Problems with my CA-10 (ar10) 6.5cm

Willie16wild

WillieGunner
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Mar 3, 2017
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Punxsutawney, PA
I am having problems with my Christensen Arms ca-10 6.5 creedmoor. I am new to ar10s and ar15s. I don't know everything. I am having trouble with it feeding. I shoot once then it does not chamber another round. The trigger always goes off but it does not chamber a bullet. It ejects every case just fine but I gotta we cock it every time to chamber another bullet.

I bought factory ammo to just test it because I didn't have everything to reload yet. I tried 120gr, 130gr, and 140gr bullets.

Actually the 140gr bullets did feed and recycle all just fine. I had problems with the 120gr and 130gr.
 
With gas guns like yours, everything is connected. The gun relies on the backpressure behind the bullet to travel through the gas block, into the bolt and begin the process of unlocking, extracting, ejecting and then feeding a new round.

Your gun sounds like it is being starved for gas with lighter projectiles. Generally, heavier projectiles generate more backpressure than lighter ones—which is why they are working when the lighter stuff isn’t.

If you were to look at the rifle from the top, at which position is it ejecting brass with the lighter ammo vs. the heavier ammo? (Generally we would refer to a rifle that ejected directly right of the port as ejecting at 3 o’clock.)

Here is a helpful chart that applies to your rifle as well as AR15s:

22671928017_8c68eccc92_b.jpg
 
With gas guns like yours, everything is connected. The gun relies on the backpressure behind the bullet to travel through the gas block, into the bolt and begin the process of unlocking, extracting, ejecting and then feeding a new round.

Your gun sounds like it is being starved for gas with lighter projectiles. Generally, heavier projectiles generate more backpressure than lighter ones—which is why they are working when the lighter stuff isn’t.

If you were to look at the rifle from the top, at which position is it ejecting brass with the lighter ammo vs. the heavier ammo? (Generally we would refer to a rifle that ejected directly right of the port as ejecting at 3 o’clock.)

Here is a helpful chart that applies to your rifle as well as AR15s:

22671928017_8c68eccc92_b.jpg

I did figure since the 140s were heavier that's why they were ejecting. The 140s are ejecting into the purple area. And the 120gr and 130gr were in the the yellow.

Do you think if I got an adjustable gas block it will fix my problem?
 
I did figure since the 140s were heavier that's why they were ejecting. The 140s are ejecting into the purple area. And the 120gr and 130gr were in the the yellow.

Do you think if I got an adjustable gas block it will fix my problem?

Potentially, it depends how your barrel and block are currently configured. If your factory block is designed to restrict gas flow (some manufacturers do this to reduce felt recoil and wear/tear on the gun), then yes, an adjustable gas block should correct the issue.

The more likely reason it isn’t working is because they designed the gun around heavier loads and thus drilled your gas port to provide the right amount of flow based on that round and pressure curve. If this is the case, then you’ll need to have the port opened up (drilled larger) by a competent gunsmith or machinist, and then pair it with a high-quality adjustable gas block if you intend to shoot different loads and still want the softest shot possible.
 
Potentially, it depends how your barrel and block are currently configured. If your factory block is designed to restrict gas flow (some manufacturers do this to reduce felt recoil and wear/tear on the gun), then yes, an adjustable gas block should correct the issue.

The more likely reason it isn’t working is because they designed the gun around heavier loads and thus drilled your gas port to provide the right amount of flow based on that round and pressure curve. If this is the case, then you’ll need to have the port opened up (drilled larger) by a competent gunsmith or machinist, and then pair it with a high-quality adjustable gas block if you intend to shoot different loads and still want the softest shot possible.

Christensen arms finally just sent an email back to me and they recommend me getting the SUPERLATIVE ARMS adjustable gas block. I am pretty sure i just have to replace the one on the gun and not do any machine to it.
 
Christensen arms finally just sent an email back to me and they recommend me getting the SUPERLATIVE ARMS adjustable gas block. I am pretty sure i just have to replace the one on the gun and not do any machine to it.

Glad to hear they recommended an easy fix. Word of advice, skip the Superlative and go for an SLR block. I personally have had one of the early Superlative blocks explode / split in half on me, and I've seen a number of its predecessor (Syrac Ordnance) design explode as well.
 
Glad to hear they recommended an easy fix. Word of advice, skip the Superlative and go for an SLR block. I personally have had one of the early Superlative blocks explode / split in half on me, and I've seen a number of its predecessor (Syrac Ordnance) design explode as well.

what if i run surppressed also. you still recomment slr?
 
Glad to hear they recommended an easy fix. Word of advice, skip the Superlative and go for an SLR block. I personally have had one of the early Superlative blocks explode / split in half on me, and I've seen a number of its predecessor (Syrac Ordnance) design explode as well.

Funny, I ran Syrac's for years without a single issue. We are talking over 30. I have about 15 SLR's right now. They make a great product but they have clearance issues on the thinner handguards due to the bump on the left side of the block when looking from muzzle to chamber.

I now have 6 Superlative AGB's in .750, .875 and .936 with the oldest one being about a year old. I have thousands of rounds on them without a single issue. They are the only quality AGB that will clear a Geissele MK8 handguard.

