Broken bolt catch, what brand to replace it with

[Little Dutch]

The bolt catch on my ar-45 broke today at the range. It looks like a poorly cast part. I didn?t build this lower, so I don?t know who made it. I?ve not paid much attention to the lower parts kits, generally just using palmetto or whatever Numrich has as an add-on when I make an order.

Any strong opinions on which brand to buy when I replace it?

[beast556]

I would just get another usgi one, pcc are known to be real hard on bolt catches, fcg pins, firing pins and extractors. Just my 2 cents.

[Great-Kazoo]

The bolt catch on my ar-45 broke today at the range. It looks like a poorly cast part. I didn?t build this lower, so I don?t know who made it. I?ve not paid much attention to the lower parts kits, generally just using palmetto or whatever Numrich has as an add-on when I make an order.

Any strong opinions on which brand to buy when I replace it?

Part of the problem could be the buffer traveling back too far. Have you looked to see if that may be the issue?

[Bailey Guns]

I agree with beast... Don't know about PCCs being hard on parts, but I'd just get a standard replacement.

[izzy]

This used to happen to me all the time with my ar45. After going through several other options and having them all bend or break I got one of these and have had no issues since.

https://www.strikeindustries.com/si-ar-ebc.html

More info
https://www.ar-15.co/threads/165451-Bolt-stop-keeps-bending

[Little Dutch]

Part of the problem could be the buffer traveling back too far. Have you looked to see if that may be the issue?

That's a darned good thought. I'll check it out.

Thanks for the replies everyone. It's appreciated.

[Great-Kazoo]

That's a darned good thought. I'll check it out.

Thanks for the replies everyone. It's appreciated.



IF the BCG goes noticeably past the bolt release, you'll need to make a spacer, to shorten that distance. I turned down some delrin for my 9mm AR, others use (iirc) 8 quarters to shorten the distance. I like the BCG sitting about .025 behind the bolt release, give or take. Just to keep that bcg from slamming against it on the last round.

[Little Dutch]

This used to happen to me all the time with my ar45. After going through several other options and having them all bend or break I got one of these and have had no issues since.

https://www.strikeindustries.com/si-ar-ebc.html

More info
https://www.ar-15.co/threads/165451-Bolt-stop-keeps-bending

That was a helpful thread, thanks for linking it.

[beast556]

New frontier armory makes a spacer that snaps in to the recoil spring. There less than 10$.

[BPTactical]

The problem with PCC AR’s is the mass of the bolt, it is considerably heavier than a standard bcg.
Instead of spending money on a spacer a few quarters work well.

[Little Dutch]

My AR-9 and the AR-45 both have quite a bit of overtravel on the bolt. I filled the space on both with quarters. I have a spare parts kit I can rob of the bolt catch for now too. Thanks all, I think we've got this solved. I appreciate everyone's responses, they were valuable.

[beast556]

Glad you got it worked out. I love my pcc's but they definitely have there own set of quirks.

[Little Dutch]

Unrelated, but the AR-45 sends the brass way out into the weeds. It has a strong, but consistent, ejection. I don't care about losing the brass, but am wondering if I should address that at some point.

[beast556]

Unrelated, but the AR-45 sends the brass way out into the weeds. It has a strong, but consistent, ejection. I don't care about losing the brass, but am wondering if I should address that at some point.

Launching brass is from the fixed ejector, you can mitigate it some with heavier springs and heavier buffers but that can bring about problems too.

[Great-Kazoo]

Unrelated, but the AR-45 sends the brass way out into the weeds. It has a strong, but consistent, ejection. I don't care about losing the brass, but am wondering if I should address that at some point.

See what if any difference the spacers made, ejection wise. before chasing another issue.

[SA Friday]

The 45 auto PCC is a pain in the ass only second to 10mm and 40's with their flat nose bullets. You should be running a 10-11 ounce buffer and about 13 ounce bolt. That's massive reciprocating mass, but it's the only way to slow the system down enough to get them to run right. You should be also using a 308 carbine buffer spring.

Not all castings for AR's are made the same. Schmid castings are the best. They are marked with a stamped "S" on them, and are used by all the better AR makers in the business. Colt, BCM, Sionics, SOLGW, Zev, Hodge, etc... Regardless, 45 cal PCCs are just brutal on bolt stops and you will probably brake a few more if you are shooting a lot and going fast. 9mm is better in these guns, flat out.

Use a delrin spacer or quarters to shorten the cycling length to where the bolt is clearing the bolt catch by 1/4-3/8" and no more. I usually space it out with quarters and then measure the stack and cut a piece of delrin to length.

DO NOT make your extractor spring stronger. They need to be softer than an AR-15 set up. I typically like about as much tension as a 4-coil AR extractor spring by itself and without any buffer or donut. If in doubt, the tension of a Glock extractor (or slightly less) is what you are shooting for.