.45acp extraction issues (Oly)

[Resq47]

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2287/2188380991_ce47749c90.jpg

I've got an AR45 greasegun mag lower with an upper using a RRA slickside flat-top receiver modified to use the Olympic wire ejector and built up with a 16" Oly barrel in .45ACP. I've got ~500 rounds through the upper with the last 300 shot this last week trying to figure out what it's doing wrong. The typical failure I'm seeing is either a failure to eject with a live round mostly chambered and the spent case aft of the live round or what I've been calling a bolt override with the case fouling the charging handle and a live round in some degree of being stripped off the mag. Typically clearance is difficult with the charging handle caught by the spent case requiring manual retraction of the bolt and manual removal of the case from wherever it has wedged itself. I've also had stovepipes in the mix, just for fun apparently.

This is an assembly from all new parts, and having written it all out I'd guess it's a bad extractor but I honestly can't even remember what the extractor setup is on this bolt. The ejector is an unfamiliar setup to me as well, and has given me plenty of headaches in assembly/teardown with the microscopic cross pin.

I really want this thing to work, but it's not even reliable enough for a match at the moment. Anybody have any experience getting Oly pattern pistol cal uppers like this to work well?

[redtazdog]

Go here to find a fix for that custom 45, this is the place for the CNC/Khalan wheaponry builds http://http://www.cncguns.com/forum/index.php?board=19.0

[Hawgleg44]

I was having exactly the same problem with my AR45, too (got mine early on in the first batch before the problems arose with Khalan).

I disassembled the bolt and found that I had a broken extractor at the pivot pin. I had another on hand and it works perfectly now.

[Resq47]

RTD - I've been on the cnc board for quite a while, but gave up when Khalan disappeared with some of my friends' money.

Hawg - I'll have to check that on mine, though I didn't get a spare extractor...just a spare ejector. I shot my old beat-up 5.56 carbine for our championship match instead and came in 3rd overall ;) We've talked on the back-channel back during the waiting in earnest stage for batch 1.

[Hawgleg44]

I'm only picking up bits and pieces of the Khalan story. Did your friend ever get his money back or better yet, an AR45 lower from Khalan? From what I understand, the owner of Khalan is a cop. With all the calls going to the local PD from irate customers, it can't be doing his career much good at all.

A friend of mine is getting his SOTII and 07FFL and I'll be working for him. At this time, he works for another SOTII/07 and we already have a large inventory just waiting for the licensing to be completed so they can be transferred. But, I already told him that we need to get a 20% lower, I'll complete it, and it's going to be registered full auto for the company. That's going to be a fun toy, and after shooting my semi AR45, I already have a department who might be interested in select fire versions. With a short barrel and supressor, it would make a nice entry gun!

[Resq47]

No, to the best of my knowledge he has seen neither a refund nor a lower. I believe he's good to go...other than the lower. I didn't expect things to go south with Khalan either, we had him make the 5.56 lowers we gave out as division prizes at our annual championship match last year and I was doing what I could via word of mouth support.

I can't say I'd pick any pistol cal carbine as a front line duty weapon, I went this route hoping to be able to shoot one caliber for pistol/carbine for matches and classes. I still think it will be fun for those uses once it's running right but I don't see an advantage in terminal ballistics. I'd still like to shoot a few mags through a suppressed select-fire gun though ;)

I was going to shoot it at the champ match this year and had access to free loaner glass, either a S&B shortdot (which I don't care for honestly) or a T-1, but the gun wouldn't have it.

[Resq47]

Update - Finally found time to tear down the bolt, and no mine isn't broken.

[TangoChaser]

The Oly extractor spring sits between the extractor and the inside of the bolt carrier. Unlike an AR extractor spring which is between the extractor and the bolt. Quite possibly, whoever assembled the BCG at Oly installed an AR15 extractor spring not a pistol caliber extractor spring. They look identical but do not have the same spring rate.

Call Oly and order a couple pistol caliber extractor springs and see if that solves the problem. Another item to look at it to see if there are any burrs on the extractor claw. This might keep the extractor from getting a good purchase on the spent brass.

Bolt override may be caused by a weak mag spring as well.