Posted: 3/30/2015 8:35:15 PM EDT
[#9]
Quote History Quoted:
Historically in the last fifteen years or so, the Army bought has bolts at around $50 a pop. (The day of the twenty dollar bolt was in the 1980s)
On 2009/02/04, a 5 year Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity, contract for $ 35,866,600 was awarded. The minimum guaranteed order was 20,000 bolts.
So, if the minimum was all the Army needed, they cost - $ 1800 a piece, if the Army (Navy, USMC and AF) bought a million bolts, they were $35 each. This contract should be ending about now. I will have to do a little internet digging and see just how many have been delivered under this contract. (Gov't contacts are public knowledge, but they never just publish it.) We'll see if they need to buy some more.
Designing a part, like a bolt, should be done so it lasts as long enough that we, the tax-payers, don't have to spent 36 million every five years for bolts. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quote History Quoted:
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Something will have to be done by the military to extend the life of bolts in M16s and M4s with the new M855A1 ammo becoming more common.
According to the Army, some bolt cracking is being observed at 6,000 rounds under full auto use with the higher pressure M855A1 ammo,.
Like this: "All bolts will be replaced at 5,000 round intervals, unless flaws are noted in routine inspections prior to that point. Round count may be estimated based on unit-level firing schedules per the following table...." Or something like that.
A bolt is a $40 item for us civilians, and probably costs Uncle Sam $25 at most. OVER-DESIGNING such a part is not an efficient use of materials or design time, and leads to unnecessarily complex standards - and the accompanying inspection criteria and protocols. Inspect the bolt when you clean the rifle, and if it looks like there are flaws, replace it.
Historically in the last fifteen years or so, the Army bought has bolts at around $50 a pop. (The day of the twenty dollar bolt was in the 1980s)
On 2009/02/04, a 5 year Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity, contract for $ 35,866,600 was awarded. The minimum guaranteed order was 20,000 bolts.
So, if the minimum was all the Army needed, they cost - $ 1800 a piece, if the Army (Navy, USMC and AF) bought a million bolts, they were $35 each. This contract should be ending about now. I will have to do a little internet digging and see just how many have been delivered under this contract. (Gov't contacts are public knowledge, but they never just publish it.) We'll see if they need to buy some more.
Designing a part, like a bolt, should be done so it lasts as long enough that we, the tax-payers, don't have to spent 36 million every five years for bolts.
The most recent one was $21,000,000 for 350,000 bolts, I believe. Colt and FN split it from what I read.
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