AR click, no bang

[je25ff]

I brought an AR of mine to the range over the weekend. When it was built, it functioned perfectly fine. No cycling issues, no feed issues, etc. etc. I took it to the range this weekend and click, with no bang. I left the round chambered for a minute or two pointed down range and nada. Put a new round in, click...no bang. Swapped magazines and multiple different ammo sources (some new, some not) and the same deal.

There aren't any feeding issues and no marks on the primer, casing, bullet, etc. that I can see. Is it possible the firing pin protrusion is off? Not fully chambered/battery?

I haven't messed with builds and repairs on an AR in forever.

 

[drgrant]

I brought an AR of mine to the range over the weekend. When it was built, it functioned perfectly fine. No cycling issues, no feed issues, etc. etc. I took it to the range this weekend and click, with no bang. I left the round chambered for a minute or two pointed down range and nada. Put a new round in, click...no bang. Swapped magazines and multiple different ammo sources (some new, some not) and the same deal.

There aren't any feeding issues and no marks on the primer, casing, bullet, etc. that I can see. Is it possible the firing pin protrusion is off? Not fully chambered/battery?

I haven't messed with builds and repairs on an AR in forever.

tip broke off firing pin?

The most common one is people put the hammer spring in backwards/wrong and it doesnt strike with enough force.

 

[Marty McFly]

Have you taken down the bcg and had a look ?

 

[slugworth]

I brought an AR of mine to the range over the weekend. When it was built, it functioned perfectly fine. No cycling issues, no feed issues, etc. etc. I took it to the range this weekend and click, with no bang. I left the round chambered for a minute or two pointed down range and nada. Put a new round in, click...no bang. Swapped magazines and multiple different ammo sources (some new, some not) and the same deal.

There aren't any feeding issues and no marks on the primer, casing, bullet, etc. that I can see. Is it possible the firing pin protrusion is off? Not fully chambered/battery?

I haven't messed with builds and repairs on an AR in forever.

Check to make sure your hammer spring is correct. If it’s backwards it will do what your describing.

 

[je25ff]

Have you taken down the bcg and had a look ?

I hate my reply, but no I haven't yet. I will this weekend, and go through all the suggestions.

 

[Marty McFly]

I hate my reply, but no I haven't yet. I will this weekend, and go through all the suggestions.

I don't hate your reply at all. It makes me feel better about myself

 

[pastera]

Just waiting for the ARs are gay and make your member limp comments

Strip the BCG and give it a good cleaning and inspection
Stuck, bent or broken firing pin is the most likely culprit.

 

[EMTDAD]

I'd agree.. firing pin issue.. they're not complicated

if it were a new build, 1st time out, yeah maybe hammer spring.. but since it ran fine last time, I doubt the hammer spring magically spun around.

let us know what you find..

 

[boilermaker]

I am in the "broken firing pin" camp too

 

[pastera]

I am in the "broken firing pin" camp too

Oil can oxidize and gum up pretty badly.

 

[chris_1001]

It’s junk, broken and evil. I’ll take it for parts and give you $100 for it.

You are welcome.

 

[Road_Clam]

So the fact you feel a "click" is telling me you are in fact getting rounds to fully chamber into battery otherwise the trigger would not "click" . Next is the fact you have no primer strikes . This is from a firing pin issue , either broken or the pin is not cycling, or possibly something preventing the firing pin from fully protruding beyond the bolt face. ive got 6 AR's and fired thousands of rounds and never had a broken pin . My suggestion is focus on your trigger group.

 

[Uzi2]

If the rifle fired fine at some point, I'm going with dirty firing pin channel causing a no strike condition.

The firing pin protrusion window for min and max acceptable is pretty narrow, ( minimum (.028") and maximum (.036") protrusion) If the initial protrusion was on the minimum end of the acceptable scale when it was working correctly, it wouldn't take much to bring it below minimum.

Remove the BCG, remove the firing pin, taking notice of any carbon buildup on the front of the shoulder and along the shaft, then inspect the tip for breakage.
Then spray some type of solvent ( non chlorinated carb cleaner through the firing pin channel and use a pipe cleaner to clean the channel, then re spray. Shine a light inside to make sure there's no lint left behind or use compressed air to blow the channel out from the firing pin hole on the bolt face.

