Weeding out bad bolts.

A bad bolt for your M2 machine gun means dangerous firing. Unfortunately, some poorly manufactured bolts have gotten into the system and must be weeded out immediately.

The bad bolts were not heat treated correctly in the breech lock slot area. As a result, those bolts develop headspace problems as they're fired.

The bad bolts have a CAGE code of 28210 stamped on them and have no month, year, and lot code. Bolts with the month, year, and lot code following the 28210 have been remanufactured and are OK to use.

Inspect bad bolts for abnormal wear or deformation in the forward area of the slot that contacts the breech lock during firing. If you spot problems, the bolt should be replaced. If you don't find problems, inspect the bolt again after 50 rounds. If the bolt is still OK, continue to use it.

But remember a cartridge case rupturing is a sign headspace is bad, which can be caused by a bad bolt. Inspect the bolt immediately for abnormal wear in the breech block slot. If you're in SWA and find you have a bad 28210 bolt, contact the Small Arms Support Center for a replacement. Call DSN 312-992-2607/[phone]. (Use extension 16203 for both numbers.) Or email: [e-mail]

Units not in SWA should submit a Quality Deficiency Report (QDR) to receive credit for the bad bolt. Meanwhile, they can order a new bolt through normal supply channels. The QDR SF 368 can be submitted through AEPS at https://aeps.ria.army.mil or you can email it to: [e-mail] or fax it to DSN 793-6653/[phone].

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