That could have been it - also from the conversions Ive done - not all nuts and bolts are the same. Some are a little bigger than others depending on the brand. because the bolt was so snug, the little bit of bending from the cutters was probably enough to make it a pain to get back in the nut. Im guessing I would have been fine using the bolts I use now (from bolt depot). EDIT: also just saw this dumb lifehack on reddit. Not sure if it would be better or worse for cutting bolts, but I figure id share it anway.