I saw this one the DPMS website along with a chrome and phosphated bolt carrier.  So why is it worth $179?

for those who think they need better ...but its not better...... a standard bolt and carrier will suit just fine..

OK I give up.  Why?

Just another tinker toy for those with more money than good sense to waste some of the money on.

Titanium is harder, but much more brittle.
Firings pins can shatter, so apply that to carrier and bolt.
The U.S. armed forces do not use titanium in their M-16s and variants, and they are able to kick the shit out of everybody. They put those guns through a hell of a lot more torture than you or I will.

Edit: I know you are asking about carrier/bolt, but maybe this can help.
[url]http://www.armalite.com/library/techNotes/tnote02.htm[/url]

the carrier and bolt assembly are not made out of titanium. they are plated with titaniun nitride, or Tin.

i work in a tool and die shop and have seen this plating in action and if its applied properly its really nice stuff. the plating is supposed to be pretty hard and be somewhat friction reducing. i wish i could describe it better. but i have seen it applied on hard steel that has to rub against each other and  its holds up quite well.

i dont think an ar15 needs one though. i have one i bought at a gun show, only paid 139.0 for it. it works the same as my regular bolts. it does clean up easy.
hope this made some sense to ya.

Walt [:)]

walttx has it right....


They are Titanium Nitride coated, a process very similar to what happens when aluminum goes through an anodizing process.     The Titanium Nitride is said to have increased lubricity but it's also supposed to be quite hard.



Long time back Aluminum carriers were made, the intended purpose of them was to reduce the reciprocating mass of the bolt group which allowed the cyclic rate of the rifle to go through the roof.   Something like close to 1200rpm with an aluminum carrier on some carbines.    The soft aluminum though would only last for like 1k rounds before the carrier ate itself up.


The carriers and bolts that DPMS is selling though are steel just with the fancy TiN coating.

Contrary to it Titantium is not as hard and brittle as you think.  While it is certainly lighter than steel and heavier than aluminum, it is, nonetheless, a much softer metal than steel.  In additon, one of Titantium's characteristic is its ability to flex

If you look at the knife making industries, Titanium is the preferred material in making liner-lock folders.  The reason being is that Titantium will not fatigue under prolong usage such as steel, and it galls to the steel tang of the blade.

The platings (electroless nickel, chrome, titanium etc) all help reduce cleaning time.

The Nickel and to a lesser extent is lubriscous so it is more reliable.

Titanium is used for resistance to wear mostly.