Trouble with feeding

[Glen Whittenberger]

Trouble with feeding FIXED

Gun is trying to feed 2 rounds in chamber, this is with several mags. I was thinking of trying to find / or make stronger mag springs( I do not know if I shoud go to bigger wire dia, more coils, or longer spring). Any suggestions ?

PK was right. Feed lips had opened up to about 0.500+ ", I re-formed to .430" and they work perfect.

 

[PK]

It’s likely your feed lips Glen, they should be generally parallel and spaced about .430-.440. I can think of no good reason to increase the spring rate.

 

[smiffo]

Glen,

I have some springs which were copied from a spring taken from a NIW Sterling mag. Please contact me off board if interested. I agree with PK about the lips. I have also had feeding troubles when I neglected to clean the extractor properly - very important!

Smiffo

 

[Greasy]

What is the best way to clean the Extractor?

Smiffo

I've recently had several of the same problems with my Sterling. I assumed it was some of the magazines I was using, but it may very well be the extractor. Do you take the extractor out of the bolt to clean? Any advice woud be great.

I've had my Sterling now for about 8 mo. I've ran about 4000 rounds through the gun and clean after every shoot.

 

[L34A1]

The bolt has a pin that holds the extractor. Remove the pin (silver in color) with a drift and when the drift is removed the extractor will fall out. It will be under spring tension. My Mk5 extractor gets dirty fast. The Mk4, once it is cleaned should last a long time before cleaning again. To remove the extractor plunger/spring, grasp with needle nose pliers and pull out plunger and spring together. Clean that chamber well and then reassemble in reverse.

Once again it may be a feed lip problem. Is it trying to feed two live rds together or is it not extracting the spent brass and causing a DOUBLE feed?

 

[smiffo]

Greasy,

Just as TFA says - knock out the pin with a brass drift and the extractor, pin and spring come out. Clean these thoroughly and then clean the hole down which the spring and pin live (care needed here). Clean the hole for the pin that holds the extractor and you are off! Maybe the lightest film of oil before reassembly and your are done. I did mine after about the first 4000 rounds, but now do it after about each 1000.

HTH

Smiffo