Bolt carriers need a little examination.
Bores, concentricity aside, need to be chromed as these are running surfaces. The bolt tail which is nominally 0.2503" diameter runs through a 0.2510" diameter ring at the back of the carrier that provides the gas seal. This is a mechanical clearance so there is naturally some gas leakage during operation. The chrome in this area must be smooth to allow the bolt tail to run as the first alignment surface and also resist gas erosion (hard chrome is between HRC68 and HRC72 if correct) The second diameter within the carrier is the area that the gas rings run on. Gas rings are 302 stainless and as such are not particulaly hard. The surface must be smooth to prevent excessive wear on the rings. This said they are a sacrificial item and replacement between 2000 and 3000 rounds should be a consideration in a working gun. New rings will show slight shear marks when installed. After break in the edges should be square. If any rounding is observed the rings should be removed and discarded. Linear striations on the rings indicated the chrome bore is not smooth enough. The third diameter in the carrier is also a bearing surface. The bolt is supported in this area by the raised ring seen about half way down the bolt body. Again a smooth hard surface is required. In examining the bores the chrome should appear uniformly light grey and have a slight sheen. Carriers with polished bores usually result from a secondary operation to polish off excessive chrome or hide a defective finish. It is also a consideration in examining the chrome that there should be a witness visible between 1/3 and 1/2 into the cam pin path. This prevents the exposure of an edge at the point where the cam path breaks through the bolt into the bore, where chipping would occur.
Carriers are produced from AISI 8620 and typically case hardened. Specification carriers should not be subjected to secondary straightening. I have no evidence of the detrimental effects of this process beyond the induced stress in the part but would aviod such carriers.
Externally the carrier base should be smooth as this is the surface that runs over the rounds presented by the magazine. A rough base will act as a linear brake on the carrier and the speed of the carrier will change as the magazine tension relaxes. This is not conducive to reliability. The back of the carrier again should be smooth and correctly chamfered on the external and internal diameters. Lastly the front rails should be well defined without blurred edges that indicate excessive blasting of the part prior to phosphate.
Someone posted that the carrier is akin to the crankshaft in an engine. This is not a bad analogy
Bill Alexander
Wow! Excellent post. That points out a lot of areas where the shady manufacturors like OLYMPIC ARMS could cut corners.
So springing for those COLT carriers over the years was not a foolish effort.
"What would a $2,000 Geissele Super Duty do that a $500 PSA door buster on Black Friday couldn't do?" - Stopsign32v
I think it is pretty hard to tell the difference between one carrier from the next. This is why we ONLY buy BCM, LMT or USGI contracted carriers.
What matters (to me) is that the gas key is high quality (heat treated, chrome lined) and the screws used (heat treated).
We bought some USGI bolts (in the white) and are going to get them melonited very soon.
C4
Last edited by C4IGrant; 02-21-08 at 09:10.
"The very purpose of a Bill of Rights was to withdraw certain subjects from the vicissitudes of political controversy, to place them beyond the reach of majorities and officials and to establish them as legal principles to be applied by the courts." Justice Robert Jackson, WV St. Board of Education v. Barnette, 319 U.S. 624 (1943)
"I don’t care how many pull ups and sit ups you can do. I care that you can move yourself across the ground with a fighting load and engage the enemy." Max Velocity
Used to be you could steal COLT bolt groups for a modest premium over the aftermarket poop. It's not so easy any more.
"What would a $2,000 Geissele Super Duty do that a $500 PSA door buster on Black Friday couldn't do?" - Stopsign32v
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