked to the guy for about 20 min. and a week later I got a package in the mail with 2 new lights, charger and a spare housing in-case I broke one.
I emailed Bushmaster and will follow up on it but I do not consider this to be Bushmaster's responsibility. This is the fifth or sixth AR15 I've built and had around 200-300 rnds through it - and while the gun was mostly Bushmaster parts it wasn't a stock rifle.
Bushmaster has a very enlightening post on their FAQ. The following illustrates that this is NOT the first time a decent AR15 has been blown up by subpar ammunition being sold under the premises of being "quality".
Beware the dangers of CHEAP AMMO!
Abstract
"If you shoot enough cheap ammo, it'll happen to you. The rifle is just ticking along, then BAM! The bolt is stuck forward and the magazine blows down out of the rifle. Looking up into the mag. well, you see a crack in the bottom of the bolt carrier. You've just had a case head separation. If you are shooting reloads or surplus ammo, you're out of luck. If you have factory ammo, and the box the shells came in, you can write a letter or call the factory, and they will tell you what to do. We have seen case head failures from overloaded ammo, and from bad brass. There is almost no difference in the result, though. When the case head fails in an AR, the gases flow back into the action. They usually bend or break the extractor, flow along the extractor slot, and crack or break the bottom pad of the bolt carrier. The gases vent out mostly through the mag well, usually wrecking the magazine on the way out. Sometimes the bolt cracks, sometimes it doesn't. In extreme cases, it can crack or break the barrel extension. Many times the bolt catch will break off and the upper receiver will crack by the ejection port. Usually the lower will survive, but sometimes they crack somewhere at the top of the mag well, usually in the front. The front half of the case will remain stuck in the chamber. This is a sure sign of an ammunition failure. If the rifle had failed, the bolt lugs would all be sheared off, the stock would be blown off, the gun would probably be blown in half. We've never seen it happen, and we hope we never do."