AR BCG thoughts and experiences

[Member 45541]

How many of you, when building or assembling your AR's, actually went with a Bolt Carrier Group that was higher than $110? If so, which one did you go with and made by who?

Would also like some thoughts and experiences on Nickel Boron BCG's. I'm going to upgrade an incoming upper that has the standard cheapy BCG they throw in them. I usually like the Toolcraft brand but was thinking of giving something else a try for craps and giggles.

Edited for grammar!

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[arrowshooter]

I have one NiB BCG that does not do anything different other than have the coating turn dark. My son has a TiN coated BCG that does look pretty "blingy".

 

[roseburger]

I've got Wilson Combat, at least one toolcraft and whatever stupid expensive one I got for my ar9 SBR.

 

[Stomper]

I stick to the MILSPEC phosphate coated BCG. Chrome lined bolt pocket, Carpenter steel bolt. I have been slowly changing out the AR15 cut carriers to the M16 carriers for the slightly added mass that it provides.

IMHO almost all the other fancy "variants" are just "hammers looking for a nail to hammer"... but hey you do you, Boo!

 

[Member 45541]

I stick to the MILSPEC phosphate coated BCG. Chrome lined bolt pocket,

Pretty much all I've ever stuck too also. Never tried any of these other offerings and was curious if they are all they say they are in them adds? I read the Nickel Boron ones are supposed to have a dry slick coating? I'm not dead set on going away from the Toolcraft brand that I normally use, just thought of trying something different if they truly are better?

 

[roseburger]

I haven't shot my ARs much, so I can't comment on the perceived higher quality. That said, I don't have any complaints.

 

[MTpockets]

I am all stocked up, but if I needed any more I would probably order these.
And they come with an unconditional lifetime warranty. (For whatever that is worth)

Classified Defense - M16 Bolt Carrier Group - 5.56x45MM - C1

classified-defense.com

We finally stopped f*cking around and got our act together. Rather than having our wonderful customers piece together their own bolt carrier groups with the industries best parts, we decided to do it for you. This bolt carrier group has all the same great features that you are accustomed to, plus we added OCKS for added security of the gas key.


All Classified Defense Bolt Carrier Groups are inspected and assembled completely in-house. If you know us, and you know how we do things, we accept nothing less than perfection! All of our bolt carrier groups are covered by an unconditional Lifetime Guarantee.

Specs

• • Manufacturer - Industry Leading Manufacturer
  • Inspection/Assembly - Classified Defense
  • Caliber - 5.56x45mm, .223 Remington, .300 Blackout, .350 Legend (0.380" Bolt Face Diameter)
  • Bolt Material - C158 - Shot Peened & MPI
  • Bolt Finish - Phosphate
  • Carrier Material - 8620 Steel
  • Carrier Finish - Phosphate/Chrome Lined
  • Gas Key Material - 4140 Billet
  • Gas Key Finish - Phosphate/Chrome Lined
  • Gas Key Screws - Michiguns OCKS
  • Cam Pin Material - 4140 Billet
  • Cam Pin Finish - Phosphate
  • Extractor Material - 4140 Billet - Heat Treated - Shot Peened
  • Extractor Finish - Phosphate
  • Firing Pin Material - 17-4PH H900
  • Latest Revision Extractor Spring With O-Ring Insert
  • M16 Profile
  • Weight - 11.6 oz

What's Included

1. Complete Classified Defense Bolt Carrier Group Assembly

Edit to add: I am of the thinking that it is more important to have a bolt carrier group that is within specifications, than it is for it to have a special coating.

If you want to get lost in the BCG bid'yohz for a bit, here is a link.

