I bet you’re on to something with that alignment thought process. Sucks man.I can push the buffer back with my finger no problem and it’s smooth. The lower is in mint condition…not new but not disrespected. I’ll pull the spring out in the a.m. and check it out. From what I have researched, it may be the buffer tube alignment
On the bright side, this makes me thankful that I didn’t go with LMT for my most recent build.