i really appreciate your help! but I think, this
is the root cause. this round sticking up at a 45 degree angle cocked sideways as well, allows this,
when I hit the bolt release. I am NOT riding the bolt back slow. this is the condition that I am having this issue. 1) I push a loaded magazine into the weapon with the bolt closed, 2) I pull the charging handle all the way back, 3) I let go of the charge handle, and 4, the gun jams. //// I can make the gun operate just fine, by pulling the charging handle all the way back, while holding the charging handle, I then lock the bolt release. then I insert a loaded magazine, then press the bolt release button. the round goes into battery just fine. but it SHOULD (at least in my mind it should) go into battery both ways, unfortunately, my rifle jams every time I do it the first way. ///@%%!?? I THINK I JUST CAME UP WITH A CLUE. THE RIFLE JAMS EVERY TIME THE BOLT TRAVEL BACKWARDS ACROSS THE SHELLS BEFORE THE BOLT GOES FORWARD. REGUARDLESS OF WHETHER I LET GO OF THE CHARGE HANDLE, OR I PRESS THE BOLT CATCH. IF THE BOLT TRAVELS SLOWLY BACKWARDS ACROSS THEM, THE SHELLS COME OUT FORWARD WHEN THE BOLT GOES FORWARD. WHY, IS THE QUESTION.///// I suspect this is happening so fast when the gun is firing, it does not have a chance for the bullet to get cocked up and to the side. the gun runs fine. either slow and deliberate fire, or fast as I can pull the trigger. by the way, I turned the mag catch another 2 turns to get the threaded end to just protrude a little bit. I think i could turn it 1 or two turns more, but I don't understand what this is doing, except putting extra tension on the spring. the magazines do not drop (when firing), and they come out when I push the mag release. so ???? oh, the feed ramps may not be as bad as you think. when I first built this gun (around Christmas time) I made up 5 dummy rounds. I drilled holes right thru them, and they have no primers, and the bullets have been crimped in place. these dummy rounds have been cycled thru this gun hundreds of times. both trying to fix this issue, and a few others, that were not as tough as this. no, the first picture (on the first photo ( last post) i did not ride the bolt forward. i pressed the bolt release just like in this set of photos. I don't think the mag lips are deformed in either of these photos. they are stainless steel, and this has been happening on and off since I built it. and the new mags that I just purchased do the exact same thing. I say on and off because there have been other issues, which I have been able to fix on my own. they really were pretty easy, mostly caused by my ignorance of this platform. I have been shooting for 55 years, and this is my first semi auto rifle. I have shot several over the years, but this is the first owning one. and the first shots on this platform was on this gun. //// ok, I think the last test, well, actually 2 tests. removing the mag catch, it looked almost flush with the bolt closed with me pushing up on the magazine, and looking at the bolt "purchase" on the casing, it is almost a full lug of engagement on a shell casing when the bolt touches the base of the case, so I think there is plenty of contact. ////////////// I just had a thought, if the magazine springs were installed backwards, could this cause this problem? both of the original magazines were purchased at the same time, most likely made at the same time. it wouldn't be the first time a new hire had messed up a small lot of something. and the way stuff fly's off the shelf these days, it would not be far fetched that they went out the door before somebody noticed.