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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Chrome Bolt Carrier Group (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 5/13/2015 4:34:07 AM EDT
| Which manufacturer builds the best chrome bcg on the market in terms of quality & price? |
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Contact Victor at Varsk Machine, LLC (860) 324-8714 / [email protected]. They machine their own carriers and get their bolts supplied by their sister company, CMT. The company they use to chrome plate the BCG assembly is the same process from company that chrome plates Colt's carriers.
They sell them for around $120. |
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Quoted: Contact Victor at Varsk Machine, LLC (860) 324-8714 / [email protected]. They machine their own carriers and get their bolts supplied by their sister company, CMT. The company they use to chrome plate the BCG assembly is the same process from company that chrome plates Colt's carriers. They sell them for around $120. Good information! |
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Contact Victor at Varsk Machine, LLC (860) 324-8714 / [email protected]. They machine their own carriers and get their bolts supplied by their sister company, CMT. The company they use to chrome plate the BCG assembly is the same process from company that chrome plates Colt's carriers. They sell them for around $120. Thx! I wonder if they'd sell just the complete chrome bolt carrier? Tomac |
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Thx! I wonder if they'd sell just the complete chrome bolt carrier? Tomac Quoted:
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Contact Victor at Varsk Machine, LLC (860) 324-8714 / [email protected]. They machine their own carriers and get their bolts supplied by their sister company, CMT. The company they use to chrome plate the BCG assembly is the same process from company that chrome plates Colt's carriers. They sell them for around $120. Thx! I wonder if they'd sell just the complete chrome bolt carrier? Tomac They will. |
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Contact Victor at Varsk Machine, LLC (860) 324-8714 / [email protected]. They machine their own carriers and get their bolts supplied by their sister company, CMT. The company they use to chrome plate the BCG assembly is the same process from company that chrome plates Colt's carriers. They sell them for around $120. Are the bolts chrome plated as well? Full auto? Staked gas key? Pics? Dustin |
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Are the bolts chrome plated as well? Full auto? Staked gas key? Pics? Dustin Quoted:
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Contact Victor at Varsk Machine, LLC (860) 324-8714 / [email protected]. They machine their own carriers and get their bolts supplied by their sister company, CMT. The company they use to chrome plate the BCG assembly is the same process from company that chrome plates Colt's carriers. They sell them for around $120. Are the bolts chrome plated as well? Full auto? Staked gas key? Pics? Dustin Yes, they are fully chrome plated, full auto, with staked keys. I'm sure they can send you some pictures if you email them. |
| You can tell that the chrome is high quality. Not all chrome is the same by any means. I have gotten a lot of different chrome BCG from many companies and have seen many different types of plating. Some are more rough and matte looking (not as good in terms of lubricity and carbon sticking). |
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After researching a bit I thought 'what the heck' and went with a Young Mfg M16-style Chrome BCG through Rainier Arms. I'll try out the Varsk Machine BCG when I decide to assemble a 3rd AR. Eh, Young's chrome plating process can have issues. It looks nice but I've actually had one get rusty, and I never have that problem with chrome! On top of that, Rainier arms doesn't ship their Young BCG's with Young Bolts. Their bolts are chrome and unmarked, and upon further research through Young we discovered they were shipping with Stag Arms chrome bolts. So ranier arms was buying the carriers from Young's and putting them together with Stag bolts to cut down on cost! |
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Eh, Young's chrome plating process can have issues. It looks nice but I've actually had one get rusty, and I never have that problem with chrome! On top of that, Rainier arms doesn't ship their Young BCG's with Young Bolts. Their bolts are chrome and unmarked, and upon further research through Young we discovered they were shipping with Stag Arms chrome bolts. So ranier arms was buying the carriers from Young's and putting them together with Stag bolts to cut down on cost! Quoted:
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After researching a bit I thought 'what the heck' and went with a Young Mfg M16-style Chrome BCG through Rainier Arms. I'll try out the Varsk Machine BCG when I decide to assemble a 3rd AR. Eh, Young's chrome plating process can have issues. It looks nice but I've actually had one get rusty, and I never have that problem with chrome! On top of that, Rainier arms doesn't ship their Young BCG's with Young Bolts. Their bolts are chrome and unmarked, and upon further research through Young we discovered they were shipping with Stag Arms chrome bolts. So ranier arms was buying the carriers from Young's and putting them together with Stag bolts to cut down on cost! Whoa! Did not know that. Kind of a big deal IMO, even if the Stag bolts are fine. Glad I got mine through Young's directly. Jury is still out on it. The machining is nowhere near as good as a JP carrier, but functionally it doesn't need to be. I did properly stake mine though. I can't comment on the quality of their chrome lining vs others as this is the only one I've owned. Seem about the same as others I've seen though. Young's has a very good reputation for their carriers, however I feel that if they had staked theirs (whether or not they believed in it), they would have dominated the aftermarket BCG market for a while. |
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Well that was $190 plus shipping & tax down the drain.
