Quote:
Originally Posted by SDcollector
I'm converting to a bolt action and was surprised to hear about the amount of force needed for lockup. Could fouling be an issue?
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The AR platform relies on the kinetic energy of the buffer/carrier to lockup.
When you try to do it by hand, you will not have nearly ANY kinetic energy stored so you will have to PUSH quite hard to get the ejector spring to compress and the extractor to snap over the case rim while the bolt is trying to rotate via the camming surface of the bolt carrier.
The same will apply to the primary extraction which is usually handled by the kinetic energy stored in the bolt carrier by the gas that propels it rearward.
The AR/M16 design was simply not DESIGNED for manual operation.
If you want smooth manual operation, get a proper bolt rifle which has a 2.5" long lever (some would call it a bolt handle) which cams the bolt open and closed much easier.