The BEST Straight-Pull Rifle in Canada - Maple Ridge Armoury

Nah man, there is something wrong with your rifle or ammo, mine is smooth as butter from day one.
I tried three types of ammo. They all required WAY more force than any AR15, or any .223/ 5.56 I’ve ever used, to remove a chambered cartridge. It’s a two handed affair to cycle the action.

I’ve not had this problem before.
 
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Got my renegade today! Looks great!

I tried inserting the BCL mags and they fit with considerable force. However, inserting the BCL MRX mag seems to lock up bolt solid.

Suggestions?

Edit to add: holy cow is this thing hard to extract! I’ve got a bruise on my finger now. - I'm talking; take the rifle, place the butt on my chest and give it everything I’ve got. I’m 6’4” 200lbs.

Tell me this smooths out!
Yeah had the same thing. Hard to insert and remove. Bolt seized when inserted. Had to do the following to all 3 of my MRX mags.

1. Remove some material from the back sides on either side of the spine the whole length that fits inside the mag well. This to get it in and out. Will drop free once enough is removed. Do the fit testing on the removed lower.

2. Remove a fair bit of material from the back spine between the lips as this material is pushing up on the bolt catch. Remove this bit by bit until it no longer engages the bolt catch. Do the fit testing on the removed lower.

3. Remove material very little at a time from the top of the feed lips. The bolt drags on them until you do and is with the back spine seizing the bolt. Do the fit testing on the rifle assembled.

The good news is it is possible to correct with some careful shop time. Took about an hour and a half to do the 3 mags with careful moto tool and file work. Oh and the bolt catch does not reach to follower so there will be no engagement on the last shot.

Cheers
Moe
 
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I tried three types of ammo. They all required WAY more force than any AR15, or any .223/ 5.56 I’ve ever used, to remove a chambered cartridge.

I been using this platform professionally since I was 19 years old.

The cartridge is wedged in tight on the Renegade, and requires two hands to extract. I’d normally use two fingers on the charging handle to easily remove an unspent cartridge for any other platform.

I tried the same mag and ammo in my Tipian X - it resulted in easy extraction.

I’ve not had this problem before.

I’ve never seen cartridges get stuck like this.

Another Canadian lemon 🤦

Oh well.
This is widely known to be a problem with some hotter 556 ammo in this and the CR PND. The chamber on MRA's barrels are not as compatible with all 556 as we would like it to be. I believe the chamber and somewhat rough bolt are the cause. Got this fixed when I used a Colt 6920 barrel and bolt. I knew of this from forum threads before hand and is why I built my own from their receiver set. Your rifle might run OK with regular 223. MRA/VRS also state that a 100rd break in is required for smooth operation. After 250rds I gave up and swapped out their bolt for my Colt and that fixed it.

Cheers
Moe
 
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This is widely known to be a problem with some hotter 556 ammo in this and the CR PND. The chamber on MRA's barrels are not as compatible with all 556 as we would like it to be. I believe the chamber and somewhat rough bolt are the cause. Got this fixed when I used a Colt 6920 barrel and bolt. I knew of this from forum threads before hand and is why I built my own from their receiver set. Your rifle might run OK with regular 223. MRA/VRS also state that a 100rd break in is required for smooth operation. After 250rds I gave up and swapped out their bolt for my Colt and that fixed it.

Cheers
Moe
I’ve only tried .223 thus far.

Maybe I’ll try some different ammo and see if it soothes out.

Thanks for the advice.
 
With BCL MRX mags my rifle and JeffMan had the same issue. I have no idea how you escaped this. Is it possible your BCL MRX mags were worked over to function like in my other post?

Cheers
Moe
Hey Moe, to be clear I totally missed the connection to the BCL MRX mags as I am not using those…I presumed the OP was have two different problems, which I guess he is but both seem to be related to those mags as you pointed out. Apologies for chiming in when I clearly didn’t understand the whole issue, but thanks for sharing your knowledge on the matter, my point was that I have one of the very first MkII rifles and it has functioned flawlessly and smooth from day one with over 1000 rds fired, of several ammo types. And FWIW, I have only used p-mags, duramags and MFT LAR mags.
 
