View Full Version : What has broken on your AR during use?
PA PATRIOT
11-30-13, 15:25
What parts have broken on your AR during use? (Any critical part which would affect function at the time of failure.)
Please explain what the part was and the approximate round count when it failed.
Also if you have any opinions on why the affected part failed and what was the AR's current use at the time of failure.
Looking for first hand accounts and not something your heard from a friend or read on the internet.
Thanks!
Steel head
11-30-13, 15:35
My wallet!
Other than that all is good.
Apricotshot
11-30-13, 15:54
I had a gas key get loose once during the last day of a 3 day class. Other than that, nothing.
Round count at time of breaking would be good to know. I don't have that many rounds through my 6920 and nothing broken to report.
Bolt lug sheared off at range. The round count on the bolt was very high. Carbine continued to function and I did not find the damage until the field strip after the range. I felt like it was a rite of passage or something.
jonconsiglio
11-30-13, 16:09
I've broken a BAD lever during the short time I tried using them a few years back. I broke a MaTech rear sight at the mount, a Troy front sight at the pivot, two of the integrated URX II sights and a URX II barrel nut (KAC SR15 with about 15,000 rounds at the time. I'm not sure if that could have contributed to it in any way or not) that pretty much cracked resulting in a loose barrel that wasn't noticed at first, causing significant point of impact shift.
I've bent a carbine receiver extension slightly, but it caused failures to eject.... which is how I realized it was bent.
I've broken a couple bolts over the years, all were just one sheered lug, if I remember correctly.
Most of the broken parts were caused by falls or impacts. Falls were anything from tripping over something and hitting the ground to falling down a flight of cement steps or running into a car.
The rifles were Colt and KAC mostly with respectable round counts, but that really weren't the issues. The sheered lugs were from a Bushmaster about 8 years ago, give or take. One was within 1,000 rounds and when I contacted bushmaster, they told me I must have exceeded the recommended firing schedule.... Before I even told them how many rounds and over how long. Never bought another one after that. The replacement I BOUGHT from them sheered a lug after another few thousand rounds, give or take.
Hammer pin broke at 800 rounds or so on one. Nothing since on that one (about 6000rds) and nothing on the other 4 with round counts varying from 400 on the SPR, 115 on the 450 BM, 2500 on a Recce and 300 on a new gun.
All round counts except the SPR and 450 BM are proximate +/- a few as the numbers are off the top of my head.
I keep holding my breath.
What parts have broken on your AR during use?
Please explain what the part was, why it may have broken and what was the AR's current use at the time of failure.
Looking for first hand accounts and not something your heard from a friend and read on the internet.
Thanks!
Are you looking for items like gas rings, action springs, etc that are normal wear items?
7,200 rounds since 2008, its rare that i clean it, and the only thing i have broken is the Magpul ASAP. The ring my sling attaches to broke/split. Fixed it with a paracord loop my sling now attaches to, and its still going strong.
Other than that small issue about 8? Months ago, i trust my life to this rifle.
Gas tube on my 11.5 SBR. The gun stopped feeding reliably at about 5000 rounds. Replaced the tube with one from BCM and it's running fine.
Didn't know gas tubes would break! What happens? Do they just rupture, hole burns through, erosion? Is this common? Thanks
I had a gas ring break after about 2,000 rounds through my factory Noveske, but nothing else.
Didn't know gas tubes would break! What happens? Do they just rupture, hole burns through, erosion? Is this common? Thanks
I think it just wore down the end of it. I couldn't see that it actually burned through.
Eurodriver
11-30-13, 18:11
I doubt anyone will ever encounter this, but for the record...Drill Instructor Sgt. Robinson throwing an M16A2 down the squad bay can result in a broken A2 stock.
Heavy Metal
11-30-13, 18:14
I think it just wore down the end of it. I couldn't see that it actually burned through.
That's why it is critical to sweat the alignment of the tube when building the upper. Most wear of this nature is the result of less than perfect tube alignment during the build.
Heavy Metal
11-30-13, 18:15
I doubt anyone will ever encounter this, but for the record...Drill Instructor Sgt. Robinson throwing an M16A2 down the squad bay can result in a broken A2 stock.
Did he get an Article 15 for destruction of Government Property?
Poor gas tube alignment will prematurely wear the tube and the key.
I've seen about everything break on a AR.
Charging handle. Sheared the pin for the latch. Would rock back and tap me in the nose . Promptly replaced with BCM gunfighter.
Worn gas rings.
About it.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk (http://tapatalk.com/m?id=1)
I would say outside of wear items, that actually have lifespans that many ignore, most other failures are user induced. There's a lot of wear items in a AR.
SpankMonkey
11-30-13, 18:36
AR: Charging handle, hammer pins, gas rings, bolt stop.
