Should an AR 15 firming pin/bolt punch the primer while feeding it?

[Doug.38PR]

My AR and my friend's AR both have bolts that's firing pins punch the primer sightly when they feed the cartridge into the chamber. We know because every time we eject a life round from the chamber there is a slight dent in the primer. It doesn't go off. We did it on some spent cartridges with live soft primers about 20 times to see.
Should this happen at all? Is it safe? (I wouldn't think so in spite of the fact that it never goes off as a result...still his is doing it to...is this natural for the AR design?)

 

[GIJeaux]

I was in the Army almost 21 years and every single M16 I ever had issued to me done it and I never seen one do an accidental discharge. My own Ar15s do it without a problem too. It should be safe for you.

Hope this helps. Be well.
Al

 

[electronicwiz]

The AR uses a free floating firing pin. Just keep it clean and you should be good to go. Google search "AR-15 slam fire" . There is a lot of info on the web.

 

[tactical723]

This is absolutely normal, that is why reloaders should never use soft primers intended for bolt guns in AR rifles and semi's with floating firing pins,

Remember, every time a new round is loaded into the chamber and into battery, the firing pin has already followed and lightly struck the primer with no tension leaving the small dent that you witness, the primer will not be activated until the full spring tension of the hammer is forced upon the firing pin when it is released from the sear and trigger

 

[joshuades]

Due to the free floating firing pin, when the bolt goes into battery, it will ding the primer slightly. Most factory ammo made specifically for an AR normally has hard cup primers (military primers). So far, I've never experienced a slamfire nor have I heard of anyone I know having a slamfire in an AR (the importance of this is some of the folks I know use either normal primers or BR primers in their reloads and still nothing).

 

[CavalryJim]

Through 20+ years in the army, I had never seen (or heard of) a round igniting from the dimple left by the free floating firing pin...until I was in Iraq where soldiers were loading / unloading weapons before and after missions. A message was released stating a couple of cases where soldiers had chambered the same round dozens, if not hundreds, of times and experienced a slam fire. The fix...rotate your ammo.

 

[joshuades]

Through 20+ years in the army, I had never seen (or heard of) a round igniting from the dimple left by the free floating firing pin...until I was in Iraq where soldiers were loading / unloading weapons before and after missions. A message was released stating a couple of cases where soldiers had chambered the same round dozens, if not hundreds, of times and experienced a slam fire. The fix...rotate your ammo.

Something else I forgot to bring up. This is the first time I've heard of multiple chamberings causing slamfires (quite possible), but multiple chamberings also run the risk of degrading the primer compound in the cup, causing a misfire. If the round has to go boom definitely, don't use a round that has been chambered and dimpled. Relegate it to practice ammo.

 

[Obey]

Something else I forgot to bring up. This is the first time I've heard of multiple chamberings causing slamfires (quite possible), but multiple chamberings also run the risk of degrading the primer compound in the cup, causing a misfire. If the round has to go boom definitely, don't use a round that has been chambered and dimpled. Relegate it to practice ammo.

This is correct.