Practicing with Night Vision

[wigwamitus]

I tapped on the face of the ejector with the tip of the needle nose pliers and it emerged to the .75 level with respect to the outer rim of the bolt face. I was able to grab the ejector with the needle nose and pull it out o to flush with the outer rim. I repeated this process three times. I still cannot get the ejector beyond that point. But as the behavior changed due to the additional KROIL time, I will do some more KROIL. I removed the extractor also and there were solid copper looking flakes inside there. There is a tiny hole lined up with what might be the rear of the hole in which the ejector spring sits. I wonder what that hole is for. None of my punches will get down in there. Documentation of the ejector mechanism seems incomplete as I have not been able to find a description of what this little hole is for.

 

[Ratdog68]

This help any?

I'm wondering whether you have a piece of brass shard, or other hard material in there, blocking #10 from coming out.

http://bcove.me/wfu7gv4k

From this youtube how-to, it should be pretty straight forward.

 

[wigwamitus]

I've got #3, #4, #5, #6, #7 and #8 off ... but the other hole I'm talking about is in #2 on the "dark side" relative to this pick.

Could be either brass shard, other hard material or broken spring tangled up somehow (#9) but two different gunsmiths say they've seen plenty of broken springs but never a case where #10 would not come out.

 

[Ratdog68]

IF it is brass, m'be some copper bore solvent in there for a short time (to soften), neutralize to keep it from eating too deep, and try again with the needle nose?

 

[Hard_ware]

Can you hammer #10 back into the hole to compress the crap inside and free up the pin.
#8 pin rides in the cut down shaft of #10 to keep it from shooting out under spring pressure.
You probably have a piece of the spring stuck in the cut down area locking #10 in place.

 

[FrankT]

I was going to say wire into #8 hole and see if it hits anything and wiggle around.

 

[wigwamitus]

I thought about trying to "wire into" #8 hole, but hadn't thought hard enough to come up with material to do such. I'll think harder.
I do look in there a lot to see if I see anything protruding into view, but have not so far.

As to hammering #10 back into its hole, I hadn't thought of that, but I can try it!

 

[wigwamitus]

2014-11-16
2100-2230
20F
5 mph W

Goal: Check ir-lasers on 5.56 and .308 rifles.

Environment: No moon, but stars are visible. A little breeze from the West. Snow still on the ground since Saturday and some crystals visible in the air.

Equipment: 5.56 with ir-laser and sling, .308 with ir-laser and sling. Pinnacle on Ballistic helmet. Thermal in shoulder bag. .45acp in serpa, 1 quart water, 3x magnifier and lrf in belt pouches. Pack with food water and weight. Ammo pouches with 1 mag of 5.56 and 5 mags of .308.

Activity:

G01 - 5.56 - thermal - 25yds - 0, 0, 8, 9 - score 17 - avg 4.25
G02 - 5.56 - thermal - 50yds - 6, 8, 0 - score 14 - avg 5.66

G03 - 5.56 - ir-laser - 50yds - 7, 7, 8 - score 22 - avg 7.33

G04 - .308 - ir-laser - 25yds - 6, 8, 9 - score 23 - avg 7.66

G05 - .308 - ir-laser - 50yds - 5, 8, 9 - score 22 - avg 7.33
G06 - .308 - ir-laser - 50yds - 6, 6, 8 - score 20 - avg 6.66
G07 - .308 - ir-laser - 50yds - 9, 5, 5 - score 19 - avg 6.33
G08 - .308 - ir-laser - 50yds - 6, 8, 10 = score 24 - avg 8.00

Didn't intend to shoot with thermal, so had no hand warmers. Emissivity of black circles might have let me see them, but not very well apparently. I'll try again with better targets. Had to adjust sling on .308 ... that was first time adjusting a sling in the field, had to turn the focus knob on the 14.
For the ir-laser shots, I was using the ir illuminator on my helmet to light of the targets, but it was washing out the ir-laser, so I had to "look" a bit to the right, so as to illum the target a little, but not aim the illulm directly at the black circle, so I wouldn't wash out.
I got decent rythym of running bolt, aiming and shooting with .308 ... but changing mags was too slow. I have to carry the mags in something different in order to be able to change with gloves.

14 fogged up again as I got in the buggy, that is a pattern. I removed nose from balaklava and unfogging began, had to wait about a minute before I could proceed.

 

[wigwamitus]

I don't care what you guys say ... Delta4-3 IS a genius !!!

He told me to try "dykes" to pull out the ejector and that worked. The ejector and spring and tiny brass shard are out of the ejector hole. The ejector and spring actually look fine ... I dumped them all in KROIL for a nice bath. The Dykes saved the day!!! (I never though those noises would exit my mouth !!! )

 

[FrankT]

Good going, yeah I thought you had tried everything or would have mentioned them...I like the wide grip surface and have full size and miniatures in the tool box.

 

[wigwamitus]

Right, I had tried all my mini needle nose, but didn't think to try dykes, they aren't for this purpose! (so says my brain) but they worked fine ... and nothing "looks" damaged. But I would at least like to replace the retaining pin.

 

[FrankT]

I would replace the pin and spring, keep those for an emergency.

 

[Ratdog68]

Always nice to get to the bottom of a problem. Yeah, ejector/spring are cheap insurance... old ones as spare.

 

[wigwamitus]

2014-11-18
2200-0030
10F
8 mph SW

Goal: Full kit walk.

Environment: no moon, stars visible, Cass/Andromeda have moved West but are very much overhead. Orion is about in the spot Cass was a month ago with "head" pointing N. Crystals visible in the air with the 14.

