Having issues with rounds jamming in the chamber..help me!!

[I Am Hero]

So I got a killer deal on a new Red X AR-15 so I picked it up. The gun is brand new and I threw a few upgrades on there:

- YHM low pro block
- 15" Rail
- MI brake

The problem is I got it all together and I took some black hills remanufactured ammo and when I went to cycle it (for function) the rounds would go in ok but they wouldn't come out unless I really pulled on it and a few even took a couple taps on the charging handle.

Did I screw up the head space or was it screwed up from the beginning? Could I have messed it up? Haven't tried live firing and I didn't ever load rounds before changing out the barrel nut and quad rail.

Any insight is great!

 

[oldfatguy]

Blacken a round or two with a sharpie to learn where they are binding. Head space is determined by the way the bolt & barrel extension interact. Possible, but not likely that changing out the barrel nut caused the problem as long as the barrel extension is properly seated in the receiver.

OFG

 

[Ballista One]

Red X who? Was it your goal to purchase an unknown quality from the most obscure parts house you could find and hope for the best? This is one of "those" situations that could have been easily avoided. But you did get a killer deal...

 

[shoot4fun]

I probably would have checked the head space BEFORE I did all that shit to it. That way your "killer deal" still had a warranty on it.

 

[I Am Hero]

Well I bought it from a coworker who picked it up when all the hype was going on and then realized he didn't want an AR for as much as the media made him believe.

Yea I understand Red X is a little nobody company, and compared to my spikes and LMT....well there is no comparison.

I'm not looking at the reason I got into this problem (by buying a cheap gun) I was looking at what my best solution is going from here on out.

After running into that issue with black hills I grabbed a box of PMC and cycle 20 of them without one hiccup. So perhaps that means my gun is cheap, or perhaps the chamber just isn't doing well with the way BH resized their brass before loading. Not sure.

Anyways, thanks for the insight..

 

[arnie19]

Sounds like things are tight .Fire the pmc and then try the BH and see if they will work ok . Be sure you have the BCG lubed .

 

[USACS]

You may also be dealing with a .223 vs 5.56 compatibility issue. Wouldn't be the first time a sub-optimal AR company has sold a 5.56 rifle that couldn't chamber 5.56 or edge-of-tolerance .223.

 

[Redmanss]

You may also be dealing with a .223 vs 5.56 compatibility issue. Wouldn't be the first time a sub-optimal AR company has sold a 5.56 rifle that couldn't chamber 5.56 or edge-of-tolerance .223.

Kind of what I was thinking as well, but it wasn't mentioned by the OP exactly what types of loads he was alternating between. I've never had a functioning issue with BH remans, but then again every one of my chambers are 5.56 or Wylde spec and are quality builds as well.

 

[I Am Hero]

Thank you for the input and heads up guys. I might throw my spare Lothar barrel on there, but I had originally intended on using that for a nicer build instead of frankensteining this one.

 

[Javelin]

Jamming can be the result of a few things. Magazines can be the culprit but other issues are also possible. Maybe check your feed ramps to see how they align. I've included the chart below for you to compare.

 

[Ledzep]

1. Clean the snot out of it
2. Remove the ejector/plunger from the bolt
3. Insert GO gauge and see if the bolt will close

Or take it to a gunsmith and have them do it.

If it headspaces correctly, do the sharpie trick and see where it's sticking. My bet is an undersized chamber, either cut too shallow or just dimensionally screwed up so that you're lightly crushing/sticking the brass when it chambers.

You can touch it up with a 5.56 reamer (look around, guys often pass them around and you just send it to the next guy in line, or rent it, or your GS may have one), and even cut a thread off of the barrel and hit the chamber 1/16" with a different reamer.

Or you can give it to a hobbyist and buy a new barrel from a bigger name.

 

[Javelin]

Sorry misread- yes definitely chamber issue - ledzep is correct.

 

[koden]

After running into that issue with black hills I grabbed a box of PMC and cycle 20 of them without one hiccup.

So it wont cycle using reloaded ammo but cycles fine using factory new ammo?

I'd suspect the ammo before the barrel. Does the reloaded ammo drop in and out of your spare LW barrel's chamber freely?

 

[hermosabeach]

OP
"Did I screw up the head space or was it screwed up from the beginning?"

From your post, I don't see what you did impacting the headspace.

Did you alter the barrel extension?

Have you contacted the manufacturer / assembler?
https://shop.redxarms.com/contactus.sc

 

[Hoppy]

I ran into something similar with a new Rock River. I took a chamber brush and scrubbed the crap out of it. Over 3000 rounds later I haven't had a problem.

 

[mjh30]

So it wont cycle using reloaded ammo but cycles fine using factory new ammo?

I'd suspect the ammo before the barrel. Does the reloaded ammo drop in and out of your spare LW barrel's chamber freely?

I agree, Black Hills blue box reloaded ammo is not trimmed to length and can be notoriously long. Get/borrow a set of gauges, I bet the chambers a little short.

 

[ribby24]

I agree, Black Hills blue box reloaded ammo is not trimmed to length and can be notoriously long. Get/borrow a set of gauges, I bet the chambers a little short.

I agree with this, too. If the brass wasn't snipped to the proper length before it was reused, it sometimes doesn't fit properly in a new/tight bore. If other ammo is shooting fine in it, this will too, most likely, once the bore is worn in. I had the same issue on a new AR not long ago that it wouldn't shoot some remans and it ended up being the brass they were getting from a new vendor wasn't trimmed to the right length. So, my first guess is that it's the brass. Your carbine is new/tight, so the margin of error is less for it than a worn in one.

 

[samnev]

So it wont cycle using reloaded ammo but cycles fine using factory new ammo?

I'd suspect the ammo before the barrel. Does the reloaded ammo drop in and out of your spare LW barrel's chamber freely?

I'll hav to agree with the ammo being the problem since the PMC works without a problem. I'd try another brand, not reloads, to see if they also work properly. If they do suspect the remanufactured ammo. if not the possibly a chamber issue.

 

[kilos]

So it wont cycle using reloaded ammo but cycles fine using factory new ammo?

I'd suspect the ammo before the barrel. Does the reloaded ammo drop in and out of your spare LW barrel's chamber freely?

Good One