Feather AT-9 9 mm Carbine

[Hepotter]

Feather Industries made these little collapsible carbines prior to the Clinton assault rifle ban.

My 9 mm functions fine. My neighbor found one "Old stock-new in box" and for a .25 year old gun, it's a beauty.

However, it fails to feed. Either the cartridge jams nose up before entering the chamber, or the cartridge will not fully seat in the chamber causing the bolt stop short of closing fully.

My question is what can be causing these failures. It fails on both reloads and factory ammo.

My first thought is a Dremel polishing of the lead-in to the chamber, and polishing the rim of the chamber and the chamber itself.

Can anyone think of any other problems that might cause this failure? Is it possible the chamber itself is too small? On the shots that fire, it is necessary to pry the spent brass out of the chamber, and it is in there very very tight! And...something interesting, dropping a cartridge into the chamber shows that some cartridges will fully seat, while others, both reloads and factory, will not drop fully into the chamber, sticking out about 1/8". Strange.

Does it need to re-bored???

Any ideas to salvage this little blow back bolt rifle?

 

[rcmodel]

Sounds like you need to find a gunsmith with a 9mm Finish Chamber Reamer to address the too-tight chamber.

The nose-up feeding problem is very likely related to the magazine feed-lips being not quite right.

Try another magazine that works in your gun.

rc

 

[jaguarxk120]

The feeding problems could be traced to the feed lips on the magazine.

As far as chambering you have to compare the loaded cartridges the ones that chamber OK to the ones that do not. There is something different between the two.

 

[rcmodel]

He said some factory 9mm loads will not drop in the chamber all the way.

The chamber needs a finish reamer run in it and headspace set, or at least checked.

Rc