Charter Arms AR-7

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hdwhit

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I have a Charter Arms AR-7 that was bought new in late 1982/early 1983.

Apart from the "crinkle coating" flaking off the side panel, it is in fair/good condition. Both the chamber and bore appear to be clear and free of corrosion

It functions flawlessly for the first magazine, but after that it suffers failures to extract. This can be cured by removing the barrell and thoroughly cleaning the chamber after the 7th round, but it's a real pain to have to clean a rifle every seven rounds.

Has anyone else had such a problem?

If so, how did you resolve it?

Thanks.
 
I mean is this a known problem? Is it traceable to wear on the extractor? Or weakness in the extractor spring? Or weakness in the recoil spring that allows the bolt to recoil before the extractor has gripped the rim?

Hugh
 
Are you sure the barrel nut isnt coming loose every seven rounds?

That seemed to be the case with mine. Fouling would start to cause extraction failures after about 100 rounds or so as well. I dont know if there were issues with the actual extractor/spring too, though thats certainly possible.

Mine was a disaster. Supposedly the Henry-produced rifles run better, but I dont see how.
 
My Dad had one. It would not feed from the magazine after the first round. 100% of the time, the cartridge would hang up leaving a smiley face gouge in the lead bullet. Additionally, I could not hit a barn broadside with it. We never did much to try and fix it though. When he died, it's one of only a couple of his guns I sold off to a gun shop. Yes, I told them the problem. They didn't seem to care. I don't remember what they gave me for it, but I'm sure it wasn't much.

edit - It did extract reliably though.
 
NIGHTLORD40K said:
Mine was a disaster. Supposedly the Henry-produced rifles run better, but I dont see how.
Click to expand...

I have a couple of the Henry ones. One was before they started the orange addition inside the stock and it’s always rand with everything I have tried in it. The other one looks a bit better made but it’s still new (was a gift) and I don’t really use the other much at all. A friend an I shot it Monday but not sure how long it had been since I fired it before that. The rifles weight is likely 25% of the trigger pull weight.
 
I am of the opinion that the AR7 was developed and tested by ArmaLite using the military spec M24 .22LR air crew survival weapon cartridge: 40.5gr full metal jacket round nose bullet one step above commercial .22LR high velocity ammo in velocity.

I have had good results in my old Costa Mesa ArmaLite AR7 with CCI MiniMag 40gr high velocity with round nose copperplated bullets, and with new Henry magazines.

Keeping the barrel collar screwed tight helps.
 
I had some recollection but snagged this list instead of typing my own similar one, from rimfire central
1) Chamfer the chamber opening slightly. I noticed before the modification, the sharp shoulder on the chamber mouth would shave lead from the bullet and also causes a lot of jams.

2) Load the magazines carefully. Push the base of each round flat against the back of the magazine and repeat for all subsequent rounds.

3) Use high-velocity ammo. Mine prefers the highest power .22's and has best reliability with CCI Stingers. Subsonics do not reliably function.

4) Check the recoil spring guide rod/buffer for any burrs. This is a plastic piece which should be monitored for wear and damage.

5) Do your best with cleaning the action. While the barrel is easy to clean, getting good access to clean the action is another matter. Accumulation of unburned powder, bullet lube, carbon, etc. in the action causes sluggish action.
Click to expand...

And also
  • If old, I'd look into spring replacement as well.
  • Get a new factory magazine if you don't have several to try already. 22s are as picky about bad mags as centerfires.
 
Over the years, I've owned a few Charter AR7's...a few, because friends kept talking me into selling them mine, after they saw how great they were.
I still own two. An original Charter AR7, and an AR7 Explorer 2 pistol. Both have been faultless, useful .22's. The pistol was particularly fun with the old Ramline 25rd magazine.
 
NIGHTLORD40K said:
Are you sure the barrel nut isnt coming loose every seven rounds?

That seemed to be the case with mine. Fouling would start to cause extraction failures after about 100 rounds or so as well. I dont know if there were issues with the actual extractor/spring too, though thats certainly possible.

Mine was a disaster. Supposedly the Henry-produced rifles run better, but I dont see how.
Click to expand...

Thank you. I think my barrel nut is staying tight, but I have always taken it for granted. I will check the next time I shoot it.
 
Mostly
troy fairweather said:
Maybe give the chamber a light polish, what ammo are you using some have more was on them and my help. Could do some home made greased ammo, a tiny bit of Vaseline on the ammo may help.
Click to expand...

Mostly Remington or Federal .22 LR with standard loading. I have tried CCI Stingers with the chrome plating on the case and the plated bullet and have had pretty much the same result.
 
amd6547 said:
Over the years, I've owned a few Charter AR7's...a few, because friends kept talking me into selling them mine, after they saw how great they were.
I still own two. An original Charter AR7, and an AR7 Explorer 2 pistol. Both have been faultless, useful .22's. The pistol was particularly fun with the old Ramline 25rd magazine.
Click to expand...

Actually, I have a Ramline 25 round magazine for it.
 
hdwhit said:
Thank you. I think my barrel nut is staying tight, but I have always taken it for granted. I will check the next time I shoot it.
Click to expand...

I second checking the barrel nut… For me, it is almost automatic to give it a twist after a few rounds, and it is almost always just slightly loose. I also make sure to place the locating forging on the barrel to one side of its notch…There is a little play there, and putting it to one side of the notch assures the zero is constant.


troy fairweather said:
The stingers have a longer case and can stick in some 22s, try some mini mags.
Click to expand...

I’ve never experienced any issues with Stingers in the AR7, or any other auto loading .22.
 
Sadly, the one AR-7 rifle that I had access to back in my college years jammed with the reliability of a Swiss-watch. I wish I could say I found the cure, but I failed miserably.
If you do find a cure for your AR-7 let us know, I’m sure there will be many owners who might find it useful.
Good luck! :thumbup:

Stay safe.
 
The Ithaca M6 aircrew survival weapon trigger is designed to be squeezed with the whole hand dressed in a aircrew arctic winter mitten.

The Springfield M6 Scout "trigger guard" that encourages people to try squeeze it with one finger like a conventional trigger is an abomination.
 
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