The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - Why is a MAS-49 type action not more popular?

Regolith · September 19, 2012, 04:57 AM

The biggest issue with a tilt bolt is that it requires a fairly beefy receiver, since the bolt locks to the receiver instead of the barrel. With a rotating bolt, you don't need a very strong receiver - even a plastic one will do if it's designed right, like with the AR-15 - as the bolt locks directly to the barrel. If an AR-15 were to have a tilt bolt instead of a rotating one, you couldn't build the receiver out of aluminum or plastic, and you wouldn't be able to swap out the uppers.

September 19, 2012, 04:57 AM	#18
Regolith Senior Member Join Date: September 30, 2008 Location: Pacific Northwest Posts: 400	The biggest issue with a tilt bolt is that it requires a fairly beefy receiver, since the bolt locks to the receiver instead of the barrel. With a rotating bolt, you don't need a very strong receiver - even a plastic one will do if it's designed right, like with the AR-15 - as the bolt locks directly to the barrel. If an AR-15 were to have a tilt bolt instead of a rotating one, you couldn't build the receiver out of aluminum or plastic, and you wouldn't be able to swap out the uppers.