AK: Hammer spring.
Optics: early Aimpoints, early EOTechs, 1 compact Acog.
That's why it is critical to sweat the alignment of the tube when building the upper. Most wear of this nature is the result of less than perfect tube alignment during the build.
Yes, I'm aware. The alignment was perfect. When I assembled it 5 years ago, the BCG slid in and out easily by hand. Most recently, after making sure the gas key was tight and open and rings were OK, checking the gas tube alignment again was the next thing I did and it was fine, no drag. Finally, I pulled the VLTOR low-pro and calibrated and cleaned the gas port, soaked the GB in mineral spirits for three days followed by Carbon Cutter and ultrasonic cleaning for several cycles, then reassembled the upper with the most expensive gas tube money can buy. It works fine now, just as it did for it's first 5000 rounds. So, I'm gonna say gas tube because the little knob that's usually seen on the end of the gas tube was worn down (symmetrically) and there was carbon blowblack on the tube going all the way to the receiver. No other discernable abnormalities.
Eurodriver
11-30-13, 18:48
Did he get an Article 15 for destruction of Government Property?
LOL! Yeah, right after he got his Article 128 for assaulting recruits!
In one of my classes we had someone disassemble their magazine release and the catch actually fell apart. I have seen roll pins on charging handles break after much repetitive use and I saw one bolt catch break (probably due to poor materials).
ETA: Dozens of Bushmaster trigger guards which were standard on their carbines for a long time.
DirtDiver06
11-30-13, 23:56
extractor spring after about 600rnds... **** chrome silicon
KAC RISR on issued M16 A4 during SDM school, top portion cracked where it goes under the slip ring, but then again it could have been broken before I got it, didn't really inspect it to much, I knew we weren't going to be using the hand guards for anything
snakedoctor
12-01-13, 09:20
I had a Matech BUIS break on me while deployed. Also, I've had a Colt firing pin break on me before.
4 rifles 23,000 logged rounds, 2 Colts (13,000), one Armalite (6,000) and one Mega build (4,000.)
The Armalite ate gas rings as the inside of the bolt carrier had to be rough.
A Pri "gas buster" charging handle broke the latch pin and they replaced it no questions asked with the upgraded version.
One Colt barrel model 6724 SS shot out at 7,500 rounds... accuracy would still have worked for some people.
I had an exractor "claw" sheer off early on in my use of my Daniel Defense M4 V1, they replaced it immediately and no more issues since.
Broken bolt lug at around 3,500rds.
I had an extractor break on a Bushmaster after 10,000 rounds of steel cased ammo.
Fuzzy-Reticle
12-01-13, 09:53
Broke many bolt releases on a 9mm RRA.
Early M&P15-T: gas block worked loose, causing short stroking. Unknown round count; a thousand or so on my end, bought it used, though. S&W made it right; its since been SBR'd with BCM and Colt parts.
6920: Carrier end of the gas tube worn down. About ten thousand rounds in. I first caught this by noticing the ejection pattern changing, with some casings dribbling out of the ejection port. Swapped tubes, no more problems.
I doubt anyone will ever encounter this, but for the record...Drill Instructor Sgt. Robinson throwing an M16A2 down the squad bay can result in a broken A2 stock.
Or A2 handguards. They fly off and go everywhere when a worn out A2 is launched.
Broken charging handle. Wasn't the roll pin though. It was a BCM Gen 1 Mod 4. They replaced it very quickly.
Broken ejection port cover spring.
Broke the toe of a stock while mortaring once
Cracked feed lips on some tan polymer mags. Happened twice.
-Jax
Gas rings got chewed up at about 7000 rounds on a 12.5 rifle.
My bolt cracked in half in my first AR. 2k rounds on a Stag. :/
Get a V7 Weapon Systems bolt, they are cryogenically treated and give a 100% life time warranty with unlimited round count. Got one and it has been good for 9K so far.
Told another guy already but I got a V7 weapon systems bolt that has been cryogenically treated and it has eaten (k so far. They give a 100% lifetime warranty regardless of round count, just a FYI.
Told another guy already but I got a V7 weapon systems bolt that has been cryogenically treated and it has eaten (k so far. They give a 100% lifetime warranty regardless of round count, just a FYI.
Woops. Cave man alert.
I've broken a BAD lever during the short time I tried using them a few years back. I broke a MaTech rear sight at the mount, a Troy front sight at the pivot, two of the integrated URX II sights and a URX II barrel nut (KAC SR15 with about 15,000 rounds at the time. I'm not sure if that could have contributed to it in any way or not) that pretty much cracked resulting in a loose barrel that wasn't noticed at first, causing significant point of impact shift.