Also check for excessive wear on the cam pin.

 

[je25ff]

I wasn't able to make it to the range ...but I checked out the firing pin, grabbed a new one and they're eyeball the same size. When I first pulled it out I said, ahh ha! the tip is broken off (easy fix) I don't have a depth gauge or measuring device, but will likely have to get one if the new one doesn't work.

So here's the question I don't know the answer to: If both firing pins are perfectly fine, what could possibly be wrong with the bolt in this case? I have no idea.

Edit: This answered some of this:

"Remove the BCG, remove the firing pin, taking notice of any carbon buildup on the front of the shoulder and along the shaft, then inspect the tip for breakage.
Then spray some type of solvent ( non chlorinated carb cleaner through the firing pin channel and use a pipe cleaner to clean the channel, then re spray. Shine a light inside to make sure there's no lint left behind or use compressed air to blow the channel out from the firing pin hole on the bolt face."

 

[Uzi2]

I wasn't able to make it to the range ...but I checked out the firing pin, grabbed a new one and they're eyeball the same size. When I first pulled it out I said, ahh ha! the tip is broken off (easy fix) I don't have a depth gauge or measuring device, but will likely have to get one if the new one doesn't work.

So here's the question I don't know the answer to: If both firing pins are perfectly fine, what could possibly be wrong with the bolt in this case? I have no idea.

Edit: This answered some of this:

"Remove the BCG, remove the firing pin, taking notice of any carbon buildup on the front of the shoulder and along the shaft, then inspect the tip for breakage.
Then spray some type of solvent ( non chlorinated carb cleaner through the firing pin channel and use a pipe cleaner to clean the channel, then re spray. Shine a light inside to make sure there's no lint left behind or use compressed air to blow the channel out from the firing pin hole on the bolt face."

If the pin you removed is broken on the tip, replace it. If not broken then clean it.

If both firing pins look ok, then there is probably an issue with the firing pin channel inside the bolt being dirty and debris is preventing the pin from going forward enough to meet even minimum protrusion from the bolt face, hence the "no strike" condition. Also look at the back end of the bolt and see if there is carbon buildup on the back END surface, NOT the surface that is in the gas chamber.
The back end of the bolt should look like this, shiny, without a carbon ring.


Remove the extractor and clean the channel out inside the bolt, making sure no lint or other debris is trapped, then reassemble the bolt and firing pin into the bolt carrier, then push the bolt back into the carrier and push the firing pin forward and see how far it protrudes through the firing pin hole in the bolt face.

If there's still very minimal or no protrusion, then reclean the channel.

 

[pastera]

Thorough cleaning and inspection of the BCG*** and chamber
Pull the upper, insert the BCG fully and note its position.
Chamber a dummy round and check the BCG position to see if it is going 100% into battery while chambered

*** Pull the extractor as part of the clean and inspect.

 

[OnTheRoad]

This may sound goofy but by any chance is the firing pin collar behind the retainer? If the FP isn't all the way in before shoving the retainer thru the little hole in the BCG there's no way it'll go bang.

 

[je25ff]

I swapped out a new firing pin (just to check) and took apart the bolt and cleaned everything. Still no joy ..Edit: I'm fairly certain something is preventing it from going into battery that I hadn't noticed before

Charged bolt with no round

Here is after I charged the bolt with a round

The other thing is ejecting a round manually is incredibly tough to do. I think there's a feeding problem of some kind. It's super bizarre because this was just sitting in a safe for a few years and nothing was done to it.

 

[Boghog1]

Swap bolts from another rifle that goes bang?

 

[Uzi2]

I swapped out a new firing pin (just to check) and took apart the bolt and cleaned everything. Still no joy ..Edit: I'm fairly certain something is preventing it from going into battery that I hadn't noticed before

Charged bolt with no round

Here is after I charged the bolt with a round

The other thing is ejecting a round manually is incredibly tough to do. I think there's a feeding problem of some kind. It's super bizarre because this was just sitting in a safe for a few years and nothing was done to it.

A problem like this doesn't just appear out of thin air while a gun is sitting in a safe.

