Thread: AR15 shell cases not extracting

Originally Posted by Tararua Phil

My AR has a similar problem although with mine not every cartridge slams home in the chamber & I can only extract it by holding the gun on it's butt then knocking the bolt back with my hunting knife handle as I hold the lock bolt open. If I want to extract a round @ any time manually after a hunt for example, it remains stuck in the chamber. I've cleaned the chamber heaps & always check my reloads with a chamber gauge so it'll be up to spec. I have seen though on a You tube vid that it's best to use a small base die set made for the AR (not standard 223 dies) & crimp the projectile could solve the problem, although paying $110.00 for a new set of dies isn't what I want. I may have to take it to a Gunsmith. I also bought this early last year off "AR15" on trademe & it's been like this from day one.
Can anyone help?
Sorry I can't help you much SiB but I write this to show others have similar problems

Get the chamber/bolt checked with a GO gauge. I don't use small base dies and have never had an issue. What brand is the gun (or the BCG and barrel if it's a parts gun)?