Ar15 polish

[rbahri5206]

Is it a bad idea to polish the surface that the bolt slides on in the upper to smoth out the action a bit, I just feel like it grinds when you charge the t handle

[SamsDX]

Don't worry about it - it'll smooth out over time as you put more rounds through the gun. So long as you don't have cycling issues, I would leave it alone.

[rbahri5206]

No issues but it has quiet a few rounds threw it I didn't just build it I would say 500+ rounds

[SamsDX]

No issues but it has quiet a few rounds threw it I didn't just build it I would say 500+ rounds

That's still practically a new gun. Is it properly cleaned and lubed? The carbon dust might stick to the lube, causing the grittiness.

[rbahri5206]

i always clean it after shooting take my time with it, I honestly think its just a cheap upper (stag arms) and i got it back when Ar parts were hard to find before the election so i think they were just cranking them out but im not sure if polishing the upper will hurt the performance iv never had a jam or miss feed but just wanna tune it a little better

[SamsDX]

Ok, well, polishing usually won't hurt much, unless you polish away too much material. So long as it continues to engage the gas tube without interference, polishing a little bit here and there wouldn't be a big deal. You said you feel the grinding through the charging handle - then is it the bolt carrier that's grinding? how does the BCG move with the charging handle removed? Is it just gritty? Or is there a definite binding spot? Also, can you post pictures up of any existing wear on the BCG and the charging handle?

When it comes to smoothing out rough spots, all I can offer you is to paint some Dykem Blue on the part in question, slide it back and forth like it would typically move, and work the faded areas slowly with a stone, emery cloth, or whatever. You can always take more material off, but you can't usually add material back. Also, start working the cheapest replaceable part. Between the upper receiver and the bolt carrier it's a toss-up, (both can be had for around $120) but it also sounds like the charging handle is what's actually grinding. In that case, I'd say start with that.

[Intimid8tor]

First, stag products aren't cheaply made. They may not be "top teir", but they are fine.

Second, most of the roughness people feel is actually the buffer tube spring sliding on the buffer tube.

[rbahri5206]

I wanna thank everyone for there wonderful advise I'm going to try everyone's tips and report back my findings thanks again everybody

[backstrap]

Your BCG is metal your upper is aluminum. In my opinion the metal bolt needs to be smoothed and not the upper. I polished my bolt and my action got super,super smooth! I also used white lithium grease on my recoil spring and that also improved it.
Dont she just look purdy.


If you need your bolt polished I think I will be making a thread in the WTB/services offered area.

[SamsDX]

I also used white lithium grease on my recoil spring and that also improved it.

If OP is experiencing the buffer/buffer spring grinding, then I definitely concur with your suggestion. Lubricating it will help smooth that out, and it'll reduce the bouncing spring noise. I tried the grease once, but combined with the gas/carbon deposits over about ~700 rounds during a class, it got to be quite gummed up in there - to the point it was noticeably reducing the forward momentum of the bolt. Maybe a lighter coating of CLP would be better.

All this talk about polishing the bolt and "smoothing out" the action leaves me wondering, why? I understand it's bothersome to get a gritty feel when you're charging the gun. Please excuse my ignorance on this topic, this appears to have little to do with the primary function of the gun, which is to strike a firing pin against the primer and ignite the power in the cartridge, send the projectile through the barrel and downrange, push the gas back to the bolt/bolt carrier to extract the cartridge, and feed a new one (without further user intervention) from the magazine to the chamber. If there is no interference affecting that function, why is that additional work necessary?

I'm also not understanding the wisdom of making the entire bolt "in the white." The phosphated/parkerized finish has corrosion resistant properties, and while some surfaces of the bolt and bolt carrier will wear throughout use, those are presumably the points you'll keep well-lubricated. By definition, the surfaces that aren't wearing would have no effect on the "smoothness" of the action during charging, so again, why is it necessary? Seems like you're giving up the corrosion resistance in favor of looking cool, perhaps. If I want a shiny bolt, I would invest in an extra one that has the Nickel Boron coating.

[rbahri5206]

Your BCG is metal your upper is aluminum. In my opinion the metal bolt needs to be smoothed and not the upper. I polished my bolt and my action got super,super smooth! I also used white lithium grease on my recoil spring and that also improved it.
Dont she just look purdy.


If you need your bolt polished I think I will be making a thread in the WTB/services offered area.

That look awsome very nice work

[Merc1138]

Your BCG is metal your upper is aluminum.

Aluminum is metal...

Regarding the OPs rifle, unless there is an actual malfunction occurring I wouldn't worry about it.

[kcstott]

If you want to hear a spring grind or at least ring. Shoot a Browning Auto Five. Know that has some resonance.

[baih777]

try removing the charging handle and see if the bolt moves freely. it might be a tight charging handle.