Either way, I think I'll give it a go. Stag is still a respected gun maker and I could always buy a new bolt assembly directly from if need be. Besides, they already shipped it. Still, in your opinion, should I keep it or send it back? |
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Well that was $190 plus shipping & tax down the drain. Either way, I think I'll give it a go. Stag is still a respected gun maker and I could always buy a new bolt assembly directly from if need be. Besides, they already shipped it. Still, in your opinion, should I keep it or send it back? If the bolt is not marked as Young's I would send it back. They advertise it as such and you should get what you pay for. When I had my issue and I talked to Young's they said they purposely mark all their bolts now and have for the past few years due to this issue. Besides, why would you want to pay $70 more than you need to if you ordered from Varsk? I have bought more brands and types of chrome BCGs than you can imagine in my quest. I am an expert on the subject and you should heed my advice. |
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Eh, Young's chrome plating process can have issues. It looks nice but I've actually had one get rusty, and I never have that problem with chrome! Quoted:
Quoted:
After researching a bit I thought 'what the heck' and went with a Young Mfg M16-style Chrome BCG through Rainier Arms. I'll try out the Varsk Machine BCG when I decide to assemble a 3rd AR. Eh, Young's chrome plating process can have issues. It looks nice but I've actually had one get rusty, and I never have that problem with chrome! I too had a few Young Bolt Carriers that were chromed and shipped directly from Young Mfg., and they all rusted too. |
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I too had a few Young Bolt Carriers that were chromed and shipped directly from Young Mfg., and they all rusted too. Quoted:
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After researching a bit I thought 'what the heck' and went with a Young Mfg M16-style Chrome BCG through Rainier Arms. I'll try out the Varsk Machine BCG when I decide to assemble a 3rd AR. Eh, Young's chrome plating process can have issues. It looks nice but I've actually had one get rusty, and I never have that problem with chrome! I too had a few Young Bolt Carriers that were chromed and shipped directly from Young Mfg., and they all rusted too. Young's chrome looks nice, but there must be something about their process that is inferior that causes it to rust. I've never had another chrome BCG rust before. |
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Received my 5 chromed bcg's today. Overall I'm very pleased. There are some minor cosmetic tool marks inside the carriers but machining is well-done everywhere else. Chroming is even on each bcg but there is some visible shade/texture difference between a couple of the bcg's (I don't know enough about the chroming process to know if this is simply cosmetic or not).
Only (minor) complaints at the moment are the stupid-strong firing-pin retaining pins they used (real pain getting them re-inserted  ) and the gas key staking could be better on one side (all the bcg's had weak staking on the same side).
Looking forward to trying them out this weekend! 
Tomac |
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Received my 5 chromed bcg's today. Overall I'm very pleased. There are some minor cosmetic tool marks inside the carriers but machining is well-done everywhere else. Chroming is even on each bcg but there is some visible shade/texture difference between a couple of the bcg's (I don't know enough about the chroming process to know if this is simply cosmetic or not). Only (minor) complaints at the moment are the stupid-strong firing-pin retaining pins they used (real pain getting them re-inserted ) and the gas key staking could be better on one side (all the bcg's had weak staking on the same side).
Looking forward to trying them out this weekend!
Tomac I'm assuming you decided against the other recommendations in your other thread? If you bought one or two of the others, I'm curious how they look compared to the five you just bought. |
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I'm assuming you decided against the other recommendations in your other thread? If you bought one or two of the others, I'm curious how they look compared to the five you just bought. Yes, after lots of research I decided hard chrome was the best choice for my needs (although I nearly went w/WMD's NiB). What finally decided me was the copper substrate of NiB that's susceptible to ammonia degradation as found in some of the cleaners I use. Regardless, we'll see how well these bcg's hold up after I put them through their paces. 
