I was having light primer strikes on my t7 the other day. I field stripped it and noticed all this goo on the firing pin. Felt like glue almost. Factory crud I never got off. Wiped it off and starting shooting again. Decided to really clean it today and noticed the firing pin is magnetic. Is that normal? Can’t find anything online about it. Also my bolt has some chips on it. Rifle has about 200 rounds though it so far. Bolt also seems to be a little magnetic too.

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Happens. I think there is a School of the American rifle episode talking about it.


A local machine shop should have a degausser you can use. Generally not a big deal but you don't want a firing pin collecting metal fragments.

That bolt is fucking chewed up.  I'd contact IWI and get warranty work performed.  No way should it look like that even after 5000 rounds let along 200.

Hmmm I’ve seen plenty of Ar15 bolts look like that. People always say normal wear or breaking in.

Yeah...that bolt has a bad heat treat...contact IWI...

Bolt shouldn't look like that after only 200 rounds.  It seems like it was over hardened and brittle to me.  As for the magnetism, I've heard of such a thing, but never experienced it.  Machine shops in your area likely have a demagnetizer.  A watch maker in your area will have one too.  If you know a buddy who is crazy about watches and is heavily invested in them, he might have one as well.

Random thought, but metal can be magnetized by pounding it with a hammer.  Given your bolt is chewed up....I wonder if your gun is way over gassed and it's beating itself to shit?  Perhaps the beating magnetized the pin?  Long shot there, but the two could be related.  I'm not a gunsmith and didn't even stay at a Holiday In Express last night, so it's worth what you paid for it.

Maybe on shitty bolts or guns with a lot more rounds through them than yours.

I emailed iwi yesterday and they told me “it looks fine to me”

I almost always shoot it suppressed. But I use the suppressed setting. Not very gassy at all with a DA nomad.

It is not...100% it is not...

If you get wear like that...it is either an out of spec bolt or the barrel extension is out of spec...your bolt isn't suposed to mar like that...there is a huge difference between finish wear and actually taking metal out of your bolt lugs...

Question are you using PMAGs or Lancers?

Only pmags. It shipped with one even. IwI won’t ship me a new bolt and only wants me to ship the whole rifle back if I decided that’s what I want to do.
Maybe I’ll keep running it tell it ether gets worse or has problems.

I guess you could but I wouldn't want to risk it if there is a bigger problem at hand....