Utterly mesmerizing. A promotional video released by Swisstek, a CNC lathe/machine company showcases the machining of a 8630 steel AR-15/M-16 bolt. The video is at roughly 3x speed, but I believe it adds to the fascination. It certainly lends more appreciate for the technology and investment required to build weapon systems.

Swisstec says the full operations would take about 9 minutes. Full automated that means one of these could produce roughly 160 bolts/day.

Want one for yourself? The machines are expensive, my experience around machines would suggest they start around $300K and go way up.