[LAtoSF]

Hi everyone,

Well I just purchased a new RFB and after greasing and oiling it last night I took it to the range today where I was able to shoot 1, yes 1, round out if it before it completely jammed. I cannot for the life of me slide the bolt out or even get the charging handle to slide back. The charging handle is stuck about 1/2 inch from being completely closed. I tried to break the entire rifle down and the top portion that contains the bolt is locked in place and will not budge. Any suggestions or help? Thanks

 

[ronmar]

Since this rifle chambers and ejects at the same time, if there was more than one round in the mag, where is the next live round and where is the empty case that was being ejected? That might help you determine what is jamming it. Is it the empty case or a live round in the chamber that is causing the jam.

If it is a round or an empty case in the chamber, at 1/2 inch from closed, the bolt is probably mostly in battery, that last 1/2" of travel just drops the rear of the bolt down over the locking crossbar in the rear of the receiver. What do you see when you look up into the magwell? Can you see if the extractors are down over a round in the chamber, or still up where they would have been when they released the empty case? If they are down you might be able to pry them off the case in the chamber to release the bolt and carrier. But then it becomes a matter of possibly having to remove a live round.

If it is a case, another method is to run the charging handle into something solid like a door jam or a workbench. Of course if you suspect a live round, this must be done with the muzzle pointed toward a safe bullet stop...

 

[LAtoSF]

Thanks for the help. It looks like a case because I counted my rounds and I had 10 and in my mag and now 9. No casing ejected from the front.

 

[TNC]

Excellent description, ronmar. I was curious as to whether the OP was in the process of setting the gas adjustment since this was the first shot out of the rifle. It may point out the benefit of insuring you set the gas on your first shots with just the one cartridge in the magazine. Also OP, what magazine was delivered with your rifle?

 

[ronmar]

Ok, so there isn't a live round in the mix, thats good. So where is the missing casing? Did it fail to extract from the chamber, or did it somehow jam above the chamber in the ejection chute. Like I mentioned you should be able to see if the extractors are up or down. A bright light might also allow you to look down the ejection port and see if you can see any brass back at the start of the chute. At any rate a good stout smack on the charging handle against a solid object should overcome the stuck brass either way.

 

[LAtoSF]

Thanks for the advice. There was an empty shell stuck in the extractor. I took your advice and pushed the charging handle against my work bench and it finally broke free and I was able to completely disassemble the rifle. I didn't follow the directions and loaded 10 rounds into the factory FAL mag they sent me with the rifle instead of adjusting it with a single round. I will say though that the shell was in that extractor good. It took some force to get it loose. I'll start all over again tomorrow and follow instructions this time. Thanks for he help

 

[ronmar]

So the case was stuck IN the chamber or up above in the ejection chute? What does the case look like? If stuck in the chamber that is unusual for a first shot. I would carefully inspect the chamber with a bright light, and most definitely give it a scrubbing with solvent and a chamber brush then dry it with a swab(no lube here). The only thing that I would think would cause this is some sort of debris in the chamber that the case fireformed around during the shot. Excessive lube or even some grease might have caused this...

If the case stuck above the chamber, the only thing to cause this I have seen is a mis-aligned finger at the start of the ejection chute. the case swallows the finger and severe case damage ensues(tears a gash down the side of the case). Properly adjusted the fingers should look like this. The fingers should be closed just enough to prevent an empty case from sliding back thru and the tips spread far enough to guide the mouth into the chute without catching: The rear of the chute also must properly engage the little notch on top of the receiver.


The only problem I have had with a jam was when I switched ammo and forgot my gas adjust. It was overgassed and the case struck the ramp above the chamber instead of going over it. that is why I reccomend you start with the gas adjuster nearer wide open. Under gassing has less chance of causing issues IMO. Have you seen my gas adjust video up in the FAQ section(#21)? that should get you to the proper adjust point with just a few shots. You can sight it in while you do it

http://youtube.com/watch?v=5eD_C8J8Fkc

 

[LAtoSF]

Thanks a ton. Excellent advice. The case was still attached to the extractor and it was darn tough to get lose which I found odd. The casing never made it into the sheet metal shoot to be extracted. Hard to explain. I had to get pliers to carefully slide the casing out of the extractor.

 

[850sub]

Was that factory new ammo?

 

[LAtoSF]

Factory ammo. Federal white box.

 

[Evil_Edie]

For future reference if it's just a case thats stuck, it may be easier to use a cleaning rod to tap it out. I've had what i think are similar stoppages when i first got mine with a certain brand of ammo. While it was neigh impossible to hammer it open by the charging handle, it was only a light tap on the cleaning rod to get it loose that way. use one hand (or foot) on the charging handle so it doesn't slam closed again on you.