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Posted: 6/9/2011 4:30:30 AM EDT
| Yesterday I came across a Rifle with A DPMS barrel on it that would not allow any bolt to rotate and lock into the barrel extension. The front of the bolt that is in this rifle appears to have been filled down to allow it to fit, rotate, and lock into the barrel extension. Without checking headspace, am I correct in thinking that this is an accident waiting to happen? Would this not result in insufficient headspace (Unless the barrel was chambered and headspace set after the bolt was altered to lock into the barrel extension)? The bolt appeared to be one of the surplus Colt bolts that are floating around right now, so I do not belive that the bolt was fitted to the barrel/extension and then the gun was chambered. Is this barrel salvageable? Can the barrel extension and bolt be replaced to correct this problem? |
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Barrel sounds best to be used as a tomato stake unless you have mad skills on a lathe to correct the barrel.
Once the barrel extension is spun off a barrel, and the reinstalled (read at plus 150ftlb of torque either way), 99.9% of the time the barrel extension pin and barrel gas port are not longer on the same index plain creating a whole new mess to deal with. So, on this barrel, will need to set the barrel breach face back without removing the barrel extension for the correct needed bolt lug void, head space check the barrel/bolt, then pray like hell that the head space is either corrrect or short/tight so you can ream the camber deeper. If you do find that the head space is long, then you have to pull the barrel extension, turn the breach again so the barrel extension can be reinstall and the chamber re-reamed, all the while, making sure that the barrel extension pin is indexed with the pre-drilled barrel gas port. So again, unless you have a lathe and reamer in your shop, just say pass to the barrel, no matter how cheap you can buy it. And before you ask, a smith is going to charge you more that the cost of a new barrel to correct that barrel. |
That is what I figured! I am glad I passed on buying the rifle. I do have a lathe and reamer but do not think I am skilled enough to make the changes without removing the barrel extension. I just hope someone else with less knowledge doesn’t buy this rifle and get screwed (at best) or hurt. Would I be correct in assuming this was probably a DPMS reject part, or is this lack of quality control? I wonder if this is a part from one of those infamous Hess/blackthorn kits It can't be a whole kit as the upper was a NDS32 trigger charging handle upper from Nodak Spud and the bolt was a colt.
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You never know on a use gun,
Better yet, Midway sells a Oly barrel that is supposed to be ready to go, only for the end buyer learning that is has to be finished chambered.
One of the guys hear picked up such, and not only was the barrel extension void off (too tight and would not let the bolt turn/lock home, but had to be finished reamed as well to get the correct head space. |
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