School of the American Rifle

Welcome to School of the American Rifle YouTube Page! www.schooloftheamericanrifle.com https://sotarsociety.com/ www.facebook.com/SchooloftheAmericanRifle https://m.facebook.com/groups/266561930649102 www.instagram.com/schooloftheamericanrifle School of the American Rifle is a...

www.youtube.com

 

[Member 45541]

I am all stocked up, but if I needed any more I would probably order these.
And they come with an unconditional lifetime warranty. (For whatever that is worth)

Classified Defense - M16 Bolt Carrier Group - 5.56x45MM - C1

classified-defense.com

We finally stopped f*cking around and got our act together. Rather than having our wonderful customers piece together their own bolt carrier groups with the industries best parts, we decided to do it for you. This bolt carrier group has all the same great features that you are accustomed to, plus we added OCKS for added security of the gas key.


All Classified Defense Bolt Carrier Groups are inspected and assembled completely in-house. If you know us, and you know how we do things, we accept nothing less than perfection! All of our bolt carrier groups are covered by an unconditional Lifetime Guarantee.

Specs

• • Manufacturer - Industry Leading Manufacturer
  • Inspection/Assembly - Classified Defense
  • Caliber - 5.56x45mm, .223 Remington, .300 Blackout, .350 Legend (0.380" Bolt Face Diameter)
  • Bolt Material - C158 - Shot Peened & MPI
  • Bolt Finish - Phosphate
  • Carrier Material - 8620 Steel
  • Carrier Finish - Phosphate/Chrome Lined
  • Gas Key Material - 4140 Billet
  • Gas Key Finish - Phosphate/Chrome Lined
  • Gas Key Screws - Michiguns OCKS
  • Cam Pin Material - 4140 Billet
  • Cam Pin Finish - Phosphate
  • Extractor Material - 4140 Billet - Heat Treated - Shot Peened
  • Extractor Finish - Phosphate
  • Firing Pin Material - 17-4PH H900
  • Latest Revision Extractor Spring With O-Ring Insert
  • M16 Profile
  • Weight - 11.6 oz

What's Included

1. Complete Classified Defense Bolt Carrier Group Assembly

Edit to add: I am of the thinking that it is more important to have a bolt carrier group that is within specifications, than it is to have a special coating.

Decently priced too boot!

 

[Cerberus Group]

The AR IS the BCG and the barrel.

One can skimp a bit in other areas, never skimp with those two.

One can build a budget AR by using a top quality BCG and barrel...and put the savings in other parts.

 

[Medic!]

Hard to trust people just selling parts. All they need to do is sell parts.
And it can be difficult to verify there claims.

I prefer to buy a whole rifle. They need to sell an entire gun that functions.
Stick with a trusted brand.

 

[nwslopoke]

I have tried a few nickel boron bcg from Toolcraft/PSA. One was polished. The other had a dull finish. I don't know if they are the same quality.

As long as the bcg is a full auto design, I haven't run one hard enough to tell a big difference. For a while I was shooting my AR47 a lot because ammo WAS cheap and I believe that has a 9130 bcg with a X39 bolt. Never a problem.

 

[1775usmc]

It's only the heart of the rifle….. I'd go cheap.

















Heavy sarcasm.

 

[monkeybutler]

None of the bolts or carriers I use are NiB. Which consist of nicer brands like Geissele, LMT, KAC, BCM, Colt… probably a reason for that. They don't seem to use 9310 either.

I would go for a better overall phosphate BCG.

BCMS were maybe $180 last time I looked. Maybe do that.

 

[kmk1012]

The one NiB BCG I have is an Aero Precision for my AR10. It functions just fine but discolored really fast and looks like poop. I only bought it because everything else was out of stock back in 2021. I think it's just as good of a coating as any other snake oil, it works but not any better.

 

[JustShoot]

Sharps Rifle Co. https://www.srcarms.com .
is having a Blem sale right now on a some of their BCG's . ( IMHO ) Sharps does and is up there with a few of the best in quality.
.

 

[titsonritz]

I stick to the MILSPEC phosphate coated BCG. Chrome lined bolt pocket, Carpenter steel bolt. I have been slowly changing out the AR15 cut carriers to the M16 carriers for the slightly added mass that it provides.

