Anybody Coat Their Bolt with DLC?

[FourT6and2]

Can't Cerakote my bolt due to tight tolerances. Can't Melonite/SBN/FNC/Nitride the bolt either due to it being pre-hardened 4340 Chromoly. I could parkerize it, but that's a pretty rough finish and kind of ugly. So I'm thinking DLC.

Has anybody gone this route? http://www.ionbond.com/en/coating-se...ndtm-41-facts/

[ar15barrels]

Parkerizing is actually not rough.
It's microscopically rough, but holds oil/grease better than anything else so it ends up really smooth.

[FourT6and2]

Parkerizing is actually not rough.
It's microscopically rough, but holds oil/grease better than anything else so it ends up really smooth.

All the bolts in my ARs are parkerized and they're much more rough than something like Melonite. Or you know... chalky is a better description. But maybe that depends on the underlying finish of the metal itself?

I'm also trying to avoid having to keep the body of the bolt (bolt action) soaked in oil. DLC is supposed to be really slick in and of itself. Of course I'll keep a light film of oil on it as well (because it holds oil like parkerizing too), but nowhere near as much as a park'd bolt would need.

You have any experience with DLC?

[ar15barrels]

Grease, not oil.

[Carcassonne]

Can't Cerakote my bolt due to tight tolerances. Can't Melonite/SBN/FNC/Nitride the bolt either due to it being pre-hardened 4340 Chromoly. I could parkerize it, but that's a pretty rough finish and kind of ugly. So I'm thinking DLC.

Has anybody gone this route? http://www.ionbond.com/en/coating-se...ndtm-41-facts/

Why can't you nitride the bolt.

[ar15barrels]

Why can't you nitride the bolt.

The manufacturer says NOT to thermal cycle the bolt as high as the process is normally done at.

[LynnJr]

joelkndrck@aol.com
cell 704-616-6442
Joel Kendrick

Give Joel a shout he has been doing bolts actions and barrels for about 10 years now on some world class rifles. He knows most of the more popular manufacturers and how hot he can go before they think it is a problem.
Tell him Lynn says hello.

[FourT6and2]

Grease, not oil.

Ummm... grease on the raceway and lugs. Thin oil film on the bolt body is what I've been told. I don't think I've heard of anybody covering the entire bolt body with grease.

Why can't you nitride the bolt.

Bolt is pre-hardened. Melonite/Nitried/etc. goes well over 1,000 degrees, which will mess with the underlying metal's temper.

joelkndrck@aol.com
cell 704-616-6442
Joel Kendrick

Give Joel a shout he has been doing bolts actions and barrels for about 10 years now on some world class rifles. He knows most of the more popular manufacturers and how hot he can go before they think it is a problem.
Tell him Lynn says hello.

Does he do DLC? Or is he able to Melonite the bolt at a lower temperature?

[vintagearms]

Ummm... grease on the raceway and lugs. Thin oil film on the bolt body is what I've been told. I don't think I've heard of anybody covering the entire bolt body with grease.

A "little" grease on the bolt body, locking lugs, and especially the cocking cam will make it much smoother in operation. Nothing wrong with a slight film coating the bolt body with grease. Oils won't stay where grease will.

[FourT6and2]

A "little" grease on the bolt body, locking lugs, and especially the cocking cam will make it much smoother in operation. Nothing wrong with a slight film coating the bolt body with grease. Oils won't stay where grease will.

Anyway, you know anything about DLC?

[ar15barrels]

Ummm... grease on the raceway and lugs.
Thin oil film on the bolt body is what I've been told.
I don't think I've heard of anybody covering the entire bolt body with grease.

You only need about 1/2 the volume of a typical steel BB to do the whole bolt.
Rub it around the bolt body like sunscreen with a fingertip until you can't even see it.
Any extra grease left on your fingertip gets wiped onto the back of the bolt lugs.

[sonofeugene]

Get yourself some tungsten disulphide and slather the bolt with it. Then work it through its full range of motion a couple hundred times. Then clean it off and oil as usual. You'll be surprised at the difference.

FYI, though tungsten and molybdenum disulphide are very similar, tungsten disulphide is better.

[patriot_man]

While not an AR-15; the SIG MCX BCG is DLC.

[LynnJr]

Ummm... grease on the raceway and lugs. Thin oil film on the bolt body is what I've been told. I don't think I've heard of anybody covering the entire bolt body with grease.



Bolt is pre-hardened. Melonite/Nitried/etc. goes well over 1,000 degrees, which will mess with the underlying metal's temper.



Does he do DLC? Or is he able to Melonite the bolt at a lower temperature?

Joel is the Melonite guy who got the trend started in the first place. He won the 2007 or 2008 IBS Nationals using Melonite on his barrels and the rest as they say is history.

BAT didn't want its customers meloniting there actions because if the temperatures are not monitored properly your new action is junk. Joel did some work for Bruce and if you want a BAT treated he is the only person for the job.

A friend did several of my barrels so he would get a better price and it turns them a shiny black.
I don't put anything on my bolts but a small amount of grease on the locking lugs. I only use it on the contact side of the lug.
PMA Tool sells a action cleaning kit and if you get rid of all the old oil and grease you would be surprised how well they cycle.

[FourT6and2]

Can we please not derail this thread with arguments about how to oil/grease a bolt? I really would just like some information about DLC. Defiance said not to melonite the bolt, the temperatures are too high.

If anything, I'm contemplating just Cerakoting the receiver, the bolt handle, bolt knob, cocking piece, and shroud... and then leaving the bolt body in the raw. I'm just concerned how well the bare bolt body will hold up to corrosion.

The problem I have with DLC is that it will coat the handle and knob as well. And I don't know if you can then Cerakote over it.