DUMB AR-15 question
- Thread starter ArmedBear
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rero360
Member
charge the weapon, by pulling the bolt to the rear, or letting it foreward if its already locked to the rear will open the dust cover.
or, if the upper is off the lower and the bolt is removed you can reach in and just push it open.
pretty hard to hurt it.
or, if the upper is off the lower and the bolt is removed you can reach in and just push it open.
pretty hard to hurt it.
Ghost Tracker
Member
Pulling back the bolt charging handle automatically opens the dust cover. Or releasing a rearward locked bolt. Basically, if the rifle is ready to fire it will already be open.
walking arsenal
Member
Possibly, but when i charge mine i close the dust cover again to keep junk out. so thats not always a reliable indicator.
armedbear, standard procedure is to close the port to keep dust/sand/water/etc out. if you're in the field, keep it closed whether the rifle is charged or not. if you're somewhere it's important for people to see it's unloaded and safe, the obviously, it should stay open, particularly if you are using a chamber flag.
as soon as the bolt unlocks and the carrier starts movign to the rear, that port will fly open fast and the spent casing will eject. offhand, i can't think of any normal situation where you can break something by having it either opened or closed
as soon as the bolt unlocks and the carrier starts movign to the rear, that port will fly open fast and the spent casing will eject. offhand, i can't think of any normal situation where you can break something by having it either opened or closed
Ghost Tracker
Member
There's already a closed bolt filling the opening, if it's been released from rearward lock, just like any other autoloading rifle. Why are ya' worried junk is going to sneak past it? I don't re-close my dust cover after my rifle is charged. But if you decide to, it makes no difference. The first (unlocking) movement of the bolt will open it anyway before the just-fired, now-empty hull needs to get out. What do the rest of you AR shooters think?
there is no possible way a case could hit that door from the inside. when the carrier moves either back or forward, it will open the door, so the door will be forced open long before the case is out of the chamber.
there are holes in the bolt carrier that lead to the inside where the bolt and gas rings are. sand or other stuff could get in those holes. sand could also get between the carrier and the receiver.
it's not just to keep stuff out of the chamber.
there are holes in the bolt carrier that lead to the inside where the bolt and gas rings are. sand or other stuff could get in those holes. sand could also get between the carrier and the receiver.
it's not just to keep stuff out of the chamber.
I'd have to look closely at the ejector design and see it work. I'll get back to you.
The brass on my Mini-14 could go through a CLOSED dust cover.
Even my Weatherby bolt gun throws brass with serious authority when you open the action.
I'd say, it depends. But a reliable action tends to be designed to get that brass OUT OF THERE, no ifs, ands or buts, so it's not in the way when you chamber the next round.
The brass on my Mini-14 could go through a CLOSED dust cover.
Even my Weatherby bolt gun throws brass with serious authority when you open the action.
I'd say, it depends. But a reliable action tends to be designed to get that brass OUT OF THERE, no ifs, ands or buts, so it's not in the way when you chamber the next round.
mmike87
Member
I have fired my AR's with a closed dust cover without incident. It opens before the brass ejects.
erict
Member
I've done it many times as well. The door opens before the shell ejects and it won't hurt a thing.
jpwilly
Member
That's what it is there for. Think of crawling through mud, sand etc into battle with a loaded rifle. My rifle would have the dust cover closed to keep crap out of the bolt.
Dave Markowitz
Member
Look on the unside of the dust cover and notice the bump. It matches a depression on the bolt carrier. When the comes back after you fire the first shot it cams the dust cover open.
Ghost Tracker
Member
Okay, OKAY...y'all have made a believer out of me. I'll faithfully keep my dust cover closed!
DevilDog0402
Member
I always close it because that's what the Marine Corps taught me to do
To be more specific on how the ejection port (dust) cover operates, if you examine the dust cover when it is open, you'll notice that there is a small bump at the middle of the edge of the cover. Inside this bump houses the spring loaded retaining detent the keeps the cover closed when it is snapped into the upper receiver. Since the detent is spherical in shape and spring loaded it is easily pushed in and out of its housing as the cover is snapped closed and open.
Notice also that when the bolt is fully forward home or out of the gun that there is a recess ground into the side of the bolt carrier where the cover's detent housing would normally go into when the cover is closed. With the bolt fully home or lock in the rear position, the detent housing has room to allow the cover to be snapped close. The recess of the bolt carrier is rounded at the ends and the detent housing is also round.
With the cover closed nd the bolt home, when the bolt travels rearward either manually or under recoil during firing, the recess moves back and the detent housing gets pushed out by the bolt carrier recess's edge opening the cover automatically. With the bolt locked in the rear position and the cover closed, releasing the bolt will send the front edge of the bolt carrier into the detent housing's round surface pushing it out opening the cover. In either case, when the bolt (carrier) is moving, the cover will get pushed open if it is closed.
Notice also that when the bolt is fully forward home or out of the gun that there is a recess ground into the side of the bolt carrier where the cover's detent housing would normally go into when the cover is closed. With the bolt fully home or lock in the rear position, the detent housing has room to allow the cover to be snapped close. The recess of the bolt carrier is rounded at the ends and the detent housing is also round.
With the cover closed nd the bolt home, when the bolt travels rearward either manually or under recoil during firing, the recess moves back and the detent housing gets pushed out by the bolt carrier recess's edge opening the cover automatically. With the bolt locked in the rear position and the cover closed, releasing the bolt will send the front edge of the bolt carrier into the detent housing's round surface pushing it out opening the cover. In either case, when the bolt (carrier) is moving, the cover will get pushed open if it is closed.
blackhawk2000
member
You should get in the habit of always keeping the dust cover closed.
salty
Member
That was a dumb question - please get a freakin owners manual and read it. AR are not for dummies or those too lazy to educate themsleves - that is why we have bolt action rifles.
Pigspitter
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Man I feel really stupid when I go looking at guns at my local shop and can't figure out how to work something on the gun. The same thing happened to me and I still couldn't figure out how to close the bolt
kingpin008
Member
Way to be High Road, Salty. In case you weren't paying attention, ArmedBear WAS trying to educate himself, by asking the fellow AR users on the board. It's not your place to say whether or not the question was "dumb" or not, because you're not the one asking! At least have something useful to say, if you're going to comment on a thread where someone is asking for help, before you put down their attempts to educate themselves.
Oh - and am I understanding your comment correctly, that you're calling bolt-action rifle users "dummies"? It sure seems that way, when you say things like "that is why we have bolt action rifles". If that is indeed what you meant to say, I'd venture a guess that there are a fair number of bolt-action shooters here on THR who'd be happy to prove you wrong.
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