I've bent a carbine receiver extension slightly, but it caused failures to eject.... which is how I realized it was bent.
I've broken a couple bolts over the years, all were just one sheered lug, if I remember correctly.
Most of the broken parts were caused by falls or impacts. Falls were anything from tripping over something and hitting the ground to falling down a flight of cement steps or running into a car.
The rifles were Colt and KAC mostly with respectable round counts, but that really weren't the issues. The sheered lugs were from a Bushmaster about 8 years ago, give or take. One was within 1,000 rounds and when I contacted bushmaster, they told me I must have exceeded the recommended firing schedule.... Before I even told them how many rounds and over how long. Never bought another one after that. The replacement I BOUGHT from them sheered a lug after another few thousand rounds, give or take.
I am on a V7 Weapons Systems kick right now and I got one of there bolts and have 9K on it. They Cryogenically treat them to make them tougher and give a 100% lifetime warranty regardless of roung count. I saw they had a steel buffer tube that would never bend but it is twice the weight. I am gonna try one on my heavy varmint gun maybe. Hope that helps.
plouffedaddy
12-01-13, 19:05
I've had 2 bolt lugs sheer on me over the years. Nothing else except mag feed lip spreading which isn't really 'breaking..'
Forward assist. Bcg was unable to open or close, jammed about 1/3 into the buffer tube. Took at least 15 min to seperate the upper and lower. S&w, approx 5-700 rounds in (log book not in front of me)
Edit: rifle was LMT, not S&W
Ejection port spring, bolt lug sheered off, both near 2000 rounds on a Rock River Entry Tactical, RRA took care of it.
Extractor spring at 200 rounds on a POF P308, replaced for free by POF.
Troy flip up front sight after being dropped.
Charging handle latch pin 500 rounds after installing Badger oversized latch handle.
Total round count on the pin was close to 4,000.
Magazines, shitty mounts and a safety selector detent that eventually wore down quite a bit.
Boba Fett v2
12-02-13, 20:07
Blown gas rings, broken trigger pin (both installed on a grossly over-gas'd gun I put together when I first started assembling ARs) and the occasional bad mag. That's about it.
Sent from my piece of s**t phone using Tapatalk2 (which can be equally unreliable when coupled with a junk phone)
Colt M4, couple thousand rounds, no issues.
Colt bolt lug chipped (I guess that's what you'd call it) in a DD MK18 upper with less than 1K through it. It still ran and I actually didn't notice it until a routine cleaning. I pulled the bolt and put it in the parts drawer although it was still functioning. I'd be curious to know from someone with more knowledge than me if they would have kept running it or what.
http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n136/greenroundhill/file_zps28d0654b.jpg (http://s111.photobucket.com/user/greenroundhill/media/file_zps28d0654b.jpg.html)
http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n136/greenroundhill/file_zps326d3d9d.jpg (http://s111.photobucket.com/user/greenroundhill/media/file_zps326d3d9d.jpg.html)
The Resistance
12-02-13, 22:31
I bought a Rock River Arms AR and a Bushmaster AR during the 1994-2004 Clinton Gun ban and both of them had a broken spirit. :( They had no will to live without muzzle devices, fixed stocks, and other ridiculous features that they had to be put out to pasture. They have been replaced by a Colt LE6920 and a Yankee Hill Heavy barrel I built. These rifles have plenty of fight in them. They have many equally evil black friends to keep them company. The only things that could break these rifles and their evil companions would be rust and politicians. I have plenty of CLP for one and ammunition for the other. I hope I never have to spray a politician with CLP, but who knows?
Long live the EBR! (Evil Black Rifle or Enhanced Battle Rifle as in an M1A sitting in a SAGE EBR stock)
The Resistance
Trigger pin after ~7500 RDS. No biggie. Found when cleaning.
Delta_Elite
12-03-13, 08:25
Found a broken extractor pin in a no name POS bolt I had. Must have broken at a low round count as the ends of the break in the middle were rounded and polished from wear found it doing a thorough cleaning. Worked like a charm up to that point. Total of 1500 rds
col.1981
Hopefully IG or someone else will confirm, but I had a unit armorer once tell me that the bolts will keep working as long as there are at least 2 lugs, not recommended, but do-able.
I had a sheared bolt on an issued M4, round count was unknown but would guess about 7-8k.
Only issue on a personal gun was an extractor on my Noveske just went away during a shooting string. Never did find the extractor but it was completely gone so I would wager the pin failed.
My wallet!
Other than that all is good.
This... except for a fixed front buis that ripped off after a drunken meeting with a tree.
johnpuga1982
12-03-13, 11:34
I doubt anyone will ever encounter this, but for the record...Drill Instructor Sgt. Robinson throwing an M16A2 down the squad bay can result in a broken A2 stock.
