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Posted: 11/14/2003 9:27:47 AM EDT
Hi all, Planning to put a rifle together but couple of questions - If I opt for a stainless steel barrel, can I still order a standard bolt (regular steel)? Would one steel wear faster than the other? Would a chromed bolt be in order?
Riggo.
Link Posted: 11/14/2003 11:06:34 AM EDT
[#1]
Bolts are not available in stainless steel.

Stainless barrels always have a carbon (plain) steel extension screwed on to them.  Therefore, the extension-to-bolt interface is always steel-on-steel.

Hard chrome plated carriers / bolts v. manganese phosphate (dull black) coated ones are a personal preference.  Either coating is perfectly acceptable regardless of your choice, but the hard chrome is a little easier to clean.  Carbon residue just doesn't seem to stick as well to the hard chrome finish.
Link Posted: 11/14/2003 11:33:23 AM EDT
[#2]
Thanks,
I just knew there was a simple answer out there.[stick]
That's one less thing I have to worry about.
Link Posted: 11/15/2003 12:39:51 PM EDT
[#3]
Quoted:
Bolts are not available in stainless steel.

View Quote

Fulton Armory does sell a very nice bolt made out of carpenter-grade steel (hardened) though.

[img]http://www.fulton-armory.com/ARBoltAssy.jpg[/img]

[url]http://www.fulton-armory.com/M6Parts3.htm[/url]
Link Posted: 11/15/2003 12:44:29 PM EDT
[#4]
made out of carpenter-grade steel
View Quote
What 'ta heck is [i]that?[/i]
Link Posted: 11/15/2003 1:06:30 PM EDT
[#5]
Steel that carpenters use? I dont know.
Link Posted: 11/15/2003 3:03:39 PM EDT
[#6]
For what it's worth, several of my ARs have GI surplus used Colt bolt heads in them, that have probably fired tens of thousands of rounds. All of them headspaced just fine in my after market barrels.  Moral of the story?  Nobody builds a better bolt or carrier than Colt.

Rather have a used Colt piece in a rifle than anyone elses brand new one.[:D]
Link Posted: 11/16/2003 7:56:48 AM EDT
[#7]
Quoted:
Steel that carpenters use? I dont know.
View Quote


Carpenter Technology Corp. is a metallurgical manufacturer that makes super long life steel for aerospace use. Capenter's steel is hardened and alloyed so it is much more durable than the standard carbon steel you would see in regular tooling or components...I don't know how this would affect it's longevity in this application but it was designed to last longer under extreme wear conditions. Not as brittle as stainless, longer lasting than regular carbon steel. Here is an excerpt from an article on aircraft components made from Carpenter's steel:

Over the years, Carpenter and other steel fabricators have developed different alloys of precision strip for specific applications. For example, cobalt-iron alloys provide a very strong magnetic field that is critical in making aircraft generators. Manufacturers use strips of cobalt-iron alloys to make high-strength rotors that deliver electrical energy to auxiliary power units and guidance systems on aircraft.

"Many of the nuts used to hold aircraft together are made of A-286 steel alloy strip. This alloy is made up of 26 percent nickel, enabling them to withstand temperatures as high as 2,000°F," explained Sunil Widge, a metallurgist who is vice president of technology and quality at the mill.

Metallurgists also use the high nickel alloys to fashion prototype magnetic bearings, a promising component yet in its infancy. "The aerospace industry is interested in using magnetic bearings to develop noncontact shafting that will not wear. These alloys generate the high magnetic field and possess the low weight this application requires," Widge said.
View Quote


Source: [url]http://www.memagazine.org/backissues/oct00/features/moremill/moremill.html[/url]
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