Home Forums Hunting & Shooting AR and Tactical Rifles Light weight bolt?

Saw these on Gun Broker and was wondering why someone would use them
http://www.gunbroker.com/item/660843228

It’s a competition thing…
The LW bolt carrier reduces the mass that’s traveling back and forth, and reduces recoil to make your go-fast gun go faster. They are typically used in conjunction with an adjustable gas block so the gas can be tuned for best reliability. For a defensive arm, it’s not something I personally would ever consider.

Not sure, but at $220 they can keep it...

https://www.modernweaponsystems.com/

They lightweight bolt is for speed......nothing more

I run an aluminum carrier, if it's not the lightest BCG on the market it's close.

It has nothing to do with making the gun run faster. You're reducing the reciprocating weight and the disturbance in your sight picture. The less your sights move, the faster you allow yourself to go.

What kind of loads are you running?

MM

62 grain FMJs, because they're free.

When I get the shop finished and reloading stuff set up in a few months I'm gonna load some 40grain stuff at around 2200fps. If you're only shooting in a bay you can just run what's basically a 22mag.

You must be pretty choked down on the gas then for the (full power?) 62's then?

MM

Yeah. It doesn't take much.

What Blue said. Less reciprocating mass = less felt rifle movement. Most of what you feel with a 5.56 AR is acceleration and deceleration of the BCG and buffer mass, reduce that and the rifle moves around less during the firing cycle.

It doesn't have to be a competition only thing, unless you're using an aluminum carrier like Blue for accelerated wear reasons. I use them on hunting guns and other play guns, and am getting to the point that I'd be fine with it on a defensive gun too. It does require an adjustable gas block of course; adding a lightweight carrier alone will not show a benefit, and the system will be overgassed. You can use a lighter buffer as well with the lighter carrier.

I've machined a number of 5.56 and 308 "mil spec" (there is no mil spec 308 carrier of course) carriers for reduced weight; normally I machine them differently than the carrier linked in the OP, and reduce more weight while leaving them stronger. I forget off hand how light a steel 5.56 carrier can go, but I've made them lighter than JP's version, and have made 308 carriers to right about the same weight as a full auto 5.56 carrier. IMO that makes the 308 rifles easier to shoot well and less finicky about accuracy in different shooting positions.

I agree with what Yondering said. I too, use the light weight carriers on everything but my PDW. Less mass is more control of the sight picture and faster, accurate, follow up shots. On a hunting gun, it results in a second hit if needed.

I can dump 40 plus hits on a silhouette in a sling with irons at 600, including a mag change in 50 seconds with standard carrier weights.

Thats fast enough for me.

But as noted anything that helps, helps... if you don't need to go bang faster, then the time allows you to refine the sight picture better, better press etc.....

With the heavier calibers, adjustable gas, and the light carrier, one can reduce the "felt" recoil. It is all very specific to each setup and must be tuned.

I have one in my 3 gun rifle and my suppressed Blackout. Never a hiccup.

Aim surplus sells them quite reasonably and I use them in all my 300BO builds.
I have 7 customers running them in their rifles and my two personal 300BOs and haven't had the first problem.
I set them up with pistol tubes a standard buffer and a non adjustable gas block.
Open up the gas port to .110-.115 for 220 subs.