I had an issue with the first 60ish rounds. A round failed to feed occasionally. It would elect the spent round, but wouldn’t strip a new round from the magazine. It seems to have cleared up on its own. I’m not sure if the buffer spring needed to break in, the lower pressure .223 and the mid-length gas system didn’t work well, it was a dud mag, some combo of them, or what it might be. The gas tube rattled a little at first, too, but that also went away. Since then it’s run 100%. I have only shot the Wolf steel .223 through it. Has anyone else had a similar experience?
I’m on my 3rd AR, so not an “expert”* by any means but if my gas tube rattled, I’d be in there finding out why! It’s pinned in the front and should be a pretty solid installation, with no leaks or rattles. I suppose that if it’s not leaking gas at the front gas block all is well, since they all “leak” into the BCG but my first thought is that it is leaking enough carbon and gunk at the gas block to seal itself in enough to stop the rattle. This is just a first impression on my part and someone with a lot more AR experience might have more info on the subject.
Cheers,
crkckr
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Wolf is at the lower end of scale power wise. It just took a few rounds to open up your gas port a little. If you look through a borescope you’ll see that gas ports change quickly once you start using the rifle.
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That’s what I was thinking too. It wasn’t the front gas port, which was solid. It was a complete upper, not a home build, too. I wasn’t sure if this was a regular thing not. The rifles I was issued in the military rattled constantly, so I didn’t even think about it until I noticed it stopped rattling.
I’ve got no borescope, but figured it might be something like you said. It’s very soft shooting and I thought the looseness causing the rattle must have sealed up somehow, which stopped the rattle and the issue. I just didn’t have ammo to test it. I wasn’t sure if a full fixed stock and buffer were affected by the lower pressure of the Wolf 223.
The gas tube is loose/rattles so there is no hangup when the gas key of the BCG goes over it. The only thing that secures the gas key is the roll pin in the gas block, the upper only guides the gas tube. Gas blocks will initially leak because metal on metal does not create a perfect seal. The carbon buildup will eventually seal any gaps. Wolf is the worst ammo to use to break in a new AR.
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I have 6 A2 style stocks in 3 different calibers, they’ve all shot plenty of steel from time to time. Good luck, there’s nothing wrong with cheap ammo, you have to shoot a LOT of ammo to acquire the accuracy you desire. When you have a little cash try to spring for 500 or 1000 mil surp 556 and save the brass, after 1000 rounds you’ll know if you want to become a reloader.
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I’d like to pick up some extra brass stuff, but even the milsurp ammo is too expensive to justify the expenditure.
Just keep an eye out at ammo seek dot com, 556 is under $.70 and steel case is under $.50, it’s coming down but nothing in stores yet.
Welcome aboard !
Remember steel cased ammo is typically lower powered, and the steel case doesn’t contract as readily as brass cased ammo… which can lead to “sluggish” extraction during break in.
Glad to hear your PSA is breaking in good.
And your gas tube ( as mentioned above) needs to have easy entrance into the gas key… for that matter, any binding can cause grouping issues. Since the gas tube would be hammering ( from the bad binding ) into the gas block and then impacting the barrel.
So a little rattling is a good thing.
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That is good to know, thanks! This is my favorite build so far, so I was a little worried at first. It seems like this is normal stuff and the lack of issues since, even with steel cased, is a good sign.
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In my experience with new builds trying to break them in with low power steel or aluminum case ammo leads to frustration. After the second time I learned my lesson, quality brass case ammo is the only way to start them right. After break in some will run on the cheap some don’t. Just my .02
I’m currently in the same boat. I bought a PSA complete rifle with a 16in mid-length and it fails to feed after every fired round of Wolf .223. I tried 3 different brands of mags, same results for each one. I finally had to give up after the 8th round or so failed to eject and it’s stuck in the chamber. I’m getting ready to contact PSA customer support to send it in to see what they can do to fix it.
Wow, I didn’t experience anything that severe. My rounds would eject, but it wouldn’t feed the new round at first, and my issues cleared up entirely by the hundredth round. I’d contact PSA if it’s happening after every shot.