Equipment: 5.56 with two 28 rd magazines in mag pouch. Also ir-laser and thermal and sling on rifle. eotech and (plastic) iron sights as well. Using lake city 55gr. .45acp with one mag (and two on helmet as counterweights), ct ir-laser grips. Using 230gr 835fps. 1 Quart canteen, pack with food water and weight. Belt pouches with lrf and 3x magnifier for 14. Actual temp on back porch after walk is 5F. Wearing snow pants, tee shirt, light jacket, medium sweater, plastic wet suit top, balaklava. Ballistic helmet with pinnacle, ir-illumn and 3 lumen RBGW light. Gloves, usually left glove on and right glove in right pocket.

Activity: Perimeter walk (about 40% of this walk is through woods, which is much slower). Across Turtle Creek, up Signal Hill, several 360s with 14 and thermal. Can see neighbors horses 800yds NW. Then walked through woods to the South of the pond, much "deader" than in the summer when the frogs are jumping in the pond as I go by and now where the water is about 50% frozen over. Then on to hill 1309 and a break. I finally found some protein bars I don't like . Hit on the quart canteen as well. Then up the East fence line, through a stretch of woods (adjusted focus and turned on ir-ill on helmet. Crossed the main creek, not frozen over yet (I've walked across the frozen ice here before and not fallen in). Then crossed fence (time consuming). Then to NE corner and then back to the West, through another stretch of woods in the NW corner then South to the main ford. Then back across the creek, and back into the main pasture. Here I passed some owls, that I'm used to passing here. They live here. But they were making LOTs of noise tonight. Then South past the North end of the pond dam, then back to Signal Hill pasture, past Turkey Bluff and across Turtle creek and home.

Have to remove gloves to operate buttons on thermal, at least on one hand. Did dry firing with both thermal and ir-laser. Having trouble turning ir-laser off. Both the laser max lasers are having switch issues, the one on the .308 as well. I just changed the batteries in the one on the 5.56 rifle, there was some corrosion in there and I think I got it cleaned out. But both lasers are having switch problems these days.

Results: Was not cold, those layers are warm and those pants are hot. I was able to keep the balaklava on my nose about 90% of the time. The 14 fogged a little, but nothing that stopped me. The thermal worked fine. After I went in the house, the eotech froze up on both sides! I mean water on the two sides of the "peep sight" froze up. I don't think it was like that outside.

 

[wigwamitus]

Just put 7.62 rifle back together and it has successfully cycled 10 dummy rounds. I'll take it apart again and add a bit of oil, didn't add any after drying off the KROIL. It is a little "sticky" in terms of extracting.

I hear you guys about replacing the ejector parts and I will, but I'm glad to be able to get far enough in the testing to establish that the problem has been identified and "fixed". There was a tiny brass shard in the ejector "tunnel" how the hecque it got in there I do not know.

I really appreciate the posts, suggestions, ideas but mostly the support which gave me the confidence to solve this issue myself instead of giving up and wasting a lot of time and money having someone else fix it. Thanks a bunch LSBs !!!

 

[wigwamitus]

Gave bolt normal oil application and repeated cycling of 10 dummy rounds, everything normal, no more "sticky".

 

[FrankT]

Man, you do alot of practicing! Too cold for me even to go hunting.. 70 yesterday, 35 this AM, 30 tomorrow but back up to 70 this weekend...that is more my weather! Wife is knitting sweaters to pass out to the hogs!

 

[wigwamitus]

You fight like you train !!!
(this is a paper I wrote several years ago while in the Military History program at KU)

 

[wigwamitus]

From 7.62 rifle, fired three rounds of DM18A1B1, German blue plastic training ammo, 10gr "bullet" at 4000fps. Great for "wind training" ... but today just using it for testing. No cycling issues ... then fired 3rds of Hornady 125gr LITE load 2460 FPS ammo ... no cycling issues. So from where I sit, the gun is back UP.
Also ordered new spring and retaining pin.

 

[wigwamitus]

2014-11-20
2200-0030
10F
5 mph NE

Goal: Zero thermal on 5.56

Environment: No moon, stars good. Orion visible to the East, Cass/Amdromeda to the West. Slight breeze from NE.

Equipment: T-shirt, light jacket, wet suit top, snow pants. Dual 14s on ballistic helmet with balaklava. 5.56 rifle, with ir-laser, thermal, sling, 13-27 bipod, 3x magnifier & lrf on belt pouches, .45acp in serpa, 1 quart canteen, pack with protein bars, 2 pints water and weight. One mag with 11 rounds 62gr lake city.

Activity: Fire 11 rounds with thermal (on black hot) at 25yds, with bipod at 22.5 sitting.

G01 - 2 rounds - score 05 - avg 2.5 ... cranked 4 left
G02 - 2 rounds - score 11 - avg 5.5 ... cranked 4 left, 4 down
G03 - 2 rounds - score 15 - avg 7.5 ... cranked 4 left, changed reticle to large white
G04 - 2 rounds - score 14 - avg 7.0 ... cranked 4 left
G05 - 2 rounds - score 18 - avg 9.0 ... cranked 4 left, 1 up
G06 - 1 round - score 10 - avg 10

If I will observe on white hot - with some swtiching to black and back to white - to aid id ... ... ... and shoot on black hot ... then I was thinking white reticle would make sense ... but not easy to see ... so switched to largest white reticle ... ... I should not have cranked up one prior to last shot ... I need to reverse that. But windage looks good now.

It was cool, but I was minus a layer ... but need to continue to adjust. I think lungs are adjusting fine and those are the items that matter as to my adjustment. I did have some fairly continuous fogging up of the 14s ... so I guess it is finally time to try the anti=-fog juice ...