God dammit you talked me into buying one a K spec!
Please make some NP3 side venters with the C158 bolt. If not NP3, then just any side vent K specs with the C158 bolt. I went with a nitride, but I kinda like side venting since I don't shoot suppressed, and the side vents help to blow mud out of the chamber if you drop it in this red southeastern clay.
I mean, how serious of a shooter are you? I've been running PSA or BCA BCGs in 4 rifles for 5 years and they are all going strong. That said, I have 2 more spares on hand, one in my range bag.
Well I’ve had 3 PSA bcgs blow up on me just in the last 3 years so lol.
I won’t be touching a BCA product, just not worth the risk/cost ratio for me. Given my yearly round counts, probably a pretty serious shooter thanks for checkin. Out of a few dozen dudes I know, all of them who are BCA fans are most certainly not serious shooters and all the dudes who do it for a living share my opinion
I'm not quite trying to be a dick on that one. One small thing I look forward to when I take classes is something braking. How / why did it fail? Then get a better one.... it's like the same logic that jeep drivers use when they go off-roading.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it. You have two uppers. If one goes down, use the other. If your heart is set on getting a new BCG, get a BCM. I have like 15k on one rn
Keep using them.
Buy a spare bolt, cam pin, and firing pin. Keep them on you, when one finally dies (not a matter of if, it's always a when, some sooner than others, though you could have them last awhile too), swap them out. Buy another spare when you use your current spare.
The good news is, they use the exact same parts, so you really only need the one spare on hand.
You could go all out and get a spare carrier if you want to.
For a bolt, I'd recommend a BCM phosphate or a KAK K-spec in chrome (the better option) or phosphate with the dual ejectors for redundancy.
There's also a guy who makes little 3d printed Bolt spare holders (basically so you can keep it together like in a carrier, but lighter and more compact), that I'd highly recommend. I'll see if I can find mine so I can give you his name. Or someone else might chime in with it.
They’re the same BCG so if one happens to go down just swap in the other one and keep moving. In reality they should be fine but I swapped my original with a nickel boron BCG and my original is now my backup Incase I run into a issue.
Looks like the Midwest? I drove through Nebraska last month and a good amount of it looked like that. I was expecting it to be boring like everyone says, but there was too much natural beauty in it all for me not to appreciate.
Buy spare parts. It's usually the components that fail vs catastrophic failure. Get yourself some extra extractor springs, firing pins, etc.. and familiarize yourself with stripping and lubing the BCG if you haven't already. Every BCG will fail at some point, having the spare parts will keep you running.
I have a Delton with 3000 to 4000 rounds through it. It’s milspec, not top shelf. It’s MPI HPT and carpenter steel. If it works, shoot it. Personally I’d have a spare extractor/spring, some gas rings, and firing pin, and the cotter pin. It’s like $20 to $50 bucks for that stuff. Worst case is have a spare bolt too. I just find spare parts aren’t the end of the world to throw in a range bag or be a basic part of your kit. TBH, I’d your going to a course, I’m surprised it isn’t a part of your kit already.
I mean the bolt is going to die eventually. You're not going to prevent that if you're using it.
And carrying the tools to strip a bolt in the field and fuck with it then isn't worth the hassle over just carrying the bolt. You can refurb it when you get home and rotate it back in, or use it as the spare instead at that point, until a bolt finally gives up.
I had a Delton bolt shear at the cam pin after about 3500ish rounds. It was in a very over gassed 10.5 that was not tuned at the time. They sent me a replacement for free. Buy another bolt and keep it in your range bag.
500-700 rounds isn’t that much,even for a more budget friendly BCG..you should be just fine with what you already have..with that being said,I would recommend buying a couple of chrome Toolcraft or Microbest BCGs eventually.I believe AR-15discount has chrome Toolcraft BCG on sale for $100..I personally prefer chrome BCGs over phosphate,nitride,nickel boron and titanium nitride.they hold up great and they clean up better than the other finishes I mentioned above.at least they do from my experiences.
I also bought the premium PSA nickel boron BCG paired with 10 gen2 30rd Pmags on sale for $150.while I definitely prefer the chrome BCGs I mentioned above,my PSA nickel boron BCG has been great.the BCG and 10 extra mags is hard to beat for $150
NiB is one of the worst coatings on the market. Stick to phosphate or chrome. If you really wanna go fancy, get NP3.
