DogTown's or New stripped upper? (I realize this is and AR or reloading issue but, I put it here to get visibility)...

MPFD

MPFD

Active member
I've bought a 1000 count of 55 grain hollow points from Midway, the last bulk set I got was 50 grain soft points from Mid South and they shot great! These shoot pretty well too but I'm running into an occasional issue with them. I had developed a load for an upper I had with them and was not having this issue before. But I took that barrel off and replaced it with a WOA 1-12 twist and put the previous barrel in the closet for a rainy day. Well I got it back out about a month ago and built a new different upper with it out of Anderson parts I got from Joebobs with a pretty nice Primary weapon systems keymod handguard. Now for the issue: I got my old load notes out and made about a 100 rounds of 55 grain downtown's with CFE223 and CCI SR primers, same load it liked before. Ok... The load still shoots pretty well, BUT... I'm having problems with the bullets getting stuck in the rifling from time to time... They are loaded to 2.250 and not all of them do it, but its annoying when they do. The bolt always closes fully and they shoot great. But if I don't drop the mag and shoot the last one out that's in the chamber, I run a risk of having it stuck in the chamber. Then have to slam the butt stock on the ground to get it out, and I'm constantly checking my zero after I have to get one out of the rifling. I don't ever recall this being an issue before with these bullets. Could this be a flaw in the upper or is it most likely the cheap bullets not being uniform enough? I will say I haven't had the problem when I tried my 50 grain Vmax load I use in the WOA upper, but it doesn't like it as good as it does the dogtown load...
 
I believe you are referring to a 223 round? My reload data shows 2.200 OAL for most bullets and some (TSX FB at 2.180 OAL ) Sounds like the bullets you got from Midway HP are not consistently formed. I still have a box of the Midway HP. Used up a 1000 and got another box. Right now I'm shooting the 50 gr. soft points.
If some stick and some don't. Back off to 2.200 and see what happens? I reload for my son's rifle and had to back my V-Max's off from 2.200 OAL he had a couple do this same thing. I reloaded some at shorter OAL and ran them through his bolt action to make sure the projectiles wouldn't pull out,etc.
 
So you loaded up rounds from data but changed bullets? Do you have the equipment to measure cartridge length at the ogive? Over all length gives magazine fit more so than chamber fit. If you loaded to ogive length and are sticking bullets in the lands than your reloading notes ???
 
No, I didn't change anything. Same bullets, from the 1000 lot I was using before. I load to AR mag length 2.250 same as every other bullet I've ever loaded for my AR, just as I did before with the same compnents, in the same barrel. The only difference is it's in a new Anderson stripper upper and BCG with a new barrel nut and huandguard. The bullets never caused this issue with the same load specs when the barrel was in a POF stripped upper and BCG.

Yes it's a 5.56 AR 15. I don't have an ogive OAL gauge.
 
Are you 100% sure it's the bullets getting stuck, and not an issue with not enough shoulder bump on the brass?

If it is the bullets, and not all of them do it, then the bullets are not uniform.
 
I'm full sizing all my brass and the 55 grain dogtowns are the only ones that stick. My 50 grain vmax load for the WOA barreled upper don't stick. It has to be the bullets. I've just heard guys on AR sites say andersons are made so cheap they aren't always mil spec and give weird problems.
 
That's why I wrote this thread. To see if anyone thinks it could be the upper machined wrong. Since it never happened before with the POF upper.
 
Since 2.250 is not some magic number, why not just shorten the Coal by 10 to 2.240 and give that a try, and if that doesn't work, to 2.230 or even to 2.220? I'd try the simple solution first.
 
Take one of the rounds that sticks and smoke it or color with a black sharpie, from the base of the brass to the tip of the bullet. Carefully drop it in the chamber then drop the bolt. Extract and look for the wear mark, that might help you in finding what is sticking.

I have built several AR's, not any with Anderson uppers. The way I see it, the bolt/barrel extension relationship would have more to do with rounds sticking than the upper, which is there to hold all the parts together. I would imagine that an upper that allowed the extension to sit a little deeper or more shallow in the upper might cause problems with bolt lockup. Look closely at your bolt for any unusual wear patterns.
 
The bullets sticking all clearly have lans marks on them. You don't need to smoke them to see it. I'll seat them back, I'm just miffed because it was never an issue in the first 500 or so before I moved the barrel to a new upper. But that was mostly a different box. Thanks for the replies.
 
Yeah definitely the bullets. Don't feel bad, I bought 500 52gr match blems from Midway last winter and they are all over the place. No hope of getting consistent groups.

I've bought a lot of blems from them over the years, and varmint nightmares. I'm done, they aren't cheap enough to gamble on now. Not with Hdy selling z-max for $12 a hundred.
 
Midway had them on sale but they're out right now. Powder valley is in stock on most of them for the same price or less. The only ones I can't find are the 6mm 58 grainers. When I see those again it's time to pounce.
 
I've started to think that a lot of the bulk bullets that Midway sells under their name are production seconds that Potterfield got on a good buy....I've purchased 9mm and .40 cal. pistol bullets as well as some of their 'Dog Town' bullets and accuracy has suffered from normal factory purchases...For just plain plinking or short range practice, they shoot good, but I don't depend on them for precision results...
 
The load I'm using does pretty well on accuracy. It shoot 1/2 inch with this barrel on the old set up. I really cant say what its doing now because when I put that old barrel on the new upper I decided to make it an "Irons only" rifle. Like a SHFT kind of gun. I put a scope on it that I have as an extra when I first built it to check that the upper shot ok at range. But it started doing this sticking in the bore nonsense, so I took it off after the second time I was beating it on the ground to get the bolt open...
 
The buckets sticking in your rifle are no indicator of an issue with the upper reciever. It just houses the bolt carrier group. The barrel you have now may have a shorter throat causing the problem. Take 10 and back them down .010 and see what happens. That's the reason you really shouldn't cherry pick an old load that shot well in one barrel and use it in another. Not all manufacturers are going to cut a throats the same depth
 
Originally Posted By: nastynatesfishThe buckets sticking in your rifle are no indicator of an issue with the upper reciever. It just houses the bolt carrier group. The barrel you have now may have a shorter throat causing the problem. Take 10 and back them down .010 and see what happens. That's the reason you really shouldn't cherry pick an old load that shot well in one barrel and use it in another. Not all manufacturers are going to cut a throats the same depth

He said it was the same barrel, just moved to a different upper.

Though I agree about no way an upper causes bullets to stick. I think he has it sorted out now. Just inconsistent bullets imo.
 
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