Tomac |
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I bought one from Spikes, back when they sold them. Sure wish they still did, the one I have looks and functions fantastic. A few decades ago I had a chromed bcg (the only other option at the time) that was simply great, I'm sure that influencee my final choice to some degree. Tomac |
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Yes, after lots of research I decided hard chrome was the best choice for my needs (although I nearly went w/WMD's NiB). What finally decided me was the copper substrate of NiB that's susceptible to ammonia degradation as found in some of the cleaners I use. Regardless, we'll see how well these bcg's hold up after I put them through their paces.
Tomac Quoted:
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I'm assuming you decided against the other recommendations in your other thread? If you bought one or two of the others, I'm curious how they look compared to the five you just bought. Yes, after lots of research I decided hard chrome was the best choice for my needs (although I nearly went w/WMD's NiB). What finally decided me was the copper substrate of NiB that's susceptible to ammonia degradation as found in some of the cleaners I use. Regardless, we'll see how well these bcg's hold up after I put them through their paces.
Tomac The pics of the chrome BCG in this thread do look nice. I was expecting something really shiny but that satin finish looks good. Bad news for you, ammonia removes chrome/ attacks it over time. Obviously the concentration is the biggest factor but I imagine it's in the heavy duty/ industrial types of gun cleaners you are using so that could be bad in the long run. |
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Put 200rds of Wolf Gold through my AR (6920 lower, BCM LW 16" middy upper, Wolff std buffer spring) w/a new Varsk chromed bcg this morning. Feeding & extraction were 100% but bolt wouldn't reliably lock back on an empty mag (tested w/5 different reliable mags). Switched from my usual H3 buffer to a std carbine buffer and lockback was much more reliable, nearly (but not quite) 100%.
So, is this a temporary wear-in problem or is there a more serious issue (checked the gas key, no obvious signs of leakage)? Tomac ETA: Tried another new Varsk chromed bcg and got the same results as w/the first bcg. Checked the gas rings and they were visibly undersize. Replaced them w/spares and ran to the range this morning. My AR is now shooting the weak PMC Bronze w/the nearly 100% reliability of Wolf Gold was exhibiting yesterday; function is 100% and locks back most of the time. Function & lockback w/Wolf Gold is now 100%. Since both bcg's exhibited identical behavior right out of the box, it looks to me like they got a bad batch of gas rings so I will replace all of mine accordingly (I've notified Varsk via email). |
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Put 200rds of Wolf Gold through my AR (6920 lower, BCM LW 16" middy upper, Wolff std buffer spring) w/a new Varsk chromed bcg this morning. Feeding & extraction were 100% but bolt wouldn't reliably lock back on an empty mag (tested w/5 different reliable mags). Switched from my usual H3 buffer to a std carbine buffer and lockback was much more reliable, nearly (but not quite) 100%. So, is this a temporary wear-in problem or is there a more serious issue (checked the gas key, no obvious signs of leakage)? Tomac ETA: Tried another new Varsk chromed bcg and got the same results as w/the first bcg. Checked the gas rings and they were visibly undersize. Replaced them w/spares and ran to the range this morning. My AR is now shooting the weak PMC Bronze w/the nearly 100% reliability of Wolf Gold was exhibiting yesterday; function is 100% and locks back most of the time. Function & lockback w/Wolf Gold is now 100%. Since both bcg's exhibited identical behavior right out of the box, it looks to me like they got a bad batch of gas rings so I will replace all of mine accordingly (I've notified Varsk via email). This is honestly why I still recommend a mil-spec Colt BCG. Yes, it costs $200, but it didn't kill the LMT and other BCG's entered in the PiP for nothing, either. Fancy coatings or not. |
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This is honestly why I still recommend a mil-spec Colt BCG. Yes, it costs $200, but it didn't kill the LMT and other BCG's entered in the PiP for nothing, either. Fancy coatings or not. If I was going that route I would've purchased a couple more BCM's. However, good experiences w/chromed bcg's in the past (not interested in NP3, NiB, Nitride, etc) led me try them again and if a set of bad gas rings is the only problem I encounter w/this bcg then I'm quite happy. Now that that little problem is out of the way, it's time to run one hard and see how it holds up! 