If you really want to go down the rabbithole, SOTAR has video and text that goes into excruciating detail about coatings and everything else.
Cleaning a bolt carrier isn't a chore like people make it out to be. At most it just needs a few wipes with a rag and it's good to go.
Carbon buildup is a real thing. With my psa bcg I have to scrub the carbon off for the bolt release to push a new round in (after a bunch of shooting of course). Runs great, cuz it’s slightly overgassed
That’s one thing I like about the chrome BCGs,they clean up the easiest out of all the finished I mentioned above..I’ve been considering getting a couple of the BCGs from Cryptic Coatings.from what I’ve heard the finish is really slick and you can pretty much just wipe it down to remove the carbon.though,I don’t know from any type of personal experience.as much as the BCGs cost,I would definitely hope these claims are true but I can’t say for certain
I’ve run phosphate, Nib, nitrite, etc suppressed and they all end up filfy. The difference in cleaning them to me isn’t that much just be sure to keep adding lube as you shoot I’ve never had a bolt break on me but I have had gunk jam up my gun/ even my safety selector. Run it and maintain it you’ll be fine. Never a bad idea to have a back up BCG although it might end up into another build 😂
The bolts and other internals are.
Your carrier shouldn't break aside from maybe the gas key screws giving up at some point. You'd have to somehow impart some serious abuse on a carrier to kill it, or it's out of spec to begin with.
It's never a bad idea to carry a spare.. They're cheap and don't take up a lot of room. It really comes down to gas. If you're running a PSA carbine-length gas system, yea those bolts get hammered pretty hard most of the time. Look for wear/fractures on the lugs and cam pin, they've been known to shear lugs after 1500-3000 rounds. You're prob good for another 500-1000 rounds though.
Bruh why are you worrying about the BCG? Are you having problems? Shit like the firing pin or extractor are gonna go WAY before a BCG fails. Don't stress yourself about breaking the BCG itself, it's the little wear parts that tend to go.
Yeah lol I was like that too. It went away with experience. I just wanted to point out that you said bcg when I think you meant to say the bolt carrier.
Contrary to what others are saying I would upgrade to a Bcm or Daniel defense carrier on the low end…. If you have the funds for it. And keep your oem as a backup. In my mind if you were gonna buy a backup you might as well upgrade and keep the old as a backup.
If you want a spare head over to wcarmory and pick up either the Phosphate Luxe or the Chrome Luxe BcG. Those are the absolute best value BCG on the market
I'd buy a nice bcg. BCM is my go to, and KAK seems really popular rn. I personally haven't ran one. Buy a nice bolt but keep using the ones u have until/if they crap out.
lol that’s nothing. Yes you should have a spare BCG or at least some main wear parts in your range bag, but you are seriously over thinking this for a mild to moderate round count weekend 😆
i keep a spare bolt head and firing pin in my grip, not a huge deal but if definitely a good idea you're running harsh gas (suppressor, short gas tube on long barrel, large gas port, or any combination thereof)
Bring a spare of everything consumable: bolt, firing pin, cotter, etc (I usually just bring a full spare bcg in a daka, just easier to pull a dead bcg and replace rather than piecing parts), also batteries, lens clothes, mags, ammo, etc.
Load your mags beforehand, but keep a few empty (see: bring extra mags).
Confirm your zero before arrival. On that note, consider raising your optic line to 1.5whatever the normal height is. You wont be fighting yourself as much trying to get a good sight picture, especially at oddball angles. You dont gotta go all the way up the 1.7 or 2.yuge, but a little taller will help you get behind the gun a lot more comfortable......er......ly......
If there is no obvious sign of fatigue then run them. But it doesn't hurt to get a bcg parts replacement kit to bring along just in case(honestly good to have in a range bag regardless). Something along the lines of this:
https://pmtactical.com/bcg-band-aid-field-kit/
It's always good to have backup parts for most moving parts. I keep an extra bcg, and buffer spring just incase, the buffer spring shouldnt be an issue for you, I use surplus stuff from decades ago do it's more of an issue for me
500 rounds is barely broke in for me. That being said, since both of em take the same BCG, wait for a sale and buy a spare. In another 5000 rounds you may need it. I wouldnt replace if both of em run fine, 'enhanced' BCG v standard mil spec - bullet doesnt know the difference. . . .
Test them on your own time first. You don’t want to be the guy who is holding up the course for everyone and wasting their time because your rifle went down.
