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Anyone else have trouble getting the bolt to release from the barrel? Even with no recoil spring, I find myself using a mallet to get the bolt moving rearward sometimes. With the recoil spring its a must. How hard is too hard?

i had this problem, the barrel breech was binding on the inside of the rec., not allowing the bolt rollers to contact the trunion cams to unlock

doc, unscrew the booster and put the barrel end on somethin and push this sould cause the barrel to recoil and the bolt to unlock, remove bolt and push reciever with barrel installed against something forcin the barrel to move back and forth on the recouperator to make sure it is movin freely

hope this helps

On my BRP Gun, the Bolt unlocks with minimal force on the Cocking Handle. Tom's recommendation is a valid check. I have checked mine this way and I can cause the Bolt to unlock with the palm of my hand, but it does not feel good. With a piece of wood on the Barrel muzzle, it unlocks with a good push.

When I pull the Cocking Handle, there is a smart "snap" or "pop" when the Bolt unlocks. I am going to guess, but I estimate the force to unlock at 15 lbs pull force.

Tom had that problem (as you see), and did find weld near the cam area to be binding
the barrel. Also check to see if weld buildup is standing near the recuperator plunger.
While you're in there, see if you can reciprocate the plunger with a screw driver to eliminate
an improper recuperator installment.
It's one, or both of these things causing your prob.
ps....grease everything...oil the recup springs...nothing is dry but the bolt face. Metal to metal
will always bind.

One way to test the recuperator springs is to take off the booster and put the gun on the barrel bushing, nose down. The recuperator springs should be strong enough to support the weight of the entire gun. If you push down, it should spring back freely and quickly. The barrel needs to recoil to have the bolt rollers hit the cam piece, which pushes the rollers inward.

Sounds like the barrel isn't recoiling easily enough to get the rollers to let loose of the barrel extension. The above test can be done with the bolt in place, so check to see how hard the bolt pulls back when the barrel is toward the stock. It should release easily. If the barrel doesn't move rearward (up) easily when it's pushed, there's a problem with the barrel. Check the barrel bushing for correct alignment, and the cam piece area for binding. Once that works freely without the bolt, install the bolt and try it again. It shouldn't be too hard to determine the cause of the stiffness. If none of this helps, check the bolt without the barrel in the gun. The cocking handle could be binding somewhere.

Thanks guys I'll try your checks tonight. I was up until 3 am working on my redesigned grip stick/fal fcg. Im thinking some of the issues Im having with my mg are related to crude - I ve done a bit of grinder/dremel work and IM beating I have crap where I should have grease.

Let me take this moment to officially state that I hate the recuperator. How much? Almost as much as the fal sear and its little spring that requires 3 hands to install with the trigger.