http://sotaarms.com/
A mpi marked bolt split in two at the cam pin after only
500 rounds of mild Wolf 556
I have a pic of the bolt but I can’t post it. If someone will post it for me I will text it to them
That’s the time they’ll break if there’s a flaw in the metal. If it lasts past the first few hundred, it’ll last thousands.
Bolt is marked MPI? I wonder if they are selling MPI marked bolts that are not MPI.
I have a pic of the bolt but I can’t post it.
Use a free photo host like www.photobucket.com
Did you let Soto arms know about it? Any mechanical device can fail.
I wanted to share something on Photobucket with you!
See the fullsize version at: http://s160.photobucket.com/albums/t191/sjc3081/?action=view¤t=7A24104E-C496-4057-A945-53CD07AE530A-1869-000003F97351BCE8.jpg&evt=user_media_share
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Yep, they break there or at the locking lugs next to the extractor. Those areas are high stress points.
500 rounds is a very low round for a broken bolt. I’d suspect bad heat treat, wrong steel, or another skipped step in manufacturing.
If it were me I’d be contacting the manufacturer for a replacement.
H
It is not my gun. My uppers and BCG groups are BCM, Colt ,LMT and a S&W in 5.45. My first choice is BCM.
Grant gets my money first.
500 rounds on a MPI bolt is surely not a MPI bolt.
Who the heck is SOTA? They have a pretty good following here locally due to their low price point.
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Never heard of the company. Doesn’t exactly blow my hair back based on the web info.
A $39 bolt with no details listed as far as materials, and actual testing?
Why would anyone be surprised at a failure?
I see it’s not your gun… How sure of the round count are we? I wouldn’t think the typical Sota-owning Wolf-shooting guy would be terribly detailed about round counts, etc.
ALL that said, shit happens.
Sounds like Olympic Arm’s niche.
Look at the website and read the descriptions very carefully. The bolt says “milspec” finish and that’s it. That should set off alarm bells. If people wonder why certain things cost more now you know.
Oh ya, your just hate’n. I bought a cheap one made of plaster and it was mill spec and has lasted 10,000,000 rounds. So there.
It’s MPI. Magnetic Particle Inspection.
Really, it doesn’t mean shit. Other than there were “no defects observed at the time of inspection”.
The inspection is only as good as the technician, and in a production/manufacturing operation, more than likely a minimum wage job.
The MPI process only detects crack-like anomalies that exist on the surface of a part.
It is used following a high-pressure test to detect cracks. The two go hand in hand.
I would expect your comment on BARF, hopefully we’re a little more enlightened here.
MPI can detect surface and subsurface flaws.
Also, MPI inspectors are certified. Likely through AWS.
These are not minimum wage jobs.
One can have ANY metal product MPI’d.
I hope that the OP’s buddy has learned their lesson now. Buy BCM, DD, LMT, Noveske, Colt, Rainier, etc.
It was cheap for a good reason.
For sure. Price point drives purchases for most folks I run across locally. Trying to get someone to see beyond a $650 price tag and understand the difference in a quality AR vs something that looks like an AR, but is actually a steaming pile of crap, is a lost cause some days.
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The owner of the Sota upper bought the upper because it was $400 complete but drives a $40,000 BMW. :rolleyes: