Now listen up and pay attention. I am about to share some extremely important imformation with you. This information is absolutely vital if you have an AR-15. Now pay close attention and don't ask me any stupid questions otherwise I may bite your ankles.
First of all the AR-15 was a fantastic rifle when originally designed by Mr. Stoner. All the problems along the way were cause by slack-jawed, dopey schmoes who monkeyed around with a great design. So listen to me and let me tell you how to deschmoe your AR-15.
The AR-15 was originally desgned around IMR-3031 powder. This was the propellant originally used by Bob Hutton, the guy who invented the .223. Mr. Hutton was a friend of Eugene Stoner and that's how Hutton got involved designing the round. Mr. Hutton was also the Handloading Editor of Guns & Ammo magazine.
Automatic weapons are resonant mechanisms and the AR-15 was tuned for IMR-3031. The IMR-3031 burn rate was used to calculate the mass of the bolt and carrier together with the mass of the buffer.
Original .223 ammo was loaed with IMR-4475 which was a mass-production version of IMR-3031. And when used with IMR-4475, the AR-15 was superbly reliable. In July 1962, the AR-15 was tested in Vietnam and 80,000 rounds were fired. Over the course of firing 80,000 rounds there were no parts breakeages. A report titled "Test of ArmaLite Rifle, AR-15" was published. The report concluded that the AR-15 was "the best all-round shoulder weapon in existence"
The rifle was perfect until a change was made in the AR-15's propellant. The powder was changed from IMR-4475 to a ball powder, WC-846. Now this ball powder ruined the rifle. WC-846 contained calcium carbonate which caused fouling in the AR-15's gas-tube. Even worse, this ball powder burned at a slower rate.
Using a slower burning powder in the AR-15 created the following serious problems:
1. A higher residual chamber pressure. This created a tendency for the fired cartridge to stick in the chamber;
2. The higher residual pressure causes higher bolt velocity. The bolt wants to unlock right NOW and when combined with a sticky case, the extractor can yank the rim right off the cartridge case. This can lead to the most disasterous jam possible. Higher bolt velocity also leads to increased wear and parts started to break. As a result, Mr. Stoner's wonder-weapon became a rotten piece of Clinton.
To solve the ball powder fiasco, the Army decided to treat the symptoms and not the desease. The army tried to slow down the bolt carrier by using a new, heavier buffer. The sticky chamber problem was solved by the use of chrome plating. But the Army continued to use slower-burning ball powders.
Now if you want to deschmoe your AR-15 and to enjoy original 1962 reliability, USE THE RIGHT POWDER. USE IMR-3031 OR BENCHMARK! Don't use ball powder and don't be a schmoe!!
Read the tacked thread about loading .223 ammunition and follow all the advice contained therein. If you use this information and load your ammo with the right powder, your rifle will perk nicely.
If you use a carbine version of the AR-15, make sure that you use the right buffer. If you are using a telestock, use a 9mm buffer. The 9mm buffer is slightly heavier than a rifle buffer. Use the 9mm buffer to slow down your bolt velocity. Or you can use a fixed rifle stock and buffer.
If you have an AR-15 carbine, install a Defender D-ring around your extractor. The AR-15 carbine has a higher gas-port pressure than Stoner originally intended. And the bolt velocity is higher too. With the higher bolt velocity, the extractor is stressed and you need stronger extractor tension in order to maintain reliability. AND USE THE RIGHT POWDER!!
The Defender D-Ring offers cheap insurance for AR-15 rifles too. And as you tune your load, check the extraction pattern of your rifle. Make sure that the rounds are extracted and ejected about 8 to 10 feet from your rifle. If you use Benchmark or IMR-3031 you will find that you can achieve a remarkeable uniform ejection pattern and all of your fired cases will land in one pile. This is a very good thing. Now go to the tacked "Loading .223 ammo" thread and read it carefully.
The Defender D-ring is available from Brownells. It costs $12.95
Check out http://www.brownells.com. The Defender D-Ring can be found as part no. 741-015-003.
(The Defender D-Ring was designed by Mack Gwinn and L. James Sullivan. Take note that Mr. Sullivan was the engineer who assisted Mr. Stoner in the original AR-15 design)
So don't be a schmoe. Just listen to me.
