good news from satern today

[bwaites]

A few steps might be missed but good explanation.

If the bolts that Maxim makes pass the tests Precision Firearms is going to put them under he might become the new source provider. A.O. is currently the big manufacture of Grendel Bolts and I was told they will not be producing any more for some time. This comes from a long time Grendel Developer that worked very close with Bill A. and pretty sure he knows what is going on with them. This is an ongoing issue with the Grendel apparently, so the way things look, Maxim might have a good foot in to help out the Grendel Bolt Dilemma.

I know that Maxim make bolts, carriers, extractors and other internal parts for some major companies as there machinist for several years. He even told me a few hidden secrets found on the AA Bolt I sent him. I was told some dimensional differences Bill A put on them purposely so nobody could copy the bolts. Maxim confirmed that without me saying the #'s. I feel Bill A. is the biggest reason for the distribution NOT occurring on the Grendel's and all of the hold up's.

Also apparently the development of the cartridge was a big cluster as everyone didn't get paid for there work and everyone is still fighting over who did what. Bill did not do it alone.

So I hear.....But everyone has there side to the story but I keep getting more evidence that I am hearing info from a good source.

I didn't intend it as a primer in bolt production, I was just trying to give people an idea about the difficulties with making bolts, and doing it very tongue in cheek. Its a pain in the rear!

The GRENDEL bolt isnt really the GRENDEL bolt at all. Its the BEOWULF bolt, which existed long before the Grendel did. There are a ton of people who had Beowulfs before Bill introduced the Grendel. I was laughing too hard at the "hidden secrets" part of that to intially respond.

There aren't any secrets to a bolt. Anyone with decent machining facilities and the ability to measure tight tolerances can set themselves up to make bolts. Making consistently HIGH QUALITY bolts is tougher and is why so few places make such a large percentage of the bolts. Heck, just getting the heat treat right is a lesson in frustration, from what I've been told.

LOL about A.O.! The cartridge has been SAAMI for a while now, so its simply market forces determining what goes on. Its a niche cartridge compared to 5.56 and so its at the back of the line to get stuff done.

The development of the cartridge had lots of players, and its been really well documented by David Fortier in a published article, http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_2_453/20214...endel.html.

J. Guthrie did one too.http://www.shootingtimes.com/2012/11/16/...t-to-have/

You'll find that all the essential details agree....It was Bill Alexander who found Lapua to make brass, and Bill Alexander who paid for the tooling, and Alexander Arms who started production. That there may be hard feelings somewhere along the line is unfortunate, but an unfortunately real part of doing business today.

So...the simple truth is that the Grendel bolt existed before the Grendel, because the Beowulf existed first. There are no magical secrets to making bolts, just good drawings and measurements, patience, and the right machining and treatment facilities. Having Maxim making bolts is going to be a great addition and we are all excited about it.

OOPS....looks like Bill beat me to it, I had to get some work done while this was up and being worked on too!