a stronger AR-bolt-is it possible?

[hcpookie]

Originally Posted by j427x

the strength of a good bolt in 5.56 is not a question.

Agreed. Some designs are stronger but the AR bolt is stong enough.

if the extractor was made a bit thinner--giving a little more meat for the lugs to hold to the bolt? would the extractor still be functional???

I believe so and here's why. The 7.62x39 is a tapered cartridge and therefore requires much less force to extract vs. a "tube" style cartridge that inherently has more friction such as the 5.56 design. Thus, a smaller extractor on an AR style bolt makes sense to me. Or a fluted chamber like the Germans did with the G3.

I don't know how small it could go, but couldn't you also have an extractor that straddles a lug, providing 2 exractor fingers touching the base? Just thinking aloud.

[j427x]

Originally Posted by hcpookie

Agreed. Some designs are stronger but the AR bolt is stong enough.

I believe so and here's why. The 7.62x39 is a tapered cartridge and therefore requires much less force to extract vs. a "tube" style cartridge that inherently has more friction such as the 5.56 design. Thus, a smaller extractor on an AR style bolt makes sense to me. Or a fluted chamber like the Germans did with the G3.

I don't know how small it could go, but couldn't you also have an extractor that straddles a lug, providing 2 exractor fingers touching the base? Just thinking aloud.

never thought of straddeling a lug--but that is not a bad concept!! you might be able to leave a little more meat for the lugs that way.

as far as the taper that i am not sure about that being a problem. my colt and my home brew CAR extract fine--although i did have to play around with the extractor spring pressure on the M-1sales bolt to get it working. oddly the M-1 bolt was backwards in its response to more extractor spring pressure. the more pressure the harder it was to extract rounds.

i have read somewhere that the gas system on the AR when in operation can jam the round deeper into the chamber and cause it to hang in the chamber. this is a slight possibility but i have never experienced a problem--so far.

on thing on examination of AR extractors is that the cut for the rim of the round is much deeper on a 7.62 bolts extractor. which might be why 7.62x39 extractors sometimes fail when combined with an overly strong extractor spring system. YMMV--

[4thIDvet]

[quote=jroberts1968;539599]The bottom line is the AR in itself is a week design and that is why we are the only country to adopt this system. I have several and enjoy shooting them but lets face fact there are better wheels out there. If the bureaucrats in DC and the DOD ever got there moral compass in the correct direction our troops would be equipped with the best. Now that the F22 is scrapped maybe our guys can get up armoe and some cleaning kits. Sorry Just spoke to a couple of friends from the sandbox and I am sending them cleaning supplies and replacement parts.[/quote

Sorry to bust into your thread j4. But why the hell are you having too send cleaning supplies to our heroes in the sand?????
Mother Friggin Haliburton is charging the Guberment $95 for a load of laundry and those guys cant get cleaning equipment. What the F&*(K am I reading.
Tanvil had a thread going on sending scopes to guys over there. WTF else are we not hearing.

[j427x]

[quote=4thIDvet;540601]

Originally Posted by jroberts1968

The bottom line is the AR in itself is a week design and that is why we are the only country to adopt this system. I have several and enjoy shooting them but lets face fact there are better wheels out there. If the bureaucrats in DC and the DOD ever got there moral compass in the correct direction our troops would be equipped with the best. Now that the F22 is scrapped maybe our guys can get up armoe and some cleaning kits. Sorry Just spoke to a couple of friends from the sandbox and I am sending them cleaning supplies and replacement parts.[/quote

Sorry to bust into your thread j4. But why the hell are you having too send cleaning supplies to our heroes in the sand?????
Mother Friggin Haliburton is charging the Guberment $95 for a load of laundry and those guys cant get cleaning equipment. What the F&*(K am I reading.
Tanvil had a thread going on sending scopes to guys over there. WTF else are we not hearing.

well lots of things are screwed up because of the pay-ola way the government operates. i suppose you could get "15ed" for having a contraband non issue cleaning kit the way the DOD operates these days.

as for the F22 i don't think it getting the can has any correlation to the GI in the field getting much needed stuff. the $$ saved will likely get pigonholed for some other 'feel-good" project.

[tony549]

I saw these recently on the following website:
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

These are supposedly stronger, but I haven't seen much user feedback.
There are new design features that should work to reduce stresses at the lugs.

[j427x]

i think that is the same as the mill-spec steel for the bolts. $99 for a good 7.62x39/6.5G bolt ain't that bad of a price though.

[yarro]

Before everyone started putting verticle grips on the front, most bolts in 5.56 broke at the cam pin hole. Both of my high milage ones did as well as both my chromed bolts(improper post plating treatment results in embrittlment). You can actually pull back on the front grip hard enough to pull the barrel slightly down as the upper can have slightly loose barrel fit and this area of the receiver is weak so it can flex. Hanging all kinds of accessories off the front of the gun make this worse. This all causes uneven lug engagement. The top lugs break as a result.

-yarro