Had to send in AR9 to get worked on

Tomme boy

Tomme boy

Well-Known Member
https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZwFsdFh5pK76usAL8

https://photos.app.goo.gl/tBtJAAn7Kd4594bM9

https://photos.app.goo.gl/RPuuZHVzdbt2HHXu9

https://photos.app.goo.gl/dXK3iXY3AcajUsSm9

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New item by Thomas Heath

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The bolt was wearing the nitride coating off. Then I noticed in the last pic the gouges in the rec. I have to say the nitride coating is no where near as durable as they claim it to be. Some of the marks on the bolt were showing the coating was already being removed after the first mag. But the bottom of the bolt looks like it was ground with a cheese grater.

This is a PSA gun. 8" barrel that is supposed to be nitrided also. They already gave me a shipping label to send it back. They were talking 3-4 weeks for a turnaround. You can clearly see the bolt and the upper are F.....ed up. They should just be putting a whole new upper in the mail.

The more I look at the stuff they have their label on the more I do not want it anymore. Granted they will fix all of their BS they are passing over people. But how many out there don't have a clue about what stuff should look like and perform. They are betting on all the new people that have gotten into the gun world in the last few years. It is us old farts that are not going to settle on sub-standard stuff. And being casters and reloaders we are even worse than the normal guy that goes to the range once a month.

Anyway. Look over your stuff from PSA is a good thing to do.
 
RBHarter

RBHarter

West Central AR
I have 2 cheapo depot uppers that don't show that kind of use . But the high mileage upper only has about 600 rounds through it so maybe it has a ways to go yet .
All of the stuff I've had has been hard black anodized and melonited . Melonite ((SP) the vendor is now selling mag phosphate) is basically a 400° ammonia oven treatment and while a deeper and 100% color coverage is the same as nitrided aircraft cylinders . 1000-1200 hr at 21-2800 rpm I'll let someone else do the math on cycles .....

The coating you describe comes in 3 variations for bolt and carrier , or at least has 3 names from assorted manufacturers . My understanding of it is that it is a super slick nothing sticks to it coating . It can be run dry but should be lubed . Poor machine work , chatter , spalling etc is unacceptable . I guess everyone get a lemon occasionally . There were a lot of quality issues that happened during the shortage/hording/ supply-demand years of the last decade . I remember several complaints about flaking coatings that aren't fused on . I don't remember now which it was but one had more complaints because when it flaked it was like peeling chrome or nickle plate , hard , flexible , and sharp . It ruined receivers when it failed .
The good news is that it failed early enough in the life span that it was definitely a defect not a wear issue . The makers have been good about making it right , especially on complete assemblies .
 
Brad

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
The cut on the bottom of the carrier is totally unacceptable. The wear isn’t good either.
Not impressive quality there.
 
Ian

Ian

Notorious member
Looks like a phosphate bolt coating, not Mellonite. Type III hardcoat anodized finish won't defeat Mellonite, but will wear through phosphate in short order. Not sure what's causing the gouge in the rh of the receiver, but that's no bueno. I would have sent the bolt back without firing a single shot if it were me, the ramp there that rides the cartridges in the magazine definitely looks like it was cut with a cheese grater, totally messed up and the roughness there is likely contributing to the finish wear on top of the bolt.

The only upper I ever got from PSA (PA-10) has been phenomenally good for the money and required absolutely no extra finish work, it was already smoothed and polished where it needed to be and has given me no problems whatsoever that weren't related to magazine lips or trying to run it suppressed.
 
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Pistolero

Pistolero

Well-Known Member
That bolt would have never been put into any of my guns. Either returned or tossed.
Wow, horrible quality, how did that even get out of the shop?
I agree that this was not nitride, but more likely just black oxide, blueing is another form.

Hope they fix it all. I got a couple of LPKs from them, but nothing else.
Bill
 
F

freebullet

Guest
Yikes!

That don't even resemble my ar9 bolt from psa, maybe gen2 or later stuff got prius'd. Does look worn like phosphate. I have noticed a definite hardness difference in barrels claimed to be nitride coated. The lone wolf coating was hard but cut-able, the Swenson was ruin a reamer hard but still cutable if going real slow. Phosphate comes off easy like that. Best of luck.

Still thinking a heavy buffer & spring could slow down the wear, & make it feel more smooth shooting. The chatter marks are a no go though.
 
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Tomme boy

Tomme boy

Well-Known Member
I do have the heavy buffer. This is the one I put in.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/975962/ar-stoner-9mm-extended-buffer-ar-15-carbine

This is the exact upper. And the bolt is nitride not phosphate. I know what phos is. I worked at a factory that made all kinds of nuts and bolts for every type of car, truck tractor, semi for both USA and Euro manufacturers. We had two types. Heavy and lite. Cat and John Deere had to be heavy. That was the toughest of the two.

https://palmettostatearmory.com/psa-gen4-8-9mm-1-10-nitride-7-m-lok-upper-with-bcg-ch.html

I did not notice the bottom of the bolt right away. I have no idea what made the gouge in the receiver. I have another receiver just like this one on a 556 I put together myself. It is perfect so far. No wear at all. I got it second hand unused from someone on another forum.
 
Ian

Ian

Notorious member
It's pretty clear from Frebullet's photo that the gouging on the rh side of the upper is from the roll pin at the back of the BCG working its way out. The buffer tube may have a similar scrape inside. Hopefully PSA will replace the whole upper.

If the anodized aluminium receiver is wearing a Mellonite surface treatment off of a hardened steel part, the Mellonite process they used sucks.
 
Tomme boy

Tomme boy

Well-Known Member
Got everything back. They replaced the bolt and receiver. It looks like they changed the bolt design again over what was in there. It looks like the barrel may not be timed right. The feed ramp looks off to one side. I never noticed this before. Hopefully the rain stops and I can get out to try it. 61461693_2894575360683184_2982626427955838976_n.jpg
 
P

popper

Well-Known Member
Does PSA make stuff or just assemble from various jobbers? GS has a 223 upper that works but this original one is JUNK. Blind monkey let it out of the shop.
 
Tomme boy

Tomme boy

Well-Known Member
I would but they would say that I f'ed it up and not fix it. I sent the pics to them. That is 2 bolts doing the same thing. Nothing in the lower shows any wear or drag marks.

Not sure what else it could be. Going to go look at it and check it over closer. What ever it is it is on the left side of the gun.
 
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