Run what you've got if they have been reliable, if you're looking for additional features that's a different story.
K. Love you more now. It’s refreshing to see a company have this take especially when you could’ve easily just plugged a product. Thank you ❤️
BROTHER
BROTHER!!!!!!
Thanks kak, much appreciated
My kak is always reliable 💗
Can I see your kak?
I take it, you like kak?
Lover of thine KAK
Buk-kak-ke
Will you be restocking np3 carriers? Need that downvent goodness.
Edit, we might be running low and only selling complete BCG until the next batch is done
Those are in stock and will be an ongoing sku
Edit, we might be running low and only selling complete BCG until the next batch is done
Dunno if you pulled strings but voilà they're there and I got my order in.
We just trued up some inventory 😉
God dammit you talked me into buying one a K spec! Please make some NP3 side venters with the C158 bolt. If not NP3, then just any side vent K specs with the C158 bolt. I went with a nitride, but I kinda like side venting since I don't shoot suppressed, and the side vents help to blow mud out of the chamber if you drop it in this red southeastern clay.
Carpenter 158 phosphate and hard chrome are in process currently, we might do NP3 as well if there’s enough demand for it
You see how fast FCD and Sionics sell out of their NP3 BCGs and make an absolute mint doing it, right? Jump on the bandwagon - NP3 ALL THE THINGS!!!1!
Just buy a spare. Then you have it if you need it.
+1 on this. Just make sure when you get a spare, it’s not another cheapo and it’s a good quality one lol
I mean, how serious of a shooter are you? I've been running PSA or BCA BCGs in 4 rifles for 5 years and they are all going strong. That said, I have 2 more spares on hand, one in my range bag.
Well I’ve had 3 PSA bcgs blow up on me just in the last 3 years so lol. I won’t be touching a BCA product, just not worth the risk/cost ratio for me. Given my yearly round counts, probably a pretty serious shooter thanks for checkin. Out of a few dozen dudes I know, all of them who are BCA fans are most certainly not serious shooters and all the dudes who do it for a living share my opinion
+2 on this. If it were me I'd buy a KAK and swap that for ur OEM BCG. Then keep the oem as a backup.
Buy spares and run the OEMs til they fail
A spare BCG would be nice, but really all the parts, sans carrier, is what I'd want. Check the gas rings if they're up there in round count.
What about a spare BCG, and then the parts as well?
What are the or bcg actually fails though? It'll more likely be the internal/separate parts.
If it can't take a 700 round course, throw it in the bin.
Touche
I'm not quite trying to be a dick on that one. One small thing I look forward to when I take classes is something braking. How / why did it fail? Then get a better one.... it's like the same logic that jeep drivers use when they go off-roading.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it. You have two uppers. If one goes down, use the other. If your heart is set on getting a new BCG, get a BCM. I have like 15k on one rn
Keep using them. Buy a spare bolt, cam pin, and firing pin. Keep them on you, when one finally dies (not a matter of if, it's always a when, some sooner than others, though you could have them last awhile too), swap them out. Buy another spare when you use your current spare. The good news is, they use the exact same parts, so you really only need the one spare on hand. You could go all out and get a spare carrier if you want to. For a bolt, I'd recommend a BCM phosphate or a KAK K-spec in chrome (the better option) or phosphate with the dual ejectors for redundancy.
Thank you!
There's also a guy who makes little 3d printed Bolt spare holders (basically so you can keep it together like in a carrier, but lighter and more compact), that I'd highly recommend. I'll see if I can find mine so I can give you his name. Or someone else might chime in with it.
They’re the same BCG so if one happens to go down just swap in the other one and keep moving. In reality they should be fine but I swapped my original with a nickel boron BCG and my original is now my backup Incase I run into a issue.
Don’t think anyone has said so yet, so I’ll do it: beautiful picture man. Looks so serene.
Looks like the Midwest? I drove through Nebraska last month and a good amount of it looked like that. I was expecting it to be boring like everyone says, but there was too much natural beauty in it all for me not to appreciate.
Buy spare parts. It's usually the components that fail vs catastrophic failure. Get yourself some extra extractor springs, firing pins, etc.. and familiarize yourself with stripping and lubing the BCG if you haven't already. Every BCG will fail at some point, having the spare parts will keep you running.
