New PTR problem

[HKS]

Hiya,

I have the exact same problem as you with my brand new PTR, no matter what bloody ammo I use. And I believe I have the solution.

I thought there was something wrong with the bolt, the rollers, etc. I took the darn thing apart to the bare components and saw that everything is working correctly.

Then when I went back down to the range (Scottsdale Gun Club) one of the guys noticed I was having trouble with my rifle. He asked if I had cleaned it since I got it and I answered that I had lubed it, cleaned the barrel, etc. but that was about it.

When he looked at my empties, he told me what the problem was: an extraordinary amount of grease in the chamber, and wedged in the flutes. Apparently, these rifles are greased to the hilt before they're shipped, because the factory has no idea how long they'll sit in storage before they're sold/used.

Anyway, what happens is that after a few rounds (between 15-20), the grease (due to heat) becomes like a darn glue, and the shell does not eject. At least this is what happened to me. I had to kick the bolt open in order to get the empty shell out. In my case this problem has nothing whatsoever to with the rollers, bolt, etc.

Partial solution: I ran an entire can of brake cleaner through the chamber and down the barrel, and the chamber looked a lot better. Put the rifle back together and sure enough, it fired and ejected! However, after 10 rounds it stopped ejecting again, and the 'gunk' was back on the un-ejected fired brass.

Complete solution: the guys suggested a thorough cleaning of the chamber, which apparently is still gunked up with whatever bloody grease the factory used. This is helped by getting the HK-specific chamber brush from hkparts.net (http://www.hkparts.net/shop/pc/viewP...0&idcategory=9) and as the earlier post said, 'finger ****' the hell out of the chamber with the nastiest grease cutting agent you can find.

I will do that this week. I'm also going to run some more brake cleaner through it several more times. Basically, I'll clean the chamber and flutes as much as I can and go from there. That should fix our problem.

BTW- I don't buy this whole idea that a PTR cannot shoot certain ammo. The original G3s were true battle rifles, and the testing they were put under was much more grueling than simply shooting ammo. And those rifles are some of the best and toughest in the world. I guess I'm saying if the PTR really cannot shoot certain ammo, then it is not as close a copy of the HK as we all think it is.

All the best,

HKS

[Flesh Thorn]

Good luck, but I am almost 100% certain the problem is with the Thompson Center barrels not having the chamber flutes correctly cut. I have scrubbed mine out with Powder Blast cleaner and I am very confident that it is not a lubricant build up. My CETME just got cleaned with Break Free CLP and it worked just fine.

[Kobra351]

Flesh Thorn summed up my thoughts and experiences exactly. The only ammo my PTR will run on 100% is Federal American Eagle 150gr. FMJ. Everything else, well, not so much... Having a battle rifle operate with only one specific type of ammunition, at least to me, is entirely unacceptable.

[bk1]

So, what is our solution to this crappy problem?

Anyone considering getting a replacement barrel?

I have a lot of $$$ invested in to this platform (mags and optics etc) but I cannot rely on it the way it is.

[Flesh Thorn]

I am considering swapping the barrel or selling it. I probably paid too much and I would rather sink more money into it than let it go at too big of a loss.

[Kobra351]

So, what is our solution to this crappy problem?

Anyone considering getting a replacement barrel?

I have a lot of $$$ invested in to this platform (mags and optics etc) but I cannot rely on it the way it is.

I looked into installing a new barrel and honestly don't have the funds for that now. Maybe in the future, but until then I'll shoot my CETME more and buy the American Eagle ammo when I can so the PTR can be happy too (heck, my $250 Saiga-308 also works perfectly with any ammo, might have to bring that out too!). Not what I had hoped for, but I'll make due!

[HKS]

Guys, Flesh Thorn is right. It is the FLUTES!

PTR really stuck it to everyone.

[jeray]

Have you tried Silver Bear 145gr? It's cheap and My PTR runs it just fine. I have used Wolf (Jesus is this stuff dirty), Silver Bear, S&B, Federal, all with no issues. Clean the Chamber with a .45 pistol brass bore brush. Clean the Roller Detents on the inside of the trunnion with a bent Q-tip and some bore-cleaner. Make sure Bolt Gap is in spec.

I have a AW56XX PTR with a TC barrel and it runs just fine on cheap commercial steel-cased ammo. So I guess they didn't stick it to "all of us". They definitely had a bad run of barrels, but if every new PTR being sold only ran on AE 150, then there would be about 5 members a day reporting this problem. I'm sorry if you got a bad one, and if Jose knew what was right he would replace your rifles, but let's not bury every one of the thousands of PTRs out there because of a few bad ones. It's not like a C91 or C93.

[jeray]

http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/AMM692-5.html

[tcr39]

I,ll say it again! DAG is tar sealed and it is the only ammo that sticks in my chamber and will not cycle the bolt. Dont use it in the PTR. I,ve shot 20 different kinds of ammo in mine A634* ptr91kf-m4. Mostly surplus and I have had no problems what so ever, until I put the DAG tar sealed stuff through it. I,m sure now that the flutes were done different than the original G-3 or hk91. But, that DAG ammo is filthy ,nasty,sticky tar ****. Its very accurate though, but; it just wont cycle every round in mine.