I’ve had this issue on and off for a while and have seen and talked to others that have had it with no real concrete “fix”. Rounds randomly, but somewhat regularly (5+/100rds), will slam into the face of the chamber below the barrel and fail to feed properly. I’ve had some FTF then feed and fire properly with the next cycle, some jam the bullet back into the casing and others jam into the face and have to be physically removed. I’ve tried troubleshooting different types of ammo (JHP, FMJ, Brands, weights etc) and different brand/size mags with no pattern or predictability. I bought a small feed ramp from Taccom but am debating installing it as PSA said it will void the warranty. I can’t seem to get a grip on what is causing it, but it does sound like a common 9MM PCC issue. My question is has anyone here had this issue? Have you been able to correct it and how? It’s a little frustrating as I love shooting the gun, but don’t feel comfortable relying on it in a home defense situation. Any personal experience?
What is your buffer and spring set up? Could be you are getting overtravel on the bcg and it is moving too fast. A common fix is quarters or a spacer (unless you have the extended buffer).
To test, pull back on the charging handle and then use your finger through the ejection port to see how far back you can push the bcg. It should go just beyond the ejection port. If it keeps going really far back you have the chance of bolt bounce as well as ftf as it is moving too fast.
All standard mil spec stock setup from PSA. I’ll have to try your advice when I get back to it. Thx.
Pulling back the charging handle all the way back the bcg is 1.15-1.25" beyond (interior) the ejection port.
If you can take a pic of your finger in it that would help. Your bcg is probably not the extended one (would have a big head on it if it was) so I am guessing it is moving too much/too fast. A pic of it would be awesome also.
So a few different fixes:
1)Quarters (Google it for lots of info)
2)A 9mm bcg spacer/bumper (I know Spikes Tactical makes one, and several others do also)
3)A nylon spacer from Lowes (what I use, as it’s only .50, but I can’t remember the size. It’s the diameter of the inside of the buffer tube)
A stiffer spring also may be in order to slow the bcg down.
It was actually just about 1". I can’t really get my finger in the ejection port so I used a standard qtip and the other pic is larger cleaning swab but shows the actual measurement.
That actually looks OK. So you may want to try a heavier buffer or a stiffer spring. AR9’s can be super finicky because they are blowback instead of DI.
I am having this same issue in my PSA 8" ar-9; Were you able to fix the issue? If so, how?
I had 9 FTFs today out of less than 40 rounds and one casing cracked on me (can’t explain that one).
Thanks,
Brian
@dethjestr13 I have not been able to find a fix yet. I have tried several different springs, a spacer, all different types/weights/brands of ammo with nothing making a difference. My FTF % is probably closer to yours than I originally estimated. It’s very frustrating. When I sent it in for them to look at, all I got was the message below stating of course, they had no issues. I’ve fired the exact combo they did and had a FTF almost immediately(within 5 shots). I still haven’t put the feed ramp that I purchased in yet b/c of the warranty issue. But it may be the only option. The only other thing I can thing of is to grind the bottom of the barrel face into a ramp angle. Definitely can’t use for HD and it’s not even a fun range gun anymore b/c it doesn’t even come close to running through one mag. For what would otherwise be a great gun, it is extremely disappointing.
I hope you can find something that works. If you do, let me know.
–Brian
Have you tried polishing the feed ramp?
Thanks for the responses guys…
I haven’t tried anything yet. Was trying research first (reading and posting here) and reached out to some law enf. friends and shooting buddies.
Im still waiting to hear back from friends.
What confuses me is the fact i put 100-200 rds through it a few months ago and didn’t have 1 jam or FTF. Today was a shock.
Did you clean it good between shoots?
I did not. It had been cleaned and lubed after its last use. The only troubleshooting i tried was changing magazines. This didnt help.
My ar-9 is stock except for a bcm charging handle.
Try that since its pushing in the bullets. Also, check how far the bcg is traveling. It may be gaining too much speed. Can you post a pic of your buffer?
I have not tried polishing. Honestly, I don’t even think they get far enough up to that first lip. Is that what you mean? I don’t have a dremel or like tool so I haven’t tried that. I wonder if PSA considers even something like that as voiding the warranty. I do have this Taccom feed ramp, but haven’t put it in yet for that reason. I wanted to try everything I could think of with mixing & matching buffer springs/spacer/mags/ammo first.
Polish as in make it shiney and smooth, not to remove material.
Last question…how are you gripping the gun? If you contact the mag any way the pressure could tilt it which would result in a failure to feed.
Thanks, I appreciate the troubleshooting. Would polishing by hand be enough or do you think it requires a polishing tip/tool? I grip the handguard just beyond the magwell. The butt of my hand contacts the magwell but not the mag itself. But I will be hyperaware of that now. Thanks Again.
I use a dremel on LOWEST speed with a cloth tip. A little Flitz polish, nothing abrasive. That is me though.
Thanks for trying to help us.
Here’s a pic of my buffer. Its just the stock buffer. I pulled charged handle as far back and i cannot push the bcg further back.
My grip is left handed c-clamp on handguard so im not touching the mag at all. I dont think thats a factor.
I would highly suggest trying a heavier buffer. Something like this:
This buffer weighs 8oz, instead of the standard AR buffer that weighs 3 to 5oz. This will slow the cyclic rate down.
You’ll also notice that the larger end (spring end) is substantially longer than a standard AR buffer, to account for the difference between a 5.56 case and a 9mm case. If you get something like this, make sure that you remove any spacers that you may have installed.
I’ve tried my best to find this type of buffer from PSA, but have had no success so far. If anyone has a link to a similar PSA buffer, please, let us know!