I've been lurking around here for a while, but this is my first post. Anyways, back in September the paperwork for my AAC 762SD finally came back. I should mention that this is my first can, however it is not my first NFA item. I went with the 762SD because the 762SD-N6 wasn't on the market back in march when I put the paperwork in, and I wanted a QD can that could pull double duty between my Rem 700 AAC-SD and my short barreled AR in 5.56 (10.5 inch LMT).
Well, approx 2 weeks after taking possession of my can, the teeth on the ratchet latch had worn down and no longer prevented the can from being removed from the host weapon. At this point it had been through less than 200 attachment cycles. I don't know the exact number because I wasn't keeping track of it. I sent AAC an email about the procedure for getting a can repaired, which they never responded to. I ended up calling them, and after telling them about the worn down latch, the AAC rep (who shall remain anonymous) informed me that they had a batch of latches that were not properly heat treated and that it was a known issue for cans made during a certain time frame. I was told to ship it back to them and they would replace the latch and get it back to me. A little over 2 months and several phone calls later, my can was returned with a new latch. Took a fair amount of time, but it's fixed, and that's what counts.
Or so I thought. The new latch had worn down after appox 150 attachment cycles. It had worn down in the exact same manner as the previous one, as well. So, I called AAC again, and explained the situation to the rep. They told me that it was thought that all the bad latches were removed from inventory, and to ship the can back so the latch could be replaced. I inquired about the service life of both the latch and the can when being used on a bolt action .308 with a 20 inch barrel. The rep informed me that certain members of the military have reported over 6,500 attachment cycles on cans that use the 51t ratchet mount system without issue, and that the can would last for 20,000 rounds on that barrel length/caliber combination. So I shipped the can back.
Two weeks later my can came back. Now, after the same part failing twice in a row, and AAC admitting that they have had a batch of bad latches and giving me a known (unofficial) minimum lifespan of the 51t system, I decided to actually test this latch to make sure that it was not going to fail in the same manner as the others. 75 attachment cycles later (25 cycles on 3 different mounts) the teeth of the latch were starting to wear down in the exact same manner as the previous two. Once again, I found myself calling AAC about the this problem. Except that this time, the AAC rep took a rather rude and defensive tone with me. This caught me rather off guard because I had done nothing to provoke such a response, the general idea being that if you are polite to people they are more likely to be polite to you as well. Anyways, this time I was told that the teeth rounding over and metal shavings left on the mount were perfectly normal, and that because the obvious abuse (not their words, just me sarcastically paraphrasing) of 75 attachments (1.15% of 6,500) that I subjected the can to, AAC would no longer be able to cover further repairs under warranty. I cannot quote what they said, because I do not have it written down anywhere, but it was something close of the effect of "are you trying to break it? if this is how you're going to treat it, I don't think that we'll be able to cover further repairs under warranty."
So I started asking around about this problem. Previous internet research (after the first incident) had only found one previous case of a latch wearing down in such manner. I took the can to my local SOT whom I purchased it from, and explained the situation to them. They were rather surprised by this, and one of the employees brought out their personal M4-2000 that was approx 2 years old, and, according to them, had been through at least 1,000 attachment cycles. Needless to say, the teeth on the 2K were almost perfect, only the finish had worn off of the very edge of the teeth. I also spoke to several people who use AAC silencers extensively, and they have had zero issues with theirs. They estimated an average of 35-40 attachment cycles per month on their equipment. I also confirmed that I was in fact using the correct technique to attach and detach the can from the host. It doesn't seem like it's something you could screw up, but you never know. There is a reason why the generic first tech support question is "is it plugged in / turned on?"
And to top it all off, The bore of the can does not actually align to the bore of any host that I have mounted it on. I have checked it on 4 different hosts, and on each one the can deflects in the same direction relative to itself. I also checked all 4 of the hosts with a 762SD-N6, and it aligns perfectly on all 4. The 762SD doesn't deflect enough to obstruct the path of the bullet, but it is concerning to say the least. A little surprising since AAC claims "tapered-bore EDM technology is utilized to ensure precise bore alignment". That doesn't do you much good if the internal shoulder that mates up to the mount is out of alignment. I'm starting to wonder what else might be wrong with my can.
As far as actually using the can, it is much better than unsuppressed fire. Sadly that is the only thing I have to compare it to. I've put a total of 395 rounds through it at this point.
