MRA Renegade Bolt Release

jdschwass

jdschwass

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Hey, I bought a GenII Renegade from MRA, pre-assembled, in 223 Wylde.
I am very happy with it so far, fit and finish, and accuracy is great. However since day 1, I found the bolt release to be inoperable while there is a mag inserted. No amount of force will allow the bolt to drop. I took the lower receiver off, and found that there is a tremendous amount of slop in the bolt catch. So much in fact that when the bolt comes against it, it tips forward so far that it is catching the rear of the magazine. With the mag removed, the bolt release functions fine, though that defeats the purpose. I have been racking in the first round SKS style.

I removed the hex screw that retains the catch, and there is no damage to the pin or the catch itself.

I contacted MRA about this issue and received the following explanation:

"I just spoke to our tech and described your issue as well as read your email to him and he said that the lower metal is designed differently than other sporting rifles. Therefore, the lower is more shallow which is the reason for the extra bit of play in the bolt catch."

I am not sure I agree with this reply. Likely this is an issue with milspec LPKs and tolerances stacking up against me. But be warned, because according to MRA, this is part of the design, and it is 'functioning' as intended.

That being said, curious if anyone else has experienced this and/or remedied this kind of issue on their renegade, or AR pattern rifles for that matter. I don't have LPK's or spare parts lying around, so I can't just try another part.

Thanks
 
I had the same problem with two Renegade builds . Had to change the bolt release on both of them .Lucky I had spare parts so no big deal for me . The body on the release is catching on the mag that is why it goes solid when it has bolt tension on it .The specs are all over the place for that part some are wider than others but you can mill or replace it that is the cure . You got a bullsh#t responce they should make it right why have a release if it doesn't function.
 
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My bolt release works perfectly fine, catches when the mag is empty, and with no mag or with a loaded mag it releases...

BUT I'm having issues the firearm jamming after each shot, MRA said keep shooting it, that "rough" extracts are to be expected, bit disappointed with their response. I'll keep shooting and get back to them after 100 shots (break in period)
 
dubious said:
My bolt release works perfectly fine, catches when the mag is empty, and with no mag or with a loaded mag it releases...

BUT I'm having issues the firearm jamming after each shot, MRA said keep shooting it, that "rough" extracts are to be expected, bit disappointed with their response. I'll keep shooting and get back to them after 100 shots (break in period)
Click to expand...

If you are using steel cased ammo, then that will be more difficult to extract. If it is brass, then inspect the casing carefully after you fire it, and see if there are any scrapes in the case the might indicate a burr in the chamber.
Also, there is a spring in the firing pin assembly that helps to extract the bolt when you pull on it... make sure it is installed correctly and not broken, or missing.

Worst case you can polish your chamber. I have polished chambers on Rem700's before due to difficult extraction, it does help, though I would get your 100 rounds in first and rule out any other issues.
 
So after 30 rounds the Renegade was working much better, at 100 it's actually surprisingly smooth with no rough extracts.
 
Glad to hear it. MRA quality in my experience is really good.
In my case, it sounds like the blame is on cheap milspec parts not manufactured by them. Just too bad they won't stand behind their build and acknowledge the issue.
 
warzaw said:
I had the same problem with two Renegade builds . Had to change the bolt release on both of them .Lucky I had spare parts so no big deal for me . The body on the release is catching on the mag that is why it goes solid when it has bolt tension on it .The specs are all over the place for that part some are wider than others but you can mill or replace it that is the cure . You got a bullsh#t responce they should make it right why have a release if it doesn't function.
Click to expand...
Just received my renegade last week ,went to the range this morning and just as you said bolt release will not work , Extracting spent casings is very difficult ,finger is raw from having to pull back so hard
 
Wayne249 said:
Just received my renegade last week ,went to the range this morning and just as you said bolt release will not work , Extracting spent casings is very difficult ,finger is raw from having to pull back so hard
Click to expand...
Extraction should get better - mine was stiff to start but got better.
 
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