Golden ring on bolt face

[artu44]

Yesterday I went to my range with an handful of reduced loads plus few mild loads for my 1891 carbine. Durig the cleaning in the evening I've noticed a thing never seen before: a golden ring on the bolt face. I can remember goldened bolt faces with case manufacturer's name nicely readable for high pressure but never a ring. The pic is a bit blurred but from it 186598you can see what I'm saying.

[country gent]

With light loads the case may have been tight against the bolt face and your seeing some rub off / scrubbing effect. What is interesting is even in the blurred pic the scrub is a ring and not even or across the bolt face indicating a slightly domed bolt face or brass with rims sprung or bent. If both were truly flat the scrub should be even across the bolt face. I have seen this on brass the case heads weren't flat and square. or on bolt faces that were sleeved incorrectly and not flat.

[artu44]

This is a better pic. The bolt is a virgin original spare 1891 carbine bolt with near zero headspace. These are the very first shots it handled. I think indeed to some defect occurred on the lathe turning the bolt face, maybe the face it's a bit recessed in respect to the circumference.186677

[swheeler]

Golden ring on bolt faceThat's easy, you got a Leupold bolt!:kidding:

[Buckshot]

...............Artu, my thinking would be that the boltface is slightly concave. I'd suspect that viewing the base of your cartridge cases would show the same wear pattern on their perimeter? I can think of no reason why there would be anything unsafe, as you say it headspaces tightly. Any slight 'dishing' I would think would be very minimal.

................Buckshot

[artu44]

Yes, bolt face has to be concave or it has too big radius on recessed face. Otherwise thing makes no sense.

[Shiloh]

Wipes right out for me.

Shiloh

[country gent]

The only issue may be after many firing the cases bases may be concave to match the bolt face. Pressure will eventually reform them to match the supporting surface. May be 1 round or 20 depending on brass and pressures applied. It may actually be very minute amount of concave surface. .001 or less other wise primers would show backing out