I would ask you first , what Bolt Catch is in the Rifle ? A AR 15 or a 308 ? There is a difference .

 

That is perfectly normal.

 

It won't do it with an empty magazine because the magazine follower is holding the bolt catch up... to lock the bolt back. Once that pressure is removed, the spring loaded bolt catch drops as soon as any pressure is removed... like the mass of the bolt moving under the motion of a butt bump. It's normal.

When I was in the army, we used to chamber a round by whacking the butt with our balled fist... it was the avant garde way of doing it.

 

That's normal if you were to bump it like that. It's only supposed to stay via the friction the bolt catch and bolt share until the bolt carrier is retracted a bit (purposefully or by a unintended bump) or by pushing the bolt catch lever to retract the bolt catch. It facilitate reloads and visual inspections. It's good that your catch immediately allows your bolt to go home as soon as the pressure is released.

In light of this NFAC guy who went online to explain the negligent discharge his member had, remember bumping the rifle butt should be avoided. That's not intended as a proper way to move the bolt forward. I suppose if you were handicapped or injured maybe revisit it but otherwise no.

 

So, don't do a butt bump...

 

thesurvivalshop - Whatever Mega Arms installed on the MATEN.

Old Sarge - Normal, huh? that's disheartening.

charlie98 - Yeah I know I just wanted to include everything.

brianns - Another say on "normal", eh? And it's good?

Ted Brown - Don't butt bump. I guess I need to be mindful.

Basically this caught me by surprise since none of my AR15s ever done this. I thought I slapped together the rifle wrong. Well at least I won't have to try to get a super heavy spring for the Silent Capture.

 

Basically this caught me by surprise since none of my AR15s ever done this. I thought I slapped together the rifle wrong. Well at least I won't have to try to get a super heavy spring for the Silent Capture.

Just about everything with a magazine actuated bolt hold open will do this. The relation of the bolt mass to spring force will govern how hard the "bump" needs to be to trip the bolt closing.

 

You also have to take into account the BCG Mass & extra Spring tension of a 308 AR . Your AR 15's won't do this ?

So, this is a Factory Built Rifle ?

 

You may not have experienced it, but it is pretty normal - I decided to go try a few in my vault, and pretty much every COLT m16 ( real ones), semi ARs of various flavors, and Armalite AR-10 ( real original one ) and new Armalite AR10 did the same thing - dropped the bolt on a butt bump with no mag in the rifle. We used to chamber a round on .GOV m16s that way as a "cool " way to operate.....

 

The bolt catch "catches" the bolt face after the last round is fired, the bolt has moved fully rearward, the follower in the empty magazine contacts the bolt catch and pushes it into position to catch that bolt as the buffer spring pushes the bolt forward.

That's how it's designed.

Remove the magazine and the follower is no longer there to help hold the bolt catch in place against the force of the spring that normally holds the bolt catch "down" so it doesn't catch the bolt when you still have rounds in the magazine.

Or, insert a loaded magazine and the rounds in the magazine have pushed the follower down so it can't hold the bolt catch "up".

Then, bounce the rifle/carbine on the butt stock hard enough to cause the bolt to compress the buffer spring the tiniest little amount and the bolt catch spring very quickly moves the bolt catch back to it's resting position and the bolt is free to move forward from the pressure on it from the buffer spring. And you have a round chambered. Perfectly safe if the safety is on SAFE or you keep your finger off the trigger.

The dingle berry at the rally had his finger on the trigger or the AR15 would not have gone off. If the action of the bolt chambering a round was the true cause of the AR15 firing them it would fire every time it stripped a round out of the magazine and chambered it. But, they don't do that, do they. Notice the lack of a question mark. None of mine do that (fire when the bolt chambers a round) until I put my finger on the trigger and pull it to the rear.

Some of those guys are as much a danger to each other as they are to anyone else.

Every watch those videos of celebrations in the ME where everyone is shooting and one of the celebrants shoots one of the others? Gonna see a lot of that here if those folks keep carrying loaded guns and doing the stuff they've been doing.

 

Every watch those videos of celebrations in the ME where everyone is shooting and one of the celebrants shoots one of the others? Gonna see a lot of that here if those folks keep carrying loaded guns and doing the stuff they've been doing.

I'm going to be extra careful the next time I go to Maine. 🤣

 

thesurvivalshop - I thought the extra spring tension would've kept the action closed.

My build. Never drop my AR15s like this before. According to Mr. Burt from JP informed me this is normal.

MG08/M1A's r BEST - Looks like I found something new about my ARs. If I ever have to reload (and look cool) I can butt bump my ARs.

 

Well this was new to me. Being that most of my ARs has a Juggernaut Tactical "Hellfighter" installed (no open bolt) so the BCG is always "home". California. I wonder if my Mini-14 or my M1A will do this?
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Well this was new to me. Being that most of my ARs has a Juggernaut Tactical "Hellfighter" installed (no open bolt) so the BCG is always "home". California. I wonder if my Mini-14 or my M1A will do this?
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Yes. My 2 M1 Carbines do it, and all 3 of my M14/M1a's also release with a bump. The only ones that do not are my M1 Garands. They need an enbloc to release the bolt. You have to push down the cartridge guide assembly with your enbloc (full enbloc), or thumb to get the bolt closed. -Lloyd 🍻

 

If you inserted a loaded magazine into the rifle, why would you want to leave the bolt open?

 

ME - Maine. I see what you did. I think. They talk funny in both places. but they dress funny in the middle east.....

 

Absolutely my M1A will do it. If I want to run a patch or three through the barrel with the receiver/barrel in the stock I insert a magazine first to insure the bolt catch stays in place as I bump the rifle around. Leaving the magazine out just about insures the bolt will, at some point, fly forward and try to "eat" my fingers or toss the cleaning rod across the room.

 

Yeah my Mini-14 slams home when the butt is bumped. I guess all these years I never bumped the butt hard. I reckon I've been kid gloving all my guns.