Polishing bolt guide rails

Jyezahn said:
Nice job! Love the aftermarket handguard too, care to elaborate about it? PM is fine too. :D
Click to expand...

its the Madbull Airsoft version of the Daniel Defense RIS II FDE... they are offically licensed by DD and are very well made.

Edit for full pic

DSC02392.jpg
 
Last edited:
RedNeck Jim said:
I just don't get any of this. Now I can understand the polish job you do on the stock FCG, as that improves function, but I don't see where anything y'all are doing here does that. I've yet to hear anyone say they were having an issue & this fixed it.

I'm assuming you guys wash & polish your car every week? :D
Click to expand...

Yea, I was my vehicle every week. It pitches a hissy fit if I don't.

I polished the bolt rails on mine because the bolt slides better with them polished. No particular problem, I just prefer smooth to not-so-smooth.

I haven't done the bolt body, but I probably will at some point. I might even get it engine-turned like YugoWego did. Sure does look pretty. :)
 
Last edited:
Has anyone measures the difference in resistance between a polished rail vs. no polished? I would think this would be easy with a trigger pull gauge. Just remove the spring and see how much force is required to move the slide.

If I had a gauge I would do it my self.
 
FTMS said:
Has anyone measures the difference in resistance between a polished rail vs. no polished? I would think this would be easy with a trigger pull gauge. Just remove the spring and see how much force is required to move the slide.

If I had a gauge I would do it my self.
Click to expand...

Never measured mine but with a slow pull i can tell a difference... much smoother... was kinda gritty feeling before
 
FTMS said:
Has anyone measures the difference in resistance between a polished rail vs. no polished? I would think this would be easy with a trigger pull gauge. Just remove the spring and see how much force is required to move the slide.

If I had a gauge I would do it my self.
Click to expand...

It's going to take something much more sensitive than a trigger pull gauge, even a digital gauge, to measure the difference. You have to do it without the recoil spring attached.

The actual difference is really immaterial; it's the smoothness that matters.
 
Honestly, you won't realize how "not smooth" the stock rails are until you polish them and see the difference. Makes absolutely no difference in the performance of the rifle, however. Some rails are smoother than others. Mine didn't have too many machining marks, but they were obvious once the the factory coating was removed. I have seen some rails that look like they were formed with a cross-cut saw....;)
 
Actually, it COULD affect performance in a positive way. For instance, with underpowered ammunition, smooth rails means less friction, less resistance and better blowback. This would affect ejections, and positive feeding.
 
As for what is the purpose of polishing the rails, I though this had been covered. Several times, actually. Jeyzahn is correct. While under normal firing, this appears to do nothing as there was really nothing wrong with my rifle to begin with. However, polishing the rails does smooth things up a bit. Just one of those fluff-and-buff details many people do to thier firearms. Some will notice more benifit than others in the smoothness of operating the bolt by hand. I doubt that it will effect firing of the rifle. Except in a case where your rifle might be inconsistent at cycling sub-sonic ammo - this might be just enough resistance removed from the bolt cycle to allow use of subsonic in that instance. Again, that's speculation and it all depends on just how rough your rails are to begin with. I have yet to see any that I would call smooth. There is nothing to lose and something to gain from polishing the rails. I personally feel that it is worthwhile, but I can also see why others might not want to go through the trouble.

Try it... You'll like it.:D
 
Is there any coating that you are removing?
Click to expand...

Yes, but there isn't anything magical about the coating. If anything it's probably only there to cover up the piss poor machining job S&W did on your bolt guide rails. Once the rails are polished, a LIGHT coating of lube should be all these need to stay beautiful just like other polished areas on other components. If you're concerned about oxidation or other issues, I'm not aware of anyone having problems. Others may want to add input in this area.
 
There are no warranty issues. I just got mine back from S&W for a loose ejector. The repaired it and replaced the bolt (not the rails) with no questions asked.
 
Majorlk said:
No issues at all. Unless you run over the rifle with an APC, its difficult to void the warranty. :)
Click to expand...

You haven't seen me with a tool in my hand. When our boys were real young, they would say, "Momma fix it". Even at that age, they knew daddy was a klutz. :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

target tech
New to me, HD
Replies
5
Views
349
quinn
quinn
G
Why do I even bother keeping my S&W 1854?
2
Replies
34
Views
3K
Shibadog
S
MikeNV
Bodyguard 2.0 Polishing
2
Replies
24
Views
4K
snuf
snuf
S
13 lb. recoil springs Ed Brown or DPM?
Replies
7
Views
267
TigerDude
T
F
Outdoorsman troubles
Replies
9
Views
780
2152hq
2

Latest posts

Back
Top