I have a newly built AR-15 pistol with side charger with me at the range, and I’m having an issue with it. If I insert a loaded aluminum USGI magazine into the AR and hit the bolt release, the bolt will strip a round and chamber it, but the bolt itself will not go fully into battery. If I remove the magazine and pull back on the charging handle and release it, the bolt goes fully into battery and will fire normally. I tried a known good bolt from another AR, and experienced the same issue. I also tried another, known good magazine, and still had the same issue. If I load two rounds into a magazine and charge the AR, I have the battery issue, and if I remove the magazine and charge the AR again, the bolt chambers fine. When I reinsert the magazine with one round in it, and fire the AR, the bolt ejects the spent round and chambers the next round but will not go fully into battery. Two different bolts and two different magazines, all of which work just fine in my other AR.
What do you folks think could be the issue with the new AR?
What do you folks think could be the issue with the new AR?