PSA: AR Bolts - Buy once, cry once.

BradMacc82 · Dec 18, 2017

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.

Alea Jacta Est · Dec 18, 2017

Meh. Just a minute before you tell us which brand of cereal box those came from.

A unhappy meal by the sound of it.

BradMacc82 · Dec 18, 2017

Like I told Doc Goodhair, 1 of 2 things will happen.

I'll get a full refund, or these bolts will be among the first things shot after this build is done.

iH8DemLibz · Dec 18, 2017

I don't think .0035 inches worth of clearance per side of the case rim is excessive.

You certainly don't want a transitional fit. That small amount of "Slop" in beneficial.

The lug material remaining/thinness is to be expected when boring out a bolt face made for a .223.

.02

Just measured a .223 rim and bolt. Rim=.374 inches / Bolt=.380 inches Or .003 inches per side.

BradMacc82 · Dec 18, 2017

Granted, last big bore AR I had was the .50Beo - but that bolt head was done a hell of a lot better than these were. Although the rim diameter on the .50Beo is actually smaller than the 450Bushy/458 SOCOM rim diameter.

The extractors on these, piss poor. The .50Beo's, you could drag that down your forearm and have 2 distinctly clear claw marks, to the point of drawing blood if you used enough pressure.

Maybe our expectations are too high? Possibly. But I will not run a bolt that doesn't seem up to snuff when I have up to 36K PSI going off less than 18" from my face.

Magnumite · Dec 20, 2017

Around .005” clearance in those types applications is pretty typical in many mechanisms.

I wouldn’t run those bolts for reasons outside of the clearance presented, some of which were already pointed out. Good luck with your build.

clandestine · Dec 20, 2017

Been seeing a lot of stuff like this in the past few years. I'm convinced much of the budget stuff is not made in the U.S. and is smuggled in or the origins are concealed.

zoostation · Dec 20, 2017

clandestine said:
Been seeing a lot of stuff like this in the past few years. I'm convinced much of the budget stuff is not made in the U.S. and is smuggled in or the origins are concealed.

I tend to agree, the origin of some of the cheap AR parts is a very murky place.

I don't think a lot of it comes from China. Not that the Chinese give a damn about us but because they don't like too many parts for things like AR's being made and shipped in-country where they might be diverted and redirected against the local governments (they have their own security problems there too). But it certainly wouldn't surprise me to see things coming in from other places like the Philippines, Central and South America, etc.

DaemonAssassin · Dec 21, 2017

clandestine said:
Been seeing a lot of stuff like this in the past few years. I'm convinced much of the budget stuff is not made in the U.S. and is smuggled in or the origins are concealed.

zoostation said:
I tend to agree, the origin of some of the cheap AR parts is a very murky place.

I don't think a lot of it comes from China. Not that the Chinese give a damn about us but because they don't like too many parts for things like AR's being made and shipped in-country where they might be diverted and redirected against the local governments (they have their own security problems there too). But it certainly wouldn't surprise me to see things coming in from other places like the Philippines, Central and South America, etc.

I would have to agree with both of you. I seriously question the source of all the completed uppers that are <$400. I question the quality of the parts, how it was assembled, if the anodizing will hold up, is the metallurgy correct, and many other things that come from seeing a low price.

A friend of mine wanted a 300BLK pistol upper and I gave him a parts list. I find out 3 months later from him that he didn't buy a single part from the list and went with a bargain basement upper, that he picked up for $250. When I asked him why he chose to do the bargain upper, he responded with "It was cheaper and I figured I'd be able to buy more ammo.". He found out when he fired it, that it wouldn't cycle worth a damn. I was asked if I would look at it and I flat out refused. Told him to send it back and get it fixed under warranty. Long story made short, he is now slowly getting the parts together to build a 300BLK pistol upper from scratch and cursing my name and the name of the bargain basement upper, while he orders the parts.

BradMacc82 · Dec 21, 2017

New bolt arrived, ahead of schedule, and from a different supplier (Satern).

Now this is what I was expecting the first time around. Machining is night and day better. Extractor actually looks like a damn extractor. Bolt face is no more than .478" diameter at it's maximum.

*Refund was authorized from the vendor I bought the 2 horrible bolts from, they've requested I mail them back in so they can examine them. (Guess they got them from a 3rd party perhaps?)

If anyone is looking for a 458Socom/450Bushy bolt head, the picture on SA's (surplusammo.com) site may look great - but that's no guarantee of what you'll get. Buyer beware.

GTOGUNNER · Dec 21, 2017

PSA. I was expecting Palmetto... My bad.

BradMacc82 · Dec 22, 2017

GTOGUNNER said:
PSA. I was expecting Palmetto... My bad.

In all honesty, there's no telling where SA even got these. But it doesn't matter, poorly done bolts are poorly done bolts - no matter where they came from.

Lesson learned for me. Normally my BCG's/Bolts come from only a handful of suppliers: BCM, Toolcraft, Young Mfg., to name just 3.

I had to go outside my usual channels due to the caliber (and my usual channels being out of stock and/or unavailable), thought I'd scored decent bolts for a good price, and it bit me square in the ass.

Live and learn.

outrider58 · Dec 22, 2017

In your defense Brad, you never know when you might come across a new and good supplier. Roll the dice and see how they fall. I just bought an upper/lower 9mm receiver set for around $550. No telling how this will work out, but I have been dying for a PCC that will take MP5 'banana clips'. This one will. :fingerscrossed:

BradMacc82 · Dec 22, 2017

outrider58 said:
In your defense Brad, you never know when you might come across a new and good supplier. Roll the dice and see how they fall. I just bought an upper/lower 9mm receiver set for around $550. No telling how this will work out, but I have been dying for a PCC that will take MP5 'banana clips'. This one will.

This is true, lots of outfits have gotten into the AR game over the past few years. Sometimes all you can do is hope for the best, especially when you veer off the beaten path.

*I've been looking at receiver sets for a PCC too, but I really want to do one up in either .45ACP or 10mm, .45 would be nice - keep my M&P, HK USP, and a possible PCC fed with one session at the reloading bench.

PSA: AR Bolts - Buy once, cry once.

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