- Aug 17, 2011
- 26,177
Ordered a few bolts for a little project my co-worker and I are underway with.
Not a whole lot of options when it comes to .450 Bushmaster/.458 SOCOM bolts, and even fewer that had them in stock w/out being NiB coated.
We went middle of the road, from a vendor we've both had good experiences with - expecting the bolts to be decent, at the least. Thought we had a good find, 158 Carpenter steel, MPI/HT tested, sounded great. We were let down, to put it mildly.
These bolts are garbage, IMO. Case rim for both calibers is roughly .473" diameter. The bolt faces were hogged out to .480 & .480.5" respectively. Looking at how little material is left between the lugs, I wouldn't even attempt a test-fire with either.
The extractors, garbage. Machined horribly, the claws are so poorly done they won't even leave tracks when I drag them down my forearm.
Needless to say, I'm in touch with the vendor requesting a full refund. I'll give them a chance to make it right before I out them.
So, for anyone that may be thinking of veering down the path of alternate caliber AR building - do your research. And if a known quality part is going to cost more upfront - spend the money.
Not a whole lot of options when it comes to .450 Bushmaster/.458 SOCOM bolts, and even fewer that had them in stock w/out being NiB coated.
We went middle of the road, from a vendor we've both had good experiences with - expecting the bolts to be decent, at the least. Thought we had a good find, 158 Carpenter steel, MPI/HT tested, sounded great. We were let down, to put it mildly.
These bolts are garbage, IMO. Case rim for both calibers is roughly .473" diameter. The bolt faces were hogged out to .480 & .480.5" respectively. Looking at how little material is left between the lugs, I wouldn't even attempt a test-fire with either.
The extractors, garbage. Machined horribly, the claws are so poorly done they won't even leave tracks when I drag them down my forearm.
Needless to say, I'm in touch with the vendor requesting a full refund. I'll give them a chance to make it right before I out them.
So, for anyone that may be thinking of veering down the path of alternate caliber AR building - do your research. And if a known quality part is going to cost more upfront - spend the money.