Failures to extract: Enhanced BCG and DD V7
New DD V7 lightweight carbine, 16" with mid-length gas system. New LMT Enhanced BCG. First range trip today. Did not clean beforehand but did add extra EWL to the BCG prior to firing. Was pressed for time so I only popped off ~ 60rds; just wanted to zero the irons and Aimpoint T-1 then plink a little bit. Ammo was all XM855.
I'd say in the last 20 or 25 rounds I got a total of 4 failures to extract. They extracted manually when I let the carrier slam home on the spent case once the subsequent jam had been cleared. They were a little stiff on extraction but not like I had to beat the charging handle or anything. No bulging of the case or undue scrape marks. The rim had been engaged by the extractor and it had dug in a little but did NOT rip through the rim; apparently the extractor let go and left the cartridge stuck.
Got home a field stripped it for cleaning and looked carefully at the extractor. No pieces were missing and it was seated below the other lugs without a round in the bolt face (I guess like it should with proper spring tension).
Questions:
1) Is a proper extractor designed to NOT hold the rim long enough to tear through it? i.e. to release at some point?
2) Are LMT Enhanced BCG's known for extraction issues?
3) Is the XM855 a likely culprit? The spent stuck cases were a little stiff to get out but nowhere near as "stuck" as some I've encountered before where you have to beat the charging handle, slam the butt down, or use a rod to knock it out.
***Before someone asks, there was nothing wrong with the DD BCG. I just had a brand new, latest version of the LMT Enhanced in storage that I bought from Rainier a month or so ago and they are a little easier to clean. The DD was soaked in EWL and wrapped up in a gallon ziplock to hang on to.