IMHO almost all the other fancy "variants" are just "hammers looking for a nail to hammer"... but hey you do you, Boo!

Pretty much all I've ever stuck too also. Never tried any of these other offerings and was curious if they are all they say they are in them adds? I read the Nickel Boron ones are supposed to have a dry slick coating? I'm not dead set on going away from the Toolcraft brand that I normally use, just thought of trying something different if they truly are better?

Don't waste your time with Nickel Boron finished BCG, the only specialty finish worth considering is Np3 found on high end units such as those from SIONICS and FCD. As side from that all mine are milspec phosphate from Colt, BCM or SOLGW and I see no reason to venture further, because as mentioned an AR IS the BCG and barrel.

 

[FilthyDirty13]

How many of you, when building or assembling your AR's, actually went with a Bolt Carrier Group that was higher than $110? If so, which one did you go with and made by who?

Would also like some thoughts and experiences on Nickel Boron BCG's. I'm going to upgrade an incoming upper that has the standard cheapy BCG they throw in them. I usually like the Toolcraft brand but was thinking of giving something else a try for craps and giggles.

Edited for grammar!

I have fail zero bcgs in nitride and nickel boron both were in the sub $200. I think the nb version came with a nb coated hammer as well. To be honest I can't tell any difference in performance between the nitride and nickel boron both have run flawlessly.

 

[Duneblaster]

Some brands have a hard time getting the dimensions right for nickel boron. They will make the cam pin too small in diameter and the coating won't go on as thick as they had planned. That will cause premature wear to the bolt because it's not a tight fit like it should be. A metal shaving can get trapped between the gas key and carrier in the manufacting process and that will allow water & corrosion to get in. Higher end companies use Permatex to prevent that from happening. I like hard chrome or chrome lined phosphate. When they make chrome lined bcg's they pay extra attention to make sure the internals are smooth before they apply the chrome.

It's a gamble when you buy coated bcg's. I got a Cryptic phosphate chrome lined on sale and it appears to be well made. Emailed them and asked if they use Permatex and was told they do. Paired it with a HM Defense bolt. I also like Microbest/Expo Arms/AO Precision, all three of those are made by Microbest. WMD does a good job with nickel boron. Aero/Ballistic Advantage phosphate chrome lined I hear are better than their nickel & nitride bolt carriers. The Aero M5 phosphate chrome lined bcg is well made, external dimensions are in spec, internals are smooth. No machining grooves that wear out gas rings. Their AR15 bcg is probably the same.

Spikes, Delton and BCA use 'YFS' Taiwanese (not grade 8) fasteners and falsely label them "Made in USA". Radical has been known to make their bolts with the grain structure in the wrong direction, out of spec charging handles (they don't take responsibility for), bad customer service. SOLGW, Wilson, BCM are proven to be high quality. LMT makes a really slick hard chrome AR10 bolt carrier group, top notch, slicker & tougher than the rest but they're expensive. I like to swap out the stock springs for Sprinco's ejector springs & 5 coil extractor springs and Viton o-rings to increase reliability & durability. And a phosphate Wilson extractor for more extraction traction when a bcg needs it.

PSA has the Fathers of Freedom bcg made by Microbest but all their other bcg's are made by Tool Craft. Tool Craft is hit or miss.

 

[PiratePast40]

Here's an AO Precision BCG for $79.95. It meets Mil-Spec testing and material requirements and has a chrome lined bore. Unless you're looking for a specialty coating or "top tier" branding, can't beat this one for price and quality.

 

[Member 45541]

I just wanted to say, "Thank you all for posting and sharing your thoughts and experiences." More internet digging around and I've come to the conclusion, as I have many times before, don't fix what ain't broke dummy! So, with that said, I just went ahead and ordered up another Toolcraft phosphate full auto BCG. Never had no issues with one and my urge to stray is put on hold for another something or other! I'll use the extra I saved and grab a couple boxes of ammo to send down range to break it in.