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AR Sponsor: bravocompany
Posted: 10/22/2014 11:55:40 PM EDT
Anyone have experience with Rguns nickel boron 5.56 bolt carrier groups?

I bought one last year from Aim Surplus that I only recently started using. I've used it for about 400 rounds (high estimate) and noticed that there is wear on the bottom of the bolt that can be felt with you finger nail. The bolt's finish appears to be flaking off in the magazine catch area.  See images below.

This is on an all new rifle that briefly used a standard phosphate bolt carrier group. The previous bolt showed no signs of similar wear.

I can't see how this is normal. Isn't the NiB finish supposed to be one of the better, stronger, semi-self-lubricating finishes?

Anyone have similar issues with the Rguns Nib bolt carriers?

I don't suppose other NiB BCG (Spikes) have the same issues?




Link Posted: 10/23/2014 2:48:03 AM EDT
[#1]
I wouldn't buy anything from Rguns, bad reputation.  Unfortunately all NiB BCGs are not created equal, some places use shoddy processes for application.
Link Posted: 10/23/2014 3:11:20 AM EDT
[#2]
I got one from AIM about a year ago and after once to the range it started to flake just like the one in your pic. I shot them an email and they said they would swap it out if I mailed it back. I just haven't done it yet.
Link Posted: 10/23/2014 3:26:10 AM EDT
[#3]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
I got one from AIM about a year ago and after once to the range it started to flake just like the one in your pic. I shot them an email and they said they would swap it out if I mailed it back. I just haven't done it yet.
View Quote



Is it still getting worse or did you stop using it?
Link Posted: 10/23/2014 8:03:45 AM EDT
[#4]

Quoted:




I can't see how this is normal. Isn't the NiB finish supposed to be one of the better, stronger, semi-self-lubricating finishes?





View Quote
yeah its supposed to be.



clean the burrs off the top of your hammer



 
Link Posted: 10/23/2014 9:16:12 AM EDT
[#5]
sorry to hear about the problems with your carrier and the NiB finish. The photos do show premature wear and a couple of things come to mind that can contribute to the flaking
#1 is the surface prep prior to putting the Ni down...... With any coating, even paint, the surface must be as clean as possible to achieve good adhesion.
#2 thickness of the Ni...... Coating will have a tendency to flake in areas that exceed optimal thickness. This is due to structure and compressive stress.
You may already know most of this and there are possibly other contributors to failure but I'm just throwing these out there.

I work in Business Development at United Protective Technologies in NC. We offer a specialized DLC for firearms and our coatings are recognized as airworthy by the DOD. The coating is black (matte or satin), oleophilic, low CoF, and above 2500HV. We put a big effort into developing surface prep and cleaning methods. UPT puts DLC coatings down on many different components for firearms.

Can I ask a question? was there a reason you chose NiB over other finishes?

If you would like to re-work that bolt carrier (w/DLC) I would be happy to do it gratis.
contact me at:

Please contact Site Staff to advertise.  Thanks. - Old_Painless


Link Posted: 10/23/2014 9:29:11 AM EDT
[#6]

Edited. Thanks. - Old_Painless

Might want to check with site staff before advertising.  Read the rules before posting you can get banned for certain things.
Link Posted: 10/23/2014 11:32:14 AM EDT
[#7]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
sorry to hear about the problems with your carrier and the NiB finish. The photos do show premature wear and a couple of things come to mind that can contribute to the flaking
#1 is the surface prep prior to putting the Ni down...... With any coating, even paint, the surface must be as clean as possible to achieve good adhesion.
#2 thickness of the Ni...... Coating will have a tendency to flake in areas that exceed optimal thickness. This is due to structure and compressive stress.
You may already know most of this and there are possibly other contributors to failure but I'm just throwing these out there.

I work in Business Development at United Protective Technologies in NC. We offer a specialized DLC for firearms and our coatings are recognized as airworthy by the DOD. The coating is black (matte or satin), oleophilic, low CoF, and above 2500HV. We put a big effort into developing surface prep and cleaning methods. UPT puts DLC coatings down on many different components for firearms.

Can I ask a question? was there a reason you chose NiB over other finishes?

