AR-10 question for a friend

[bobcat93]

I just dropped in for a quick hit and run
My best buddy has a beautiful AR-10 308win
From Les Bear..it was like a 5000$ rifle once he dropped a nightforce NXS on it.
Now he has pitting on the bolt face
He needs a new bolt
After a phone call he finds out
Les Bear is out of the AR buisness so he is S.O.L.
And cant get a replacement stripped bolt from them.
I am 100% familiar with the AR-15 like every red blooded American. Is the AR-10 a different beast.
can he drop in a new bolt
Who can he order a Stripped AR 10 bolt from of high quality , 90% of what i see is the entire BCG..not the stripped bolt availability
Obviously he will need to function test the new bolt, probably should use a head space gauge.

Is the AR-10 just like the AR-15 in this regards.
Or am i missing something.
I would toss in new bolt put on safty glass and pull trigger see what happens in my method
But its not my gun, its not my face, and its not my finger on the trigger and i dont want to miss inform him.
Im not the one for passing bad information..its better to say (i dont honestly know) but i can find out..then to play big man on campus with all the wrong answers ..
I dont not let my ego get over inflated talk-n guns..i would rather save my best friends face then inflate my ego acting like i have all the answers..when i dont.
A little guidance would be greatly appreciated
Thank you very much for any help in advance

 

[Fuj]

Les Baer may not be in the AR business anymore but they still are
in business. I would find it odd they would not pass on support
information on past products......You could also try Rock River. One
of the two brothers worked for Les Baer as a smith before starting
Rock River. One brother has since passed though. They make the
LAR-10 which may be the same platform. A phone call to them
would steer you right, whether it's an Armalite or DPMS system. and
in that, I'm unclear if both systems used the same bolt.

 

[Sandstorm]

This is who I dealt with on my AR10 project...Good folks with a great product, used by many in the Manufacturing process.
Rubber City Armory
1344 Kenmore Blvd. Akron, OH 44314
330-794-7304

 

[Heman]

Did they use the Armalite or DPMS pattern for the build. Reason I say this is find out and just get a bolt for that type and you'll be fine. However if it has some pitting that is fine.

 

[Walt Krafft]

It would take a lot of pitting to make an AR bolt unusable. What is causing the pitting and has that been corrected? A picture would help a lot.

 

[jepp2]

Did they use the Armalite or DPMS pattern for the build

This is important and quick search will reveal the visible differences on your friend's rifle. If it is an LR 308 I highly recommend the JP HP bolt.

JP Rifles

 

[bobcat93]

Did they use the Armalite or DPMS pattern for the build. Reason I say this is find out and just get a bolt for that type and you'll be fine. However if it has some pitting that is fine.

He has an AR-10 lower, but the trigger gaurd is one continuous milling, no flop down for big glove.
And he has the angled tabs on the buffer tube retainer area
So what bolt should he order? What is the difference

 

[bobcat93]

My buddy is not technically savy but he sent me some old man quality picture for help

 

[rockhound78]

Also try Palmetto State Armory. Tell them what is going on and see if they have what your buddy needs

 

[Rocketvapor]

Is the BOLT different between the two different receiver designs in an AR-Type-10?

 

[whatsupdoc]

The AR10 bolt is different than the DPMS bolt, the AR10 bolts firing pin is spring loaded where the DPMS is not.

Large frame AR's are a cluster F#!K there is no standard and just because the lower receiver has a angled cut rather than a radius does not mean it has a AR10
carrier like Seekins for example.

 

[coldboreshot]

Les Baer may not be in the AR business anymore but they still are
in business. I would find it odd they would not pass on support
information on past products......You could also try Rock River. One
of the two brothers worked for Les Baer as a smith before starting
Rock River. One brother has since passed though. They make the
LAR-10 which may be the same platform. A phone call to them
would steer you right, whether it's an Armalite or DPMS system. and
in that, I'm unclear if both systems used the same bolt.