Tomac |
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If I was going that route I would've purchased a couple more BCM's. However, good experiences w/chromed bcg's in the past (not interested in NP3, NiB, Nitride, etc) led me try them again and if a set of bad gas rings is the only problem I encounter w/this bcg then I'm quite happy. Now that that little problem is out of the way, it's time to run one hard and see how it holds up!
Tomac Quoted:
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This is honestly why I still recommend a mil-spec Colt BCG. Yes, it costs $200, but it didn't kill the LMT and other BCG's entered in the PiP for nothing, either. Fancy coatings or not. If I was going that route I would've purchased a couple more BCM's. However, good experiences w/chromed bcg's in the past (not interested in NP3, NiB, Nitride, etc) led me try them again and if a set of bad gas rings is the only problem I encounter w/this bcg then I'm quite happy. Now that that little problem is out of the way, it's time to run one hard and see how it holds up!
Tomac That's interesting, let me know what they say when they respond to your email! |
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That's interesting, let me know what they say when they respond to your email! Will do. Just got back from testing a 2nd bcg w/new gas rings and it now performs exactly the same as the 1st w/new gas rings: 100% reliable functioning & lockback using Wolf Gold, 100% reliable functioning & not quite 100% lockback using weak PMC Bronze. Factory gas rings in these two bcg's were definitely off. Tomac |
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Will do. Just got back from testing a 2nd bcg w/new gas rings and it now performs exactly the same as the 1st w/new gas rings: 100% reliable functioning & lockback using Wolf Gold, 100% reliable functioning & not quite 100% lockback using weak PMC Bronze. Factory gas rings in these two bcg's were definitely off. Tomac Quoted:
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That's interesting, let me know what they say when they respond to your email! Will do. Just got back from testing a 2nd bcg w/new gas rings and it now performs exactly the same as the 1st w/new gas rings: 100% reliable functioning & lockback using Wolf Gold, 100% reliable functioning & not quite 100% lockback using weak PMC Bronze. Factory gas rings in these two bcg's were definitely off. Tomac You had to replace the gas rings on two of their new BCG's to make them work 100% but neither still lock back 100% using lower powered ammo? Would that mean the factory rings were too loose? |
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You had to replace the gas rings on two of their new BCG's to make them work 100% but neither still lock back 100% using lower powered ammo? Would that mean the factory rings were too loose? I'm using BCM 16" middys which aren't known for being overgassed. However, as I mentioned earlier, the first set of factory gas rings I removed were visibly smaller than the replacements I installed. Tomac |
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I missed the post where you listed them as being undersized. Please post more feedback when you can. Interested in trying one of these out. Will do. I plan on running one hard w/minimal lube/cleaning to see if it holds up, I already know that crud just wipes off the chrome (that is *so* nice) except at the tail of the bolt (no surprises there). The gas rings problem doesn't really bother me (except for how long it took for me to find it  ) and Mario at Varsk told me the irregular staking was due to problems w/his Moaks. I would prefer more symmetrical staking but it does appear adequate on one side (I'll keep an eye on it anyway).
Tomac |
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Could you post some pics of the questionable staking? I sometimes wonder about the staking on BCG's that I see or have. I like to compare what I think is questionable to what others think. Staking should deform sufficient metal to secure the gas key bolts. 
