Hey all I need some help with my AR10. I’ve done a lot to get the rifle to shoot well and sadly I have failed.
I have had a lot of issues with cratered primers, ejector marks and a lot of signs of high pressure. I have replaced the spring with the orange heavy spring mentioned here and still have pressure signs but now the rifle fails to feed because the spring is too heavy.
Here is the email that I wrote to PSA customer service but they never got back to me:
"Hello,
I own a PA10 Gen2 .308. It is destroying my brass and I am concerned with cratered and flattened primers.
I have adjusted the gas block to be properly timed and the brass ejects to the correct direction for a properly timed/gassed AR.
However the brass is really getting torn up from ejector marks and it also has very severe craters on the primers. The primers are also flattened. Shooting the same rounds out of a bolt gun I am not seeing any primer craters or flattened primers or ejector marks.
What is the best way to resolve this issue?
If I order a high pressure BCG can it be DPMS BCG?
What spec BCG would I need to order?
Is there any way to warranty my existing BCG? Or is there any way that Palmetto State Armory can help me with this situation? BCG are out of stock and it seems to be very difficult to source one. Is there any way PSA can help?
Thank you for your time,
Dave"
If you guys can help me with any solutions I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks! Numerous issues with my PSA Gen 2 AR10
The best way for any of us to help is for you to post pictures and also give us a rundown of your rifle. What barrel length, what stock (carbine adjustable or rifle) pic of the buffer, bcg, the brass, etc.
Thanks GuitarGuy. I travel for work and I am away from home. Tomorrow night I will post photos of my rifle and all of the components you mentioned.
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Hi so I took photos of everything:
PSA Gen 2 rifle complete
Added hydraulic buffer from no kick
Installed then removed heavy recoil orange spring
Diamond tech trigger
All other parts stock
Sorry for the the delay. Was tired from work. Thanks for your help.
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So was it doing it with the stock configuration or with your new buffer and spring? Do you have a pic of the ammo also?
Edit, your bcg looks bone dry also. Did you lube it properly?
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Reduce your load until your brass and primers look fine. There are different recommended pressures for bolt and gas guns. I shoot and load 6mm ARC as well as 308. For my ARC’s there are different load charts for bolt and gas. When it comes to overloading 308, been there done that and I don’t want the T-shirt. Haha
Usually I just run CLP and add a tiny amount of oil. I had tried a friends BCG and was in the process of cleaning and replacing the old BGC when I took this photo.
I have had issues with the old spring and weight when the gun was stock. The new spring and loads caused a failure to feed because the BCG didn’t go all the way back. Opening the gas block didn’t help.
I’m at a mountain bike race this weekend but I will take photos of the brass later.
Usually flattened primer and a crater from the pin. Same with my hand loads and with M118 175 grain commercial rounds.
Are you guys saying to reduce the charge or bullet weight? Can you share a recommended load??
No, I was just saying that if your brass and primers are getting beat up that that’s a sign of overpressure and bolt guns and gas guns are slightly different in the way that they handle pressure. I’ve never shot the M118’s but I would assume that they’re not too hot for a gas gun, so if your brass and primers look about the same on both, you’re probably not too hot. I have 3 gen 2 PA10’s and 5 buffer/stock assemblies in mid and rifle length configurations. I’ve thought that I had buffer problems a few times but it ended up being my handloaded ammo. That’s just my experience. All of my uppers have been run with all of my buffer assemblies at different times and they all work just fine.
Here’s a photo of the brass. You can see the cratered/flattened primers and ejector marks.
Thanks for the pics…it may be that I am looking on my phone, but nothing in that pic would be of concern to me. It certainly is not what I imagined when you said in your first post that it was destroying the brass.
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GuitarGuy is right… I wouldn’t be terribly concerned about the ejector marks, or the cratering. A Large Frame is far harder on brass then a Bolt Gun.
I do suggest that using a “correct ejection pattern” as a guideline for adjusting your GB , when using a Hydraulic Buffer, “might” be allowing the Bolt to unlock sooner than you want. ( maybe ?, but I have felt the need for a Hyd. Buffer )
Typically, I adjust the GB until the BCG locks back ( reliably ) on a single mag fed and fired round. And then open it slightly more for 100% reliability when dirty, adverse conditions, low gummy temps, or weak ammo.
And as others have said… a gas gun is going to react differently, in context to the brass, then a bolt gun.
Your bolt gun will fully contain everything , until you unlock the bolt.
A gas gun is trying to yank the case out while still under pressure… and is twisting the bolt on the casehead.
You might check to see if your ejector is smooth at the contact point with the casehead , with no sharp edges. A little polishing can go a long way.
I am also not a fan of the Orange recoil spring, for me it was slamming the BCG closed far harder then I preferred… which meant it was “needing” more effort to cycle then my firearms needed. ( YMMV )
I currently use Tubbs 308 Flatwire recoil springs in all my Large Frame AR’s, regardless of barrel length, gas system length ( all have Adj. GB’s ), gas port size, and recoil assm. patterns. ( LaRue sells them cheap )
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looking at your photo, those cases are in fact showing high pressure signs, lighten your loads till you get normal pressure signs. i load for the m1 garand and you must load those 30-06 rounds differently from a bolt gun. powders like 4895, 4064 and RL-15 will give you the pressures you need for good reliable semi auto loads. loads with a 150 gr bullet and an 18 inch barrel should be around 2500-2600 fps in your AR 10. chronograph the military M80 ball ammo and you will see the velocity you should load for. remember the loads for semi-auto rifles is different than for a bolt gun. hope this helps…JimP.
And there you have it! A bunch of dudes looking at some bad pieces of brass on line…
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