If you would like to re-work that bolt carrier (w/DLC) I would be happy to do it gratis.
contact me at:

Please contact Site Staff to advertise.  Thanks. - Old_Painless


View Quote



Was he really advertising?
He stated his credentials and then offered his advice.
At the most he offered to work for free.
He never offered pricing, web site, etc.
Oh well...
Link Posted: 10/23/2014 11:54:09 AM EDT
[#8]
thanks for the heads up....i sent the staff an email.
Link Posted: 10/23/2014 12:02:31 PM EDT
[#9]
I have one,  bought from Aim. It's been flawless through thousands of rounds.
Link Posted: 10/23/2014 12:12:15 PM EDT
[#10]
Link Posted: 10/23/2014 12:26:20 PM EDT
[#11]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
sorry to hear about the problems with your carrier and the NiB finish. The photos do show premature wear and a couple of things come to mind that can contribute to the flaking
#1 is the surface prep prior to putting the Ni down...... With any coating, even paint, the surface must be as clean as possible to achieve good adhesion.
#2 thickness of the Ni...... Coating will have a tendency to flake in areas that exceed optimal thickness. This is due to structure and compressive stress.
You may already know most of this and there are possibly other contributors to failure but I'm just throwing these out there.

I work in Business Development at United Protective Technologies in NC. We offer a specialized DLC for firearms and our coatings are recognized as airworthy by the DOD. The coating is black (matte or satin), oleophilic, low CoF, and above 2500HV. We put a big effort into developing surface prep and cleaning methods. UPT puts DLC coatings down on many different components for firearms.

Can I ask a question? was there a reason you chose NiB over other finishes?

If you would like to re-work that bolt carrier (w/DLC) I would be happy to do it gratis.
contact me at:

Please contact Site Staff to advertise.  Thanks. - Old_Painless


View Quote


What a nice guy OP. I'd take him up on his offer. Rguns stuff hasn't been very well received here and I can remember some threads that really bashed them.

DLC, have you got any pics of your Nickel Boron bolt carriers with high round counts??? I'd sure like to see some. And your "gratis" work was a class act and reminds me of Spikes Tactical, one of my favorite (3) manufacturers that is very active here... Nice to have you here sir!
Link Posted: 10/23/2014 8:24:05 PM EDT
[#12]
DLC. Is it possible to put DLC over hardcoat anodized aluminum?I know it can be applied to non anodized. If not, why. I would take DLC over NIB any day . Thanks in advance. Craig
Link Posted: 10/23/2014 8:29:21 PM EDT
[#13]
The first NiB bcg I ever used was a rguns bcg and it started flaking within the first 100 rounds. Their customer service was the Pitts too and basicly told me I was lucky to receive anything from them, since parts were hard to find.
Link Posted: 10/23/2014 9:55:07 PM EDT
[#14]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
I wouldn't buy anything from Rguns, bad reputation.  Unfortunately all NiB BCGs are not created equal, some places use shoddy processes for application.
View Quote View All Quotes
View All Quotes
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
I wouldn't buy anything from Rguns, bad reputation.  Unfortunately all NiB BCGs are not created equal, some places use shoddy processes for application.


I now know this and probably be avoiding it.

Quoted:
I got one from AIM about a year ago and after once to the range it started to flake just like the one in your pic. I shot them an email and they said they would swap it out if I mailed it back. I just haven't done it yet.


I sent AIM Surplus an email about this including pics and here is the response I got "Sir, I hate to hear this.  This is the first I have heard of this issue with an RGUNS BCG.  Unfortunately we do not carry these anymore.  You will need to get in touch with RGUNS about getting that replaced.  Here is their contact information. Thanks,  Joshua"

Seems like typical "pass the buck" fashion to get rid of me. Based off some other thread searching I'm not the only one with Rguns bolt issues that has contacted AIM, so the fact that they straight up lied to me kind of has me pretty PO'd. I've spent quite a bit of cash there in the past 5 years so I'm not a happy camper.

Thinking of providing them some of the links of these threads to remind them and see if the story changes. I got no response from Rguns.

Link Posted: 10/23/2014 9:55:42 PM EDT
[#15]
Quoted:
sorry to hear about the problems with your carrier and the NiB finish. The photos do show premature wear and a couple of things come to mind that can contribute to the flaking
#1 is the surface prep prior to putting the Ni down...... With any coating, even paint, the surface must be as clean as possible to achieve good adhesion.
#2 thickness of the Ni...... Coating will have a tendency to flake in areas that exceed optimal thickness. This is due to structure and compressive stress.
You may already know most of this and there are possibly other contributors to failure but I'm just throwing these out there.

I work in Business Development at United Protective Technologies in NC. We offer a specialized DLC for firearms and our coatings are recognized as airworthy by the DOD. The coating is black (matte or satin), oleophilic, low CoF, and above 2500HV. We put a big effort into developing surface prep and cleaning methods. UPT puts DLC coatings down on many different components for firearms.

Can I ask a question? was there a reason you chose NiB over other finishes?

If you would like to re-work that bolt carrier (w/DLC) I would be happy to do it gratis.
contact me at:

Please contact Site Staff to advertise.  Thanks. - Old_Painless


View Quote


I went with the NiB over the standard finish as I wanted to see what they were all about: i.e. more durable finish, "self-lubricating", cleans easier, etc.

