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I will try carefully resizing and trimming about 100 cases, load them similar to the ones that had issues and check it out at the range again. Sounds like this may be the cure.

I will look into getting some headspace gauges if there are further problems. Do you suggest GO, NO-GO, and FIELD gauges? MidwayUSA looks like they have Forster gauges at a good price.

Thanks to everyone for your help.

Some of your questions gave me an idea, I kind of remember the position of the carrier in this situation but it didn't come to mind 'til now.
I looked my rifle all over just now, and I think the carrier was not all the way forward during those times. So, the bolt didn't fully rotate into the chamber. That would cause the firing pin to be back too far, just enough to not make contact with the primer. It does all this because it didn't chamber completely because it was a little too big to seat all the way in, which is why it wouldn't pull out... jammed. Everything was froze up because the bolt wasn't all the way forward.

If this is true, still can't figure out why the second time it would fire. Maybe it made just enough contact the second time for it to fire.

Sound about right?

stroo wrote: How do you handle the primers?

By hand, but not touched. These were loaded with a lee autoprimer, I lay them into the autoprimer by holding it upside down on the open box of primers and turn it upside-down with the box. They fall onto the autoprimer tray shiny side down. Usually about 20 at a time. Then I put the cover on and start priming.

Houston1944 wrote: I do not know much about "AR's" but the fact that you cannot eject the round sounds strange to me.

Yes, me too. maybe the case is still too expanded? i.e not sized properly. Still not sure why it didn't fire first time. BTW, it ejected fine after firing.

stevie_d_64 wrote:So the one that went "CLICK" finally went "BANG" after you broke the upper and lower apart and cycled the safety???

hmmmmm...

DPMS, Olympic, RRA??? Colt??? Bushmaster???

Did the pin hit the primer when you looked at it after the first "CLICK"?

Just trying to get a fuller picture here...

Glad it doesn't look like a squib so far...

It's hard to be clear when I am not sure about what's going on, but I'll try...

It's an RRA upper, the lower I put together myself from a kit.
I don't know if the pin hit the primer on the 'click' The bolt carrier was stuck forward, couldn't see the cartridge. After the BANG I checked it and it looked normal. Maybe a little burr on the mouth, the part that gets crimped.
I guess it could be a sizing problem, I'm fairly new at it so I may have done a poor job on those three.

I only mentioned that I cycled the safety because it wouldn't do it after the 'click'. I had to manually cock the hammer while it was separated.

Just trying to figure out why it wouldn't go "BANG' the first time, but it would after. Bad primer? primer seating? cartridge seating-in too far? I will try to be extremely careful doing sizing.

This may not sound like it's in the right place, but I'm pretty sure it's a reloading issue... maybe someone can help.

I had three experiences with rounds in my AR-15 .223. These are reloads using LC brass and 55gr FMJ (non-specific manufacturer). I used Winchester small rifle primers.
I was shooting along, BANG, BANG, CLICK... It was stuck in there, I couldn't eject it, couldn't pull back on the bolt, couldn't put it in safety.. What I had to do was separate the upper and lower completely, cock the hammer, put it on safe, put it back together and fire it, they fired OK the second time. I'm not sure if that was the safest way to do it, so I'd like some advice on what I should have done and how it may have happened in the first place.

Aside from that, I shot over 200 rounds of my reloads using different loads and bullet weights. Trying to find my perfect load. Everything else fired OK.