Fluffy.
First of all the AR-15 was a fantastic rifle when originally designed by Mr. Stoner. All the problems along the way were cause by slack-jawed, dopey schmoes who monkeyed around with a great design. So listen to me and let me tell you how to deschmoe your AR-15.
The AR-15 was originally desgned around IMR-3031 powder. This was the propellant originally used by Bob Hutton, the guy who invented the .223. Mr. Hutton was a friend of Eugene Stoner and that's how Hutton got involved designing the round. Mr. Hutton was also the Handloading Editor of Guns & Ammo magazine.
Automatic weapons are resonant mechanisms and the AR-15 was tuned for IMR-3031. The IMR-3031 burn rate was used to calculate the mass of the bolt and carrier together with the mass of the buffer.
Original .223 ammo was loaed with IMR-4475 which was a mass-production version of IMR-3031. And when used with IMR-4475, the AR-15 was superbly reliable. In July 1962, the AR-15 was tested in Vietnam and 80,000 rounds were fired. Over the course of firing 80,000 rounds there were no parts breakeages. A report titled "Test of ArmaLite Rifle, AR-15" was published. The report concluded that the AR-15 was "the best all-round shoulder weapon in existence"
The rifle was perfect until a change was made in the AR-15's propellant. The powder was changed from IMR-4475 to a ball powder, WC-846. Now this ball powder ruined the rifle. WC-846 contained calcium carbonate which caused fouling in the AR-15's gas-tube. Even worse, this ball powder burned at a slower rate.
Using a slower burning powder in the AR-15 created the following serious problems:
1. A higher residual chamber pressure. This created a tendency for the fired cartridge to stick in the chamber;
2. The higher residual pressure causes higher bolt velocity. The bolt wants to unlock right NOW and when combined with a sticky case, the extractor can yank the rim right off the cartridge case. This can lead to the most disasterous jam possible. Higher bolt velocity also leads to increased wear and parts started to break. As a result, Mr. Stoner's wonder-weapon became a rotten piece of Clinton.
To solve the ball powder fiasco, the Army decided to treat the symptoms and not the desease. The army tried to slow down the bolt carrier by using a new, heavier buffer. The sticky chamber problem was solved by the use of chrome plating. But the Army continued to use slower-burning ball powders.
Now if you want to deschmoe your AR-15 and to enjoy original 1962 reliability, USE THE RIGHT POWDER. USE IMR-3031 OR BENCHMARK! Don't use ball powder and don't be a schmoe!!
Read the tacked thread about loading .223 ammunition and follow all the advice contained therein. If you use this information and load your ammo with the right powder, your rifle will perk nicely.
If you use a carbine version of the AR-15, make sure that you use the right buffer. If you are using a telestock, use a 9mm buffer. The 9mm buffer is slightly heavier than a rifle buffer. Use the 9mm buffer to slow down your bolt velocity. Or you can use a fixed rifle stock and buffer.
If you have an AR-15 carbine, install a Defender D-ring around your extractor. The AR-15 carbine has a higher gas-port pressure than Stoner originally intended. And the bolt velocity is higher too. With the higher bolt velocity, the extractor is stressed and you need stronger extractor tension in order to maintain reliability. AND USE THE RIGHT POWDER!!
The Defender D-Ring offers cheap insurance for AR-15 rifles too. And as you tune your load, check the extraction pattern of your rifle. Make sure that the rounds are extracted and ejected about 8 to 10 feet from your rifle. If you use Benchmark or IMR-3031 you will find that you can achieve a remarkeable uniform ejection pattern and all of your fired cases will land in one pile. This is a very good thing. Now go to the tacked "Loading .223 ammo" thread and read it carefully.
The Defender D-ring is available from Brownells. It costs $12.95
Check out http://www.brownells.com. The Defender D-Ring can be found as part no. 741-015-003.
(The Defender D-Ring was designed by Mack Gwinn and L. James Sullivan. Take note that Mr. Sullivan was the engineer who assisted Mr. Stoner in the original AR-15 design)
So don't be a schmoe. Just listen to me.
Fluffy.