Quoted:
Well, I got through about three or four mags when the bolt broke in half right where the cam goes through.
Anybody ever had this happen before? I have never heard of an AR bolt breaking. I can only suspect poor metallurgy. Anyone else have negative experiences with the Oly .223 plinker?
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This happened to me a few weeks ago at Knob Creek. It was the first round of the first magazine on the first day (Friday). I chambered a round, flipped the selector to Auto and squeezed the trigger.
[b]BAM!![/b] Instead of a burst, I got one round that sounded too loud, my hand and face was stinging, and the magazine floorplate blew out and dumped all the rounds onto the ground.
I picked up the magazine parts and ammo, and took the rifle back to the bench. I had to unscrew the buffer tube and pull the bolt carrier back so I could get the front of the bolt out through the magazine well, then I could close the BC so I could open the upper receiver and remove it.
It turns out it was a defective aftermarket bolt (no manufacturer's mark), and once I replaced it with a DPMS part (the only vendor there who was selling name-brand, non surplus M16 parts), the rifle ran great for the rest of the weekend.
Hey - shit breaks and nothing lasts forever. And some parts are made better than others.