Question about bolt carrier groups

[karnaaj]

I' just starting to get into building my own AR's and have been looking at different bcg's. Aim surplus sells a nickel boron bcg for just at $100. Everybody else seems to want 175-220. Is the Aim bcg made differently or are the other manufacturers gouging on price?

 

[Zerodefect]

Gouging. No BCG should be a dollar more than $169. (cost of BCM's BCG when the aren't on sale, or free)

AR parts and rifles have come way down in price but many sellers are trying to get 2012 prices for them. Good luck with that. I saw a $550 M&P at the local show for over $900.

 

[Tommygunn]

The BCG is one of the most critical parts in the AR gun. Bravo Company makes very good ones, and there are others that meet or exceed mil-spec.
$100.oo sounds cheap to me; I'd spend the $$ and go Bravo Company Manufacturing or the equivelant if I were you.
I don't know specifically about the Aim Surplus product you refer to .... I'd just be leery of it.

 

[jmorris]

AresArmor had a black Friday/12 days of Christmas sale last month. A phosphate BCG for something like $60 and a few days later a NB BCG for $80. I bought one of each, should have bought more, smoking deal.

 

[Ditch-Tiger]

Tommygun is right, don't skimp on the BCG or barrel.
Buy a BCM or other reputable manufacturer like Spike's or Daniel Defence.

 

[Safety First]

I run the Spikes NiB BCG in two AR's. They are easy to clean and no issues with them. They are not cheap....

 

[Warp]

Do not cheap out on a BCG. If in doubt, don't buy it. Unless you KNOW precisely what you want, and why, and are confident in your decision (since you are posting to ask, this does not seem to apply to you) get something that is Carpenter 158, HPT, MPI, shot peened, from a reputable manufacturer/retailer. This is a known-good standard. The $100 or less AIM BCGs specs are usually scary.

I would get a 'mil spec' (plain, no extra money on NiBoron or anything) Spikes Tactical or a BCM. I wouldn't pay over the $169 BCM charges, as the absolute maximum, for any AR BCG. There are plenty of other good/very good choices but these two (Spikes/BCM) are very good, priced right, and almost always available.

 

[bangswitch]

Cheaping out doesn't mean you bought the least expensive one. Sometimes there are some good deals in "off brand" parts. I've got a NiB Aim Surplus BCG in my 300BLK. Several thousand rounds without a failure to eject, feed or lock up, and it pretty much cleans up with an oily rag. The gas key is just as solid as the day it went into the gun, firing pin shows no wear, nor do the gas seals or locking lugs. If you set this BCG next to one of Spike's Tactical NiB BCG's ( at $179), the only way to tell a difference is in the logo laser engraved on them

 

[maxxhavoc]

Bangswitch,
My NiB is accumulating stains that do not go away with cleaning. Not a big deal, but while it cleans easier, it looks dirty afterward in places. Any issues with this?

Just wondering, since it has left me preferring traditional BCGs. Maybe it is brand-specific?

 

[sugerwater]

Local company manufactures complete BCG's. There cost is under $85.00 for c158 or 9310 bolts. They sell to many different companies. Spend your money wisely. Laser engraving is cheep also.

 

[Bartholomew Roberts]

I've got tens of thousands of rounds through ARs and personally own two NIB BCG's as well as the old school kind. IMO, if you want to get fancy, I'd go NP3 plus bolt carrier with a Sharps Relia-bolt. Honestly though, I've shot out barrels with plain old cheap ass BCGs and never had a problem. The NIB BCGs aren't really that much easier to clean (but easier to see if you don't).

 

[1911 guy]

You can shave quality and cost on many places when building an AR. The bolt and barrel are not those places.

Personally, I have looked around and find two choices that are cost competitive and high quality. BCM and Spikes. Unless I had a specific reason to deviate, I wouldn't.

 

[RainDodger]

Hey, interesting... like maxxhavoc, I bought a NiB BCG from Ares. It's gorgeous and works perfectly... and it is staining badly. The black stains won't come off despite scrubbing with a bronze brush! It seems to clean up okay, but there are black stains in places and what was very pretty NiB to begin with is now sort of off-color.

To be fair about it, Ares customer service is spectacular in that they're sending me a replacement... and I hope it won't do the same thing but I have to wonder. I won't steal this thread further, but if there's any follow-up I'll start another thread.

Don't cheap-out on a BCG. Get a good one. This Ares Armor one appears to be great quality in the functionality department. Head space checked out fine and it works great.

 

[bangswitch]

Bangswitch,
My NiB is accumulating stains that do not go away with cleaning. Not a big deal, but while it cleans easier, it looks dirty afterward in places. Any issues with this?

Just wondering, since it has left me preferring traditional BCGs. Maybe it is brand-specific?

The only place my BCG shows any staining is where the gases blow down on the back of the bolt under the gas key. In my case, at least, it's mostly molten copper from the bullet jacket, and I can scrape it off with either a stainless steel brush, or a sharp pocketknife. I'm rather anal about keeping my AR clean, it gets a complete field strip after each range trip. Bolt and carrier are disassembled and all parts scrubbed clean, so there's little opportunity for any real accumulation of gunk that would tend to stain the parts. When I sink over two grand into a rifle, I want to make sure it lasts.

 

[RainDodger]

Actually, I'm the same about cleaning. My BCG was staining with 200 rounds through the rifle, so it's not from a build-up of gunk.