AR10 SASS stuck in battery - need some help.

[Masked]

So, title.

Basically, I last shot this rifle in the fall - so been @ 4 months.

Gave the rifle it's yearly cleaning and threw it in the back of the safe.

Today, I went to take it out and get some dry-fire practice in.

So, got in position, went to pull back on the charging handle...It clicked back but, wouldn't disengage the bcg out of battery.

Had to pull extremely hard to get it out of battery...Now, I can't actually get it out of battery.

Could it be a temperature issue? My safe gets pretty damned cold where it is so, that's what I had figured...Left it to warm up by a heater...That being said, if it's not a temperature issue, any other ideas?

It used to be smoother than hell, smoothest BCG I've ever felt but, now bleh.

Thanks folks.

 

[Zebra644]

How cold and can you seperate the upper / lower?

 

[LRShooter101]

If you put it away dry, it could have locked up with the cold, but it is not sounding good!

Per above, separate the Upper & Lower, and see what you have? Hopefully you are not going to find a bunch of corrosion locking everything up.

If you can't visually see anything out of the ordinary, you have 2 options:
- spray some penetrating oil in everywhere you can get it on the BCG and Barrel Extension, and let it sit.
- put some low heat on the receiver and BCG.
(obviously don't do both with high heat, or make sure you have a fire extinguisher handy!)
Then see what you can do with the charging handle.

If that fails, time to get out the tools and see if you can drive the BCG out.

 

[ORD]

So, title.

Basically, I last shot this rifle in the fall - so been @ 4 months.

Gave the rifle it's yearly cleaning and threw it in the back of the safe.

Today, I went to take it out and get some dry-fire practice in.

So, got in position, went to pull back on the charging handle...It clicked back but, wouldn't disengage the bcg out of battery.

Had to pull extremely hard to get it out of battery...Now, I can't actually get it out of battery.

Could it be a temperature issue? My safe gets pretty damned cold where it is so, that's what I had figured...Left it to warm up by a heater...That being said, if it's not a temperature issue, any other ideas?

It used to be smoother than hell, smoothest BCG I've ever felt but, now bleh.

Thanks folks.

Short of the rifle being frozen solid with improper lubrication, or otherwise the world's fastest set-in of sufficient corrosion to have locked things up that tightly, it is almost definitely a mechanical problem and not an environmental one.

If the rifle is unloaded (which it sounds like it is), pull the lower completely off the upper and see if you can get any movement out of the carrier that way. If it moves/comes out, inspect your lower for issues like some sort of failure/hang-up with the buffer/tube/retaining pin/etc., etc. If its still stuck, you can pry on the carrier and attempt to get it out that way or you can put everything back together and try mortaring it to see if it'll come loose that way (although that may cause more problems than it fixes depending on the underlying cause of the hang up).

 

[tipper]

did you leave out firing pin or retaining pin, The cam pin will rotate & lock it up.

 

[Masked]

So, last time I shot this rifle was with Military loads, 175gr sierra matchking...

On my last cleaning I missed an area.

Where the barrel extension meets the bolt head, there was a shit-ton of black "gunk"...and I guess it was so cold that it was sticking to the head, itself.

I sat the upper on a heater for @ 30 minutes, took it off, it cycled perfectly so, that's when I took a dive in.

It's literally this gross black sticky shit...I sprayed a lot of M7, like a lot...Broke out the Qtips and just went to town.

Now it cycles perfectly, no issues what-so-ever but, I'm very curious as to what the black shit was...

I'll see if I have any of the ammo left, I just might.

Thanks for the help fellas.

 

[ORD]

So, last time I shot this rifle was with Military loads, 175gr sierra matchking...

On my last cleaning I missed an area.

Where the barrel extension meets the bolt head, there was a shit-ton of black "gunk"...and I guess it was so cold that it was sticking to the head, itself.

I sat the upper on a heater for @ 30 minutes, took it off, it cycled perfectly so, that's when I took a dive in.

It's literally this gross black sticky shit...I sprayed a lot of M7, like a lot...Broke out the Qtips and just went to town.

Now it cycles perfectly, no issues what-so-ever but, I'm very curious as to what the black shit was...

I'll see if I have any of the ammo left, I just might.

Thanks for the help fellas.

Do you use a bore guide when cleaning? If not, its possible to get all sorts of nastiness into the lug recesses in the barrel extension which could include carbon and crud from the chamber and bore along with whatever cleaning products you used to clean the aforementioned bore/chamber. If left in there, it could possibly explain the "black gunk" build-up and hang-up of the bolt after extended storage in a cold environment.

 

[KYbulldog]

Were these military loads lacquer coated or did they have sealant around the case neck? I've heard these can build up in the chamber area and cause cycling problems.

 

[Masked]

Do you use a bore guide when cleaning? If not, its possible to get all sorts of nastiness into the lug recesses in the barrel extension which could include carbon and crud from the chamber and bore along with whatever cleaning products you used to clean the aforementioned bore/chamber. If left in there, it could possibly explain the "black gunk" build-up and hang-up of the bolt after extended storage in a cold environment.

I do, I use a gunslick...I'm not really sure how anything got in there...It wasn't corrosive "material" but, it was sticky and very tar-like.

I got it clean again but, there was definitely a build up. I think I shot @ 100/150 rounds that day...

Really curious as to what it was because it definitely wasn't corrosive ammo...I imagine it could be residue of some kind? Wish I had kept a Qtip of it at least.

 

[Masked]

Were these military loads lacquer coated or did they have sealant around the case neck? I've heard these can build up in the chamber area and cause cycling problems.

They had a sealant of some kind if I recall correctly...

 

[ORD]

Hmmm...not sure then.

Generally, the lacquer-coated or otherwise "sealed" surplus stuff causes issues in the chamber and not way back in the lug recesses like what you are describing, but its possible I suppose. That said, even with 100+ (or even 150) rounds fired of it in a single setting, there shouldn't have been anywhere near enough to create the amount of gunk you are talking about leaving behind to cause you all this grief. Were you by chance shooting suppressed? If so, that changes the dynamic somewhat because at that point, @#$% gets EVERYWHERE due to the increased blow-back, etc.!!

 

[Zebra644]

Good to hear it was a simple and cheap fix.

 

[BCP]

They use a nasty black tar sealant on the necks of mil ammo but I've never heard of it clogging up a BCG before. The sealant is tough if it's still somewhat in there try lacquer or paint thinner on a q tip to get rid of it.

 

[LRShooter101]

May be a dumb questions, but did you clean the barrel extension really good when you got it?

Very common for that area to be full of packing grease or rust preventative, which will all turn into crap when you shoot, and will continue to collect carbon and build up.


Also, are you putting Bolt Grease on the Locking Lugs? You should, but you don't want to put too much, or allow it to build up.


Best money that you can spend, Chamber Maids, Chamber Cleaning Kit:
C J Weapons

Rainier Arms™ | Browse | Cleaning Supplies | CJ Weapons: Chamber Maid Star Kit - .308

I use them pretty religiously in my cleaning.