AR-15 Bolt Repair Kit Installation - PSA Quick Tip

Posted in: How-To: AR-15/AR-10 How To

Parts & Tools:

Hey guys, welcome back. Tye here with another PSA Quick tip.

Today we're going to be swapping out some worn-out components on this bolt. So let's jump right in. To get to where we are right now, you're gonna need to make sure that you have your BCG stripped down to its main components. For instructions on how to do this check out the link below. For now though, we'll remove everything but the bolt and get started.

Now let's cover the parts and tools we'll need for today. Starting with our dental pick. This is going to help peel off those old gas rings. And then, the parts will all be included in your PSA AR-15 bolt repair kit. Check out the link in the description below to find it. Inside we'll have an extractor, extractor spring with insert, extract pin, and three gas rings. Now let's get to tearing this thing apart.

Removing the Gas Rings [01:07]

Our first steps are going to be removing the gas rings. The easiest way to do this is to grab your dental pick and find a gap. Take your dental pick, slide it underneath one of the rings while peeling up, and then rotate the bolt. And then it'll just peel it right off. Once you have it off, lift it away and repeat the process. Once you have all of them off, we'll move on to the next step.

Now our next step is going to be removing the extractor.

Extractor Removal [01:34]

To do so, grab your firing pin. It's the perfect tool for this next step. We're going to grab hold of the bolt and use the firing pin to push out this pin right here. To do so, simply put a little bit of pressure down on your extractor and use your firing pin to push out that pin. Once exposed, grab hold of it and set it to the side. Now the extractor will come free, and we can begin the process of rebuilding the bolt.

Rebuilding the Bolt [02:04]

Now that we have the old extractor removed, we'll grab hold of it, and we can do a couple of things here. We can inspect it to see if there's any damage if we plan on reusing it. For our purposes today, we're going to use a new one so we can show you all the steps to get it into the bolt.

For inspection purposes, make sure there are no cracks or any real bad gouging on it, especially here on the tooth. You want to make sure that's clean. Now we are going to remove this o-ring cause we will reuse it with our new extractor, but everything else we can set to the side.

For building up our new extractor, we're going to need these components right here. We're going to need the spring insert, the spring itself, the O-ring, and the extractor pin.

Beginning with the insert and the spring, we'll grab hold of them and find the fat side on the spring. We're going to take the insert and just slide it in. Keeping hold of it, we'll press it into the rear of the extractor until it seats. Once it does we'll then take the O-ring and place it on top. Now our extractor is built back up and ready to go back into the bolt. You can just grab your bolt, place the extractor on top of it. Grab your extractor pin and press it in making sure the pin is flush on both sides. Now your extractor is ready to go.

Next step, let's get these gas rings on. Now to begin the installation of the new rings we'll take one and slide it over the back of the bolt. Using the gap that's in it, we'll feed it into this channel that's on the bolt itself and start rotating the ring on. It should just pop right in, and it will fit into these slots. We'll repeat this step until all three rings are on. Now that the bolt has the rings back on it. We want to check for two things. One is that none of the rings are overlapped. If they are correct that and make sure that they're all sitting flush, you don't want any of the rings to be overlapped.

And lastly, these little gaps in between the rings, make sure they're not lined up. If they are, that can cause problems. Once the bolt is back in the carrier. With the three gas rings back on the bolt, it's now ready to be re-installed back into the carrier.

Bolt Lifespan & Inspection [04:28]

Now we still need to talk about lifespan and when these parts need to be swapped. For your gas rings, you can expect to get about 8,000 rounds through them before you may need to swap them.

Though, if you're shooting suppressed or using more corrosive ammunition, that lifespan may be shortened, but there is an easy test to see if you need to swap your gas rings. To check an old set of gas rings with the bolt installed onto the carrier. Simply take your carrier and turn it towards the sky with the bolt up. See if it falls back down into the carrier. If it doesn't, you're good. However, if your bolt looks like this, and won't hold its own weight in carrier, it's time for new gas rings. Now for the extractor. You just want to make sure that the inside lip is clean and doesn't show any damage. If there's any type of gouging or cracking, it's time for a new extractor.

Now the good news, these are all fairly cheap parts. So it's a good idea to keep a few of these in your range bag in case your gun goes down. Now we only cover two to three main parts of your bolt today. The third being your ejector. Stay tuned. We have another complete bolt rebuild coming. That'll show you how to swap out that guy.

Hey guys. Thanks for watching. Be sure to hit us up in the comments section down below if you have any questions and check out the description for the complete parts and tools list and everything you saw in the video today. We'll catch you next time.

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