I recently sent my M&P OR 15 back to Smith and Wesson to have them check it out because it was punching primers on all different kinds of ammo. After they inspected it, they claimed it was fine, with no issues, but the same issue still persists. Also, after it punches primers, it sends the empty cartridge into the barrel. Any suggestions? Thank you.
M&P 15 punching primers
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I don't quite understand your terms. The bullet goes down the barrel, the case stays behind. Either the firing pin is too long or the primers aren't seated correctly. They must be slightly below flush with the case head.
Get a Glock.... I love it.
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I have a feeling the OP is actually talking about the casing getting slammed forward deep into the chamber, far enough to jam the cartridge nearly into the barrel.
I had a friend that had a Remington 742 in 30-06 that would jam the casing so far up the barrel he kept a cleaning rod with him all the time. He would tap the casing back thru the chamber with the cleaning rod, and hand eject it. It was a royal pain in the keester for him.
The first thing I would do was buy a new firing pin and see if it resolves the problem.
Next would be to take the rifle to a good gunsmith and have them do a quick chamber check headspace and gauge the chamber to see if the casing isn't seating deep enough.
Last thing would be send it back to S&W with a couple of the damaged casings. Tell them to either repair it, or replace it.
Regards,
Gregory
I had a friend that had a Remington 742 in 30-06 that would jam the casing so far up the barrel he kept a cleaning rod with him all the time. He would tap the casing back thru the chamber with the cleaning rod, and hand eject it. It was a royal pain in the keester for him.
The first thing I would do was buy a new firing pin and see if it resolves the problem.
Next would be to take the rifle to a good gunsmith and have them do a quick chamber check headspace and gauge the chamber to see if the casing isn't seating deep enough.
Last thing would be send it back to S&W with a couple of the damaged casings. Tell them to either repair it, or replace it.
Regards,
Gregory
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Are you using .223 Ammo or 5.56mm ammo?
The primers in military ammo are often a bit thicker to prevent the firing pin piercing them.
I also don't like steel cased ammo because of a number of issues. Verify the problem is occurring with brass cased 5.56mm ammo.
Once the primer has a hole in it, it could well interfere with proper extraction from the chamber. The bolt face will be blown back long before the gas impingement tube's gas would normally unlock the breech and drive the bolt back.
Something certainly sounds like it isn't right. i'd have another conversation with S&W customer service per what GearChecker mentioned above.
The primers in military ammo are often a bit thicker to prevent the firing pin piercing them.
I also don't like steel cased ammo because of a number of issues. Verify the problem is occurring with brass cased 5.56mm ammo.
Once the primer has a hole in it, it could well interfere with proper extraction from the chamber. The bolt face will be blown back long before the gas impingement tube's gas would normally unlock the breech and drive the bolt back.
Something certainly sounds like it isn't right. i'd have another conversation with S&W customer service per what GearChecker mentioned above.
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My opinion of steel cased anything is... it's junk.
While I'm not familiar with the rifle, Have to assume it has a threaded barrel secured with a jam nut. It's easy to set headspace with a Pacific Tool and Die headspace gauge and a barrel vise and wrench. If it's a chamber issue (reamed improperly, reamer under specification or chatter marks from poor machining, the it's receiver time.
If the barrel has a clocked brake, the threads will have to be chased to allow the brake to clock after headspace is reset, all things a competent smith can do.
When I do a barrel swap I headspace my own guns. After the firstt one, they were all easy.
While I'm not familiar with the rifle, Have to assume it has a threaded barrel secured with a jam nut. It's easy to set headspace with a Pacific Tool and Die headspace gauge and a barrel vise and wrench. If it's a chamber issue (reamed improperly, reamer under specification or chatter marks from poor machining, the it's receiver time.
If the barrel has a clocked brake, the threads will have to be chased to allow the brake to clock after headspace is reset, all things a competent smith can do.
When I do a barrel swap I headspace my own guns. After the firstt one, they were all easy.
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I've found you can get a barrel TOO tight on an AR platform rifle. That will affect the headspace. I do like SidecarFlip does, I check the headspace on my own rifles. I've done this on friends rifles too. I don't ever use steel cased ammo. It is made for ak style rifles. JMO FWIW
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Headspace gauges are available from Midway and Sinclair and they aren't expensive. I have them for every caliber I have.
Thank you guys for all the responses, I really appreciate it. As for the ammo, only brass, I do not use steal cased. The punched primers seem to happen on 5.56 ammo, and yes my barrel is 5.56 caliber. I've been shooting 5.56 ammo with this rifle for 5+ years, with the problem just beginning this past year. I took it to a local gunsmith here in Charlotte, where a good friend of mine works. They inspected it and surmised it was a headspacing issue. When I returned it to Smith and Wesson the first time, I was informed that the rifle was having NO issues. I just returned the rifle again to Smith and Wesson, they have inspected it, and again see no issues with the rifle. I will purchase a new firing pin to see if this resolves the issue. Thank you again guys for all of the feedback.
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