08-13-2011, 06:24 PM
wolverine Wrote:Isn't “customer service” sort of subjective? Or in other words what I feel is good customer service others may not. In this case, I do feel like Jacob at AA was earnestly trying to help me and still is. Yes, point-in-fact the rifle is still malfunctioning, however it is still very shootable. I know though the process of elimination I will eventually figure it out.
I’m thinking it may be my hand loads because AA claimed they fired with no malfunctions on factory-loaded ammo. I am using Lee dies and Hornady brass and have read where guys were have issues with both of these products. If you put the Hornady brass next to the Lapua there is a difference in the shoulders.
What the rifle is doing is “stove piping” every 4 or 5 round and the last case in the magazine never ejects, it does a complete 180 in the chamber and stays in there. The casing eject in the 1 or 2 a clock position and only about 3feet, very similar to what Spinster’s rifle does. if fact to me it sounds like both rifles are malfunctioning in the exact same manner.
Another thing that bothers me is the way it tears up the brass. I have heavy gouges from what looks like the feed ramps just under the shoulder as well as extractor marks. Some of these gouges are so deep I will not reload them. I have plans to do some polishing on both these areas to see if this helps…………………….Thanks Roger
Roger:
Did the brass that AA fired also show the gouges in the shoulder and extractor marks? There is no reason why yours would show these marks and not factory loads.
Size a piece of your brass and put it in the chamber. Ride the bolt forward about half way and let the bolt go. It should go into battery. Then, pull the charging handle back and extract the brass. It should come out without effort on your part. If it sticks while coming out, my guess is that you didn't bump the shoulder back enough when sizing. This appears to be the most common problem guys have when loading for the Grendel. If it does come out easily but hangs up on ejection -- most likely your extractor is holding the brass too firmly. Polishing and rounding off the edges of the extractor normally fixes this problem.
I am not fan of the Lee Grendel dies and do not recommend them. The Lee sizing die is hard on the brass but that doesn't mean it won't size the brass down enough for it to chamber and extract easily.
If you are using a mid range load and your overall length is such that the bullet itself isn't getting jammed into the rifling, your rifle should function as perfectly as if you were using factory loads.
One more thing to understand is that AA uses a powder that is not available to hand loaders. And my bet is that they test fired the rifle using a heavier bullet -- probably a 123 grain bullet. A heavy bullet with the loads used by AA will offer more inertia so the bolt may well travel back far enough for sufficient function. Go to a lighter bullet and the rifle may not function. What this means is that something is wrong and it isn't your handloads.
The only way you will find out is to isolate variables. Start with the brass check I mentioned. Then check your extractor that it isn't jamming the brass. Then look at your magazines to see if the follower and feed lips are orienting a dummy round so that it enters the chamber as efficiently as possible. Use five dummy rounds because the magazine is staggered. Then check the alignment of the gas port with the gas block. If you find problems, fix each as you go along and check again. When everything seems to work with a couple of dummy rounds, load some ammo, lube the Bolt / Bolt Carrier liberally, and go to the range and shoot. If it still stovepipes most likely your buffer and recoil spring is the culprit.
That is what I would do. Remember to lube the bolt and bolt carrier liberally.
LR1955