I was able to open the bolt by poping it on the ground and found that was not a round in the chamber. Apparently it ejected but did not load. The 2 times before that I was able to open it after a jam it was loaded.

I took the gun apart, looked for burrs and oiled the area. The bolt does not slide freely back and forth. when I push it all the way to the closed position, I have to open it by hitting the bolt with a piece of wood and a hammer towards the back. I cannot open it wih the handle. I think if I sand down one of the edges on the bolt I could make it move freely, but I don't want to do that yet to this "new" gun. I may just take to get checked by a gunsmith.

Man, are you sure the chamber isn't gummed up with old lubricant, dirt or other debris? You thoroughly cleaned the upper? Spray some CLP/ break free down the chamber. Get a chamber brush, or old shotgun bore brush and get the chamber scrubbed down. If not done already, you should dis-assemble the bolt carrier group and bolt and give it a good scrubbing, too. If you're not seeing any burrs, it's gatta be foreign materials on those parts.

Thats weird. Never had that happen before no matter how dry it was. Think I will leave this one to the experts. Let us know what the fix was.

Well, I had never shot the gun or oiled it. It has been sitting in the box, new for 2 years. is the first time the gun got fired ever. I ran about 20 to 30 rounds when it started doing this.

I oiled it, but I want to clean it anyway with some kind of solvent or something then reoil. But it looks clean, has always been in the case in the house. Wendesday is the first time it saw fresh air.

Yeah, just clean it real good. I wonder if some firearms come with some type of packing grease to keep them from rusting in storage. Maybe yours did, who knows. I feel confident that if you scrub all associated parts down, you should get a smooth action with limited friction. Remember, these weapons were engineered to run wet, meaning you have to keep it lubricated to function properly. Best of luck!

I found the problem. The bolt assembly inside the bolt carrier has 3 rings. Looks like piston rings on a piston. One of the rings was bent out of position and out of its groove, causing the bolt asm almost not to move at all inside the bolt carrier.

Do you know if these rings ares sold seperatly or are they part of the bolt.

I wanted to post a pic, but too complicated for me.

Those are gas rings and yes you can buy them seperatly. They also make one piece gas rings as well. You should replace all three at once also.

You can order a set of 3 for less than $5 and the one piece rings are about the same price. From what I understand they are a piece of cake to install.

That is great. I will replace them and give it a try. I will keep the gun very well oiled next time.

Thanks for all the help to everyone.

I was thinking about ordering the R-15 in 450 bushmaster tomorrow.
Your AR problem is making me think twice about it.
let us know what it takes to fix it.

Well, oiling the gun prior to firing it would have prevented his problem. He knows that now, and i am sure once he gets his new rings installed, the gun cleaned and lubed properly he won't have anymore issues outside of a normal break in period.

You should be good to go on your AR purchase. Just read the manual prior to firing and follow all instructions.

When I got my Bushmaster new, a couple of well versed AR friends of mine told me to strip it, clean it and lube the crap out of it before shooting it at all. I've run a few hundred rounds down it now without any trouble.

If it dries up too much, it will have trouble with the initial load not picking up the round from the magazine. A little CLP on it and it works like a champ.

Elliot,
Thanks for the advise , I appreciate it.
I will be calling around to find the best pricing today.
I've narrowed it down to the R-15 in 450 Bushmaster or the R-25 in 7mm-08.
I think I could get some good use out of either of them.
depends on how much higher the R-25 sells for.

Yet everybody contiunes to extoll the virtues of the AR. Reading these posts surprises me about two things.

1) I never knew ARs gave so many people so much trouble.
2) Why are they still so popular? (see suprise #1).

Ive had way more AK 47/74 problems than AR15 problems.

I have a few ar's and never had an issue with any of them. I always run them wet. I purchased my 1st ak and it took me about a year to get it to run right without jamming.

Most of the problem was letting the gun sit and dry up and me not being familiar with the AR. If I would of taken the time to dissassemble it and oil it, I would have seen the way the parts are suppossed to move and known right away what caused my problem. I got it repaired but haven't taken it out to shoot yet. I hope it was a one time thing.