Suggestion on damaged DSA FAL (SA58 PARA) bolt.

[MCMXI]

This past weekend I shot my PARA and part of the bolt face broke off. The "chip" (shown in bottom photo) jammed the action up momentarily but after shaking and tapping the rifle, the broken piece fell out of the action and the bolt returned to battery. After a quick inspection, I decided that the rifle wouldn't be dangerous to shoot in that condition so I shot 20 or so more rounds without issue. I'm sure that if I contact DSA they'll want me to send them the rifle so that they can install a new bolt and headspace it. I'm thinking about dressing up the fractured region (shown with arrow) with a file and shooting as is. The case head will have less support but that might not be an issue. Any thoughts? Does the fracture tell me anything about the overall condition of the bolt i.e. incorrect heat treat, poor quality casting etc.

On the bright side, the 10 DSA 20-round magazines that I bought worked fine.

 

[mnrivrat]

Get a new bolt .

 

[Cal-gun Fan]

Don't shoot it as is! Thats a terrible idea! Send it back to DSA, its a defective product.

 

[RCArms.com]

DSA could very well decide that the additional 20rds fired after the bolt damage voided any warranty on that rifle.

A Bolt is a critical safety part on the rifle and it's shape and mass are critical to the safe operation of the rifle and the safety of the shooter and any bystanders.

Think of it this way.....

What if the unthinkable happened during the additional 20 rounds and the rifle experienced a catastrophic failure and a chunk of the bolt exited the weapon and took out a bystander's eye.

During the lawsuit, DSA would be off the hook because you took the initiative to declare the rifle safe to shoot after the piece broke off. The responsibility, both criminal negligence as well as civil liability would fall squarely on your shoulders.

Not a pretty picture is it.

Not trying to be a joker here, but when a part like this fails, STOP, even if you think it's minor. Ask yourself "am I prepared to defend my actions in court if the unthinkable happens". Clear and case the weapon immediately, save any parts that had failed, and contact the manufacturer for either warranty assistance or professional repair services. The alternatives are too terrible to contemplate, even if they never happen.

Respectfully,

Don

 

[MCMXI]

Thanks for the feedback. I'll send some photos to DSA and ask them what they intend to do about it. If I do need to send the rifle back, perhaps I can have them replace, upgrade or improve the God awful trigger that it shipped with.

 

[desidog]

I decided that the rifle wouldn't be dangerous to shoot in that condition so I shot 20 or so more rounds

Well, I'll never question your bravery....but your decision making process, on the other hand....

 

[MCMXI]

Well, I'll never question your bravery....but your decision making process, on the other hand....

If you think about how the bolt works, what forces are exerted on the bolt, where those forces are applied, and how the part failed, this isn't as big an issue as you might think. I still don't consider the rifle unsafe to shoot.

 

[Rail Driver]

If you think about how the bolt works, what forces are exerted on the bolt, where those forces are applied, and how the part failed, this isn't as big an issue as you might think. I still don't consider the rifle unsafe to shoot.

What happens when a case head fails at the unsupported point? Want jets of hot gasses, flaming powder and shrapnel flying in your face? I don't. Get the bolt replaced.

 

[RCArms.com]

If you think about how the bolt works, what forces are exerted on the bolt, where those forces are applied, and how the part failed, this isn't as big an issue as you might think. I still don't consider the rifle unsafe to shoot.

The bolt is the part that contains the head of the cartridge case that operates at close to 60,000 PSI.

The bolt in your rifle has already failed which compromises the integrity of the rest of the part as well as the integrity of the entire weapon system.

Continuing to operate the weapon with a failed critical component that by design, sits less than 4 inches from your face is extremely foolish and quite dangerous.

Even if you have to pay DSA or a competent smith to replace the failed bolt and headspace it, it's a lot cheaper than reconstructive surgery.