I've exclusively run PMC X-tac 5.56 55 grain FMJ through my Renegade and I've always had very smooth extractions. I'm up to 400 rounds now but it was smooth from the start.

My experience has been the same, and have also used Hornady "Training" 5.56 in mine with no issues. About 600 rounds in at this point.
 
Hey Moe, to be clear I totally missed the connection to the BCL MRX mags as I am not using those…I presumed the OP was have two different problems, which I guess he is but both seem to be related to those mags as you pointed out. Apologies for chiming in when I clearly didn’t understand the whole issue, but thanks for sharing your knowledge on the matter, my point was that I have one of the very first MkII rifles and it has functioned flawlessly and smooth from day one with over 1000 rds fired, of several ammo types. And FWIW, I have only used p-mags, duramags and MFT LAR mags.
Yeah. I flat out gave up on the BCL mags. I’ll come back to them when I get a chance. I don’t mind tuning and tinkering a bit - in my view it’s all part of the hobby.

I did not fire any xtac 5.56 but I did go outside and cycle about 20 rounds of it. (Note - this is my home range, so safety wasn’t a concern) the rounds didn’t bind up as much as the .223 I tried (Hornady .223 and Scorpion .223)

I still wouldn’t describe the action as smooth, as the case wants to stay in the chamber. If it was a C8 it’d go back to the armorer.

I also dropped a round into the chamber, without the bolt, and it seemed to go in fine, tho I couldn’t say the case went all they way in, then tapping the buttstock lightly and it slid back out.

Maybe I need to put a couple hundred rounds down the pipe and that’ll smooth it out.🤷‍♂️

Note - I tried the same rounds and mags in my Tiapan and the bolt was like butter. Could be the Renegade barrel is built to tighter spec for accuracy purposes? I dunno.
 
Yeah. I flat out gave up on the BCL mags. I’ll come back to them when I get a chance. I don’t mind tuning and tinkering a bit - in my view it’s all part of the hobby.

I did not fire any xtac 5.56 but I did go outside and cycle about 20 rounds of it. (Note - this is my home range, so safety wasn’t a concern) the rounds didn’t bind up as much as the .223 I tried (Hornady .223 and Scorpion .223)

I still wouldn’t describe the action as smooth, as the case wants to stay in the chamber. If it was a C8 it’d go back to the armorer.

I also dropped a round into the chamber, without the bolt, and it seemed to go in fine, tho I couldn’t say the case went all they way in, then tapping the buttstock lightly and it slid back out.

Maybe I need to put a couple hundred rounds down the pipe and that’ll smooth it out.🤷‍♂️

Note - I tried the same rounds and mags in my Tiapan and the bolt was like butter. Could be the Renegade barrel is built to tighter spec for accuracy purposes? I dunno.
Have you contacted customer service?

What you are describing is unusual, the rifle may need warranty service. It should smooth out after a couple boxes of ammo. We do keep tight tolerances to ensure accuracy and performance but this rifle should not be ginving you as much trouble as you are experiencing.
 
Got my renegade today! Looks great!

I tried inserting the BCL mags and they fit with considerable force. However, inserting the BCL MRX mag seems to lock up bolt solid.

Suggestions?

Edit to add: holy cow is this thing hard to extract! I’ve got a bruise on my finger now. - I'm talking; take the rifle, place the butt on my chest and give it everything I’ve got. I’m 6’4” 200lbs.

Tell me this smooths out!
Hi JeffMan,

The MRX mags require a small modification to seat properly and function. We have a FAQ post called "Setting the Record Straight" where you will find this and many other questions answered.

