New AR break in / bolt question

[jvr]

I have an older well shot daniel defense ar. (stock except for flash hider and trigger) Just left the range with a brand new dd. I use tula ammo for practice (not the best but allows for more practice). Well with the new gun it was short stroking every now and then....and would not lock bolt to the rear. You could tell it needed some breaking. Charging the weapon required more effort and had the slightest bit of resistance. I have read on the hide about taking coils out of buffer springs etc. Instead:

I swapped the bolts and both guns cycle perfectly. Does anyone see any potential problems with this?

 

[Temp9]

Re: New AR break in / bolt question

Theoretically, headspacing will change when switching bolts. Most AR bolts are close enough in dimensions to not cause an unsafe situation, but it wouldn't be a bad idea to find someone with headspace gauges to check with.

 

[Rprecision]

Re: New AR break in / bolt question

I think you should stop useing junk ammo to gauge if a weapon is working properly.

IMHO, clipping springs becuse your too cheap to use even standard ammo is defeating the point.

Sorry to be blunt, but there is no nice way to put it

 

[tsavo303]

Re: New AR break in / bolt question

most ars dont need break-in, but I have heard DD does sometimes. I have no experience with them

 

[windermike]

Re: New AR break in / bolt question

About the only time you run into headspace problems with ar 15s is when you use an old bolt with a new barrel. I always check headspace when I change bolts. It is not hard to check headspace. You only have to be wrong once for something bad to happen. Always try to remember what a gun shot is. It is an explosion right beside your face. Go no go gauges are pretty inexpensive.

Mike

 

[jvr]

Re: New AR break in / bolt question

update: I changed bolt carrier group. not just the bolt. sorry for the misinformation.

dd customer service said the should be no problem with doing this. The resistance that I was encountering was the heavy coating of phosphate on the bolt. It takes about 200 rounds to break it in.

thanks for your input.

 

[frankythefly]

Re: New AR break in / bolt question

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Jvr</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I have an older well shot daniel defense ar. (stock except for flash hider and trigger) Just left the range with a brand new dd. I use tula ammo for practice (not the best but allows for more practice). Well with the new gun it was short stroking every now and then....and would not lock bolt to the rear. You could tell it needed some breaking. Charging the weapon required more effort and had the slightest bit of resistance. I have read on the hide about taking coils out of buffer springs etc. Instead:

I swapped the bolts and both guns cycle perfectly. Does anyone see any potential problems with this? </div></div>

Did you check the gas rings on the first bolt?
(disregard highlighted area as you have a new bolt)

 

[Powder_Burns]

Re: New AR break in / bolt question

Oil, as in lubrication?

 

[Mr_Brass]

Re: New AR break in / bolt question

When I get a new bcg I take and polish the four points where it rides in the upper. Pretty much doing the same things running a few hundred rounds does

 

[Shooter McGavin]

Re: New AR break in / bolt question

When I get a new AR I polish the bolt and bolt carrier group with .0000 steel wool. It has help with break in and is much easier to clean afterwards. BTW I don't take the finish off, just smooth it out.