The Early Bushmasters were not trying to duplicate the M-16's
I seen a Bushmaster serial 709 and it had wooden stocks on it. Darn thing resembled a AR-15 but had a llot of different machine work. What was this? When did they make it? Was it a home version? The serial number was on the upper receiver also. Maybe one day I can get a photo of it I stopped in teh shop I go to and a regualr was there with it. Thanks,,RIck B
The Early Bushmasters were not trying to duplicate the M-16's, they were trying to take the best of both the M-16 and the AK-47, which has a well-proven track record as well, especially in its air system.
I don't remember what year I bought mine. (I think the serial number is 00993.) but it works like a champ. :AR15firing:
What I remember from their ads at the time, they said they had purchased a bunch of M-16 parts and had decided to create a new weapon that had most of the internal workings of an M-16, but incorporated the blow-back system of an AK-47. The M-16 lets escaping gas go back to unlock and push back the bolt, whereas the AK (and these early Bushmasters) used a piston rod to unlock and push back the bolt and bolt carrier.
They also used a heavy hunk of steel for the bolt carrier which lowered the cyclic time. This was primarily useful in the full-auto versions.
In creating the semi-auto version, they used an altered fire-select lever and left out the auto-sear. (The hammer is the M-16 type, but there is no drill hole for the autosear pin. The auto version of the fire select lever would have an extra piece of metal that holds the semi-auto sear out of the way when Auto is selected, but they cast new ones that would only allow semi-auto fire.)
Three-shot-burst had not been introduced in these early versions.
I cannot help the fellow with the feed problems as mine has always fed flawlessly. I have never had a jam or stove-pipe or anything of that sort. I would not think it was a problem with the mag too high or too low, as all of the guns should have been machined identically. I would check with things like the magazines you are using, that they are not sprung or something. Believe it or not, I have heard that some of the guys back in the Nam used an empty mag. to pop the caps off soda-pop (beer) bottles, then wondered why they developed feed problems with their M-16s.
The only problem I've had that caused a temporary feed problem was when the air-piston return spring was hanging up, and I was in the fireld at the time and "fixed it" by chopping off 2 or 3 coils off the spring. I stretched the spring a bit and threw it back together and it worked fine.
Since then I have forgotten about the problem (until now) as that seemed to permanently fix it.
Over the years (with many hundred rounds through it) I have only had two problems with mine.
(1) (described above) the air-piston return spring (whatever it is properly called) started sticking/catching. I figured out that it was just a skosh too long, so I clipped off about 2 to 3 turns off the spring and stretched it a wee bit. I have had no trouble with that ever since.
(2) The other trouble was that a weld broke on the left-swinging folding stock, while the weapon was still fairly new. For that, I sent it back to Bushmaster, and besides apologizing that it had left the factory with only a tack-weld, they replaced it with a new one that was fully welded. I have had no further trouble with that either.
Hope some of that is useful from a historical perspective. I have wondered why I never see any of those early Bushmasters on sale. I guess the people who have one don't want to part with it. (Like me)
Ok, sorry, but I give up on how to put pictures on here.
Oh, and mine *could be* the only one with a rail and scope mount...
