What's the current status on LMT

[jhs1969]

I got a LMT M4 a couple of years ago and it has been a very good weapon. About a year or so after I got one I heard they switched to a MIM gas key. I never found anyone who had any troubles with the new MIM keys but the idea just didn't set well with me and I think many others felt the same. I seem to remember that LMT may have switched back to forged keys to quell the complaints the MIM keys caused. Is this the case? Anyone have any thougts on LMT's current production guns?

[RIDE]

I'm interested to know this as well.

I'm picking up a new (straight from LMT) MRP Piston rifle on Thurs of this week, so I guess worst case I'll find out then.

[MikeCLeonard]

It's my understanding that they are still using the MIM keys. I've read a number of reports from very recent LMT buyers that their rifles still have the MIM keys.

I could be wrong though...best way would be to just call LMT or one of their dealers.

[QuietShootr]

I'm interested to know this as well.

I'm picking up a new (straight from LMT) MRP Piston rifle on Thurs of this week, so I guess worst case I'll find out then.

A piston rifle won't have a gas key.

[kaltesherz]

I bought an LMT a couple of months ago and have been very happy with it so far, being 100% reliable with Brown Bear and Federal bulk and extremely well built. It's got the MIM gas key but I'm not really concerned about it, I remember all the hoopla over Kimber using MIM parts and over the years I've put probably 8,000 rounds through mine before I couldn't afford to shoot .45 anymore.

LMT still makes a quality product

[sundance435]

I'm interested to know this as well.

I'm picking up a new (straight from LMT) MRP Piston rifle on Thurs of this week, so I guess worst case I'll find out then.

Gas Piston = no gas key

[Keesh]

I've been using a MIM key for the last couple years. Have a few thousand rounds through it, some of it full auto, and no problems. I doubt LMT switched back, as they claim their MIM key has a longer lifespan (125,000 rounds I think was the magic number?) than a standard key.

[sproing]

There were a lot of Chicken Little's running around for a while worried about the MIM gas keys but I think the fears are overblown. From what I understand the gas key is not a heavily stressed or high wear part anyway. In short, don't worry about it.

[the_1iviper]

the british military thinks they're ok ;)

[jhs1969]

the british military thinks they're ok ;)

??? Is the British military using LMT's? That would be pretty cool:cool:

[skyugo]

There were a lot of Chicken Little's running around for a while worried about the MIM gas keys but I think the fears are overblown. From what I understand the gas key is not a heavily stressed or high wear part anyway. In short, don't worry about it.

i'm sure LMT did some testing..
metal injection molding can make some good parts really.

[the_1iviper]

??? Is the British military using LMT's? That would be pretty cool:cool:


i believe the U.K. recently adopted the new LMT .308 MWS (L129A1) as their new sniper rifle for their troops to "combat taliban forces":D

[Triton28]

MIM is the boogie man of the firearms world. Everyone is afraid of it but virtually nobody can point to it or explain how/when/why a MIM part is going to break faster than any other process.

It's also used heavily in the aerospace industry. I'd like to see people try to figure out which plane has MIM in what parts. :)

[decodeddiesel]

LMT is the same as it's always been...top notch.

I've got an LMT 10.5 and a 14.5 and shoot the piss out of both of them.

[sundance435]

MIM is the boogie man of the firearms world. Everyone is afraid of it but virtually nobody can point to it or explain how/when/why a MIM part is going to break faster than any other process.

It's also used heavily in the aerospace industry. I'd like to see people try to figure out which plane has MIM in what parts. :)

That is a bit of an over-simplified attempt to explain the MIM "hysteria". If a MIM part is going to fail, it is going to fail early on and sooner than the equivalent forged part. If it doesn't have a defect in it, then it could last as long or longer than a forged part.

The problem is not with MIM in general, but with some manufacturer's use of it in parts that receive a high amount of stress that is specific to that type of part, which at least in my opinion is not acceptable.

On a handgun, a part like a beavertail grip safety could make sense as a MIM part. MIM is not an acceptable substitute for a slide lock lever, sear, etc. It may sound rudimentary, but some manufacturers, like Kimber, do not get this.

Also, there are few parts on an AR-15 that I would be okay with being MIM. A gas key may be a "low stress" part to some manufacturers, but for any serious use AR, that is not acceptable.

[Triton28]

That is a bit of an over-simplified attempt to explain the MIM "hysteria". If a MIM part is going to fail, it is going to fail early on and sooner than the equivalent forged part. If it doesn't have a defect in it, then it could last as long or longer than a forged part.

The problem is not with MIM in general, but with some manufacturer's use of it in parts that receive a high amount of stress that is specific to that type of part, which at least in my opinion is not acceptable.

On a handgun, a part like a beavertail grip safety could make sense as a MIM part. MIM is not an acceptable substitute for a slide lock lever, sear, etc. It may sound rudimentary, but some manufacturers, like Kimber, do not get this.

Also, there are few parts on an AR-15 that I would be okay with being MIM. A gas key may be a "low stress" part to some manufacturers, but for any serious use AR, that is not acceptable.

I tend to believe that most companies, LMT for sure, know thier weapons and wouldn't put MIM in a place where they believed it would fail at a rate found to be unacceptable. LMT has always had a reputation of quality, and I seriously doubt any MIM in the gas keys is going to change that. Of course, YMMV.

[decodeddiesel]

I tend to believe that most companies, LMT for sure, know thier weapons and wouldn't put MIM in a place where they believed it would fail at a rate found to be unacceptable. LMT has always had a reputation of quality, and I seriously doubt any MIM in the gas keys is going to change that. Of course, YMMV.

Well said.

[organdonor]

There were a lot of Chicken Little's running around for a while worried about the MIM gas keys but I think the fears are overblown. From what I understand the gas key is not a heavily stressed or high wear part anyway. In short, don't worry about it.BUT THEY AREN'T MIL-SPEC!!!!!!!1

[MistWolf]

The criticism of MIM comes from the problems of it's parent technology- Powdered Metal Molding. Powdered metal was used to make parts for automotive transmissions. The advantages were that parts could be formed with minimal waste and metal purity is easier to achieve. Powdered metal is put in a mold and is fused together under extreme pressure and sometimes enough heat to put the material into a plastic state. Parts being made from this process were failing due to quality control problems and being a new technique. Bonding wasn't always uniform throughout the parts.

MIM introduces a plastic bonding agent to the powdered metal. The material is heated until it reaches it's plastic stage then forced into the mold. After, the plastic agent is removed from the part. This gives uniform bonding. The plastic binding agent is removed from the part, then they are heated to close the pores.

MIM is best for small, thin parts and an improvement over the powdered metal injection method. If you'd like to read a bit of corporate propaganda explaining the process, check this link: http://www.ssisintered.com/MIM_index.html

Interesting technology. Doing a quick search utilizing your favorite search engine will reveal more information