From the beginning… I purchased an ar15 from a very reputable company new in box from an online retailer, the action was terrible and felt like it had sand poured in it… Even after cleaning and lubing it vigorously. There were definitely some issues with burrs, machining, or something. I decided to contact said company and they actually told me that they wanted me to send it in, I asked if I could get an upgrade to a 14.5 barrel with a pinned comp on my dime and they were happy to do so. Over a month later I received the rifle back, action better, but still pretty bad. I went to clean the rifle and get ready for the range… That is when I noticed that they drilled straight through my barrel when doing the pin and weld (straight through a land and slightly over either side of it). Again this is a very reputable company that sells high end rifles ($1,600+). I am not going to bash this company online, but I do want to hear peoples opinions. So, what do you guys think? Is this a safety issue, or just an accuracy issue? There does not seem to be anything protruding, but there should be a pin in there somewhere that could eventually pop loose. Obviously I will be contacting them Monday.
Stupid question…are you sure it’s not the gas port you’re seeing?
I wish it was, bud. It is at the 6 o’clock position and directly corresponds with the pin. It is a pretty big hole. I wish I knew how to post pictures.
Yup. Major screw up. Send it back.
Dang. Given that they ruined the barrel, I’d try to just get by money back at best, or get the upper completely replaced at worst.
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“from a very reputable company”
Come on, dish!
It may affect precision. Maybe not. The gas port of a Garand doesn’t affect precision and it’s near the muzzle.
Contact the company and let them address the problem.
If they do not handle it like they should… I will definitely put the name out. They were great to deal with the first time around, but I am starting to get a little frustrated. My question is… Do you not thoroughly inspect the work you do?
Obviously not.
Zero excuse for such poor QC.
I’d never buy a rifle from that company again. Idgaf who it was. That is bad.
Yeah, double failure. That it happened in the first place, and that they didn’t inspect it before they sent it. Now to see if they’re going to go for a triple failure and fail to bend over backward to make this right. Generally, the upper-tier gun companies are pretty customer-service oriented so I’d be kind of surprised if they didn’t fall all over themselves to correct this.
Can’t you tell the “feel” of no more resistance when you’ve drilled completely through something? From your pic it looks pretty cleaned up too, i.e. no visible burrs or anything. Makes me wonder if someone was like “Oh shit, I better dress this up”. Maybe a new guy who didn’t want to get head-smacked for screwing up a barrel?
Was thinking the same.
I’d say you’re lucky to have seen this, many consumers wouldn’t have, they also could have ended up pushing the pin too deep and let it block bore and that would have been catastrophic failure.
I wouldn’t shoot that. Without knowing the pin press fit is sufficient or certain that the pin end is actually captured in the weld itself rather than just blocked by the weld bead, there is a possibility of the pin moving into bore over time and thermal cycles.
Edit: One thing about this (if the above is validated) is that with a thru hole the pin could be slightly longer and more engagement than if there is a drill point at the base of the hole. And it shouldn’t hurt accuracy once sharp edge of the hole is worn slightly. I’d expect a shop to drill first and then use an end mill to clear the hole to precise size and squared bottom just shy of the bore depth by some amount (how much to prevent cracking in the bore I don’t know, a thin wall in the bore there would also be an issue). If the pin doesn’t have enough engagement it could be twisted off by zealous enough (read: torque bar) agents trying to prove its inadequately permanently installed.
Andrew - Lancaster, CA
NRA Life Member, CRPA member, Calguns.net contributor, CGF / SAF / FPC / CCRKBA / GOA / NAGR / NRA-ILA contributor, USCCA member - Support your defenders!
Yipes that is bad.
I am curious about your initial opinion that the action felt bad. What “action”? Working the charging handle, the trigger, or both? I’ve owned some “top tier” rifles that had a “gritty” feeling cycling action that cleared up in short order. They all cycled fine so I shot the hell out of them. On mil spec triggers, I don’t expect anything to be good no matter who they come from.
As for that barrel, there is no excuse for that hole being all the way through unless that is how they do it and they have a technical reason for doing so.
None of us were there. None of us have any idea what happened. As a technician with over three decades of training and experience, I will tell you the only person who never makes a mistake is the one who never does anything. The mistake could be the result of something as simple as a brain fart. It could been cause by fatigue, distraction, complacency or the brain misplacing a decimal point. It could have been cause incompetence, but the mistake doesn’t mean incompetence is the cause. Armorers, machinists, mechanics and other craftsmen work hard at their trade to get it right every time and when we don’t, it hurts our pride. No one is harder on us about our mistakes than we ourselves are. When a mistake is made, we analyze what happens and take steps to prevent it from happening in the first place. There are exceptions, but most people take pride in what they do and strive to give the customer a good product.
I thought we had more respect for ourselves than be so quick to judge someone who isn’t even here to defend their self, with so few facts and before giving them a chance to respond to the problem.
Millenials are starting to work in manufacturing now huh? :lol:
Pretty sure the forum rules require him to contact the company and let them make it right first.
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All I can say is that it was very bad. I am generally not one to complain and I do shoot the crap out of all my firearms. There were certainly some machining errors somewhere and they agreed that it was in no way normal or up to their standards. They actually encouraged me to send it in, I initially just called them to express my minor concerns.
I definitely agree. Again, I am not here to bash anyone. I just wanted opinions from all you guys on the adverse effects of such an error. I am a huge fan of 14.5 pinned barrels on my ar’s, I own and have owned a large amount of them… I have never seen or heard of this happening.
By the way… I appreciate all the feedback that you guys have given.