Gunsmithing DLC and Firing Pin Bushing

[PinesAndProjectiles]

I've got a Surgeon 591 and she has quite a few rounds on her. I'm thinking about sending the bolt to be DLC coated, but if you look at the pic below, you can see there's almost a ring of what looks to be pitting all the way around the firing pin where the primer stops.

Would having the firing pin bushed repair the "pitting" in the bolt face?

Or, is this something that should be discarded? I'd like to sen the bolt out and get both done at the same time.

Thanks,

 

[LRI]

That "pitting" is actually "fire checking". Its caused by either hot loads that are gassing through the seal formed by the primer being seated in the brass or brass that has given up the goods. (worn out primer pockets) Basically, your rifle is acting like a cutting torch on the bolt face every time you pull the trigger.

DLC won't prevent or stop that. Assuming it's not super deep, the solution here is a whisker pass off the face of the bolt to make it flat again. This will cascade into a trim off the striker protrusion as well. -best to be done on a new barrel install as your HS will be altered. You only have so much room for this as it can mess with the ejector and how the extractor works.

A striker bushing is for when you see cratered primers on loads that should be fine for a given pressure. it's caused by excessive clearance between the OD of the striker pin and ID of the hole it pokes through.

Hope this helps.

 

[308pirate]

Or you can DLC right over it and fix your loads so they won't leak hot gasses past the primer/primer pocket seal.

 

[PinesAndProjectiles]

I guess I should have phrased that differently.

Would putting a bushing around the firing pin get rid of the ring on the bolt face?

If so, I'll send the bolt in and have it DLC coated at the same time.

 

[308pirate]

Would putting a bushing around the firing pin get rid of the ring on the bolt face?

it won't. Bushing the firing pin hole is done to reduce the radial clearance between the firing pin outside diameter and the FP hole's inside diameter. This prevents the large clearance between the two from acting like a "cookie cutter" and punching through the primer. Which then leads to firing pin tip flame cutting erosion, which worsens the primer piercing, which worsens tip erosion, which.......creates a vicious circle and destroys the tip of your firing pin.

That's not what I see there. I see the same thing LRInc sees, which is gas escaping around the OD of the primer due to a loose primer pocket. Toss your brass and replace it with new, that's the only fix.

 

[Edds]

I guess I should have phrased that differently.

Would putting a bushing around the firing pin get rid of the ring on the bolt face?

If so, I'll send the bolt in and have it DLC coated at the same time.

Putting a bushing in it will get rid of the ring but you need to fix whatever issue there is with your ammo or it will make a new ring on the new bolt face.