question to other AR owners

[mptrimshop]

i gave my bushmaster a complete cleaning the other day(took every thing apart except for removing the barrel) and cleaned and oiled it. I noticed that once i got it all back together, when i locked the bolt back. That if i slammed my hand on the butt of the stock... the bolt slammed forward....or is i tapped it on the ground...is that right? I was also wondering how much oil you leave on your barrels...mine seems to rust so easy ....what do you guys do to prevent that.

 

[JCisHe]

Get some oil that drives out moisture. There are other brands but I use hoppe's benchrest oil with weatherguard* TM (haha)

Anyway, anything blued you have to oil after touching because of the oil in your skin. It actually causes oxidation. I practice dry firing a lot and from just a few days of dry firing my 1911 I had some rust forming on the back of the grip frame. Now, I wipe everything down before I put it away, after I touch it, with some of the oil I just mentioned. No issues anymore.

My AR unlocks the bolt when I slam it on the ground but not from hitting the butt-stock. Sounds like there might be some issue there.

 

[highorder]

edited.

stands:

Without a magazine, an AR with the bolt locked open should close and go into battery when the stock is jolted onto a hard surface.

 

[JCisHe]

Yeah, it does when I slam it. I just got it out to check, and changed my post but it doesn't close just from hitting the butt-stock with my hand. I've got to hit it on the ground with a decent amount of force.

 

[ny32182]

With no magazine in and the bolt locked open, the only thing holding the bolt catch up is pressure from the bolt. So, if you slam the stock hard enough to push the bolt off the catch even for a very brief period of time, I would expect the catch to drop and the bolt to come forward. With an empty mag inserted I would expect it to stay open.

A properly finished barrel should not be prone to rust; are you sure that is what is happening?

 

[gyvel]

Anyway, anything blued you have to oil after touching because of the oil in your skin. It actually causes oxidation. I practice dry firing a lot and from just a few days of dry firing my 1911 I had some rust forming on the back of the grip frame.

A more likely explanation would be that you have acidic sweat. Each human has a different systemic pH, with some ending to be very acidic. Some of it is genetic and some of it is dietetic. If you have acid sweat, you have the added advantage of not being very appealing to mosquitoes.

My ex brother in law's sweat was so acidic that any firearm he touched would rust in a matter of hours. Ruined a near mint Webley & Scott revolver that way.

On the other hand, my sweat tends to be slightly basic (alkaline) and guns that I touch can go for months without being oiled.

 

[gyvel]

deleted

 

[ny32182]

The bolt catch spring presses the catch down into its disengaged position... a stronger spring would make the behavior he describes more likely to happen, not less likely.

There is nothing wrong with the rifle or the behavior described... don't mess with it.

The barrel is parked, btw, rather than blued.

 

[Rshooter]

I am in the nothing wrong with it camp. I have had several M-16's that did this.

 

[BsChoy]

That is completely normal...I am an armorer for that rifle system. Don't sweat it

 

[mptrimshop]

well good to know i put it back togeather right..i have had it apart a few times ...never had any problems. Just so happens that i notice this reight after i tear it down and reassemble it. This eases my conserns ......the barrel is defiantly not blued AND I'M NOT SWEETING THAT MUCH...MABEY I'M JUST NOT PUTTING ENUFF OIL ON IT BETWEEN USES IT..... I DON'T EVAN FIRE IT THAT OFTEN. sorry for yelling...must have hit the caps lock when typein ...hope it didn't hurt your ears

 

[RoostRider]

Hey, no one said you put it back together right... lol.... only that the catch normally releases with no magazine and a good jar to the butt of the gun... I don't trust a gun after disassembly until it has been shot again...

The barrel is not blued.
It doesn't matter how much you are sweating at the time.... I clean my hands before and after cleaning guns to keep salts etc. to a minimum
A rag with a little oil on it, rubbed over the parts you touch should help to keep things nice

 

[BushyGuy]

thats cuz when you hit the rifle it bumps the catch and the BCG goes into battery simple way to prevent this is if it does go into battery keep the safety on the hammer wont fall.

 

[Quentin]

I also think it's normal for the bolt catch to disengage if you rap the stock on the ground since inertia easily can move the bolt carrier back slightly thus disengaging the catch.

The bigger issue here is Why slam the stock on the ground in the first place! I've seen pictures of lower receivers that broke at the receiver extension because someone was trying to clear a stuck cartridge by slamming the AR down or whatever. Definitely don't do it with a Vulcan or Bushmaster Carbon 15.

 

[mljdeckard]

When there is no magazine in the rifle, the only thing keeping the bolt catch locked is the bolt pushing on it. If you bounce it butt-first off the ground, the bolt slides back a touch and the bolt catch drops by itself, exactly as if you pressed it on the outside. A better question might be why was it not doing this BEFORE you stripped it? When I built my lower, the bolt catch I got fit tightly into the slot in the lower. I stoned it until it slid freely. I'm guessing yours is/was tight, or dirty and wasn't moving freely before.

 

[mptrimshop]

it might have been doing that before i stripped it....i never noticed....just something i stumbled upon after reassembling it

 

[Schleprok62]

I think the simple answer is simply Newtons first law of motion... "An object in motion tends to stay in motion... etc.."

i.e. The bolt is still in motion at moment of buttstock impact, the the bolt continues to move in that direction. The recoil spring absorbs most of it's momentum, but it had enough momentum to take enough pressure from the bolt hold for the bolt hold to resign back to it's normal state...

In other words... if it ain't broke, don't fix it...

 

[mptrimshop]

sound good to me.... i think i'm just going to go heaver on the oil after shooting to keep the rust away...never get real bad i just hate that i spent all the money on this gun and i find when wiped with a whit rag it leaves some brown on it........arggg