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Posted: 3/16/2017 10:38:29 PM EDT
[#1]
Full bolt faces. extractor quality. gas ports. Coatings. Minor things but you also pay for the name sadly
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Posted: 3/17/2017 8:41:16 AM EDT
[#2]
In the current market, for my purposes, I cannot make an argument for the high dollar BCGs.
When a specialty finish is used I think it does a have a value to get it from one of the companies with a reputation for getting it right. Also there is also a variance in service life, look up the “what parts breaks in a carbine course” thread. ETA: What parts break in a carbine course. |
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Posted: 3/17/2017 3:24:05 PM EDT
[#3]
For the most part you're dealing with different materials, coatings and occasionally the form. There seems to be more innovation with carriers than with bolts, but that may just be my perception. $100 sounds a little low for a complete BCG to me, but I'm sure they can be had there. My line is probably around $150 - Anything above that has to be something above and beyond.
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Posted: 3/17/2017 3:40:25 PM EDT
[#4]
For the more basic coatings I am not sure there is a whole lot of difference. Both my $89 Anderson (caught it on sale when they first started putting their logo on them) and $99 AIM BCGs run fine, both are parkerized/chrome lined. There are more than a few reports of NIB peeling on the cheaper BCG's though.
Fasteners can vary, some use cheap junk for screws to hold the key on, some don't get staked correctly (and some sneak out of the high end places not staked correctly too) |
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Posted: 3/17/2017 7:21:41 PM EDT
[#5]
I think $90-$130 is fair. Below that and you risk getting into an area where QC or other corners were cut to save money so they can still turn a profit. I certainly wouldn't pay more than that though.
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Posted: 3/17/2017 7:28:18 PM EDT
[#6]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Full bolt faces. extractor quality. gas ports. Coatings. Minor things but you also pay for the name sadly 
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Posted: 3/17/2017 7:54:01 PM EDT
[#7]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I think $90-$130 is fair. Below that and you risk getting into an area where QC or other corners were cut to save money so they can still turn a profit. I certainly wouldn't pay more than that though. I bought a couple of BCG's on sale ( from Alpha) ( if you watch their site daily they have great one day specials) from $115 to $79.00 for there standard BCG ( which to what I can see are very nice from that first AR) double bonus they upgraded the to their premium BCG's. These are your black nitride BCG's both the standard and the premium . so far they have been great. |
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Posted: 3/17/2017 10:52:06 PM EDT
[#8]
Buy a PSA PREMIUM. Save coin and burn cases of ammo. They have more than proven themselves.
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Posted: 3/17/2017 11:26:33 PM EDT
[#9]
If you watch for sales and you can get very good BCG's for great deals. On the whole my favorite BCG to date has been Toolcraft. AIM, Palmetto, and RTB also have regular sales. Palmetto and RTB both recently had sales on milspec C158 BCG's for $69. I picked one up from RTB on sale and the only blemish I could find was a very slight discoloration in the parkerizing.
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Posted: 3/18/2017 9:48:09 AM EDT
[#10]
PSA PREMIUM =bolts are made by Toolcraft
Shop the EE for deals. |
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Posted: 3/18/2017 10:40:05 AM EDT
[#11]
Quoted:
The AR is not a high precision platform though it can be made very accurate with some TLC but for the life of me I cannot see spending over 100 buck for a BCG! For the most part, accuracy claims made by BCG manufacturers are total B.S. Calling a carrier National Match is marketing, nothing more, nothing less. But, how a carrier is finished can make a difference, a carrier that has extremely smooth rails and a low drag coefficient plating can be more reliable in harsh conditions. For the most part, a standard phosphate (parkerized) carrier is fine. My PERSONAL preference is J.P. Enterprises QPQ carriers. YMMV. 
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Posted: 3/18/2017 9:12:20 PM EDT
[#12]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Buy a PSA PREMIUM. Save coin and burn cases of ammo. They have more than proven themselves. |
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Posted: 3/19/2017 12:27:00 AM EDT
[#13]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Winner! I catch the premiums on sale with the charging handle for $89. Can't beat that with a stick. |
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Posted: 3/20/2017 8:17:57 PM EDT
[#14]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
My PERSONAL preference is J.P. Enterprises QPQ carriers. YMMV. I am a big proponent of melonite, having seen what it can do. That being said, in most typical builds and builds that are suppressed, I go for heavy carriers and I buy Palmetto premium BCGs for that use. |
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Posted: 3/20/2017 11:39:44 PM EDT
[#15]
I've got a few hundred rounds down the pipe on a build with a stainless version of the JP LMOS. The bolt looks like a work of art and performs perfectly (so far). Big fan of JP's work.
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Posted: 3/21/2017 12:04:32 AM EDT
[#16]
My LMT has a hard chrome plated bolt and carrier. It sure does clean up fast. I don't know who made the bolt.
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Posted: 3/21/2017 12:15:01 AM EDT
[#17]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
My LMT has a hard chrome plated bolt and carrier. It sure does clean up fast. I don't know who made the bolt. |
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Posted: 3/21/2017 9:57:24 AM EDT
[#18]
The neighbor, an engineer at the Co he works for make bolts for F/N and many others. Names not important but quite surprising.