We're being strung along here with the incomplete and changing information in your posts.

 

[je25ff]

A problem like this doesn't just appear out of thin air while a gun is sitting in a safe.

We're being strung along here with the incomplete and changing information in your posts.

Ok so it has been moved within the safe. Perhaps that caused damage? I've never seen it but I suppose it's possible.

This Saturday I'm breaking everything down and will take pictures of everything.

 

[cams]

When’s the last time you cleaned it?

 

[FPrice]

Sounds like you could use a little one-on-one with an experienced AR mechanic who could pull it apart, examine everything, and make a better assessment.

"The other thing is ejecting a round manually is incredibly tough to do. I think there's a feeding problem of some kind. It's super bizarre because this was just sitting in a safe for a few years and nothing was done to it."

Ant scratch marks on the round?

 

[Bistro]

I think it’s from your rear sight being backwards.

I kid.

I would try on what another member said by swapping out the bolt carrier group, then maybe swapping out lowers to see the trigger group is defective. Process of elimination

 

[Uzi2]

Ok so it has been moved within the safe. Perhaps that caused damage? I've never seen it but I suppose it's possible.

This Saturday I'm breaking everything down and will take pictures of everything.

That's great.

Looking at the last picture, it doesn't appear that the bolt carrier group is going into battery.

What did you try to chamber in that picture, a loaded round or a spent piece of brass?

Have you looked in the chamber with a flashlight to see if there is any obstruction in there? Any debris?

Is the bore clear?

Did you try with another bolt carrier group?


In the meantime, you might want to check out some of the School of The American Rifle videos on youtube to get familiar with the workings of the AR15 rifle and how to check various components for proper working function.

 

[Mike-Mike]

There might be a bullet stuck in the chamber. Remove the BCG and take a good look down the barrel from the rear and check for obstructions BEFORE you start hammering away on the forward assist.

 

[rep308]

Is there a mark on the primer?

 

[BarnBuilder]

I swapped out a new firing pin (just to check) and took apart the bolt and cleaned everything. Still no joy ..Edit: I'm fairly certain something is preventing it from going into battery that I hadn't noticed before

Charged bolt with no round

Here is after I charged the bolt with a round

The other thing is ejecting a round manually is incredibly tough to do. I think there's a feeding problem of some kind. It's super bizarre because this was just sitting in a safe for a few years and nothing was done to it.

Look closely at the difference in the first and second picture. First pic is full and complete battery. Second seems partial or incomplete battery but just enough to go
CLICK .... No Bang

I might suggest that If you have a spent case try putting it and closing the chamber and see if there is a difference.

This reminds me when I first started relaoding 223/5.56 I noticed after resizing the brass the new reloaded round would not chamber all the way in some rifles. Click .... No Bang.

I now use an RCBS small base die and now all my rifles function perfectly.

 

[Compooky]

Let someone else look at it. The problem might be something stupid related to user error.

 

[whatluck]

You probably need a good cleaning witha bright light, lots of Q tips, and a dental pick.

-if you clean the rifle and still have an issue-

Any strange wear on the contact points near the gas tube or on the bolt?

bolt lugs smooth?

extractor pocket clean? Sometimes the cutout for extractor gets gunked up enough to cause out of battery.

extractor move freely?

you don't have a squib in there do you?

no mark at all on primer? but hammer is falling forward and does not reset? pull your upper off and manually cock hammer. it should be stiff enough to slap a primer and cause ignition, probably close to what a revolver's hammer strength is. even weak hammer spring should make some kind of primer mark, soooooo, what's in between hammer and primer? BCG and barrel lugs. A good cleaning and inspection should clear that up. clean firing pin channel with dental pick. Make sure bolt moves freely in BCG. Make sure firing pin moves freely in BCG. Should fall with gravity freely. You may also have something stuck in your barrel lugs. I like spray bottle MPro solvent and Qtips, then low pressure compressed air. A chunk of case stuck in there can stop the bolt from locking up all the way.

If all that checks out start swapping parts. Swap uppers. Swap mags. Swap ammo. Swap BCG. Swap bolt. Swap firing pin. Eventually you'll find the problem.

Good luck!