L4 mag issues

[TactAdv]

I'm wondering why P L has not imparted his practical experience and possible solutions to this quandry your having

I believe Peter has been busy as of late dealing with more pressing issues. I'm sure he'll pop in shortly.

Information

Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.

[AmEngRifles]

After some helpful input from JoeH and others (thank you everyone), I am understanding the differences between the basic striker systems. I am also pretty impressed with what Mighty Lime has been doing, as he seems to have approached his solution with an engineering mind set. From what I have READ, his system seems to be the most reliable one, being the most balanced in all things based on engineering formulas.

I now believe that my L4A4 is just really experiencing short stroking, so that the bolt is really not coming back in full travel, thus giving me a bolt over base misfeed. I have a similar issue with a Project Guns MkIII. The issues ( as applied to many guns, not just mine) seem to start up from with the gas spigot, and compound themselves as we move rearward in the gun, through the gas piston, and it's diameter and length and even whether the piston face is cupped (as in one builders design) or just better fitted with the standard flat face. NEW, better fitting gas pistons are one of the easiest parts to make and replace in that train of integrated (gas) parts. Would be nice to see someone produce a variety of gas pistons to be sold, so one could tighten up their bleeding gas system.

Then comes the bolt carrier modification (which seems ok across the board as far as NOT causing any issues) and the striker itself. Mighty Lime states some very good reasoning for having the lightest striker possible, but with the duties of the striker, it still becomes a massive chunk of unnecessary weight. It has to have rails to keep it guided while traveling inside the receiver guide slots, a capture hole (meaning length) to allow spring or recoil rod to pass into and thru and a sear cut to catch and be held by the sear during the firing process. All the extra weight complicates the math in figuring spring forces to have reliable cycling. ML striker always struck me as an elegant shape, but now I understand why. He simply was reducing mass to the design. Could these be made out of Titanium, or would that be cost prohibitive? Does Titanium not stand up to battering?

But the Mighty Lime solution goes beyond just slimming down the striker. He also elegantly contains the necessary drive spring and support parts to a minimum to reduce that force needed to cock and operate the striker.

I am very interested in converting my L4A4 into a Mighty Lime set up, but he does not offer this as a service. I have only just been introduced to the Builder's Guild and those guys are WAY smarter and more talented than myself. I am just a trigger puller. Would be nice if someone would start retro fitting the "other" designs, with the ML design (maybe even as a drop in kit?). I do not think anything that is required in the ML design is not doable as the other designs should have unaltered recoil tubes and the ability to accept his modifications. The modified recoil tube and an additional striker spring tube is required as I understand it. New design specific strikers would be required as well.

I will be hanging out at the Builders Guild a bit more, trying to absorb as much as I can. Thank you to all who have helped me with this journey. I WILL get my problems resolved and I WILL love these Bren guns that I have always wanted. I just am disappointed that they do not come as reliable as they could have been, from the get go. As much as they cost, I expected more.