Stag Arms Model 15 Failing to Feed

[DirectDrive]

I'm starting to think that the "mag catch" was machined a little low.
If that is low (out of spec), your mag is going to lock in low.
That's if you are using known good mags.

Does the rifle have any warranty on it ?
If so, don't whittle on it, in case you decide to send it back.

 

[HB of CJ]

Stag Arms has a lifetime warranty. Might be time to call them and talk. East Coast.

1-860-229-9994. I call them all the time concerning my planned LH AR10 build. They are easy to talk to.

 

[AlphaFreeze]

That looks low.

What kind of mag is that ?

4 Bushmaster aluminum magazines, 1 factory Stag magazine. The problem occurs with all 5 magazines. I'm still gonna go pick up a PMAG and test it out but I'm pretty sure that it's unlikely for all 5 magazines to be the issue. The common denominator here is the rifle.

 

[DirectDrive]

4 Bushmaster aluminum magazines, 1 factory Stag magazine. The problem occurs with all 5 magazines. I'm still gonna go pick up a PMAG and test it out but I'm pretty sure that it's unlikely for all 5 magazines to be the issue. The common denominator here is the rifle.

If you contact Stag for warranty work...
One of the fixes for this is to hog out your feed ramps with a die grinder.

I would tell the UP FRONT that you paid top dollar for this rifle and you will not accept that as a solution.
Your feed ramps look fine and should REMAIN UNMOLESTED.
You will have to let them troubleshoot it, but they should conclude that the issue is in the lower.
Hopefully they will send it back with a new lower (with a different SN it will force another transfer).

So be respectful, let them troubleshoot but do show your pics and tell them what you won't accept as a solution.
Stag is the civilian brand for Continental Machine & Tool (USGI contractor)
and is considered to be one of the best AR manufacturers.
I would expect them to make things right.

 

[AlphaFreeze]

If you contact Stag for warranty work...
One of the fixes for this is to hog out your feed ramps with a die grinder.

I would tell the UP FRONT that you paid top dollar for this rifle and you will not accept that as a solution.
Your feed ramps look fine and should REMAIN UNMOLESTED.
You will have to let them troubleshoot it, but they should conclude that the issue is in the lower.
Hopefully they will send it back with a new lower (with a different SN it will force another transfer).

So be respectful, let them troubleshoot but do show your pics and tell them what you won't accept as a solution.
Stag is the civilian brand for Continental Machine & Tool (USGI contractor)
and is considered to be one of the best AR manufacturers.
I would expect them to make things right.

Just got off the phone with them. The rep said he's never heard of a problem like mine but recommends I try a PMAG just to see what happens along with polishing the feedramp. If both of those things fail then call them to set up a repair. About to head to my LGS to pickup a PMAG so I can test it before I go to work. Right now I'm guessing that maybe the Bushmaster mags are the problem since I know Bushmaster has taken a bubblegum in the last few years but that wouldn't explain the problem being consistent across 5 different magazines and 2 brands.

EDIT:
Another thing I've noticed is that when loading with the bolt closed and magazines loaded with 30 rounds, I really have to slap the magazine to get it to lock into place.

 

[HB of CJ]

Slight slap normal. Big huge slap abe normal. Refusal to seat fully 30 rd mags with the carrier group forward not normal. A fully loaded 30 rd mag should click in easy with the bolt locked back.

EDITED EXTRA: The slap is somewhat subjective considering ALL of the aftermarket magazines available for the AR15. The slap test and above paragraph only relates to USGI 30rd. aluminum mags.

 

[DirectDrive]

Just got off the phone with them. The rep said he's never heard of a problem like mine but recommends I try a PMAG just to see what happens along with polishing the feedramp. If both of those things fail then call them to set up a repair. About to head to my LGS to pickup a PMAG so I can test it before I go to work. Right now I'm guessing that maybe the Bushmaster mags are the problem since I know Bushmaster has taken a bubblegum in the last few years but that wouldn't explain the problem being consistent across 5 different magazines and 2 brands.

EDIT:
Another thing I've noticed is that when loading with the bolt closed and magazines loaded with 30 rounds, I really have to slap the magazine to get it to lock into place.

Like ^^^
Don't forget what I said about 44Mag.com
Great source for the hard-to-find Okay and NHMTG mags and they are an Oregon company.
My last batch of NIW USGI mags were made by Okay.
Without good mags you have a single shot rifle.

Those NHMTG mags with their gray Teflon finish really look like combat mags.
And they come with a few scrapes on them from being tested.

 

[jbett98]

I'm sitting on a hundred new Pmags and a bunch of new GI metal magazines and you're welcome to one of each if you want to meet up near NE 181st & Halsey.

 

[v0lcom13sn0w]

if its a brand new rifle id call stag before going and sanding stuff down

 

[HB of CJ]

Respectfully ...

Be careful dealing with some folks when talking to Stag Arms. If you start whittling on your retro A2 AR15 rifle it MAY void Stag Arms lifetime warranty. If you talk to one of the builder supervisors and he says polish THIS or replace THAT understand that it might be a trap.

No disrespect to Stag Arms or anybody. Suppose your polish out the feed ramps and that does not help. Yeah, yeah, EYE told you do consider that. My mistake. I apologize. If you wanna keep the build then polish the feed ramps and change out the mag catch arm.

Yes it is a bummer paying big bucks for a specific rifle only to have it not work. Like others here have already said, try some aluminum USGI 30 rd mags. Buff out the feed ramps with my suggested technique? Change out the magazine catch assembly? All easy and fun.

