What do you think of this bolt&carrier group?

Taz,

This bolt/carrier is supposed to be the sh@#.  And when I checked with RRA last week they told me that all their rifles and uppers are shipping with this new bolt/carrier.

Hershey

I have a new RRA enhanced bolt/carrier assembly in my newly built upper and it is running great.  The biggest differences that I could see were the extractor spring with black insert and the enclosed bottom portion at the firing pin.  Pete from Legal Transfer still has this set up for $99 I believe.

I don't know whether it is "enhanced" or not but a RR b/c i purchase recently did not have the staking on the carrier key correctly done.  It looked like someone was feely rather puny that day as the staking was done perfunctorily and did not press into the head of the screws.

For the same price, you can get a brand new Colt bolt/carrier assy from CDNN [url]www.cdnninvestments.com[/url]. It's a full size M16 assembly, so if having a full M16 carrier in your rifle bothers you (it's perfectly legal, but some of the nervous nellies on this board will swear to you that it isn't), just cut back the shoulder 3/8 inch w/a dremel tool or hand grinder.

Anyone who tells you that ANY of the aftermarket bolts and or carriers is well finished has never had a Colt part laid side by side with them. Every aftermarket bolt I ever saw, including Rock River, has sharp edges that cut into brass cases leaving shavings. The materials they build them with are fine; every bit as good as Colt. They just cut corners on the polishing---so if I can get a Colt part for the same price as an afteremarket piece; it's Colt every time[:D]

Have 2 Enhanced RRA's and really like them, but I'm gonna have to check out the Colt bolts that shamayim mentioned.

Danny

Mmmm.  Have you ever looked at an LMT bolt? It's as smooth as butter.

I see no difference in Bushmaster and Colt.  I see how inferior a Colt is to an LMT unit though.  I think RRA is great if you want a budget AR15 bolt/carrier but I would pick Colt for the same price too.

Mike,

My comments were in re standard AR-M16 type pieces.  I'm aware of the LMT units, and would expect them to be top notch---considering their "top notch" prices [:D]

I just got my Varminter upper last week and noticed the same thing.  Is yours "staked" twice per screw, on the sides?  It looked like there was not metal pressed into the screws at all.  Is this okay?

roger bh that's how mine was.  I staked mine and would recommend that you do yours too.  That area is subject to a lot of vibration, shock and heat cycles so i wouldn't trust anything other than a decent staking, which takes all of a minute of ones time.

Use a punch or any other small pointy HS sort of tool and a hammer and hit it at an angle so that the key material is pushed into the head of the allen screws a little, twice on each screw and you're done.

Thanks, curt.  Will do.

Quite right, Shamayim.  I was just playing the toad, I knew you weren't including the LMT. [;)]  The LMT is another beast not to be lumped in with the rest.  I would expect no less considering the incredible cost of those units, and as such, keeps them out of the hands of the majority.  I want more LMT bolts, but I had no business (so my wallet says) buying the first one.  The nickel(?) finish is so smooth, I derived pleasure just from handling it.

I have read about the supposed micropolishing that Colt performs on the bolt, something that others do not.  I like some of the non-Colt carriers (i.e. LBC/KAC/RRA), but I like to mate them with Colt bolts.  BUWAHAHAHA!!!