Every bolt carrier assembly is top quality. They are a state of the art manufacturing firm. C58 or 9310 bolts cost the same to manufacture and both are made for the same cost, under $75 complete. Customer spec's for coatings and such are part of programing and QC. Anyone in the AR bolt business works to the same standards or they are out of business. They sell bolt assemblies for resale only. They even do the laser engraving if specified. Spend your money wisely. |
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Posted: 3/21/2017 11:13:45 AM EDT
[#19]
Last I looked Palmetto had their nitride bcg and 10 pmags for $123. Can't beat that with two sticks and a rake!
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Posted: 3/21/2017 2:13:54 PM EDT
[#20]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Last I looked Palmetto had their nitride bcg and 10 pmags for $123. Can't beat that with two sticks and a rake! |
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Posted: 3/21/2017 4:39:21 PM EDT
[#21]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
The neighbor, an engineer at the Co he works for make bolts for F/N and many others. Names not important but quite surprising. Every bolt carrier assembly is top quality. They are a state of the art manufacturing firm. C58 or 9310 bolts cost the same to manufacture and both are made for the same cost, under $75 complete. Customer spec's for coatings and such are part of programing and QC. Anyone in the AR bolt business works to the same standards or they are out of business. They sell bolt assemblies for resale only. They even do the laser engraving if specified. Spend your money wisely. |
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Posted: 3/21/2017 4:43:13 PM EDT
[#22]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Last I looked Palmetto had their nitride bcg and 10 pmags for $123. Can't beat that with two sticks and a rake! http://palmettostatearmory.com/psa-5-56-premium-full-auto-bolt-carrier-group-psa-ar15-m16-7075-t6-forged-mil-spec-charging-handle.html |
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Posted: 3/21/2017 6:58:23 PM EDT
[#23]
i bought a low-priced BCG (under $80) from a reputable company, couldn't resist, it was actually a name brand BCG, low-end, but still recognized name brand. had trouble with it going into, out of battery. on closer examination and comparison with a good working bolt, i noticed that on the lower priced bolt, the corners of the bolt lugs were still sharp , well-defined corners. this matters on the rear side of the bolt, i think there's supposed to be a small bevel, chamfer on one of the corners to help with the bolt rotation into the barrel extension lugs.
the carrier was fine. i guess i salvaged that purchase for a set of BCG small parts spares kit. that was my lesson learned. YMMV. |
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Posted: 3/21/2017 8:44:52 PM EDT
[#24]
I thought that the "premier" bcg manufacturer was located in NC?
(Toolcraft) 
Actually, here is a partial list of companies that do/have produced bolts/carriers for the M16/M4/ Colt ARs: (Only covers Colt/FN weapons) Colt FN Diemaco (Colt-Canada) National Aerospace Rock Island Arsenal Advanced Ordnance J.C. Manufacturing |
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Posted: 3/21/2017 10:30:16 PM EDT
[#25]
Colt produces their bolts and carriers in house, that would also include Diemaco being they own them.
If you wish I can post photos from the Colt's Hartford Factory, they use Toyoda FH550S high speed CNC units that can crank out bolts & carriers at an unbelievable rate. They should be able to considering they are OVER a half a million dollar CNC's |
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Posted: 3/22/2017 1:43:04 AM EDT
[#26]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I thought that the "premier" bcg manufacturer was located in NC? (Toolcraft) |
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Posted: 3/22/2017 3:05:59 AM EDT
[#27]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
So Toolcraft BCG are good to go then? |
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Posted: 3/22/2017 9:17:34 AM EDT
[#28]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
So Toolcraft BCG are good to go then? |
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Posted: 3/22/2017 11:33:30 AM EDT
[#29]
Thanks!
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Posted: 3/23/2017 4:30:24 PM EDT
[#30]
I just won a lower so I have been scouring forums I don't peep into often to get some tips. A lot of people say Toolcraft is a good, affordable BCG. Looking at their website, I can't tell what order the colors are in. In the second picture, of the BCG's, can someone tell me what #1 and #5 are?
Toolcraft BCG's Wallet is on lockdown because Baby Doug is due at the end of April so I have to be cheap, but good, with my purchases! Thanks guys! Douglas |
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Posted: 3/23/2017 4:38:25 PM EDT
[#31]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I just won a lower so I have been scouring forums I don't peep into often to get some tips. A lot of people say Toolcraft is a good, affordable BCG. Looking at their website, I can't tell what order the colors are in. In the second picture, of the BCG's, can someone tell me what #1 and #5 are? Toolcraft BCG's Wallet is on lockdown because Baby Doug is due at the end of April so I have to be cheap, but good, with my purchases! Thanks guys! Douglas |
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Posted: 3/23/2017 6:56:37 PM EDT
[#32]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Just buy a PSA premium, they are all on sale and rumor has it they are made by toolcraft, I have a lot of them and a couple of them have over 10K rounds on them and have never had a problem with them. They often times have them on sale with a charging handle for $89.99 Thanks! Douglas |
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Posted: 3/23/2017 7:45:04 PM EDT
[#33]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Toolcraft has a lifetime warranty though, does PSA? I don't see that on the website here. I am not a big buy and sell guy so I plan on having this rifle for a long time. I understand that some may not be worried about lifetime warranties, but I have seen some super bad BCG's while I was overseas so the warranty stands out to me! Thanks! Douglas The premiums are fantastic, no doubt.Warranty is not lifetime. Both parked/nitrided Toolcraft can be found on the EE for ~$100 if you really watch. I have not heard of anybody killing a PSA premium, as of yet. |
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Posted: 3/23/2017 8:39:30 PM EDT
[#34]
My more expensive BCGs are 2 NiB and one ultra light so more machining and cost. The NiB on the cam pin on the HM Defense has chipped off.
