Darkening the M&P15-22 Bolt

E

eraurifleman

Member
Joined
Dec 25, 2011
Messages
11
Reaction score
1
As you all know, the bolt carrier of the M&P15-22 is a silver color. Is there any way of darkening this to black? I was thinking of bluing but I dont really know if that would really make a difference. I dont think Spray paint is an option either
 
Register to hide this ad
No spray paint that's for sure! It's built to tolerances and the spray paint would not allow it to move.
 
eraurifleman said:
As you all know, the bolt carrier of the M&P15-22 is a silver color. Is there any way of darkening this to black? I was thinking of bluing but I dont really know if that would really make a difference. I dont think Spray paint is an option either
Click to expand...

The bolt is chromed because the 22LR is a 'Dirty' round. The last thing on earth you want with a blowback recoil rifle is a bolt that might want to collect excess carbon.
 
This stuff will work, however, it's not going to be as quick or as cheap as a can of paint...which would be an utter mess and definitely not work.

Roguard: Robar's Roguard Finish

"Roguard is polymer technology at its best. Twice as hard as Polymax and twice as corrosion-resistant, Roguard will take far more punishment than any other black sprayed on finish available - tested both in the laboratory and in the field. Roguard is applied in a very thin (approximately 0.0005”) and consistent coat that does not result in significant dimensional changes or have the “thick coat of paint” appearance of many black firearm finishes"

"Roguard is extremely durable; a tough, hard finish that Bill (Wilson) unabashedly says is the best carry finish he's ever seen" - Cameron Hopkins, Editor American Handgun Magazine
 
Last edited:
CPTBeaker said:
Roguard: Robar's Roguard Finish

"Roguard is polymer technology at its best. Twice as hard as Polymax and twice as corrosion-resistant, Roguard will take far more punishment than any other black sprayed on finish available - tested both in the laboratory and in the field. Roguard is applied in a very thin (approximately 0.0005”) and consistent coat that does not result in significant dimensional changes or have the “thick coat of paint” appearance of many black firearm finishes"

"Roguard is extremely durable; a tough, hard finish that Bill (Wilson) unabashedly says is the best carry finish he's ever seen" - Cameron Hopkins, Editor American Handgun Magazine
Click to expand...
Yeah but Bill is talking about the finish on the non-action parts of the gun not the bolt. Not sure why you would want to do it. It is not a bright reflective finish so will not cause reflections.
 
photoracer said:
Yeah but Bill is talking about the finish on the non-action parts of the gun not the bolt. Not sure why you would want to do it. It is not a bright reflective finish so will not cause reflections.
Click to expand...

I would not personally do this to my 15-22.

Also, I don't think the 15-22's bolt has enough contact points that would cause this stuff to wear excessively. The bolt rides on two black rails and retracts into a polymer upper. I don't think the polymer will abrade the Roguard significantly. In fact, I don't think the bolt even contacts the interior surface of the upper anyways. The only other contact point is the bolt face, which is generally covered with carbon anyways.

I don't know how much the OP is willing to spend on this project and I don't think the Roguard is cheap.
 
I have been thinking about going the same thing. The silver bolt just takes so much away from the appearance of the MP 15 22.

Where do you buy this stuff?
 
Last edited:
Casey's Aluminum Black will darken nearly everything. Works very well on stainless steel. I've not tried it on this bolt though and I'm not sure what its made of. Give it a try. Follow the instructions. Probably take several applications.

-- Chuck
 
would a dust cover be a better idea..
as opposed to a possible problem with a coating?
all you are trying to do is cover the "shiny" surface...right?
 
You could Cerakote it, I think it would hold up pretty good. I did some tests this last weekend on different materials, Steel, Aluminum and plastic, its really tough.Drop me a PM if your interested.
 
tork'd said:
would a dust cover be a better idea..
as opposed to a possible problem with a coating?
all you are trying to do is cover the "shiny" surface...right?
Click to expand...

agreed.....check out the dust cover available thru the forum....made by one of the members...can check out via youtube or the classifieds.
 
chuck s said:
Casey's Aluminum Black will darken nearly everything. Works very well on stainless steel. I've not tried it on this bolt though and I'm not sure what its made of. Give it a try. Follow the instructions. Probably take several applications.

-- Chuck
Click to expand...


i would try this^

i couldn't find out what out bolt is made/coated of?
 
Hobie1 said:
Black Magic Marker.;)
Click to expand...

Agreed. You can recoat it when needed.

I had someone cerakote our two training bolts in orange and it has worn in spots.

the training bolts are blowback and allow us to use blue-tipped training ammo which will not cycle the regular bcg.

It costs more than regular 5.56 rounds, but it doesn't tear up our backstop as much. I am trying to get the powers that be to allow us to use a .22 conversion to qualify on our rifles.
 
Stop whining and worrying about the color of the bolt, and just shoot the rifle. It's slver and if ya wanna blacken it out than take a couple thousands off and put a protectent and then blacken the bolt.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Pubtym
15-22 Bolt Cleaning and Maintenance
Replies
10
Views
2K
cjt50
cjt50
A
How to install the bolt guide into the bolt buffer?
Replies
5
Views
1K
JRD
J
strobro32
SS trip for the 15-22?
Replies
3
Views
612
strobro32
strobro32
O
Hand guard for M&P 15-22 (22lr) that won’t leave a gap
Replies
13
Views
3K
GypsmJim
GypsmJim
L
Competition Bolt
Replies
8
Views
3K
CoryIsMyName
C

Latest posts

Back
Top