Fluted Bolt?

All mechanical assemblies are engineered with a certain percentage of safety factor designed in. Without DT and ensuing data it is difficult to make an informed decision on the process, and it will vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. From a pure safety point of view, I would side with Rick on this one for now. Unless someone wants to undertake that testing and publish the data, we are stuck with what we actually know. - dan

Before someone undertakes a testing program perhaps we should determine if this is a problem in the first place. I have not found a single shred of evidence nor ever heard of it being a problem if done correctly. Methinks this is making a fuss over nothing.
 
Before someone undertakes a testing program perhaps we should determine if this is a problem in the first place. I have not found a single shred of evidence nor ever heard of it being a problem if done correctly. Methinks this is making a fuss over nothing.

Agreed, I've never seen, let alone heard of any type of failure due to fluting.

Sounds like fuss to me also.
 
Before someone undertakes a testing program perhaps we should determine if this is a problem in the first place. I have not found a single shred of evidence nor ever heard of it being a problem if done correctly. Methinks this is making a fuss over nothing.

And I have no problem with that. Just go in with your eyes open. -dan
 
Rick put gunboy on your ignore list! and enough with all this or it gets locked down,


I would like to See FACTS and PROOF that flutes weaken the bolt, not hearsay
 
Sorry - I don't have nearly the patience you do. All the posts that violate various rules are recycled. Everyone back in your corners and figure out how to discuss this like civilized adults or the it's done. You are entitled to your opinions and should be able to sate them without resorting to name calling and insulting each other.

I for one would like to learn more about this, so if you have nothing of value to contribute please sit on your hands.
 
Sorry - I don't have nearly the patience you do. All the posts that violate various rules are recycled. Everyone back in your corners and figure out how to discuss this like civilized adults or the it's done. You are entitled to your opinions and should be able to sate them without resorting to name calling and insulting each other.

I for one would like to learn more about this, so if you have nothing of value to contribute please sit on your hands.

Thanks for deleting my post, obviously you don't care about facts. You left this thread with one very biased opinion, and deleted the only credible counter point. Good job.
 
I'll throw in an opinion to the mix.....this is coming from lots of experience in examining fractures and is not meant to show any bias.
Aside from any material, manufacturing, or process defects parts fail due to being overloaded, whether it's a high external overload or normal loads exploiting a stress raiser.
Cracks form under tension and to simplify it abnormal tension comes from a bending load. In a typical two lug style bolt the primary load is on the back side of the lugs, so the tension is in the filet area where the lugs blend to the bolt body. My biggest fear would be misalignment of the bolt and uneven lug contact which would transfer more load to one lug or the other creating higher loads in the filet area. Based on this fluting should have no effect as long as it didn't reduce the strength or add abnormal stress raisers to high load areas. You will likely notice most reputable fluting will stop short of this area and I would be weary of any machining process that carried directly to the filet if it's not part of the original design. That is assuming that the original design has been properly engineered and tested.
 
I think that fluting wouldn't really affect anything during normal operation. It might cause problems if a catasprophic failure occurs. When you google "blown up rifles" and read about bits of bolt heads being removed from people's faces, it seems to make sense that fluting might complicate matters.

My non-technical 2 cents.
 
I think that fluting wouldn't really affect anything during normal operation. It might cause problems if a catasprophic failure occurs. When you google "blown up rifles" and read about bits of bolt heads being removed from people's faces, it seems to make sense that fluting might complicate matters.

My non-technical 2 cents.

Providing the flutes stop well before the locking lugs, I don't see bolt fluting as having any more impact on the locking strength of the bolt than adding a different bolt knob would.
 
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Bolt fluting when done propertly it help smooth out the action and bolt contact, depend on the side of round nose end mill, you only take a very little of the surface, about .005 to .007 perside, there is no need to go deeper, so set up and dial in are important.
 
C14 Timberwolf. Hundreds of thousands of rounds fired. Fluted bolt. Never a single issue ever.
C15 MacMillan Tac-50. Hundreds of thousands of rounds fired. Very large fluted bolt. Never a single issue ever...with the fluting lol.
 
The thread resumption was mainly for asking what would be the best spiral fluted bolt with fairly deep flutes for a Remington and in .223
 
i am thinking the look cool thing sells as many extras that do nothing allso sell . I look at it sneeking around the jackpine them needles get into every thing . At the range the wow cool i want it . I have a mill and the rotary table and end stock i have not flutted any of my guns . But it does look cool and cool sells
 
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