I'm not sure what I'm doing with this yet.

Quoted:
I have one,  bought from Aim. It's been flawless through thousands of rounds.
View Quote


I wish that were the case for me as I may have dropped $150 on a turd. Do you know about when you purchased it/?

Link Posted: 10/23/2014 9:56:23 PM EDT
[#16]
Quoted:
The first NiB bcg I ever used was a rguns bcg and it started flaking within the first 100 rounds. Their customer service was the Pitts too and basicly told me I was lucky to receive anything from them, since parts were hard to find.
View Quote


So far I have not even gotten a respond from Rguns after sending them an email about this and pictures.
Link Posted: 10/23/2014 9:59:32 PM EDT
[#17]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:


So far I have not even gotten a respond from Rguns after sending them an email about this and pictures.
View Quote View All Quotes
View All Quotes
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
Quoted:
The first NiB bcg I ever used was a rguns bcg and it started flaking within the first 100 rounds. Their customer service was the Pitts too and basicly told me I was lucky to receive anything from them, since parts were hard to find.


So far I have not even gotten a respond from Rguns after sending them an email about this and pictures.


This is my shocked face:  

Seriously, research them here.  Chances are you will not get a reply, at all
Link Posted: 10/23/2014 10:02:56 PM EDT
[#18]
I stopped using mine after I noticed the flaking. I have two bcg from aim and the first one I received has about 800 rounds on it and is still perfect. I'm not sure if I'm gonna send it back or not I might just go with a regular one instead. I will say though that AIM didn't try to pass the blame they simply stated that they would replace it. Hope this helps op.
Link Posted: 10/23/2014 10:24:46 PM EDT
[#19]
No luck with DLC over anodizing. DLC needs a conductive surface for adhesion. I've been able to do a light blast on a anodized surface and PVD coat over it with decent results though.

Agreed that anodizing is the preferred option for aluminum uppers/lowers. However, DLC may not give the scratch resistance that anodizing will provide but will provide a more uniform surface (2-5um) and consistent color. The uniform thickness will at least let the owner know the parts are still in spec and not all over the place in regards to size. Another issue as I understand it is price....anodizing is fairly inexpensive vs PVD coating.

Aluminum parts can be nickel plated before PVD coating...this provides for a better surface and a desired scratch resistance.

Thanks
Link Posted: 10/23/2014 10:37:43 PM EDT
[#20]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:


I now know this and probably be avoiding it.



I sent AIM Surplus an email about this including pics and here is the response I got "Sir, I hate to hear this.  This is the first I have heard of this issue with an RGUNS BCG.  Unfortunately we do not carry these anymore.  You will need to get in touch with RGUNS about getting that replaced.  Here is their contact information. Thanks,  Joshua"

Seems like typical "pass the buck" fashion to get rid of me. Based off some other thread searching I'm not the only one with Rguns bolt issues that has contacted AIM, so the fact that they straight up lied to me kind of has me pretty PO'd. I've spent quite a bit of cash there in the past 5 years so I'm not a happy camper.

Thinking of providing them some of the links of these threads to remind them and see if the story changes. I got no response from Rguns.

View Quote View All Quotes
View All Quotes
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
Quoted:
I wouldn't buy anything from Rguns, bad reputation.  Unfortunately all NiB BCGs are not created equal, some places use shoddy processes for application.


I now know this and probably be avoiding it.

Quoted:
I got one from AIM about a year ago and after once to the range it started to flake just like the one in your pic. I shot them an email and they said they would swap it out if I mailed it back. I just haven't done it yet.


I sent AIM Surplus an email about this including pics and here is the response I got "Sir, I hate to hear this.  This is the first I have heard of this issue with an RGUNS BCG.  Unfortunately we do not carry these anymore.  You will need to get in touch with RGUNS about getting that replaced.  Here is their contact information. Thanks,  Joshua"

Seems like typical "pass the buck" fashion to get rid of me. Based off some other thread searching I'm not the only one with Rguns bolt issues that has contacted AIM, so the fact that they straight up lied to me kind of has me pretty PO'd. I've spent quite a bit of cash there in the past 5 years so I'm not a happy camper.

Thinking of providing them some of the links of these threads to remind them and see if the story changes. I got no response from Rguns.



Don't let em pass the buck.  Most mfg s require you to deal with place of purchase.
Link Posted: 10/23/2014 10:59:09 PM EDT
[#21]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:


I went with the NiB over the standard finish as I wanted to see what they were all about: i.e. more durable finish, "self-lubricating", cleans easier, etc.

I'm not sure what I'm doing with this yet.



