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Can AR Bolts/Bolt Carriers Be Switched Between Rifles?
- Thread starter massgun
- Start date
KMM696
NES Member
Assuming that everything is in spec to start with, yes.
My personal view on this is that if a bolt runs more than 500 rounds through any one barrel, it's staying with that barrel. If I manage to shoot that barrel out, the bolt will be tossed out with it.
The carrier is a steel part riding inside an aluminum forging. My view there is that the carrier will not wear appreciably (without consistently applying large amounts of dirt), the upper will - so I won't hesitate to move the carrier around after inspecting the carrier, paying special attention to the gas key and the other replaceable bits.
Note that people can, and do swap both those around all the time with no ill effects - that's just how I run things for me. If I was running less common bolts than 5.56 or was working with some range queen rifles, I certainly wouldn't hesitate to swap bolts around more.
My personal view on this is that if a bolt runs more than 500 rounds through any one barrel, it's staying with that barrel. If I manage to shoot that barrel out, the bolt will be tossed out with it.
The carrier is a steel part riding inside an aluminum forging. My view there is that the carrier will not wear appreciably (without consistently applying large amounts of dirt), the upper will - so I won't hesitate to move the carrier around after inspecting the carrier, paying special attention to the gas key and the other replaceable bits.
Note that people can, and do swap both those around all the time with no ill effects - that's just how I run things for me. If I was running less common bolts than 5.56 or was working with some range queen rifles, I certainly wouldn't hesitate to swap bolts around more.
I recently set a new threshold of never hitting 17k rounds on a BCG/barrel combo ever again. I'm now on a personal 10k matched set limit before they get pulled and set aside for rainy day guns only.
You can swap them, but it will make it harder to setup a gun and know it works reliably.
You can swap them, but it will make it harder to setup a gun and know it works reliably.
1903Collector
NES Member
Always got the impression is was possible but frowned upon, especially if you don't have a good grasp on head space.
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here they are hard at work cleaning your CMP rifles View attachment 157867
I cant imagine the arsenal work being done on the M4s to be much better today. pile them up strip em down inspect reassemble
I cant imagine the arsenal work being done on the M4s to be much better today. pile them up strip em down inspect reassemble
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Any idea when they started number bolts and bcg. Few buddies and myself bought a bunch of colt surplus kits ( may not have been US army) not a single part was numbered.?
Been looking for pictures of the Anniston Army Depot for any M4 overhAul pictures with little luck.
They are "electropenned" on the side of the bcg by the armorer. Stored in "bolt bags" with the weapon admin number written on each individual pouch. Not saying that they cant EVER be swapped out....just that the armorer wpuld be the one to do it and change the admin number of the bolt. Swapping out on your own is not authorized
I was in various different maneuver units for years, both NG and AD, ranging from M16A1 to M4; I never saw anything as extreme as electropenciled BCGs, let alone separate bags. How recently did you see this?
Though I don't remember ever being told not to swap out BCGs, I definitely wouldn't have assumed it was a good idea.
Just came out of company command. All my units bcgs were electropenned with the matching rifle admin number. And in didn't mean a seperate bag for each bolt. A bag that has 10 pouches in it....marked with the admin number of the corresponding rifle. 100 rifles in the vault means 10 bolt bags (10 per bag). How did your units store their bolts then? It is security reg that the bolts be stored separate from the rifles.
the rifles.
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KMM696
NES Member
Always left in the rifles, both the deployable assets in the vault, and all the working rifles in the arms room. Never heard of anyone storing them separately before. Unit policy/reg, maybe?
Rifles were all stored complete, but last time I inventoried an arms room was 1999. Must be a newer reg. Is that Army-wide, or was it more local? I'd be curious to find out.
If the entire unit was off to the field, were there separate cards for bolt and rifle? Did the armorer have to assemble the rifles before everyone drew them, or did the SM pull out both items and then put them together? Either way, must have added some time to the weapons draw. And are mags stored in the arms rooms now too?
it must be a whole different Army now.
It is policy enough that the bags to store the bolts has an nsn! The sm is handed the rifle and then the bolt....and the sm id card is scanned....then the code on the rifle is scanned....voila.....the sm just signed for the weapon. Its a very fast process actually. It is a new army. Not all units have the scanners yet but most do. Im not going to discuss much more other than the bolts are not stored in the weapon.....its a public forum and......opsec!
but slide 10 shows the bar code/id card issuing system:
http://www.dtic.mil/ndia/2003USSOCOM/ensor.ppt
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Cool. Thanks!
I remember weapons cards, color coded by company, with sweaty armorers doing lots of work for about 20 hectic minutes.
Scanners... Sheesh.
eta: I just looked at the ppt. That system looks like it saved the Army about 17,000 DA civilian jobs.
I remember weapons cards, color coded by company, with sweaty armorers doing lots of work for about 20 hectic minutes.
Scanners... Sheesh.
eta: I just looked at the ppt. That system looks like it saved the Army about 17,000 DA civilian jobs.
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