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Posted: 12/16/2007 1:04:30 PM EDT
In the Army my M16 A1 had a chromed BCG.  Are chromed ones available for my retro build? |
 Smith Enterprise, chromed bcg including carrier, bolt, et al. Not a bright, shiny chrome and shows some machine marks...but works 100%.  It's made as a match grade part so the carrier key screws can be removed for cleaning. I peened mine because all my other ones are peened. |
That's not a Smith Enterprise, it's a DPMS. Notice the D on the bolt carrier. There's probably a "D" on the bolt too, isnt there? |
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I'm pretty sure the "D" is DPMS. Thats what's on the Fulton BCG's. Fulton doesn't mention that. I bought a so called Smith Ent. chrome bolt from Brownell's. Has no markings ?? I couldn't find any reference to Smith Ent. Chrome AR bolts anywhere; not even their website. Yes Chrome A1 bolts are available. Most I've seen are DPMS. Young Machine makes them but they are not retro. Supposed original Colt BCG's turn up on Gunbroker frequently. Hal |
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Smith Ent. did make chrome AR15 and M16 carriers but all of those that I've seen had the Smith logo on the left side. Should have SE inside of a square box with the corners nipped off, looks sort of like a German cross. I have two original chromed carriers with the forward assist notches and like the slick carriers that Colt made they have no markings. The bolts will have MP lightly etched into the chrome. The chrome on the originals looks different than that found on the DPMS carriers. You would just have to see them side by side to see the difference. I'll see if I can get some photos of mine. |
Another question for you experienced retro guys: How do I measure or check if an original is worn out or not? I want to shoot the crap out of my repro retros. I would much rather buy a new DPMS, Smith, or "Beel16B1" than a wornout original. Trying to stay in line with OP's thread! 
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Highly unlikely that a bolt carrier is ever going to wear out. The bolts? I dunno. If they're properly made you're looking at at least 8-10000 rounds. I have no fears about using the Colt chrome piece in my M16 smoothside clone. Had a forward assist chrome piece years ago, but sold it to an Atlants Braves catcher who wanted his AR15 to look fancy. Now I wish I'd kept it; but 20 years ago---who knew? 
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There have also been posts that Smith ain't doin' nothing but selling DPMS units for the past couple of years. I don't have a dog in this hunt, but the poster that put the picture on labelled the carrier as Smith, I'm assuming he bought it as a Smith, and if so; what he got was nothin' but a DPMS at a higher price. 
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| Is there a definative time period that the original chrome BCG's were produced? Were all early BCG's chrome or were they mixed in production with parked BCG's? How common or uncommon are original chrome BCG's today? There seems to be more slick side original chrome BCG's than chrome BCG's with the forward assist cuts. Is it because they were being phased out at the time FA uppers were being introduced? Alot of questions I know, but I am interested in this subject. Thanks |
 Hey, I've got a bridge in Brooklyn I'd like to sell you----real cheap. If Smith made the piece, did you ask him why he put the DPMS mark on it? |
When Colt started producing the AR-15 in 1959 , they put chromed carriers in them. The only Dutch Armalite AR-10s I have seen also had chromed carriers, so I presume this was part of Stoner's original design. All Colt models 601 and 602 had chromed carriers. When the 603 (XM16E1) and 604 (M16) began production in 1964 they too, had chromed carriers. In 1965 (I think), they began to have troubles with the chromed carriers and switched to parkerized. About 60,000 601, 602 and 604 rifles were produced 1959-1965, without forward assist notches. I'm guessing about 85,000 603 rifles (the first order amount) were made 1964-65, with forward assist notches, but the Army was probably much more diligent about gathering up the old units in the field once replacements became available, making them rarer today. |
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Here's something interesting...From Fulton's site... www.fulton-armory.com/M6Parts3.htm#UpperParts 1/3 down the page Slick Side Bolt Carrier Group, Complete, Includes Bolt, Complete $149.95 Photo shows a phosphated carrier... click "Add to Cart", and then "Check Cart", it shows... Bolt Carrier Group, complete w/chrome slick side bolt carrier $131.96 |
That's an M16 carrier...Is that one of the Fulton's described above??? |
I doubt it. Suspect it's an early Colt piece, because there are no signs of staking on the side of the key. Early Colt pieces had a single stake on each screw, in the middle of the key. I suspect that's what's on that carrier. Either that, or it's a completely unstaked commercial piece.
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Right, early Colt, so is the bolt. I can't wait to finish the thing, been collecting parts and working on it for about a year. I milled a DPMS lower to look like a 601. I'm going to try to anodize everything over the holidays. If the home anodizing doesn't work out, I'm just going to use Norrells and put the darn thing together. |
I still need to take some pics of my chromed carriers with forward assist notches. These are my slickside carriers. The chrome on all of these is pretty consistent except for one which looks like it was polished all over. The polished one has a later style gas key where the rest have the early round gas key and the normal satin finish. The late carrier has a parkerized bolt stuck in it but I've since found another chrome bolt for it.
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The Fulton Armory BCG I mentioned in a couple posts above this arrived today...   "Hard chrome" [industrial] plated bolt carrier...*everything* else [except firing pin] is either some kind of bluing or possibly phosphating...I'm not that familiar with phosphating; I don't know if there is a "black" phosphate...  The carrier has the "D" on it, but I can't find a letter on the bolt (don't really know where to look)...AR-15 cut on rear of carrier; not M-16 (hard to see in the pic)... And despite the advertised (on page 3) price of $149.95, it was invoiced at $131.96... Two side stakes on each gas key screw... |
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Check the Young site here...... www.newriverarms.net/store.php?pg1-cid38.html |
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A word on the DPMS chrome carriers - I bought a "Fulton" chrome carrier, it fit and worked perfect. So I bought another one for a different rifle. I had nothing but problems with it, too tight, jammed. I sent it back to Fulton, they checked it in their test mule gun (A F/A AR15 with loose tolerances), it worked fine. Did this twice, finally Fulton offered to replace the carrier, I took them up on the offer. The second and third carriers I received from Fulton didn't fit my AR15 either. I swapped the carriers around to my different AR15's and had the same problems. Finally got fed up with the entire situation so I returned them to Fulton. Then Fulton's AR guru got ahold of me and told me the real deal: Their chrome BC's are made by DPMS. Since they are chromed they "may" and "can" be out of spec depending on how thick the chrome was applied.
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