AR-15 ejection patterns

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Gun4Fun90

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So I was curious about something my ar ejects in the normal 3-4:30 pattern but not every piece of brass lands in exactly the same spot. As far as I was aware this is normal.

But a few weeks ago I went to visit my uncle and we went shooting together and when he shoots his ar the brass all ejected in a perfectly identical pattern to the point he placed a camping chair off to the side and all the brass ejected straight into the pocket on the side of the chair. He knew exactly where it would land.

now he is very particular about his guns and this is the one he uses in high power competitions so it has had quite the tlc, but I am wondering is there a reason his ejects brass so perfectly and consistently.

It has been on my mind since and I would just ask him but it’s impossible to get a straight answer out of him. (For anything not just this)
 
I’d wager that he handloads his ammunition.

Nothing in the rifle changes shot to shot, given that it’s a well maintained rifle. But the ammunition can change with each cartridge.

When I go out plinking I find all my brass in a small pile. My shooting associates cast theirs farther. (They don’t care, but I can’t leave brass lay.) I attribute this to my handloads.
My standard deviation for a lot of ammunition I make is around twelve or fifteen feet per second. I’ve clocked American Eagle with over three hundred feet per second of variation. This difference in powder charge has a marked difference in ejection vigor.

With hand weighed charges and match brass, I can turn the gas down on my rifle and have the cases dribble into a cup under the ejection port.


If he doesn’t handload, what rifle has got?:)
Or rather, what parts did he use?
 
Demi-human said:
I’d wager that he handloads his ammunition...

If he doesn’t handload, what rifle has got?:)
Or rather, what parts did he use?
Click to expand...

yeah he dose hand load, as for his rife it’s all top quality parts he has hand fitted together with obsessive attention to detail.

he is a retired engineer so if you ask him for specifics you either a really general answer like “if it groups well it will group well” (bullets down range and brass next to you) or you get a whole math and physics lesson you weren’t expecting that makes my brain hurt.

I still remember back when I was first getting into rifles he invited me shooting and I asked him to explain minutes of angle to me and omg did I regret that. I had to make up some crazy senecio about looking straight down the bore of a gun that shot laser beams in a perfect vacuum in order to get a simple answer I could understand. :D
 
Hand loaded ammunition and a buffer that has a spring inside the buffer between the bumper and the rear most weight or one of those silent buffer rigs.
My brass ejection got a lot more consistent after I noticed the Valor "A5 buffer" weights didn't slide around inside the buffer like a normal buffer but if I gave the buff a sharp shake I could feel them move. So I had to see what was going on inside. I took it apart and found a sear sprig has been added between the bumper and the rear most weight. A pocket had been machined in the weight and cast into the bumper.

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/the-h5-carbine-buffer-for-suppressed-guns.907818/
 
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Gun4Fun90 said:
So I was curious about something my ar ejects in the normal 3-4:30 pattern
Click to expand...

More often than not I shoot to the right of someone with a rifle like yours, and am constantly pelted with their hot brass. My NM variant ejects about 1:30 into a small area in front of the firing line. I'm happy with that.
 
I was shooting a mid range high power match a while back and got assigned on a lane to the right of a service rifle shooter. His ejection pattern was consistent enough to send a few casings down the back of my shirt before moved over enough to avoid that unpleasantness
 
All my AR's throw them in a "general" pattern at around 4:00 or so. Thats factory or my reloads. They arent in a nice little pile, but there are in the same area. Unlike my M1 Carbines, which throw them in a 360 circle from at your feet to who knows where. And vertically as well, sometimes their up on the shed roof too. :)

Now, if I put the suppressor on the AR, they end up at around 1:00 and a bit farther out. Still in a general area too.

doubleh said:
My AR ejects all it's brass to the same spot, one of those snap-on plastic brass catcher thingies. :D :thumbup:
Click to expand...
LOL. And if you can get one on the gun, this is the best way to go, especially if you run around while you shoot. :)

I use the Caldwell bag type, and they work great. Just remember to zip the bottom of the bag shut before you start. Ask me how I know. :p
 
Laphroaig said:
More often than not I shoot to the right of someone with a rifle like yours, and am constantly pelted with their hot brass. My NM variant ejects about 1:30 into a small area in front of the firing line. I'm happy with that.
Click to expand...
1:30? is your ar over gassed?

trackskippy said:
I use the Caldwell bag type, and they work great. Just remember to zip the bottom of the bag shut before you start.
Click to expand...
yeah I have one of those on mine also it works great but the fact it mounts to the picatinny really limits the optics you can put on.
 
Gun4Fun90 said:
1:30? is your ar over gassed?
Click to expand...

That's what "they" say. That particular rifle is on its 3rd barrel and shoots as well as the day it was new. It throws them the same way as a Garand should and doesn't bother the guy shooting next to me. I like it.

I think that my RRA Varminter does the same.
 
Gun4Fun90 said:
he is a retired engineer so if you ask him for specifics you either a really general answer like “if it groups well it will group well” (bullets down range and brass next to you) or you get a whole math and physics lesson you weren’t expecting that makes my brain hurt.
Click to expand...

I mean, he's right though. On any given AR15 from one shot to the next the bolt weight doesn't change, the buffer weight doesn't change, the spring rate doesn't change, and the gas port size doesn't change. The factors that CAN change is the consistancy of how the gun is held and the powder/bullet weight from each shot. If he's holding the gun perfecting still from shot to shot, and he's using handloads where each cartridge has an almost identical powder charge as the next it'll likely put bullets in a tight group and throw the brass consistantly in the same spot.

I would be curious if his gun has a brass deflector or not.
 
Was shooting a 16" M16A1 carbine replica; no brass deflector, and it left the brass in a pile by the door of our camp; I was shooting off the porch.
Do most of you have brass deflectors on the upper?
Moon
 
A sample of one, but my Daniel defense throws brass much more consistency than any other ar I’ve shot (it also groups better too but that’s probably not related).
 
As well, an AR is a very reliable machine. It can function in a very contaminated state, albeit with more variation.
A very clean rifle can operate more consistently than when dirty.
Also, better machined and more smoothly finished parts will operate at a more consistent level than, “mil-spec”, and need less force to do it. With more force going to the needed action, instead of overcoming friction, it leaves a smaller, closer pile of cases.
Nitride is smoother and more lubricious than phosphate. There will be less friction and less acceleration change imparted to the case in the short distance it goes before launch. I’ve been sold on it from the start, mostly because it’s easier to clean, and won’t flake like nickel can.

And I’m a crow, it’s shiny, without being silver.:D
 
halfmoonclip said:
Do most of you have brass deflectors on the upper?
Click to expand...
Most uppers have a deflector built in. There are Slick Sided uppers that have the deflector, Forward Assist and Port Door removed.

More commonly just the FA will be deleted, like this latest Anderson I just assembled.
index.php

Still needs a dot.
 
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