I wish that were the case for me as I may have dropped $150 on a turd. Do you know about when you purchased it/?

View Quote View All Quotes
View All Quotes
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
Quoted:
sorry to hear about the problems with your carrier and the NiB finish. The photos do show premature wear and a couple of things come to mind that can contribute to the flaking
#1 is the surface prep prior to putting the Ni down...... With any coating, even paint, the surface must be as clean as possible to achieve good adhesion.
#2 thickness of the Ni...... Coating will have a tendency to flake in areas that exceed optimal thickness. This is due to structure and compressive stress.
You may already know most of this and there are possibly other contributors to failure but I'm just throwing these out there.

I work in Business Development at United Protective Technologies in NC. We offer a specialized DLC for firearms and our coatings are recognized as airworthy by the DOD. The coating is black (matte or satin), oleophilic, low CoF, and above 2500HV. We put a big effort into developing surface prep and cleaning methods. UPT puts DLC coatings down on many different components for firearms.

Can I ask a question? was there a reason you chose NiB over other finishes?

If you would like to re-work that bolt carrier (w/DLC) I would be happy to do it gratis.
contact me at:

Please contact Site Staff to advertise.  Thanks. - Old_Painless




I went with the NiB over the standard finish as I wanted to see what they were all about: i.e. more durable finish, "self-lubricating", cleans easier, etc.

I'm not sure what I'm doing with this yet.

Quoted:
I have one,  bought from Aim. It's been flawless through thousands of rounds.


I wish that were the case for me as I may have dropped $150 on a turd. Do you know about when you purchased it/?


Early 2011
Link Posted: 10/23/2014 11:49:38 PM EDT
[#22]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:


Don't let em pass the buck.  Most mfg s require you to deal with place of purchase.
View Quote View All Quotes
View All Quotes
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
I wouldn't buy anything from Rguns, bad reputation.  Unfortunately all NiB BCGs are not created equal, some places use shoddy processes for application.


I now know this and probably be avoiding it.

Quoted:
I got one from AIM about a year ago and after once to the range it started to flake just like the one in your pic. I shot them an email and they said they would swap it out if I mailed it back. I just haven't done it yet.


I sent AIM Surplus an email about this including pics and here is the response I got "Sir, I hate to hear this.  This is the first I have heard of this issue with an RGUNS BCG.  Unfortunately we do not carry these anymore.  You will need to get in touch with RGUNS about getting that replaced.  Here is their contact information. Thanks,  Joshua"

Seems like typical "pass the buck" fashion to get rid of me. Based off some other thread searching I'm not the only one with Rguns bolt issues that has contacted AIM, so the fact that they straight up lied to me kind of has me pretty PO'd. I've spent quite a bit of cash there in the past 5 years so I'm not a happy camper.

Thinking of providing them some of the links of these threads to remind them and see if the story changes. I got no response from Rguns.



Don't let em pass the buck.  Most mfg s require you to deal with place of purchase.



Just emailed AIM back with a link and some other info and thoughts. We'll see what happens.
Link Posted: 10/24/2014 12:31:08 AM EDT
[#23]
I have one from WMD that's held up well for a few thousand rounds, and another from PSA that hasn't had too much action. I want
to get one of those Mystic Copper BCGs and try it out, but it's a bit pricy.
Link Posted: 10/24/2014 9:30:08 PM EDT
[#24]
I called AIM today and was able to discuss my concerns in better detail and come to a mutual understanding. Joshua offered to contact Rguns if I did not get a response after a few more days. That's more like it.
Link Posted: 10/25/2014 4:39:45 PM EDT
[#25]
The problem comes from the application of the NiB.  If there are any contaminates on the metal the NiB will not bind properly.  Been seeing this more and more lately as more companies are carrying them overloading the companies that do the plaitings.

AiM is usually very good at customer care and I am surprised they would pass the buck.  They may have thought that you wanted to exchange it for the same one.  I know they back their own BCGs with a lifetime warranty and have always heard great things about their customer service.
Link Posted: 11/1/2014 2:16:31 PM EDT
[#26]
Surprisingly I got a response from Rguns the other day and I'm now in the process of sending in the old bcg for a replacement. They said they only had to replace a few bcg's so I guess we'll see how the new one is.
Link Posted: 11/29/2014 3:32:20 PM EDT
[#27]
I have one of the same bolts I bought from AIM in July 2013.  Mine was flaking right out of the packaging.  I should have sent it back right away, but i had never seen a NiB coating before so i thought maybe that's how it was supposed to be.  Anyways, I just emailed RGUNs today, so hopefully they will help me out.

*update* I emailed them and they responded within an hour telling me to send it back so they could replace or refinish it.  Very happy so far !
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