If you elect to run the rifle as it, I would recommend that you at least advise anyone in close proximity that you are going to be firing a rifle that has a defective bolt so they can get to a minimum safe distance if they do not feel as comfortable as you do firing the rifle.

 

[MCMXI]

The bolt is the part that contains the head of the cartridge case that operates at close to 60,000 PSI.

I'll contact DSA for sure, but out of interest, how does a Mauser bolt with a completely flat bolt face contain the head of the cartridge? The chamber supports the side wall of the cartrdige all the way to the web and the bolt (via locking lugs) is there to prevent the case from moving rearward as the gasses are expanding in the cartridge. Bolts are designed to resist bolt thrust. I don't believe that bolt faces do much if anything to support the case head radially. Just compare the bolt faces of Remington 700s chambered in .223 Rem, .308 Win and .338 Lapua Mag. Which one has more material to "support" the case head? Yep, the .223 Rem. It's a geometric constraint issue rather than an engineering design issue. I could be wrong so don't take my word for it.

 

[Z-Michigan]

I consider myself very cautious and I don't think 1858 was reckless by any means. I can hardly see the damage in the photos posted.

FWIW, the SA-58 bolt is based on the L1A1 and is apparently very hard (like RC45?), which generally produces extremely long service life, but if anything is imperfect in manufacture it can result in an early crack or other failure. That might be a factor here. Or not.

Anyway, I've used DSA warranty service twice and was very satisfied both times. If you're the first owner I doubt you will pay any shipping charges either way. But call them, don't email, they are responsive on the phone and iffy via email.

 

[briansmithwins]

Totally agree on stopping firing after breaking a bolt.

FALs aren't know for breaking bolts (unlike ARs) so to me that broken bolt suggests bad steel, improper heat treating, or another manufacturing defect.

BSW

 

[W.E.G.]

This is about the fifth or sixth failure of this type I have read about over the last several months.

DSA has been requiring return of the entire rifle for this service.
Makes sense, since a headspace check should be done with any bolt replacement.

Box it real good, and make them send you a call tag.

 

[briansmithwins]

Bad batch of bolts from DSA?

I don't recall broken bolts being talked about with the military rifles.

BSW

 

[MCMXI]

This is about the fifth or sixth failure of this type I have read about over the last several months.

DSA has been requiring return of the entire rifle for this service.
Makes sense, since a headspace check should be done with any bolt replacement.

Box it real good, and make them send you a call tag.

Good info ... thanks!!

 

[ol' scratch]

Send it back. That is a surplus bolt anyway as the STG 58 is made with a mixture of new and old parts.

 

[Z-Michigan]

That is a surplus bolt anyway as the STG 58 is made with a mixture of new and old parts.

OP has an SA-58 = all new US-made parts.

 

[MCMXI]

UPDATE:

I finally got around to sending the rifle back to DSA. They paid shipping both ways (listen up Savage) and replaced the bolt at no charge and also replaced the lower receiver at no charge. They told me that a vendor a few years back wasn't properly heat treating the bolts. Since DSA paid the shipping both ways I decided to have them do the "speed trigger" upgrade. They very kindly took $20 off the price of the trigger job and the rifle is on its way back to me as I write. I'm looking forward to getting this rifle back and as of today DSA has a happy and loyal customer.

 

[Z-Michigan]

That's great!

FWIW I've had to use DSA service twice, and both experiences were similar to what you describe.

 

[MCMXI]

FWIW I've had to use DSA service twice, and both experiences were similar to what you describe.

Good service makes all the difference doesn't it. Savage flatly refused to pay shipping on a defective Weather Warrior so I'm done with them. Every company can make a lemon but if they take responsibility for their mistake(s) I'll continue to support their products. My rifle money is going to Winchester and Kimber these days and I couldn't be happier. By the way, DSA's FAL magazines are worth a mention too. I bought ten about 9 months ago and they all passed F&C without any issues.

I'll give an update on the trigger. It was kind of awful to be honest so I'm interested to see how much better it is now.