Can't comment on the Brownell's version, since I've not used one, but I had an early hard chromed Colt bolt carrier on an AR15 for a number of years. The rap on them was that the chrome tended to flake off and cut into the sides of the upper reciever, and that's why (supposedly) they stopped hard chroming the bolt and bolt carrier. I never saw any signs of it on the piece I had, and if someone dropped a hard chromed unit into my lap I'd cheerfully put it into my current AR. On the other hand, don't think I'd spend a whole lot of bucks buying one . I never noticed any functional improvement with the chromed unit, and I don't recall it being any easier to clean.