I have built 100's of AR's over the year and I have yet to see a single AGB blow up or split or dissolve into this air. Ive seen adjustment screws seize up on ALL of the brands being discussed. That includes SLR, Syrac and Superlative. If your only gonna run suppressed tune it till bult holds open with the can on. If your gonna run it both ways then tune it with the can off because if you dont it will be under gassed when you remove the can.

Do not hesitate to buy a Superlative Arms AGB.
 
what if i run surppressed also. you still recomment slr?

Yes, that is what I use across 10+ gas guns. I had a rifle with the Superlative block on it when I bought it and it failed spectacularly.

Just keep in mind that running any rifle both suppressed and unsuppressed is a compromise, unless you are dedicated to finding what load you want to run, tuning the block to that setting, and cleaning / servicing the block to maintain adjustability. With all of these blocks (from any manufacturer), they WILL get impacted with carbon if you shoot a lot (ESPECIALLY suppressed) and can get locked up if you aren't diligent.

If you are just hunting with the rifle, you'll likely be fine, but serious suppressed usage (with the intent of then adjusting to an unsuppressed setting) will require some TLC with oil and cleaning to be able to continue adjusting frequently with high round counts.
 
Funny, I ran Syrac's for years without a single issue. We are talking over 30. I have about 15 SLR's right now. They make a great product but they have clearance issues on the thinner handguards due to the bump on the left side of the block when looking from muzzle to chamber.

I now have 6 Superlative AGB's in .750, .875 and .936 with the oldest one being about a year old. I have thousands of rounds on them without a single issue. They are the only quality AGB that will clear a Geissele MK8 handguard.

I have built 100's of AR's over the year and I have yet to see a single AGB blow up or split or dissolve into this air. Ive seen adjustment screws seize up on ALL of the brands being discussed. That includes SLR, Syrac and Superlative. If your only gonna run suppressed tune it till bult holds open with the can on. If your gonna run it both ways then tune it with the can off because if you dont it will be under gassed when you remove the can.

Do not hesitate to buy a Superlative Arms AGB.

Good to know, I swear I have the worst luck with this stuff. I'll see if I can find photos of it. I suppose there's a chance it was a one-off or an older Syrac model that the original rifle owner represented as a Superlative, but mine definitely blew apart in half.

So I don't seem completely anecdotal, it would seem that I'm not the only one:

https://www.ar15.com/forums/ar-15/-/4-641711/?page=1
 
I am having problems with my Christensen Arms ca-10 6.5 creedmoor. I am new to ar10s and ar15s. I don't know everything. I am having trouble with it feeding. I shoot once then it does not chamber another round. The trigger always goes off but it does not chamber a bullet. It ejects every case just fine but I gotta we cock it every time to chamber another bullet.

I bought factory ammo to just test it because I didn't have everything to reload yet. I tried 120gr, 130gr, and 140gr bullets.

Actually the 140gr bullets did feed and recycle all just fine. I had problems with the 120gr and 130gr.

I hated my Christensen rifles. All were shit. I had three bolt guns and a ca15. Got them all on trade except the 300 mag that btw, shot absolutely horrible.
 
I was referring to your comment that Superlative blocks explode. I haven't heard or seen a single report of them exploding.

Well, as I mentioned above, I had Superlative Arms block explode on my Mega Maten after about 300 rounds of 308 use. First time for everything, I suppose.
 
I have a ca10 also. What barrel length is yours and is it new or was it shooting good then starting having problems?
I got a slr sentry 9 I think is the model. It has been great. I would get the clamp version since the dimples on there carbon fiber barrels don’t match up very well to the holes already drill for slr.
My first barrel was a 18 inch with mid length and it worked great. I changed barrel though for a 22 inch with rifle length.
 
I have a ca10 also. What barrel length is yours and is it new or was it shooting good then starting having problems?
I got a slr sentry 9 I think is the model. It has been great. I would get the clamp version since the dimples on there carbon fiber barrels don’t match up very well to the holes already drill for slr.
My first barrel was a 18 inch with mid length and it worked great. I changed barrel though for a 22 inch with rifle length.

I have a 24inch barrel. It shoot the factory 140gr bullets just fine but not the 120s and 130s. And i have only shoot 50 some rounds put of it now so far. I am actually doing there barrel break in procedure. I usually never do a full on barrel break in procedure but I thought I would try it since I spent 3200$ on the gun haha.

Why did you end up choosing the slr?
 
Isn't an M16 carrier lighter than an AR15 carrier? I don't understand how a lighter carrier and a heavier buffer can be in the same recommendation?
With gas guns like yours, everything is connected. The gun relies on the backpressure behind the bullet to travel through the gas block, into the bolt and begin the process of unlocking, extracting, ejecting and then feeding a new round.

Your gun sounds like it is being starved for gas with lighter projectiles. Generally, heavier projectiles generate more backpressure than lighter ones—which is why they are working when the lighter stuff isn’t.

If you were to look at the rifle from the top, at which position is it ejecting brass with the lighter ammo vs. the heavier ammo? (Generally we would refer to a rifle that ejected directly right of the port as ejecting at 3 o’clock.)

Here is a helpful chart that applies to your rifle as well as AR15s:

22671928017_8c68eccc92_b.jpg