stuck charging handle on DPMS LR-308...please help

[goldeneagle76]

I put a dummy round in (testing reload for fit), chamber it, and then try to pull charging handle back to extract the round. Charging handle does not budge. I have to pull it back and bang the buttstock on the ground...then it comes unstuck. Someone help, why would this happen? Gun is new unfired, it has been cleaned and BCG well oiled. Only mod I have done to it is Magpul PRS stock.
The reload I have in it is just below the 2.800 max OAL and the brass had been full length sized. Once I finally get the round extracted, the brass is all marked up.

 

[Rob01]

Re: stuck charging handle on DPMS LR-308...please help

Does factory ammo chamber?

 

[jasonk]

Re: stuck charging handle on DPMS LR-308...please help

What's the history of the brass? Buying once fired brass can be hit and miss, might have been a sloppy chamber and sizing dies won't always bring them back into spec.

 

[lazy21]

Re: stuck charging handle on DPMS LR-308...please help

that happened to me once, bumped the shoulders and done.

 

[Pat M]

Re: stuck charging handle on DPMS LR-308...please help

My DPMS 308 needed to be full length sizer, my normal PSS loaded rounds wouldn't chamber 20% of the time

 

[neal0124]

Re: stuck charging handle on DPMS LR-308...please help

I've had two different barrels do the same thing. First was a dpms barrel and now a fulton barrel. Both have been with the same bolt/carrier (bolt's head-space with both barrels was checked with forster go/no go gauges). I think it's the bolt/carrier needing to get well broken in. Hand loads and factory ammo will easily chamber and when tipped back will fall right out, but when the bolt is locked into the lugs it gets real hard to hand cycle the rifle. The bolt will go back just a little, it feels like the cam pin is starting to rotate against it's slot in the carrier. Then it gets stuck. As time has passed and the bolts been cycled it has gotten easier to manually cycle the rifle. When the bolt/carrier was new it was extremely hard to pull the bolt out. I just keep it well lubed and try to only let it cycle from a discharge. I have maybe 1000-1500 rounds fired with this bolt.

 

[LoneWolfUSMC]

Re: stuck charging handle on DPMS LR-308...please help

Sounds like you need to bump the shoulder back a little more.

The heavy AR's have enough ass in the bolt carrier to size rounds in your chamber when you let that thing slam closed. I have stuck a couple before when checking loaded rounds that were a little oversize.

I know you said they were FL Sized, but it may be time to get a case gauge and check what is actually coming out of your sizing die.

 

[WldWldWest]

Re: stuck charging handle on DPMS LR-308...please help

Small base dies and full length resize and problem gone.

 

[turbo54]

Re: stuck charging handle on DPMS LR-308...please help

I did the same thing when I got my DPMS SASS. I had FLS'd the brass, but hadn't FULLY cammed the press over. To get brass to chamber for that rifle, I had to really, really cam the press over hard. I ended up getting a new shellholder and sanding .010" off the top of it to get the brass up and in there enough to reliably size. Honestly though, the FLS die is barely enough - I should probably get a small base for that rifle.

I suggest you follow the same course. I never felt too comfortable bashing my buttstock, so I wrap the charging handle with a rubber mallet. I figure that way, the only thing I can fudge up is the charging handle, which is cheap to replace.

 

[hicapacity25]

Re: stuck charging handle on DPMS LR-308...please help

Ive done it also , run a cleaning rod down and pop it lose that way.

 

[WldWldWest]

Re: stuck charging handle on DPMS LR-308...please help

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: hicapacity25</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Ive done it also , run a cleaning rod down and pop it lose that way. </div></div>

DO NOT RUN A CLEANING ROD DOWN ON TOP OF A LIVE ROUND...The suprise you get will not be pleasent!

 

[Pat M]

Re: stuck charging handle on DPMS LR-308...please help

i still carry a small flathead screew driver with rounded edges in my pocket when i shoot my gas gun in matches, eary on i had issues with rounds camming closed just enough to piss me off to no end but not enough to fire. Haven't used it for many years but carry it just in case i need to pop upen the bolt.

 

[goldeneagle76]

Re: stuck charging handle on DPMS LR-308...please help

I have also noticed there are slight brass shavings and also the feed ramps are carving the bullet up (I'm guessing on extraction). I took a nylon brush with CLP on it and scrubbed the chamber. I also tried a Magpul mag and for some reason, pulling the charging handle back was alot easier.

 

[Kentucky Jelly]

Re: stuck charging handle on DPMS LR-308...please help

If you do not have one buy a Hornady Headspace Gauge kit. Measure a piece of once fired brass from your gun, and then a piece of resized brass.

If you have your die adjusted all the way down, and your shoulders are still long take out the expander if you can.

I just had to resize, and trim over 1,500 pieces of brass for my .308 AR for the same jamming issue...

 

[goldeneagle76]

Re: stuck charging handle on DPMS LR-308...please help

Got a set of the RCBS small base dies...seemed to remedy the problem! Thanks for the info guys. Oh, also lubed the heck out of the BCG and lugs.

 

[zombies-R-real]

Re: stuck charging handle on DPMS LR-308...please help

Glad you got it figured out. I had the same problem with my LR260. Two things I did to cure it was bumping the shoulders back a little and letting the rifle chamber the round with a full release of the charging handle. Don't crepe forward when chambering the round. Pull it back all the way and let it slam closed. When I would try to ease the bolt in to picking up the round so it wouldn't mark my brass to bad it would jam up just like you described.