View Full Version : LMT bolt catch on lower questions.
Hello,
I recently bought an defender LMT (A2 stock) complete lower. Everything is great, except the bolt catch would stick (down) on "Some" of my mags. I narrowed it down to the bolt catch, which I removed and sanded down some of the metal imperfections; it now function s flawlessly. And FYI: I also stuck in an extra bolt catch (PSA i believe) I had laying around and set it together with a brass punch (as a temporary pin) and it handled all of the mags as expected. This is how i figured out it was the bolt catch.
My question is:
Since I removed the finish that was on the bolt catch, can it rust? what is it made out of? It looks like aluminum??
Thanks,
uncle money bags
11-08-13, 12:20
Since I removed the finish that was on the bolt catch, can it rust? what is it made out of? It looks like aluminum??
Yes..
Interesting. I am experiencing the same thing with my LMT marked bolt catch. It seems to be most prevelant on Pmags as opposed to metal GI mags. Like you, mine is "sticky" and there are even instances when I can hardly get it to release the bolt because it's so tight. I think I'll just ditch it and install a new one.
I figured it was something I did wrong when I installed it but now I'm curious...
ETA: This catch is from a LPK that I got in the last few months from a reputable dealer.
The bolt catch is steel as uncle money bags stated. I like Seekins Precision billet bolt catch, it makes locking the bolt back much easier, the bottom paddle is easily twice the surface area of a standard bolt catch, and it protrudes from the lower more (a great thing), thus making the operation much more intuitive.
Blankwaffe
11-08-13, 18:20
Haven't seen that issue on my LMT lowers,but they are from around 2008.In fact the bolt catches in my Defender lowers are somewhat floppy loose.
When building a lower I prefer the Armalite bolt catch with its flat knurled full length surface.Profile remains the same as standard but just more surface area for the fingers/hand to contact,so it remains more inline of the snag proof in regards to some of the others out there.
Surprising to me. I use LMT bolt catches because Grant from G&R recommended them a while back.(I believe he uses them in his kits as well) I haven't had to buy any for a couple years as I have a stash that I got awhile ago. I hope its not a trend for LMT products.
Thanks for the advice. I guess I'm going to have to just put my PSA bolt catch in...
I have an email out to LMT to see if they can help. I'll let you all know how that goes.
I had issues with one of their bolt catches as well. They made me send it back (on my own dime) so that they could evaluate it. I was disappointed with how they handled their problem, so I won't be using their products in the future. You're more than welcome to take my replacement bolt catch (if I'm able to find it).
I initially had a sticky LMT bolt catch on my last build, too. It cleared up with some rounds through it, though.
I second Duffy's recommendation for the Seekins Precision bolt catch. IMO a big improvement over a stock bolt catch.
I contacted LMT and they told me to send the LPK back to the retailer I bought it from and make the retailer aware of the problem. I will throw it in the garbage when my new Colt bolt catch shows up from Brownells.
LMT got back to me. Responded to my question about an upper. But never mentioned my question about the bolt catch.
Last LMT product I buy.
http://www.primaryarms.com/Seekins-Precision-Enhanced-Bolt-Catch-for-AR-s-p/sp-bc.htm
is on the way. I have had nothing but a positive experience from the guys at Primary Arms.
We have been using LMT bolt catches since the early 2000's. In our experience, the problem with them sticking is typically with the receiver. We have measured lots of the channels that the bolt catch sits in and found most of them to narrow. The LMT bolt catch matches up in size to Colt's (which is on the fatter side when compared to other catches).
C4
I've actually had the sticking bolt catch issue too with an LMT catch in an LMT receiver (installed by LMT). It was weird. The problem occurred after several thousand rounds, but eventually corrected itself and has not been a problem since.
Joe Mamma
I've actually had the sticking bolt catch issue too with an LMT catch in an LMT receiver (installed by LMT). It was weird. The problem occurred after several thousand rounds, but eventually corrected itself and has not been a problem since.
Joe Mamma
The problem occurred after several thousand rounds?? My guess is that you had something lodged in there.
C4
colt191145lover
11-12-13, 17:54
I also have Had this I bought 3 LMT complete lowers this spring and one had this issue only with magpul P-Mags, after taking some measurements the problem one was too large in a few areas. LMT wanted me to send it back at first but after talking to them on the phone they sent me a replacement. I have yet to install it, to find out if the new one works.
Yup, same for me. The catch is bound up on the Pmag and won't allow the follower to push up on the catch. I don't have the issue with Colt, D&H, and Nhmtg USGI mags. The same Pmags work properly in my factory built Colt.
I also have Had this I bought 3 LMT complete lowers this spring and one had this issue only with magpul P-Mags, after taking some measurements the problem one was too large in a few areas. LMT wanted me to send it back at first but after talking to them on the phone they sent me a replacement. I have yet to install it, to find out if the new one works.
We have been using LMT bolt catches since the early 2000's. In our experience, the problem with them sticking is typically with the receiver. We have measured lots of the channels that the bolt catch sits in and found most of them to narrow. The LMT bolt catch matches up in size to Colt's (which is on the fatter side when compared to other catches).
C4
I bought a factory LMT MRP back in 2009 and I also had issue with the bolt catch. My issue was that the bolt would lock back while I was shooting even though there were still rounds in the magazine.
I'm not 100% sure what they did to fix it but, my LGS called Gene and in the end, they got it squared away.
Regardless, LMT is still one of my go to manufacturers when I'm in the market for something AR related.
My Colt catch, spring, plunger, and roll pin all showed up today from Brownells. Removed the LMT parts, installed the Colt parts, and the catch now functions 100% of the time while using the same mags that the LMT was malfunctioning on.
I just picked up a LMT lower and the same issue with PMAGs only. Works fine with GI mags. The circled area is what was rubbing against the PMAG
colt191145lover
12-16-13, 13:22
Yup ...same area of contact on mine
I too had the same issue initially with the LMT bolt catch in my G&R LPK. The bolt catch is actually twisted a bit, rather than flat, causing it to lean slightly towards the muzzle end, and hit gen 1 and gen 2 pmags. No big deal, really, as it didn't affect any of my NHMTG or gen 3 pmags, so I simply took 10 seconds with a sanding block and hit the offending area on all my gen 1 and gen 2s.
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.5 Copyright © 2024 vBulletin Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.