I have not removed the BCG yet so I'm not sure what, if anything, is in there.

The kaboom wasn't caused by the lower. You can check it for function w/o the upper and check to see if it's bent or damaged. Other than that, any upper should do.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

I've read this hole thing and the OP states that the first two rounds did not fire (no dents on primers) the third explodes. Sounds to me like the cam pin was left out when rifle was reassembled after cleaning.

This seems like the likely culprit. Two that didn’t chamber, then the boom.

If stored improperly, that ammo could be problematic. If an error was made while loading the ammo, that could be at least a contributor. If you had a genuine Colt milspec upper and BCG, they are less likely to be the problem, but there could be a flaw in them.

The best answer I have, and what I would if I lived in that area, is look up Ned at Michiguns and see if he has some insights and is willing to take a look at your problem. Even if it is a full day drive and you had to stay in a hotel, I would consider that worthwhile as a means of making sure your lower is not damaged and that the upper is safely dismantled/removed.

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NHI, 10-8.

A friend of mine is taking it to a knowledgeable individual on Monday so I hope to learn something then. I'll report back if I find out what happened.

I just got the report on the AR15 and as many of you had expected, there was no damage done to the lower receiver, however the upper is toast. I was told that the old style bolt had failed which was why they replaced them with a newer version. I haven't decided what I'm going to do next but at least I have options.

If you finally decide to replace the upper, don't go cheap. Doesn't mean you've gotta blow a grand on an upper, but price point products have those low prices for good reason. Out of spec parts frequently being the reason.

I don't really need a 20" barrel and am considering going with a pistol upper and brace if the barrel is damaged. Any suggestions?

Can't do it legit without making it a SBR.
Crazy as it is if it started as a pistol lower you can make it a rifle.
If it started as a rifle lower you can't make it into a pistol configuration without making it a SBR.

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Straight shootin'
SWCA#2439

Thank's Dusty, I did not know that. You're right though... it sounds CRAZY!
Back to the drawing board :-)

Was the reloaded ammo the reason it failed? Or was it just something that would have happened regardless? Or was that call even made??

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Forum consigliere

Glad to hear that things are getting sorted out.

And then there is this:

In the last year there seems to be quite a few new shooters at ranges.

At the shooting bench to my left there were two shooters taking turns shooting a new AR. The only ammo they could find was "gun show reloads"! I'm a "very" experienced shooter and I can hear a squib from quite a few yards away.

At first there were a couple of duds! These were ejected and examined for primer strikes. I later heard what sounded like a squib. The shooter racked the "charge handle" ejecting the EMPTY round as if he expected another dud. The round landed next to me. Without checking for a barrel obstruction he settled in for another shot. I yelled STOP!

I always have a squib rod for whatever I'm shooting. Yeah I'm that "experienced"! The cleaning rod revealed a stuck bullet at the chamber end and was gently tapped out. Had the shooter fired the AR the result could have looked similar to what you experienced.

All the best,

The guy that we took it too said it was a bolt failure. It was manufactured around 1992-94 and he claims that Colt was having problems with them about that time and changed their bolts for that reason.
I haven't found a new upper yet. The first place I called had a 6 month back log, but after that experience I don't think buying a used one would be a good idea, so I'm not sure what I'll do. Good thing there's no hurry (I don't think.)

I think it is odd that Colt had a problem with bolts in that time period. As far as I know, the design and test standards under the TDP have not changed. It seems more likely that a bolt not made to the TDP was put in at some time.

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NHI, 10-8.

I know nothing about the history, I was just repeating what I was told.

Having put tens of thousands of rounds through Colt M16’s in the 90’s I am skeptical that the bolt was defective. I haven’t seen the parts first hand so there could be signs of a defect, but I’m skeptical.

This is an open question to anyone following this thread.....

I have done a search and haven't been able to find information to corroborate the above statement. Some were replaced do to chrome plating flaking. But I cold find no reference to bolts disintegrating.

Why is this important? A KABOOM means ammo issues. To blame it on a bolt failure drifts the issue elsewhere and the ammo is still at issue!

Just trying to keep it real!

Smiles,

^Yep^^

This WAS NOT due to a defective BCG!

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SIC SEMPER TYRANNIS

I, too, have a 1993-94 Colt HBar with a round count in the thousands both by me and the original owner. I know the original owner so I know the bolt is original to the firearm.

I'm in agreement with others who say that the issue is ammo.

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Thread Killer.

Yeah someone that sells uppers..