Originally Posted by MontanaMan
Originally Posted by gunzo



Having all the go no go gauges & the knowledge & specs to use them is a good start, but a Rockwell hardness tester fills in a lot of blanks. Simply spending big bucks on big names is putting a lot of faith in a name.

Isn't it?


There are drawings available that will give you are the pertinent dimensions on the bolt & you can measure most of those w/o the go /no-go gauges.

As for hardness, most parts that are hardened like the bolt are case hardened, not full through hardened, so to know if the case depth is correct & at the right hardness at a given depth, you need to be able to cross section parts & check the hardness across the case.

MPI & HP tests are simply fail / pass tests.............I'm not really fond of seeing bolts I'm going to actually use be HP tested as it can weaken the bolt by subjecting it to abnormally high pressure..............OK as a spot / lot sample test, but I'd prefer my bolts not be HP tested.

Shot peening adds fatigue strength & helps prolong life due to breakage.

JMHO, other have differing views, I am sure.

As for who to buy from, just be careful & go with suppliers that have consistently good feedback from various sources & recognized names.

Certain parts are more critical than others.

No one wants to over pay but sometimes you get what you pay for.............or not.

I think TWR said it best "if it seems too good to be true, it likely is" or something to that effect.

Buy once, cry once.

MM















Probably a good idea when it comes to BCG's and barrels. Other parts like handguards, charging handles, grips and stocks may be a different story. I recently bought a lightweight handguard made by Matrix Arms. I wanted something similar to my Noveske NSR handrails, but I didn't want to spend $300.00 on a stinking handguard. I went to Joe bob's and found one for $62.95. This gave me a chance to swap some handguards around, IE: Put the 16.7" NSR on the 22" tubed 6WOA and pulled the ugly round hogue off. So since that handguard was on my Noveske, I pulled it off and put the 15" NSR from my Northtech on the Noveske. I then put the Matrix Arms foxtrot M-lok 15" handguard on my Northtech. I like how trim and lightweight it is. Although, not as trim or light as the high dollar Noveske, it gets great reviews and appears to be a good handguard. Pretty much exactly what I was looking for:
[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]

I like the idea of going M-lok on my next rifles. But I'll leave the older key mod's, that are on my other rifles, alone. I can see where M-lok has its advantages...

Originally Posted by raybass
I try to stick with the basics, they do so well. Nothing fancy mind you, just plain jane will get it done with style.
Originally Posted by Pharmseller
You want to see an animal drop right now? Shoot him in the ear hole.

BSA MAGA