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Thread: The Vltor A5: my journey to, and away

  1. #21
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    I find it hard to believe the A5 system is the cause of your problems, not because my experience differs but because everyone's experience differs. While the blue spring may have alleviated the symptoms, that doesn't necessarily mean it solved the problem.
    Steve

  2. #22
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    Quote Originally Posted by SteveL View Post
    I find it hard to believe the A5 system is the cause of your problems, not because my experience differs but because everyone's experience differs. While the blue spring may have alleviated the symptoms, that doesn't necessarily mean it solved the problem.
    I believe that the Vltor A5 system isn't exactly "it", but the mil-spec springs are right on the edge of functionality in my rifles. The blue spring fixes that.

  3. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by WS6 View Post
    About a year ago, I began experimenting with the Vltor A5 system. My rifle is a 16.1" DDM4 midlength gas, and I used the A5H2 buffer and mil-spec action spring that came with it. Both suppressed, and unsuppressed, with a variety of ammunition, I felt that the function was very smooth. Follow-up shots were honestly faster, and recoil was perceived as less.

    The first carbine course, however, that I took the rifle to, I began to get malfunctions once the magazines got dirty. Specifically, the BCG would fail to fully strip a round from the magazine on reloads, or the BCG would fail to fully seat having stripped a round. It was never an issue that presented during live fire, but only on reloads. Still, it irked me.

    Today, I cleaned my rifle, and lubricated it lightly with Weapon Shield. The BCG is a Fathom Arms QPQ'ed BCG with a Colt ejector spring and a Ken Elmore "Green" extractor spring (of note, some failures at the course I attended involved the round not fully leaving the magazine, removing "over-spring ejector/extractor" from the equation as the culprit).

    I brought two lowers with me. One is a factory DDM4 lower with a Sprinco Blue spring and H buffer, and one is the factory DDM4 lower using a Vltor A5 with H2 buffer and mil-spec spring. After I got home, I measured the spring. It is exactly 12.5" long, which is directly in the middle of the specification for a M16 action spring. It has roughly 2,000 rounds on it, and had less than 1,000 when I first began having issues.

    During my testing, I had 3 failures with the Vltor A5 system to fully strip and seat the first round in the magazine. Two of these are seen in slow motion in the videos to follow. Using the Sprinco Blue spring, and H buffer, shot-to-shot was a bit more "bouncy", and there was more muzzle-dip upon dropping the bolt on a fresh magazine. Of note, all initial shots show the bolt-release being depressed (fully and swiftly), and the magazines are fully loaded G2 PMAG's. I will let the following videos speak for themselves, as I use IMI MK262, PMC Bronze .223, and Wolf 55gr Polyformance to demonstrate how each performs with each action system, both suppressed (Surefire 556-212) and unsuppressed (-212 FH).


    *no video on m4c due to site constraints.
    So from bolt lock back it fails to fully strip a round when mags are dirty? Good news is you can troubleshoot this without being at the range, first get one really dirty mag and see what happens. Have you tried swapping BCG's? Is chamber clean? Or just swap out with a BCM mil-spec or Springco Green and see what happens, could just be a weak Vltor spring that sneaked through QC, if you contact them they might just send you a new spring.

  4. #24
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    This is such a unicorn problem, I wonder if it could be exposing a lack of parallelism between the upper, receiver extension, and barrel extension.

    My wife's BCM 14.5" middy with early Vltor copper washed spring (which is on the weak side of mil spec) runs perfectly even after 1200 rounds of tula with no lube added. And, yes, she runs Lancer awm mags.

    Me thinks some geometries with the upper/lower are off. I have too many local LEO buddies who run the A5 system (std spring and A5H2 buffer) on neglected 6920's and LMT 16" Defenders without issue, for thousands of rounds.
    Last edited by BufordTJustice; 02-04-16 at 08:23.
    "That thing looks about as enjoyable as a bowl of exploding dicks." - Magic_Salad0892

    "The body cannot go where the mind has not already been."

  5. #25
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    Is the Sprinco Green stronger than a mil-spec rifle spring? By how much, if so?

    I doubt geometry is the issue between two rifles, etc. I just really doubt it.

  6. #26
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    http://www.sprinco.com/tactical.html

    I don't see the answer to your question, but an inquiry sent to SpringCo may get you an answer. All of my Carbine RE have blue springs, all of my A5 RE have green springs, and my MWS has an orange spring. I am aware of how "Better than Mil-Spec" sounds, but this is one of the cases (SpringCo buffer spring use) where they really are, IMHO.
    To educate a man in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society. --Theodore Roosevelt--

  7. #27
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    I called Sprinco: "Everyone at Vltor runs our green spring in their A5's. It is about 3-5% stronger than mil-spec."
    I called Vltor: "Don't run anything but a mil-spec rifle spring. It will cause problems. I will look further into this and call you back."
    I measured my Vltor spring against a brand new Vltor spring I have laying around. They are literally identical in length.
    I'm going to be a rebel and buy a Sprinco Green spring...

  8. #28
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    Sounds like a good plan to try the green Sprinco. I just checked and the JP polished springs I use are 7% extra power over mil-spec, so I think it's safe to say a little bit more power is not a bad thing.

  9. #29
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    I REALLY like the characteristics of the A5 system, it just seems the mil-spec spring is too weak-sos to insure reliable function. IF this Sprinco green spring fixes it, I'll be pumped, but I also still wonder wtf about the milspec spring. All indicators are that the one i have is G2G to spec.

  10. #30
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    I'd still be curious what would happen with another mil spec spring, even though yours measures properly. I mean LOTS of people are running them without the issues you're having.
    Steve

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