M&P 15 ejector?

[garfy]

I'm very new with rifles and just puchased a new M&P15 (model #811000). My question is, does this rifle eject UNFIRED cartridges like most semi-auto pistols and my Ruger 10/22? (That is, I can have multiple cartridges in the magazine and each time I cycle the slide or the bolt on my Ruger, it will keep ejecting the unspent cartridge and load the next one in the magazine.) When I loaded a cartridge into the chamber from the mag, then cycled the bolt using the charging handle again, it would not eject the unfired cartridge. The only way to get it out is to lock the bolt open and tilt the rifle so the cartridge will fall out into the mag well. Is this normal for this model? Thank you very much for your help!

p.s. I emailed S&W support about this and they want me to return it to their repair center. I kind of doubt this is right because I can't imagine a company would have let a "defective" rifle pass its quality control inspection; they do have one for a $1,000 rifle, don't they?

 

[cyphertext]

Yes, your rifle should eject the unfired cartridge if you pull back on the charging handle. If it is not doing it, there is an issue with your rifle.

 

[Foxtrot]

Yes, it will eject an unfired round/fired case like other semi-auto's. Ejector/weapon could just be a little stiff, sometimes new weapons are.

1. Pull the charging handle all the way to the rear till it stops and hold.

2. Use the bolt catch on the left to lock the bolt to the rear (press in on nub at bottom of paddle while bolt is all the way back from pulling charging handle back)

3. Place selector on safe.

4. Insert magazine with round.

5. Press in on the paddle on left to release the bolt and let it slam forward on its own. This will chamber the round from the magazine

6. Just to make sure press the bolt assist on right if you have one. If no bolt assist then in the scalloped out part of the showing bolt in the ejection port push forward with your thumb. This was the original bolt assist feature in the original platform design when the first AR type platform rifles were issued to the military back in the beginning in the M-16 model. The external bolt assist was added in later design changes.

7. Pull/jerk the charging handle to the rear again till it stops. Does the round eject then? If not then return the rifle.

Make sure you do not ride the charging handle forward. Its designed to be operated by pulling the charging handle to the rear like you are going to jerk it out of the weapon and letting it go to chamber a round. This makes sure the ejector grabs the case. If you ride it forward sometimes it doesn't close enough for the ejector to grab the round especially on new weapons that are stiff.

It should have been tested at the factory by firing or QC checks. It happens sometimes that something is wrong no matter which manufacturer makes it. Sometimes when you get one from a LGS it may have had a problem they created, some LGS's you never know.

 

[garfy]

Thanks very much for the fast and detailed reply. I'll give it a try again and if not, it goes back to the dealer (the only bummer is I'll have to wait probably for weeks to get back my gun that I haven't even fired a round yet.)

**Update**

I just tried doing what you said and hit the bolt assist a couple of times hard; when I pulled back on the charging handle, the round ejected just fine so I guess you're right about it being stiff and needing to be "worked out". I can hardly wait to try this puppy out at the range in a couple of weeks (got a gun show this week so can't do it this weekend). Thanks again guys!

 

[Foxtrot]

Thanks very much for the fast and detailed reply. I'll give it a try again and if not, it goes back to the dealer (the only bummer is I'll have to wait probably for weeks to get back my gun that I haven't even fired a round yet.)

**Update**

I just tried doing what you said and hit the bolt assist a couple of times hard; when I pulled back on the charging handle, the round ejected just fine so I guess you're right about it being stiff and needing to be "worked out". I can hardly wait to try this puppy out at the range in a couple of weeks (got a gun show this week so can't do it this weekend). Thanks again guys!

Good job, glad it worked out for you.

Next, take it apart, clean off any of the factory goo left on the weapon completly, lube it up, go put some rounds down range (safely of course)

Firing it some should work out any stiffness and loosen it up.

Just out of curiousity I do have a muti-part question for you; When you used the bolt assist was there a lot of resistance like something was blocked and you were pressing thru that resistance, or did the bolt move forward immediately without a resistance, or did the bolt not move at all because it was already seated forward properly?