For the magazine:

How do I make the MRX magazine work in the Renegade?
  • If you have a standard magazine and a MRX magazine side by side, you will see that there is a ridge, or spine that runs up the back of these magazines. You should note that the MRX mag has more material at the top. All you need to do is get a file and remove about 1/4 inch from the top of this spine so that it more closely resembles a standard magazine. I strongly suggest you go at it slowly, as once material is removed it cannot be put back. Once this is done, you can compare the different magazines and file as needed to make the top rear of the MRX magazine as close as possible to a standard magazine (PMag or Cross mag etc.) Some people also file very gently at the feed lips, maybe one or two passes maximum with a file to smooth out feeding, but I am not certain that this is actually required for proper feeding from our rifle.
For extraction:

Why are my empty cases sticking in the chamber?
  • What ammo are you using? I ask this, as the rifle has a very tight chamber, and not all ammunition manufacturers make good quality ammunition. Military surplus ammo and any steel-cased ammo will not work in our rifles. Some of our customers report problems with Hornady and PPU ammunition. The most popular are PMC either .223 or 5.56 any bullet weight, or Federal/American Eagle (red box). Both are relatively inexpensive and later once the rifle is well broken in you may try other types of ammo. If the problem persists we will get the rifle in for warranty and lap the chamber for you to ease this issue.
 
Hi JeffMan,

The MRX mags require a small modification to seat properly and function. We have a FAQ post called "Setting the Record Straight" where you will find this and many other questions answered.

For the magazine:

How do I make the MRX magazine work in the Renegade?
  • If you have a standard magazine and a MRX magazine side by side, you will see that there is a ridge, or spine that runs up the back of these magazines. You should note that the MRX mag has more material at the top. All you need to do is get a file and remove about 1/4 inch from the top of this spine so that it more closely resembles a standard magazine. I strongly suggest you go at it slowly, as once material is removed it cannot be put back. Once this is done, you can compare the different magazines and file as needed to make the top rear of the MRX magazine as close as possible to a standard magazine (PMag or Cross mag etc.) Some people also file very gently at the feed lips, maybe one or two passes maximum with a file to smooth out feeding, but I am not certain that this is actually required for proper feeding from our rifle.
For extraction:

Why are my empty cases sticking in the chamber?
  • What ammo are you using? I ask this, as the rifle has a very tight chamber, and not all ammunition manufacturers make good quality ammunition. Military surplus ammo and any steel-cased ammo will not work in our rifles. Some of our customers report problems with Hornady and PPU ammunition. The most popular are PMC either .223 or 5.56 any bullet weight, or Federal/American Eagle (red box). Both are relatively inexpensive and later once the rifle is well broken in you may try other types of ammo. If the problem persists we will get the rifle in for warranty and lap the chamber for you to ease this issue.
Thanks for the reply guys.

I’m in the rare position of having thousands of rounds of different types of ammo. I just tried some PMC Bronze and it worked much better.

I have no doubt you guys will look after it, but I’ll see how she breaks in.
 
I’ve only tried .223 thus far.

Maybe I’ll try some different ammo and see if it soothes out.

Thanks for the advice.
In the end it was replacing the MRA bolt with a Colt one that fixed it. Also worked good with a Daniel Defense bolt I have. These rifles are good once you get through the minor hiccups it is worth it. Don't give up.

Cheers
Moe
 
In the end it was replacing the MRA bolt with a Colt one that fixed it. Also worked good with a Daniel Defense one I have. These rifles are good once you get through the minor hiccups it is worth it. Don't give up.

Cheers
Moe
I’ve actually got a Colt bolt I could try.
 
In the end it was replacing the MRA bolt with a Colt one that fixed it. Also worked good with a Daniel Defense bolt I have. These rifles are good once you get through the minor hiccups it is worth it. Don't give up.

Cheers
Moe
Did you need to pull the gas rings off? I was thinking of testing with a BCM bolt. I also get some tough extractions, especially with S&B 223.
 
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