I was sighting in my 16" Carbine (Bushmaster) I had replaced the rear sight and wanted to zero it at the indoor range. I fired 4 mags, only 3 rounds per mag, and on one of the 4 mags the bolt didn’t lock open. I also just changed up from a Carbine buffer to an H3.
Should I drop down to an H2 or leave it be since this is just Wolf ammo?
The ejection was at 3 Oclock with the H3 buffer, it used to eject forward with the Carbine buffer.
While Bushmasters are overgassed, I think an H3 when shooting Wolf .223 is overdoing it.
I’d suggest you back off to an H2, or maybe even an H as long as you’re shooting Wolf. When you start shooting 5.56, you can bring it back up.
yes try an H2, H3 is pushing it even on a carby. My middy can cycle wolf on an H buffer
My Bushmaster would run Wolf just fine with a standard buffer. Why are you using an H3 on a 16" gun?
Jeremy
You do not need an H3 with a Bushamster 16" and H should be more than enough. Also, have you considered that it could have been the mag since the others did lock back?
Thanks for the replies
I didn’t know which buffer to upgrade to, my carbine was ejecting forward with the Carbine buffer and I read all the ‘buffer threads’. I got a deal on a ‘take off’ H3 Buffer and I figured I’d try it 1st and if it were too much I’d swap the weights with my carbine buffer and have an H and an H2.
I only used the same 20rd mag for the ‘sight in’.
I’ll swap the weights and see how it ejects with the H vs. H2 buffers
Thanks!
Seriously, do not overthink this. There is no need to swamp weights or take anything apart. Just use an H buffer and you should be GTG.
Do not worry about “ejection patterns”. Worry about your weapon not extracting and ejecting.
Understood 
You should never need anything heavier than a H2 on a CAR gas system length gun unless you’re running a suppressor full-time.
Stellar advice. If your rifle is running, let it run…
My BM won’t lock back with Wolf, unless I run a carbine buffer. My BCM middy won’t lock back with either the 55 or 62 grain Wolf and the H-buffer that’s in it, but will with any other .223/5.56 ammo I’ve tried. Since I only run the Wolf ammo thru my BM, I just kept the carbine buffer in it.
Both cycle the ammo fine though with no failures (other than the locking back part with the BCM). I’m running new P-mags in both, 20 rnd in the BM and 30 rnd in the BCM.
Same here with the BM.
It cycles Wolf ammo just fine, but will not lock back about 75% of the time with an H-Buffer regardless of the magazine. When I put the standard buffer back in, locks back every time.
It also has no problem locking back on Ultramax remaned ammo with the H-Buffer. Only seems to do it with Wolf.
strange never had any problems with wolf, BCM middy, H buffer, pmags on mine, always locked back. Ran it in a 2 hour class with no problems too.
I don’t understand this new compulsion some have to drop the heaviest buffer they can in the gun. Benefits are highly subjective and of dubious value. It brings the gun much closer to functional thresholds. It’s added expense. Done inexpertly, it stops guns.
H buffer is plenty. Leave it alone.
For mine, one middy has a carbine buffer (Colt Sporter lower/Saber Upper), the other (LMT MRP Middy) an H. The 2 x 6920s have H buffers. All run quite well with Wolf and any other eastern european ammo.
That should be no surprise. We tested the BCM Middy with H, H2, and H3 buffers. We almost got it to choke up with the Hornady steel cased stuff and an H3… but it still locked back. I could tell we were at the very limit of weak ammo and heavy buffer.
I settled with the H2 for everything. Runs sick!
It is trial and error sometimes. Like I said during testing if I had continuous unfettered access to milspec 5.56 all the time I would probably run the H3. As soon as I had an issue I would probably drop back down to the H2.
I wouldn’t run any heavier than an H buffer in a 16" carbine. I do run 9mm buffers in my SBR’s and Wolf runs fine.
Not sure if I’ve got a “bad” run of Wolf ammo, or if it’s just that my middy is still relatively new (about 500 rnds through it so far), or a combination of both. With a carbine buffer it will lock back in any position, away from shoulder, with any ammo I’ve tried, as will the BM with the carbine buffer in it…or maybe I just got a hold of a super heavy H-buffer, since it’s the only one I own and I’ve been swapping it back and forth between rifles…just kidding :).
I was hoping that maybe the BattleComp brake would cause some pressure changes and would allow the H-buffer to run right with Wolf in the middy, but no such luck. It still runs smooth as silk with any brass I’ve ran though it, so oh well.