Going thru one of my parts boxes I found this Inland bolt I acquired years ago. Anyone here know what the X stamped on the top of it denotes? Here are some photos.
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Going thru one of my parts boxes I found this Inland bolt I acquired years ago. Anyone here know what the X stamped on the top of it denotes? Here are some photos.
A well respected carbine collector and member here, Newscotlander, posted the below on another forum in 2004. Those of us who have the newsletters might remember this.
"X" on the top of bolts
I will explain what I know about the "X" on top of bolts. In the Carbine Club Newsletter #206 (yes, the same club that is "not" the final word in Carbine collecting) there is a "Chief of Ordnance" office memorandum dated Sept 4, 1944 and entitled "Markings on Carbine, Cal. .30 M1". Under "Special Markings" is this:
a. BOLTS. Bolts C57148 produced with round body (lightening cut omitted), but not including revisions that were to have been incorporated simultaneously, were authorized acceptable and are identified by letter "X" stamped on the top approximatly 1/2" to rear from lug.
The source of this memorandum is the National Archives and contains much more interesting information.
Not that it matters at, but the bolt in your pictures is an IBM one made by Auto Ordnance.Quote:
Originally Posted by mag318
Thanks for your input gentlemen, I appreciate it. Deldriver thanks for the heads up on it being an IBM bolt not an Inland. I should have cross referenced it in my copy of War Baby.
As far as I know, the 'X' only appeared on AOB bolts and had to do with marking the ones that passed the hardness test, as there was a problem with the AOB bolts. This is only a personal observation.
The X on the IBM bolts means that when it was made it did not have the latest updates on it but that it was useable as is.
Brian Quick wrote an article about round bolts in NL 370 which explained the X on top of IBM bolts.