My AR Is Malfunctioning. Now What?

I am posting this here because all too often (just about everyday) someone makes a post about their AR malfunctioning. It usually takes a page just to find out what type of AR (make and manufacturer) what type of ammo was being used, whether it was pieced together and what type of dicking around was done to it.

Another problem is that some AR owners are actually new to the system and don't even know how to disassemble it, nor do they know the proper terminology.

For example; I cut my barrel down to 11.5" and welded a 5" flash hider on it and now it won't work. Sound outlandish? Well it happened here. So here are some tips in helping us to help you.

1. What make and manufacture is your AR? Was it pieced together (Frankengun) or factory?

2. What modifications were made prior to actually shooting it? Did you put in a super high speed 3lb. buffer or a 100lb. buffer spring?

3. What type of ammunition did you use? Did you use reloads or absolute crappy cheap ammo made in Transylvania?

4. Did the weapon function out of the box?

5. Were modifications made to the gas port?

6. Take a good picture of the part or problem in question. Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words.

My final piece of advice is that you should always try and contact the manufacturer first. Since they built it, they may well be able to solve the problem. But, be smart enough to recognize when someone is pulling the wool over your eyes.