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Posted: 12/4/2002 11:17:27 AM EDT
| Any advantages/disadvantages to having a chromed bolt and carrier vs. the standard. Got offered one at the last gun show for $175. This same guy also told me that AR's don't have to be headspaced due to the sprocket fit of the bolt and the upper, it only had to be checked with a go, no go gauge. Is this accurate? |
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WRT the chrome bolt, Gene Stoner himself specified it, and the first production guns (early M16, AR-15 both) had a chrome bolt, though this was later dropped as unnecessary. Early guns did not have chrome bores or chambers, though they got them after the ammo SNAFU during VietNam (ca. 1968-9). WRT the bolt carrier, however, these were not originally spec'd as chromed, although a lot of early guns (pre M16A1) had them. The military at some point prohibited chrome bolts/carriers for overseas use (not exactly low-visibility) although they are still allowed in CONUS. Our local ANG unit still has a bunch of Colt Model 01 rifles with chrome bolts & carriers. WRT problems with chrome bits, they are durable and easy to tell if they're dirty, but not brittle as the coating is extremely thin and the metal actually making up the parts is the same whether chromed or not. Remember we're talking about "hard" chrome which is a bit different from regular cosmetic chrome plating; it's done for hardness, not looks. The only problem that seems to come up is that the bolt carrier being much harder than the metal in the upper receiver, it can cause premature wear in the upper. I'd think you'd have to fire a huge amount of ammo to do this, though, and even unchromed steel is eventually going to wear out aluminum it rubs against. In fact, the main reason M16 lowers are retired is that the steel pins enlarge the holes in the aluminum receiver and they go out of tolerance. So, the gist is, if you like chrome, use it, but it really doesn't serve much purpose. I have chromed bolt and carrier in my Bushmaster that I compete with so I can see when it's dirty, and TiN internals in my carbine for the simple reason that the gold color looks cool - it doesn't really do a thing, but I'm not above admitting that I like to personalize my "shooter" rifles, as long as it doesn't decrease real-world performance or durability. |
| You raise some good points....but be careful as there are members of this board that know more than Gene Stoner as I used this line of reasoning in the foreward assist debate and was told Stoner didn't know diddly! (I guess because he wasn't in the infantry or somthing). |
| All but my A2 replica rifles have chrome bolts and carriers because I, too, think they look cool and are easier to clean. My M16 look-alike even has a notchless, chrome carrier to go with the non-F.A upper. Gotta be as close to original as possible (in semi-auto of course). |
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Chrome will NOT wear out the upper reciever this is a LIE! It will reduce wear on the upper reciever. Improper hard chroming causing hydrogen enbritlement? Any process done incorrectly will cause the AR to malfunction. Get someone to do it right on a "to spec" part like Bushmaster or Colt. Hard chroming the bolt and carrier will improve reliability and increase the number of rounds needed to make the weapon malfunction. We have members with full autos who have reported this. Noone knows why the chrome carriers are not allowed out of the CONUS. We can guess all we want. I say its because they are old. You may say they were unreliable "perhaps chromed incorrectly" or others can say its the visability factor. Fact is we dont know. Mil spec is a crappy trigger. Does that make it better than an after market trigger like the Accuracy Speaks or Knights? I dont think so. Hard Chroming gives the user benefits at the expense of money. If you are worried about being seen, keep your ejection port closed. After the first round is fired that carrier is the least of your worries. In conclusion if you want to go chrome then do it but have someone who knows what they are doing plate your parts. Use quality parts to begin with. Please dont re-mis-quote untruths heard elsewhere. |
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