Agreed here... at $5k for that rifle build, they should at least steer you in the direction of tech support with other who can assist. If you ask me, poor customer service, and I din't give a rats ass hoe old the rifle is. It's "Les Baer" for shit's sake. I would press hard, the issue. That's just me.

 

[Rocketvapor]

"The AR10 bolt is different than the DPMS bolt, the AR10 bolts firing pin is spring loaded where the DPMS is not."

But can they be swapped in the two styles of Receivers?
Would bolt/pin work, or a complete BCG?

 

[whatsupdoc]

There are some that claim you can swap the entire carrier between the two platforms and at the same time claim there are small dimensional differences in the barrel extension and bolt.

The owner has to do his due diligence and confirm what he has.

A few pits in an AR bolt face means nothing, the real issue is did the owner that was using the rifle not notice that he was either piercing or popping primers that caused the pitting.

 

[mic2377]

A replacement bolt may or may not headspace appropriately. I have swapped bolts/carriers between LR-308 pattern rifles without issue, but have not done the same experiment with Armalite pattern stuff.

The best course of action is to find someone with the bolt in question you are planning to replace it with and check headspace with a gauge. If you can measure lug dimensions and bolt face depth that will get you mostly there.

With this being said, JP and RCA generally make some good quality stuff and their HP bolt (small firing pin) will reduce primer issues in the future. Their ejector location and tension is also good for reliability.

I will see if I can measure the bolt face depth of a few of the large frame AR's I have. I do have one with a JP bolt but it is ~7 years old so I am not sure if dimensions have changed.

 

[mac86951]

+1 to surprising that Lee Baer won't send the friend in the right direction for a replacement.

The bolt design of Armalite or DPMS is important as it's what "fits" the receiver extension on the barrel.

Bigger concern to me is that the bolt is pitted; that sounds like a potential major issue there, will your friend take a pic of the bolt face?

Finally, any bolt replacement will need a headspace check. Without going into the details of how to perform this step, I'd recommend that your friend connect with a 'qualified AR' gunsmith for guidance. A drop in install may be and is likely possible, but trying to describe the importance of headspace checks for a gas operated semi-auto via Internet forum seems kinda wrong. Ar-10s are weird in that there wasn't a standard set like that of AR-15s. There are parts available that may work; but someone hands-on will be able to have those answers.


I'd bet that we can help assess bolt pitting issue and resolve that, and if a general location may be provided, I'm sure we can help provide some recommendations as to a 'smith.

Short of that if you really want to, we can provide the process of headspace checks and happily debate appropriate clearances for gas gun vs bolt gun; but my last cost look-uo for an AR-10 bolt replacement and gauges quickly exceeds $500; where it may be cost savings to contact someone who has the tools and knows the process already.

-Mac

 

[Pawnee Bill]

This is what I run in my AR 308s without any problem.

JP - Bolt Assemblies

Give them a call I'm sure they can help.

 

[PDS]

It would take a lot of pitting to make an AR bolt unusable. What is causing the pitting and has that been corrected? A picture would help a lot.

I would agree with Mr. Krafft. Minor pitting won't affect functioning.
The cause could be over pressure loads or soft primers or both.
Check the tip of the firing pin, a few pierced primers can burn the tip,which will cause more primer damage and more bolt pitting.

 

[SKWERLZ]

Les Baer may not be in the AR business anymore but they still are
in business. I would find it odd they would not pass on support
information on past products......You could also try Rock River. One
of the two brothers worked for Les Baer as a smith before starting
Rock River. One brother has since passed though. They make the
LAR-10 which may be the same platform. A phone call to them
would steer you right, whether it's an Armalite or DPMS system. and
in that, I'm unclear if both systems used the same bolt.

That explains the beautiful 1911 rock river used to make.
I’m fairly certain LB used a dpms pattern and still services all the rifles they built.