I can tell you a little more about my experience.................
I've built around 25 - 30 AR's & have used a variety of barrels & bolts, all from well recognized sources; I don't mess with junk.
The one & only Wilson barrel I've used is the only one I've ever had an issue with finding a bolt that would correctly HS.
The 1st barrel that I got from Wilson, had the issue............a GO headspace gauge would not allow the bolt the close (actually 6-7 bolts), nor would it close on several brands of NEW factory brass or loaded ammo with any of the bolts.
I talked to Wilson CS & they acknowledged that their barrels/extensions were tight but in spec & even if the bolt would not close on a GO gauge, it was still OK..............IMHO, not closing on a GO gauge with a bolt that is in spec means that the barrel in not in spec.
So they sent me a 2nd barrel that was the same.
So I measured the bolts that I had on hand & selected the one that was the closest to fitting & stoned the lugs on the bolt to get the HS to where the bolt would close on a gauge that was GO +.001". After that it's worked just fine in several range sessions.
I also asked Wilson if they could/would supply a matched barrel & bolt....................they said that they would not.
I think that most people just put a gun together & don't check the HS for lack of having tools or don't know how or don't think it can be a problem.
And it may not be.................except when the bolt will only close on certain factory ammo, which by standard, is all supposed to be below GO gauge dimension for HS; then it's a BIG problem IMO.
However, when a bolt slams home with the force of the recoil spring during firing / loading, that force can & will crush fit ammo that is a bit long for the chamber of the barrel.................but that's not how it should be & is not acceptable to me.
If Wilson is going to maintain that kind of policy & practice, then they should surely provide the option of providing a fitted bolt when purchasing a barrel.
After I advised them that I had resolved the issue, they did say that if I had not, that they would have taken the bolt & barrel & adjusted the HS as required.
I think Wilson is a standup company & I have 2 of their 1911's but I don't agree with their philosophy or AR barrels headspacing on 5.56 /223 Wylde.
But I'd surely love to hear Mr. Wilson himself address the issue here.
MM
I will admit we did have an issue with setting our chambers to min HS for awhile, but this was corrected some time back and we now set the HS to min +.002" which I believe to be industry standard. Why they wouldn't send you a matching bolt/bbl I can't explain, but I'll make sure this won't be the case in the future.
