Hey guys. I’m new to the forum and I had no idea where to post so I’ll post here. It’s mildly relevant so hear me out.
So after shooting about 250 rounds through my AR, I have realized that my upper had a gouge similar to those shown in the pictures above. It kinda looks like the anodizing flaked and peeled. This gouge sits just above the ejection port inside the channel where the lowest part of the charging handle and the carrier key rides. The aluminum itself has been shaved off but just a hair. This showed up after I switched my standard charging handle for a BCM gunfighter mod 4 about and a 100 rounds ago. (That means I shot 150 rounds with standard CH and 100 rounds with BCM mod 4.) Is this normal? Any help/advice will be appreciated.
Here’s more… They’re all the same. In the picture, you are looking bottom-in to the upper receiver with the star chamber pointing left, and the ejection port pointing down. Yet again, the gouge is above the ejection port inside the channel where the gas key reciprocates.
Need better pics bud. You named the charging handle manufacturer. What upper? Any sort of drag felt while cycling the charging handle manually? Better resolution pics more than anything. Like LB said ARs wear. I have a gunfighter charging handle that is bare on one side. Nothing but the aluminum showing but works perfectly. Parts wear down. As long as it functions no worries.
It’s a DTI X316 Upper. And I cannot get a better picture because it is in such a awkward place. The camera and flash can’t seem to agree on a good shot Also, I tried everything from manual cycling and separating te upper to run the CH and BCG to see if it catches anything and it functions smoothly. It’s as if that gouge is not even there which I think is weird as hell…
Unsure of that upper make. Wait until tomorrow while the sun is low on the horizon. Best time to take a picture with a cheap camera. That way it’ll give good detail and less sun bleaching and the flash won’t be needed.
If the gouge isn’t felt while cycling I wouldn’t worry about it at this point. Maybe contact the manufacturer and see what they say.
Have you racked the charging handle quite a few times? The upper receiver will undergo a little bit of wear but I don’t think the pictures you’ve posted indicate anything abnormal. Have you seen the internals of rifles that have been used extensively or at least aren’t new? I’m just trying to get a sense of your experience level here.
Sounds like it is just normal wear and tear. I would recommend putting a single drop of lubricant on the top of the charging handle, then rack it a few times. it isn’t necessary it just makes the charging action feel smoother.
Ok, thank you all for responding. Btw, on a different note. Anyone know what the military M4 gas tubes are made of? Can I get a specific grade of metal?
I believe it is stainless steel but I’ve been wrong about this sorta thing in the past. I base this on the fact that it is normally not coated, not meant to survive insane temperatures, and well… it’s shiny. I know there are stainless steel gas tubes for sale at Brownells but I don’t know if this is correct by the TDP.
Ok, so it turns out that the wear is from the cam pin as it locks and unlocks the bolt from the star chamber. This is normal wear and tear for ARs and nothing that should be worried about. I just got this back from check up by a gun smith and I thought I’d share with all of you.
Also, I tried everything from manual cycling and separating te upper to run the CH and BCG to see if it catches anything and it functions smoothly. It’s as if that gouge is not even there which I think is weird as hell…