AR bolt Lug Tightness and acceptable specs

[thegunnerd]

Hi Everyone

Just wanted to tap into the knowledge base and see what's what . I recently replaced my original barrel with an AR Stoner Barrel ( er shaw manufactured ) The specs on the barrel are :

chambered in 223 wylde

mid length gas

18"

1 in 8 twist 5r

The bcg i just purchased is the JP LMOS bcg with the " enhanced " bolt whatever that means. Great bolt, fantastically made , very very light .

When installing it i noticed that the bolt lugs fit much tighter into the barrel lugs then my previous BCM bolt. Now i know i've shot thousands of rounds through the BCM and it's worn down its hard edges etc etc. But it got me thinking , how tight is too tight ?

The bolt slams home fine when racking it. Even under just spring tension i don't need to use the forward assist to help it home . But i can certainly feel more contact . I know with bolt guns , tight is good , but i could see that being and issue with a gas gun.

What are the minimum headspace specs that are acceptable for a gun to be accurate and still run well for a good amount of rounds. Tight is good but not at the expense of functionality .

Thank you o gun gurus ( i may or may not be referring to Mark from carbon arms ..... )

Aaron

[mpom]

NOT a gun guru, but have my opinions. Your original bolt and barrel from BCM most likely had the headspace checked during assembly. Sounds like this is not something you have done with the new components. You are probably OK, but to be sure, you can have a reputable gunsmith check the headspace, or get the gauges and do it yourself. If you have the time and want the education, check out M4Carbine.net and search under checking headspace.

Would think you are not under minimum HS or you would not be able to chamber factory ammo as easily as you describe.

Edited June 23, 2013 by mpom

[thegunnerd]

Thanks very much. I figure i'm ok and it prob just needs to have some of the newly tooled edges knocked down , but i'll go over to m4carbine and check that out. I"ll prob end up bringing it to my gunsmith to have him confirm it before running it again. I'd rather not have an ar kaboom with all that pressure.