But ... BEFORE YOU START WORKING on your life time warranted AR15 rifle, take it to the range and see how the rifle shoots at 100 yards. You want to find out how the rifle shoots down the pipe, (Right to Left) with the rear site aperture EXACTLY CENTERED.

Your retro A2 AR15 rifle has iron sites front and rear. A pure copper plated BEEECH to build properly. Takes HOURS. Stag Arms may not have spent the time with the build. Thus my concern that the rifle might be junk where it is really important. Hitting with the iron sites.

Do this first. All else can be more easily addressed later. The reason I suggest this is that since the build is experiencing function difficulty what else may be wrong with the rifle. The very first thing is the rifle must SHOOT! Single load it if necessary. Find out where it prints.

"SHOOT" in this format is the definition of how accurate the rifle is and how good the sites are centered at various ranges including long range in windy conditions requiring dialing in. That rear site MUST be exactly centered. No wiggle room. That is how I built them years ago. Yikes!

Respectfully.

hundreds of AR15 builds. uncounted M16 rebuilds.

 

[Tony617]

That looks low.
Do you see the difference ?
Harrison's bullet tip is lookin' at daylight.
Yours is lookin' at the bottom of the feed ramp.

What kind of mag is that ?

If you buy anymore mags, go here for the real schitt...
44MAG.com - .223/5.56mm AR15 Magazines
The NHMTG 20 round in the lower right is arguable the most dependable AR mag.
It's what was originally designed for the rifle, but Okay, NHMTG and Pmag are all good mags.

Wasn't NHMTG made by Okay anyways. NHMTG was the civilian market brand for Okay but now they are sold under the Okay brand name.

 

[DirectDrive]

Wasn't NHMTG made by Okay anyways. NHMTG was the civilian market brand for Okay but now they are sold under the Okay brand name.

I don't know if I would put it that way.
Both brands exist side by side if you open my 44Mag link above.
It appears that mags marked Colt, Okay and NHMTG all come out of the same CT plant.
My recent batch of actual GI mags were marked Okay.

I'm sure an email to 44Mag would get you a more detailed explanation.

 

[Tony617]

I don't know if I would put it that way.
Both brands exist side by side if you open my 44Mag link above.
It appears that mags marked Colt, Okay and NHMTG all come out of the same CT plant.
My recent batch of actual GI mags were marked Okay.

I'm sure an email to 44Mag would get you a more detailed explanation.

I thought that NHMTG made magazines for Colt? - AR15.COM

 

[DirectDrive]

I thought that NHMTG made magazines for Colt? - AR15.COM

What I eluded to in my last post is that I'm not sure which one is the parent company.
Okay, NHMTG and Colt seem to all come out of the same plant in Conn.
A call to 44mag (see link above) would probably clear it up if someone needed to know.
You probably won't get a clear, concise answer from the chuckleheads on ARFcom.

 

[ItsLunchBOX]

About to head to my LGS to pickup a PMAG so I can test it before I go to work.

What was the outcome with the PMAG?

 

[Tony617]

What I eluded to in my last post is that I'm not sure which one is the parent company.
Okay, NHMTG and Colt seem to all come out of the same plant in Conn.
A call to 44mag (see link above) would probably clear it up if someone needed to know.
You probably won't get a clear, concise answer from the chuckleheads on ARFcom.

Probably not but I do look at ammo, light, magazines and cleaning sections sometimes.

 

[DirectDrive]

Probably not but I do look at ammo, light, magazines and cleaning sections sometimes.

Don't get me wrong, it's a deep site with a lot of good, archived information.
It's the discussion threads that can be a little off-the-chain.
I have several thousand posts over there, I think....so that makes me a documented ARFcom chucklehead.

 

[AlphaFreeze]

What was the outcome with the PMAG?

Still failed to feed. I actually got this resolved. A co-worker of mine just bought an LE6920 as a Christmas gift to himself and had a last minute change of heart and decided he wanted an M16 style rifle. He found out about my rifle and offered to trade even. He knows about the issues but he doesn't care since Stag has a lifetime warranty. I'm now the proud owner of a Colt LE6920!

 

[Pandaz3]

Well IMHO you should download your magazines 2 rounds from capacity. That is what we did in WWVietnam when all we had were 20 round mags. I have been to two Rifle courses at Front Sight too and that was their recommendations. I thought maybe the newer versions were more capable, but no, they are not.
You can get more rounds in some magazines, so that when loaded to a 'full' 20 or 30 round capacity, there will be enough 'give' to allow the magazine to be seated with the bolt in the closed position. USGI spec'd mags will not allow (or should not allow) loading beyond capacity. Hexmag's will as will others.
Fully loaded mags will load and function from the open bolt.
Downloading the mags 2 rounds, do put the first round up on the right, closest to the ejection port, as the mag is inserted, same as a fully loaded magazine. Not that it really matters which side feeds first.
The damage you see is likely caused when drawing the bolt back over the tightly packed magazine.

 

[Pandaz3]

Still failed to feed. I actually got this resolved. A co-worker of mine just bought an LE6920 as a Christmas gift to himself and had a last minute change of heart and decided he wanted an M16 style rifle. He found out about my rifle and offered to trade even. He knows about the issues but he doesn't care since Stag has a lifetime warranty. I'm now the proud owner of a Colt LE6920!

You got the deal! Still I recommend downloading the mags.