nasty AR jam

[another okie]

My Bushmaster has about 3,000 rounds through and I've had no problems except a few hard primer rounds.

Until the middle of a match today.

I reloaded from a locked-back bolt, pulled the trigger, and got nothing. When I looked down there was double feed, but not the typical double feed with a chambered round and another one behind it. I know how to clear that.

Instead the top round in the new magazine had been pushed above the chamber into the lugs, and another round was sort of tilted below it. I couldn't get the magazine out or the bolt back, since the two springs were working against one another.

I finally managed to pull down on the magazine and back on the bolt at the same time. The magazine came out, the bolt came back, and about four rounds went down through the mag well.

Then I put the magazine back in and finished the stage. I guess it would have been smarter to put in a different magazine, but that didn't occur to me at the time.

I set the magazine aside and will check it tomorrow. Fortunately I have them all marked and numbered. The rifle shot fine the rest of the match and when cleaning it all appeared normal.

Obviously the most likely thing is the magazine spring or follower, (or bad lips) but it also occurred to me that I was running as I reloaded, and perhaps I jarred the top round loose, allowing the second round to rise, and then bolt pushed both forward.

I'm no AR expert, so I would appreciate any other thoughts.

 

[Blackfork]

Clearing that jam.

It's easy and direct. Magazine out. Bounce the rifle on its buttstock pointing directly up. Dirt or wood surface good. After a couple of bounces, you bounce the bolt carrier loose against it's spring and the bullets fall out. Usually two quick hits, but you have to be hard and firm. I hold the wrist of the rear stock, not the pistol grip. You are trying to hit the buttplate against something firm REALLY hard. Wood good, concrete bad. You don't want to break the plastic buttplate.

Otherwise you are taking off the stock and buffer tube, trying to pull the bolt carrier out through the back and all kinds of nonsense. It's hard to get them to jam like this on purpose but it can happen.

If you haven't had this jam, make a note of this fix.

 

[another okie]

I couldn't get the magazine out. I think the bolt was holding it in place, or else it had the second round pinned between the bolt lugs and the magazine lips. Just to be clear, this was not the typical double feed. The two rounds were above and below one another, not lined up.