Brand new AR-V out of the box, quick lube, then off to the range to sight in. Problems getting first round into battery, ball ammo hangs on feed ramp. After coaxing the first round in, would not cycle a single round, FTF every time as described numerous times above. I’m beyond “unhappy” that a product that’s been on the market for over four years STILL fails its most fundamental duty - firing two consecutive rounds.
I got this trainwreck a few months ago at a gun show so I’m unfortunately stuck with it. Is there any definitive fix for this thing so I can take to a local gunsmith and just make it work properly without waiting for the RMA turnaround?
Further clarification: Tried several PSA magazines, ball ammo from PMC / Winchester / AAC in 117 and 124 grain flavors. No love. Absolutely will not cycle.
Fully understand your frustration, but one thing you should consider if you go to a local gunsmith is that if he doesn’t fix the issue and messes up the weapon, PSA will no longer honor the warranty. Or maybe he fixes it, but something else comes up in the future, well, same thing.
I know going the RMA route sucks, but the warranty is lifetime and PSA will honor it even as a gun show purchase. If the weapon is truly FUBAR, they’ll replace it. Patience will be your best friend here.
@WetBlanket You might take a look at this. As I posted above, I initially had feeding issues dry cycling. Before I fired it I found this thread and ‘softened’ the sharp edges on the bolt. I also lightly filed the underside of the metal on the magazines where the ammo slides during chambering. Thats all I did along will a good lube and I had zero FTF or FTE. I’m still waiting to the new buffer to arrive to test also. I picked up some full brass snap caps and they also cycle manually with zero issues.
Just a quick update on my ARV feed issues in case the info is useful for someone else. I opted to have a local gunsmith take a look at it instead of going through the RMA / warranty repair process that could have taken quite a while. $20 and 30 minutes later it was running like a champ. He told me the surface of the feed ramp was really really rough and had some heavy surface deformities. Polished the feed ramp and it now cycles absolutely everything i’ve fed it (117, 124, 147 sub, ball and duty ammo, suppressed and non).
This is the first time the weapon has cycled even a single round successfully after several months of ownership. I’m finally happy with my purchase =)
glad you got it straightened out, but sucks you had to take it to a smith… while we all knwo. your reasons, psa woulda fixed it for free, under warranty… but i doubt theyd of polished the ramp up as well as your independent did… who knwos though… maybe they would have siince that was the issue…
@GuitarGuy I installed and tested today with the KAK 8oz extended buffer. It ran perfect and calmed down the bolt bounce. Sights are zeroed at 25 yards and all is good. Thanks for all your help.
What’s the diff between the original bolt and the hybrid?
I’ve got the 7" AR V built from PSA and have had nothing but problems. All of the same issues mentioned in this thread. I’ve reached out to PSA and waiting to hear back. Do they not get involved in these threads and offer help?
The ARV is a proprietary bolt that only works with the ARV upper/lower set. Their are differences due to using cz mags, how the bho function works, etc.
Most of the issues here are resolved with a buffer change.
Just thought I’d add this. Apologies if something similar has already been said.
I took my AR-V to the range recently and had the failure to feed issues. Checked the things mentioned in the feed, and my bcg was over an inch from the bolt catch. Figured a spacer would be a good idea, and then it hit me. I have the Armaspec captured buffer system for 9mm PCCs. I had to remove the weight from the AR-V’s bcg to make it compatible. This resulted in a lighter weight and logically faster bcg travel. This would explain why I’m getting the FTF issues.
Sadly a fix is a bit more complicated. I can’t simply put spacers behind the buffer system as it compresses the system pushing out the center guide rod which would then block the upper from installing onto the lower. I’m going to need to source something to put in as a spacer, in the middle of the buffer system itself, to reduce the overall length that the buffer system can be compressed down by. Probably just gonna go with washers and Dremel them to a compatible spec. Should fix the issue.