Need some thoughts from the group. I normally load my 450 bushmaster, by locking open the bolt, dropping a cartridge into the throat, releasing the bolt carrier group and then pump the forward assist once or twice, prior to loading the magazine. Upon cleaning the gun at season end, I noticed indented primers on live rounds. Bottom left 2 show the indents.


I have never had a accidental discharge, but this has me a little nervous, that the primer is being struck when loading. Thought I would see if anyone else had a similar experience. May have to revert to loading the gun from the magazine.
Thought?

Looks completely normal to me. It'll likely do it from the magazine as well, albeit not quite as deeply. The AR-15 has a floating firing pin, no rebound spring, so when the bolt slams home, the only thing to stop the pin is the primer. When you load from the magazine, it makes the same contact, but the bolt velocity isn't quite as high, so the pin doesn't pick up quite as much inertia. You could go to a titanium firing pin, reducing weight and decreasing inertia, or you could load from the magazine, or you could ride the bolt forward a bit before releasing it, or you could do like the rest of us millions of AR owners and ignore the "kisses" on the primers - you should be loading with the muzzle pointed in a safe direction anyway.

The only one of my AR's that doesn't do that very same thing is my 6.8. The rest do it even from mag load though, as NoMercy pointed out, not as bad. I have a standard pin in my 6.8 so I have no clue why it doesn't do that. I know the first few times I went to eject an unfired round and saw that I was seriously questioning it myself. Just do what NoMercy suggested and ride the bolt a little and also make 100% certain of your muzzle direction when loading which you should always do anyway.