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Posted: 3/23/2017 11:08:31 PM EDT
[#35]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Toolcraft has a lifetime warranty though, does PSA? I don't see that on the website here. I am not a big buy and sell guy so I plan on having this rifle for a long time. I understand that some may not be worried about lifetime warranties, but I have seen some super bad BCG's while I was overseas so the warranty stands out to me! Thanks! Douglas |
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Posted: 3/23/2017 11:30:07 PM EDT
[#36]
Anyone know who makes Midwest Industries BCG's?
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Posted: 3/24/2017 9:37:56 AM EDT
[#37]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Anyone know who makes Midwest Industries BCG's? It may require level 5 clearance though
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Posted: 3/24/2017 10:15:41 PM EDT
[#38]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I am a fan of Toolcraft. I have a Cryptic Phosphate BCG and it is one of the best I've used. In the group picture of Cryptic's BCGs from left to right is Mystic Black, Mystic Bronze, Mystic Silver, Mystic Gold, Nickel Boron, and Phosphate. As you mentioned, all are Lifetime warranty. Cryptic is an excellent company to deal with and if you get it through them the bolts are HPT and MPI tested. I would have loved to have been able to afford their exotic coatings but even their phosphate is some of the best I've ever seen. Thanks, Douglas |
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Posted: 3/25/2017 9:57:32 PM EDT
[#39]
Any idea who makes Alpha Shooting sports BCG's?
This is the second time I have bought their ALPHA Standard Nitride Bolt Carrier Group on sale $70 here and they upgraded me to their Alpha Premium Nitride 5.56 Bolt Carrier Group here I have three of them now and they are very well machined and finished ( retired tool and die maker here) and so far so good. I just haven't shot 1000's of rounds with them yet but they function well and when I took them apart and put them back together I found no flaws like poor finish, burs or tool marks. |
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Posted: 3/26/2017 10:34:59 AM EDT
[#40]
One thought is that the low cost BCGs may have carrier key screws that are poorly staked or not staked at all for that matter. That tends to lead one to wonder about the quality of the other parts in the BCG. But the BCGs seem to work Ok. A Go-NoGo gauge works as expected with them too. It just may be worth monitoring more closely though.
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Posted: 3/26/2017 11:45:39 AM EDT
[#41]
I usually go less with price, and more with brands.
If it's Colt, Bushmaster, BCM, or JP, I'll pick it up as over the years of using them, they have never failed me. The most expensive bolt carrier group is the JP brand and their FMOS has treated me well over the years. Very slick surface and very easy to clean. Bushmaster has always been a personal favorite as well combined with a high end bolt like a Colt or BCM. I don't see any reason why I would choose something else. |
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Posted: 3/27/2017 6:08:16 PM EDT
[#42]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I just won a lower so I have been scouring forums I don't peep into often to get some tips. A lot of people say Toolcraft is a good, affordable BCG. Looking at their website, I can't tell what order the colors are in. In the second picture, of the BCG's, can someone tell me what #1 and #5 are? Toolcraft BCG's Wallet is on lockdown because Baby Doug is due at the end of April so I have to be cheap, but good, with my purchases! Thanks guys! Douglas One nit to pick: Toolcraft makes bolt carriers, NOT bolts. But... they source their bolts from great manufacturers. So if it's a Toolcraft product, you can depend on it. Palmetto's premium BCG is a good deal when they're in stock. I have chosen the un-marked version in the past and it's been a solid performer. |
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Posted: 3/28/2017 11:51:01 AM EDT
[#43]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
You want this Toolcraft BCG (when they come back in stock). The fancy coatings add little but extra cost (as was noted above). One nit to pick: Toolcraft makes bolt carriers, NOT bolts. But... they source their bolts from great manufacturers. So if it's a Toolcraft product, you can depend on it. Palmetto's premium BCG is a good deal when they're in stock. I have chosen the un-marked version in the past and it's been a solid performer. Correct, I misspoke. PSA premium bcgs are TC carriers , bolts are unknown.
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Posted: 3/28/2017 7:28:53 PM EDT
[#44]
As I said, Toolcraft sources bolts from a variety of manufacturers. They order them to the specs their customers require. So while bolts in Toolcraft carriers are made by an "unknown" manufacturer, I have no doubt the bolts in Toolcraft-sourced PSA premium BCGs are going to be excellent.
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