I guess the short story is, has anyone else had this problem of the latch wearing out? And has anyone had similar customer service issues with AAC?
Sorry about the long post, and thanks for taking the time to read it, this has been a long and rather unpleasant experience.
Well, approx 2 weeks after taking possession of my can, the teeth on the ratchet latch had worn down and no longer prevented the can from being removed from the host weapon. At this point it had been through less than 200 attachment cycles. I don't know the exact number because I wasn't keeping track of it. I sent AAC an email about the procedure for getting a can repaired, which they never responded to. I ended up calling them, and after telling them about the worn down latch, the AAC rep (who shall remain anonymous) informed me that they had a batch of latches that were not properly heat treated and that it was a known issue for cans made during a certain time frame. I was told to ship it back to them and they would replace the latch and get it back to me. A little over 2 months and several phone calls later, my can was returned with a new latch. Took a fair amount of time, but it's fixed, and that's what counts.
Or so I thought. The new latch had worn down after appox 150 attachment cycles. It had worn down in the exact same manner as the previous one, as well. So, I called AAC again, and explained the situation to the rep. They told me that it was thought that all the bad latches were removed from inventory, and to ship the can back so the latch could be replaced. I inquired about the service life of both the latch and the can when being used on a bolt action .308 with a 20 inch barrel. The rep informed me that certain members of the military have reported over 6,500 attachment cycles on cans that use the 51t ratchet mount system without issue, and that the can would last for 20,000 rounds on that barrel length/caliber combination. So I shipped the can back.
Two weeks later my can came back. Now, after the same part failing twice in a row, and AAC admitting that they have had a batch of bad latches and giving me a known (unofficial) minimum lifespan of the 51t system, I decided to actually test this latch to make sure that it was not going to fail in the same manner as the others. 75 attachment cycles later (25 cycles on 3 different mounts) the teeth of the latch were starting to wear down in the exact same manner as the previous two. Once again, I found myself calling AAC about the this problem. Except that this time, the AAC rep took a rather rude and defensive tone with me. This caught me rather off guard because I had done nothing to provoke such a response, the general idea being that if you are polite to people they are more likely to be polite to you as well. Anyways, this time I was told that the teeth rounding over and metal shavings left on the mount were perfectly normal, and that because the obvious abuse (not their words, just me sarcastically paraphrasing) of 75 attachments (1.15% of 6,500) that I subjected the can to, AAC would no longer be able to cover further repairs under warranty. I cannot quote what they said, because I do not have it written down anywhere, but it was something close of the effect of "are you trying to break it? if this is how you're going to treat it, I don't think that we'll be able to cover further repairs under warranty."
So I started asking around about this problem. Previous internet research (after the first incident) had only found one previous case of a latch wearing down in such manner. I took the can to my local SOT whom I purchased it from, and explained the situation to them. They were rather surprised by this, and one of the employees brought out their personal M4-2000 that was approx 2 years old, and, according to them, had been through at least 1,000 attachment cycles. Needless to say, the teeth on the 2K were almost perfect, only the finish had worn off of the very edge of the teeth. I also spoke to several people who use AAC silencers extensively, and they have had zero issues with theirs. They estimated an average of 35-40 attachment cycles per month on their equipment. I also confirmed that I was in fact using the correct technique to attach and detach the can from the host. It doesn't seem like it's something you could screw up, but you never know. There is a reason why the generic first tech support question is "is it plugged in / turned on?"
And to top it all off, The bore of the can does not actually align to the bore of any host that I have mounted it on. I have checked it on 4 different hosts, and on each one the can deflects in the same direction relative to itself. I also checked all 4 of the hosts with a 762SD-N6, and it aligns perfectly on all 4. The 762SD doesn't deflect enough to obstruct the path of the bullet, but it is concerning to say the least. A little surprising since AAC claims "tapered-bore EDM technology is utilized to ensure precise bore alignment". That doesn't do you much good if the internal shoulder that mates up to the mount is out of alignment. I'm starting to wonder what else might be wrong with my can.
As far as actually using the can, it is much better than unsuppressed fire. Sadly that is the only thing I have to compare it to. I've put a total of 395 rounds through it at this point.
I guess the short story is, has anyone else had this problem of the latch wearing out? And has anyone had similar customer service issues with AAC?
Sorry about the long post, and thanks for taking the time to read it, this has been a long and rather unpleasant experience.
