Home Forums Hunting & Shooting AR and Tactical Rifles Building My First A/R - Tons Of Questions!

Yes, it was in the packaging.

Well not to say I told you so but my reason for discontent with DPMS is sort of the same, trigger/hammer pins out of spec (at least on one end) roll pins not right, etc. It only took me one time to waste my money on em, though I have seen other examples.

LOL! Yup. Oh well. It was the first LPK that I could get my paws on and I was too excited to pass it up. I've emailed DPMS so with any luck they'll make things right. In the mean time, I went to an online place and ordered the individual parts I still need. Also, Ive got an order in with RRA, but they have no idea when it'll ship. I don't mind eventually having a bunch of left over parts.

Just be careful, left over parts tend to grow into complete guns...

Damn if that is not the truth. I've got two complete lower's and four stripped lowers sitting here and am on a search for uppers and parts to complete them and one safe is full of a bunch of RRA carbines from the last couple weeks.

Be very careful Ivan, these bkack guns can become very addictive

Folks - I finally have all the parts and the carbine has been assembled, but I've got problems.

First thing is that the bolt catch won't catch. I've tried a few different types of magazines - all of which successfully catch the bolt on my Kel-Tec SU16. The A/R bolt catch will catch if I hold down tight, but the slightest movement or bump will send the BCG slamming home. At first I wondered if I effed up the bolt catch spring, or if the bolt catch was out of spec, or if perhaps the issue was in the buffer tube assembly. The bolt catch moves freely, mind you. I figured the carbine would still shoot, but just not keep the bolt open on the last shot.

Well, I took it to the range, but I discovered another issue - one that would not permit me to fire the weapon. I loaded a 10 round bushmaster mag, with 55 gr Winchester 5.56, inserted the mag, pulled back on the charging handle, then let go. It stripped a round from the mag but the BCG would not close completely. It looks to me that the cartridge won't seat properly and is sticking out too far - I'm guessing a little shy of .25 inches. I tried this with some foreign surplus ammo as well with the same effect. Both of these cartridges fired successfully out of my Kel-Tec. I know very little about head spacing and wondered if that was the issue.

Do you think these are two separate problems or related?

I'm pretty bummed with this situation, and wonder if I should find a gunsmith and let them fix what ails it. I don't really know any, but I keep hearing how backed up they are - like months.

What do you make of all this?

My first guess, without seeing the rifle, on the first problem is that your buffer is a tad or smidgen long and it touches the bolt catch too easily. After everything is going well, you may want to sand down the material in front of the buffer. Not much.

The second problem is more critical. My fist guess, again without seeing anything, is that your barrel is not chambered for 223/556 but maybe .204 Ruger. Is there any marking anywhere on the barrel? Look for some clues perhaps under the handguard.

What luck... it could be the bolt catch is out of spec or possibly a bad/wrong spring. At least you learned not all parts are the same.

On the upper, it's a RR? Which configuration? Did you buy a RR bolt and carrier as well? Does the bolt close on an empty chamber? Was the upper a factory RR complete?

I can't imagine a barrel being that far out of spec but given the backlog everywhere who knows. If a shell won't fit you're going to have to contact who sold it to you or RR direct. Some pics might help but it's hard to determine a problem without having it in hand.

FTR shooter, I'm having a hard time figuring how the buffer ever gets close to the bolt catch. Am I misunderstanding you? (it's been a long day)

It's been an even longer day for me. My mistake, I had a major senior moment. (It happens a lot at my age.) What was happening on mine was that with the addition of the CWS on the bolt carrier, the buffer at compression was a tad too long and it would bump the carrier forward which would release the bolt catch. In fact my rifle still does that if I hit it hard in the stock. Thanks for catching that. Age and mileage.

For the bolt catch issue, I'd suspect the buffer spring as the first place to begin. Pull it out and measure it as the spring in a collapsible stock should be 10 1/16" - 11 1/4". Even if it is within the length spec, sometimes a quality spring from a known good vendor will cure that problem. Some of the CAA springs will meet the length spec and still not function correctly.

For the chambering problem, I would suggest getting a good USGI 5.56 Field headspace gauge. Since the chamber is unknown, a set of gauges from Ned Christiansen such as: http://www.louderthanwords.us/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=7467 might be a worthwhile investment to initially figure out what you've got.

My upper is purported to be the 16" flattop RRA with midlength hand guards:

http://www.rockriverarms.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=category.display&category_id=266

I'm in Las Vegas this weekend, so will try taking the handguards off when I get home to see if there are any markings not previously seen, as well as measure the buffer spring. I actually already bought a replacement or spare bolt catch - I've only casually looked at it, but it appears to be pretty much the same part as the one I initially installed.

The only markings visible are the words Rock River Arms on the end of the flat top (near the charging handle). Oh, and a vaguely delta shaped symbol on the port side of the upper receiver.

Man will I be unhappy if it turns out to be .204

I'd leave the bolt catch alone as it is one of the more difficult parts to remove without screwing something else up. If it is a complete RRA upper there will be markings under the handguards. If you are having difficulty getting the bolt catch to work by pulling the charging handle back without putting excessive pressure on the bolt catch, then the bolt catch is most likely not the problem. You can remove the upper from the lower to see if it takes excessive pressure to move the bolt catch and pretty much rule out the catch itself if it seems to work correctly. If the buffer spring cannot compress enough or the buffer is incorrect, as in not a good quality carbine length buffer, then the BCG assembly will not be able to move back into the RE far enough for the bolt catch to slip over the front of the bolt.

Also make sure the gas key is not hitting and stopping against the gas tube within the upper. You can check this by removing the upper from the lower and making sure the BCG locks forward without having a round in the chamber. The exposed gas tube should slip into the key with no fiddling with the BCG.

Dag nabbit - I'm having the darndest time removing my hand guards. Don't remember it being so challenging back when I was in the reserves! I'm almost at the point where I'm gonna order a handguard tool...

Even if the caliber turns out to be 5.56/.223 I think I'm gonna try to find outside help from a smith or some such.

Hmm...I'm guessing full length AR Spring in a Carbine Tube?

I'm also thinking you should be able to visually SEE the difference between .20 cal and .22 cal barrel?

Just sayin...

Pull the bolt catch spring out and try that. Only way the gun won't work right generally is upside down. I know more than a few folks running the bolt stop without springs.
Could solve one issue assuming the buffer and springs are correct.