Replacement "Bolt"

[Mail Clerk]

Hello to all,

A friend of mine has his house broken into and the kids stole his Colt AR-15 "Bolt" carrier (complete). My friends and I were thinking about replacing his bolt with another so my question is can we give him a complete one from any source/brand OR do we need to get one from Colt. His is one of the origional Sporters made and not the same typical heavy barreled versions. Currently I seen Bushmaster. They seem good bolts since it's claimed to be military spec. Any thoughts?

Mail Clerk

[RMTactical]

Get him one of these

http://www.gandrtactical.com/cmt.htm#p2a

and one of these

http://www.gandrtactical.com/cmt.htm#pMPI

It'd be just as good as a real Colt bolt/BC and you'd even have a spare bolt, for cheaper than you can find a Colt bolt/BC.

[vote Republican]

With a new bolt/carrier you should have the headspace checked.

[Mail Clerk]

Originally posted by vote Republican
With a new bolt/carrier you should have the headspace checked.


Gore Licks,

Thanks for your imput/postin. I'll look at your websites when I get a chance. Again thanks.


Vote Republician,

I'll remind my buddy of this when we get the bolt. I do have a question regarding Mil-Specs. If they are Mil-Speced then why check headspace? Aren't Mil- Spec tolerances so close it wouldn't matter?

Mail Clerk

[RMTactical]

Just so you know, milspec is a word thrown around rather liberally in terms of AR's, so just be aware.

I honestly don't think headspacing will be an issue.

[coverdog]

It shouldn't be long before we gear from the die-hard Colt guys telling us why Colt's are better.;f

[spober]

YOUR TELLING US KIDS BROKE IN AND STOLE BOLT?;a

[spober]

THE COMPLETE CARRIER WITH BOLT.IS THAT ALL THEY TOOK/ if so your lucky

[Big Bird]

Here's the scoop on headspace.
The parts Gorelicks showed you are milspec and in fact the company that makes those parts (CMT) is a supplier for Colt. As I said they are milspec and there is a very high probability that they will simply be a drop in part and function perfectly.

However....

I've played with milspec parts and guns quite a bit over the years. And parts ain't parts... A small percentage of those parts will not assemble into safe friearms. I've had M1 Garands that didn't headspace properly with all USGI parts... So me personally, I use a $20 field guage and I personally check all the guns I assemble....milspec or no. Colt has a small percentage of guns that get through their system that are out of spec...I'm sure CMT makes out of spec parts that slip through the crack as well.

Ya pays your money and ya takes your chances. If the thought of a steel bolt failing with a force 50,000+ PSI behind it in perfect alignment with your face/eyes...held in place with some aluminum doesn't bother you...well...all I can say is its your face.

[USMCsilver]

Was this an older AR? If so, you may need/want a version with out the forward assist grooves.

Just something to consider.

[Skintop911]

Originally posted by Big Bird
The parts Gorelicks showed you are milspec and in fact the company that makes those parts (CMT) is a supplier for Colt. As I said they are milspec and there is a very high probability that they will simply be a drop in part and function perfectly.

Before putting any value in the statement "supplier for Colt", make sure that the given part met Colt's acceptance standards. If it didn't, it's just another part like from any other name.

Echo the advice on checking headspace anyway. You're generally unlikely to have a HS problem, but commercial/non-gov guns experience comparatively more than their gov/mil counterparts due to lax standards on that side of the house. Caveat emptor.

[mitommy]

This discussion leads to a couple of questions.
What is the process for checking head space?
What to do if I get a "spare" BCG?

[RMTactical]

Originally posted by Skintop911
Before putting any value in the statement "supplier for Colt", make sure that the given part met Colt's acceptance standards. If it didn't, it's just another part like from any other name.

Echo the advice on checking headspace anyway. You're generally unlikely to have a HS problem, but commercial/non-gov guns experience comparatively more than their gov/mil counterparts due to lax standards on that side of the house. Caveat emptor.

Well, the bolts are MP tested, which would make it just as well tested as any Colt part...

But I wouldn't put so much stock in the testing either... Of all the parts to test, the bolt is probably the most crucial, but it's not like Colt is throwing away 50% of their incoming supplies due to flaws, or even 5% for that matter. It's much lower than you'd think... otherwise they wouldn't keep their supplier, would they?

Just something to think about.

[ColdMan]

The process for checking headspace is very simple. In a nutshell, you buy the gauge, and stick it in a clean chamber. They make sure that the bolt face to shoulder are not excessive.

Any decent gunsmith should have a set, they shouldn't charge more than 5 dollars or so to check, takes a minute to do. Different places sell sets for 40-100 dollars.

The bolt from the new carrier group can be checked to make sure it works with your barrel/extension. This will add another minute or two of time to check.

In AR's headspace problems are signs of very poorly made parts, or a heavily worn barrel. Fixing the problem involves replacing the bolt and/or barrel. Fixing this is also a relatively easy job.

Edited as I was really wrong and under fun medication keeping me from doing normal thingds today. See what big bird wrote below.

[ColdMan]

I forgot to mention,

When testing headspace, use a stripped bolt, but you can leave gas rings in place. Most people don't have a bolt taker aparter tool to get the ejector out, this should take a minute or two with right tools.

[Mail Clerk]

Originally posted by spober
THE COMPLETE CARRIER WITH BOLT.IS THAT ALL THEY TOOK/ if so your lucky


spober,

Yeah just the "bolt". My friend had separated the bolt from the rifle due to the bad area we live in. The rifle was kept in the garage and the bolt inside the house. When the kids broke in they saw and took the bolt. My friends been without one for a long time. it didn't matter anyway as he goes out shooting with us maybe once in 8 years.

I remember Bushmaster use to sell a complete bolt already assembled but due to the lousey AW ban I guess Bush stopped selling them. My buddies and I wanted to get him a new one for his Colt so he could just drop-in and go shooting for a change in his life.

Thanks for all the replies guys/gals. It's greatly appreciated.

Mail Clerk

[Big Bird]

Bad advice above. The only guage you need for an AR is a field guage. Most ARs will come close to closing on a no-go guage and with a little pressure on the bolt carrier most will close on th no-go guage. The field reject guage is the critical gauge and its the guage the military uses...the bolt should NOT close on a Field guage..not under any circumstances.
Additionally, unless you have a USGI guage you will probably need to completely disassmble the bolt including the ejector to check the headspace. Commercial guages are not undercut to allot for clearance of the ejector/extractor and will not give you a good reading without disassembly of the bolt head.
Most military automatic weapons have largeish chambers in order to facilitate reliable feeding. That's why the Field Reject guage is the only one that has any meaning.

[Mail Clerk]

Hello to all,

Thanks for everyone's imput as I value them regardless. For now let me get the completed carrier/bolt first and I'll reintroduce this issue again towards the end of the year.

Mail Clerk