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That's interesting, let me know what they say when they respond to your email! "sorry for the delay was out of state for the weekend, i will contact my supplier and notify them that something is out of tolerance with the gas rings, glad it was something simple. to date weve never had anyone complain , but it does seem like you are well versed with your riifles and others just dont know any better. are these ones thicker or have a larger od than the ones supplied?? Mario Warszawik Varsk Machine LLC" ETA: I place the gas ring problem w/Varsk's vendor, not Varsk directly and so far am still pleased w/my purchases. Mario has always been quick to reply to any questions I've had. In fact, I'm thinking of picking up another chromed bcg from them in the near future. Tomac |
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Will do. Just got back from testing a 2nd bcg w/new gas rings and it now performs exactly the same as the 1st w/new gas rings: 100% reliable functioning & lockback using Wolf Gold, 100% reliable functioning & not quite 100% lockback using weak PMC Bronze. Factory gas rings in these two bcg's were definitely off. Tomac Quoted:
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That's interesting, let me know what they say when they respond to your email! Will do. Just got back from testing a 2nd bcg w/new gas rings and it now performs exactly the same as the 1st w/new gas rings: 100% reliable functioning & lockback using Wolf Gold, 100% reliable functioning & not quite 100% lockback using weak PMC Bronze. Factory gas rings in these two bcg's were definitely off. Tomac Exactly. So who knows what other cut-rate or out of spec issues abound. Such as the firing-pin channel, which may or may not gunk up sooner than normal and prevent firing of the weapon. Or what about a myriad of other things? I just don't want to mess around with re-inventing the wheel via guesswork all for the sake of a coating. Colt holds the TDP for the BCG, my BCG's all have a "C" on them if I MUST count on them. YMMV. *The machine work on my Colt BCG is much nicer than any other I have seen, and the staking is very effective. Gas rings are in spec. New mil-spec copper color spring used. No O-rings. Etc. It's correctly built, and setup the way it should be. NiB would be the only other alternative I would consider. Depending on the manufacturer. |
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Exactly. So who knows what other cut-rate or out of spec issues abound. Such as the firing-pin channel, which may or may not gunk up sooner than normal and prevent firing of the weapon. Or what about a myriad of other things? I just don't want to mess around with re-inventing the wheel via guesswork all for the sake of a coating. Colt holds the TDP for the BCG, my BCG's all have a "C" on them if I MUST count on them. YMMV. *The machine work on my Colt BCG is much nicer than any other I have seen, and the staking is very effective. Gas rings are in spec. New mil-spec copper color spring used. No O-rings. Etc. It's correctly built, and setup the way it should be. NiB would be the only other alternative I would consider. Depending on the manufacturer. "Abound"? Really? So far the *only* problem I've personally experienced has been outlined above. Can you find any other negative reports about this bcg from this company? I can show you threads about "Colt's QC is falling", "Colt's going bankrupt", etc but I still use 6920 lowers. No mfgr gets it 100% right 100% of the time (not even Colt). "TDP"? Stoner's original design specs for the M16 call for a chromed bcg. Bottom line: you don't like 'em, don't buy 'em. This is a tech forum, if you have other concrete negative data about this bcg from this company then please feel free to post facts and not hyperbole. I plan to run this bcg hard, see what happens and post any relevant data here. Tomac |
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"Abound"? Really? So far the *only* problem I've personally experienced has been outlined above. Can you find any other negative reports about this bcg from this company? I can show you threads about "Colt's QC is falling", "Colt's going bankrupt", etc but I still use 6920 lowers. No mfgr gets it 100% right 100% of the time (not even Colt). "TDP"? Stoner's original design specs for the M16 call for a chromed bcg. Bottom line: you don't like 'em, don't buy 'em. This is a tech forum, if you have other concrete negative data about this bcg from this company then please feel free to post facts and not hyperbole. I plan to run this bcg hard, see what happens and post any relevant data here. Tomac Quoted:
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Exactly. So who knows what other cut-rate or out of spec issues abound. Such as the firing-pin channel, which may or may not gunk up sooner than normal and prevent firing of the weapon. Or what about a myriad of other things? I just don't want to mess around with re-inventing the wheel via guesswork all for the sake of a coating. Colt holds the TDP for the BCG, my BCG's all have a "C" on them if I MUST count on them. YMMV. *The machine work on my Colt BCG is much nicer than any other I have seen, and the staking is very effective. Gas rings are in spec. New mil-spec copper color spring used. No O-rings. Etc. It's correctly built, and setup the way it should be. NiB would be the only other alternative I would consider. Depending on the manufacturer. "Abound"? Really? So far the *only* problem I've personally experienced has been outlined above. Can you find any other negative reports about this bcg from this company? I can show you threads about "Colt's QC is falling", "Colt's going bankrupt", etc but I still use 6920 lowers. No mfgr gets it 100% right 100% of the time (not even Colt). "TDP"? Stoner's original design specs for the M16 call for a chromed bcg. Bottom line: you don't like 'em, don't buy 'em. This is a tech forum, if you have other concrete negative data about this bcg from this company then please feel free to post facts and not hyperbole. I plan to run this bcg hard, see what happens and post any relevant data here. Tomac I'm not picking on your BCG company of choice. I'm saying that the phosphate finish and mil-spec BCG beat out every fancy coating submitted, and every enhanced design fielded, for the recent PiP. Which leads me to question the need or desire for something else. Especially given the issue of multiple vendors using reverse-engineered tolerances. |
[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Chrome Bolt Carrier Group (Page 1 of 2)
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