Once, a private in my platoon left his rifle on the side of the company area. A Drill Sergeant from another company found it and turned it in. It was the first and only time I've seen an M16 sore through the sky like a football. When it hit the concrete, only the hand guards came loose. Rifle ran fine the rest of basic training, but we got the $h!t smoked out of us!
col.1981
Hopefully IG or someone else will confirm, but I had a unit armorer once tell me that the bolts will keep working as long as there are at least 2 lugs, not recommended, but do-able.
I had a sheared bolt on an issued M4, round count was unknown but would guess about 7-8k.
Only issue on a personal gun was an extractor on my Noveske just went away during a shooting string. Never did find the extractor but it was completely gone so I would wager the pin failed.
IG have you seen a bolt lug chip like that before?
I didn't see any damage to the barrel extension or anything else but stopped using the bolt just to be safe. I know over gassed SBR's can be hard on parts. I'm pretty sure the DD MK18 upper is one of the early ones with the bigger gas port than the newer uppers but I haven't pulled the gas block to measure the port.
misanthropist
12-04-13, 20:01
Personally I've never done anything but wear out mags.
This happened to my immediate left on Saturday during a competition:
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/12/05/6azu7aqe.jpg
For starters this isn't my rifle, but I did witness it break during a class from several weeks ago. I'm sure it's something some JB Weld can fix. It happened during the "Malfunctions" portion of class when dealing with bolt-overs and the like.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y80/Roecar/Realsteel/photo_zps5d6dba81.jpg (http://s3.photobucket.com/user/Roecar/media/Realsteel/photo_zps5d6dba81.jpg.html)
For starters this isn't my rifle, but I did witness it break during a class from several weeks ago. I'm sure it's something some JB Weld can fix. It happened during the "Malfunctions" portion of class when dealing with bolt-overs and the like.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y80/Roecar/Realsteel/photo_zps5d6dba81.jpg (http://s3.photobucket.com/user/Roecar/media/Realsteel/photo_zps5d6dba81.jpg.html)
Was that a polymer lower?
Thats a lot of fancy stuff to put on a craptastic lower.
The owner said it was a billet lower. It definitely was "metal".
The owner said it was a billet lower. It definitely was "metal".
Did a little digging and it looks like a MAG Tactical Systems lower. They advertise it as a "proprietary magnesium alloy" and "35% lighter than aluminum lowers".
Suwannee Tim
12-06-13, 18:22
In a 22 LR AR, two hammer springs so far, they last about 10K rounds. In a 5.45 mm AR, a firing pin, a magazine spring and two hammer springs. The corrosive ammunition causes stress corrosion cracking and I thoroughly clean only when I have a malfunction which is rare.
Suwannee Tim
12-06-13, 18:25
For starters this isn't my rifle, but I did witness it break during a class from several weeks ago. I'm sure it's something some JB Weld can fix. It happened during the "Malfunctions" portion of class when dealing with bolt-overs and the like.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y80/Roecar/Realsteel/photo_zps5d6dba81.jpg (http://s3.photobucket.com/user/Roecar/media/Realsteel/photo_zps5d6dba81.jpg.html)
You buy exotic stuff and you may get exotic malfunctions and failures. I like regular ole stuff which only presents me with regular ole problems.
I bought my first quality ar about 2 years ago; a BCM 14.5 middy. I've put 9k rounds through it since with no malfunctions or part breakages. I did change out the buffer spring.
eternal24k
12-06-13, 22:07
I had a bad run of broken bolt catches on my 9mm SBR, other than that, no failures
I had a doubling problem with a low round count parts rifle I built in the early 1980s. I swapped out the hammer etc and that fixed it I learned that parts weren't parts.
You buy exotic stuff and you may get exotic malfunctions and failures. I like regular ole stuff which only presents me with regular ole problems.
There is a reason that the military requires specific build specs.
Didn't necessarily break but a couple weeks ago I had the screws back out of my rail section on my Troy VTAC Alpha Rail. It held my sling attachment and I lost the plate that goes inside the rail. I just wanted to post this so people would realize YOU NEED TO LOCTITE EVERYTHING!!!! In my young naivety I didn't and it was no bueno.
Levi
Charge handle latches, gas rings on an SPR after a few thousand, properly adjusted LaRue mounts failing to stay tight---requiring further adjustment, and a couple of extractors. This has been over several ARs so I can't off-hand tell you round count on each individual gun.
rapomstage3
12-24-13, 15:26
Had a gas key come loose and cause short stroking. Obviously it was not staked.
Wolfhound86
12-28-13, 23:31
Had an extractor fail to extract after a blank fire once. Armorer put a new extractor on the bolt than G2G for 2 more years until I quit using that weapon.
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