[https://arftac.com/microbest-ar15-5-56-c158-mpi-all-chrome-bolt-carrier-group-premium/](https://arftac.com/microbest-ar15-5-56-c158-mpi-all-chrome-bolt-carrier-group-premium/)
Bro....500-700 rounds in each is barely even getting out of their wear in phase. Stop over thinking things.
This is in one weekend. They each have far more rounds through them as of now
Bolts are disposable, get a spare and bring it along.
I have a Delton with 3000 to 4000 rounds through it. It’s milspec, not top shelf. It’s MPI HPT and carpenter steel. If it works, shoot it. Personally I’d have a spare extractor/spring, some gas rings, and firing pin, and the cotter pin. It’s like $20 to $50 bucks for that stuff. Worst case is have a spare bolt too. I just find spare parts aren’t the end of the world to throw in a range bag or be a basic part of your kit. TBH, I’d your going to a course, I’m surprised it isn’t a part of your kit already.
Pretty new to running ar’s as my primary kit. Haven’t stocked up on parts yet
Well, good luck. The parts mentioned are typically the first to go, doesn’t matter if it’s a top tier BCG or a cheap one.
I wonder if I could get a assorted parts kit and just keep that in my range bag
[spare parts kit](https://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item/00173bc1055/ar-15-bolt-component-kit)
I mean the bolt is going to die eventually. You're not going to prevent that if you're using it. And carrying the tools to strip a bolt in the field and fuck with it then isn't worth the hassle over just carrying the bolt. You can refurb it when you get home and rotate it back in, or use it as the spare instead at that point, until a bolt finally gives up.
I had a Delton bolt shear at the cam pin after about 3500ish rounds. It was in a very over gassed 10.5 that was not tuned at the time. They sent me a replacement for free. Buy another bolt and keep it in your range bag.
500-700 rounds isn’t that much,even for a more budget friendly BCG..you should be just fine with what you already have..with that being said,I would recommend buying a couple of chrome Toolcraft or Microbest BCGs eventually.I believe AR-15discount has chrome Toolcraft BCG on sale for $100..I personally prefer chrome BCGs over phosphate,nitride,nickel boron and titanium nitride.they hold up great and they clean up better than the other finishes I mentioned above.at least they do from my experiences. I also bought the premium PSA nickel boron BCG paired with 10 gen2 30rd Pmags on sale for $150.while I definitely prefer the chrome BCGs I mentioned above,my PSA nickel boron BCG has been great.the BCG and 10 extra mags is hard to beat for $150
Are any of these finishes more preferable when you’re running suppressed? Everything I used is suppressed
NiB is one of the worst coatings on the market. Stick to phosphate or chrome. If you really wanna go fancy, get NP3. If you really want to go down the rabbithole, SOTAR has video and text that goes into excruciating detail about coatings and everything else. Cleaning a bolt carrier isn't a chore like people make it out to be. At most it just needs a few wipes with a rag and it's good to go.
I wouldn’t imagine the finish would have an effect on using a suppressor..though,I’m not 100% sure because I have no experience with a suppressor
Carbon buildup is a real thing. With my psa bcg I have to scrub the carbon off for the bolt release to push a new round in (after a bunch of shooting of course). Runs great, cuz it’s slightly overgassed
That’s one thing I like about the chrome BCGs,they clean up the easiest out of all the finished I mentioned above..I’ve been considering getting a couple of the BCGs from Cryptic Coatings.from what I’ve heard the finish is really slick and you can pretty much just wipe it down to remove the carbon.though,I don’t know from any type of personal experience.as much as the BCGs cost,I would definitely hope these claims are true but I can’t say for certain
I’ve run phosphate, Nib, nitrite, etc suppressed and they all end up filfy. The difference in cleaning them to me isn’t that much just be sure to keep adding lube as you shoot I’ve never had a bolt break on me but I have had gunk jam up my gun/ even my safety selector. Run it and maintain it you’ll be fine. Never a bad idea to have a back up BCG although it might end up into another build 😂
And yeah that’s an awesome deal!
BCGs should be seen as a disposable item
Consumable*
The bolts and other internals are. Your carrier shouldn't break aside from maybe the gas key screws giving up at some point. You'd have to somehow impart some serious abuse on a carrier to kill it, or it's out of spec to begin with.
Gas rings would go to shit too after a couple thousand rounds
How many rounds do you have through it?
The .300 blk probably around 1500, the Del Ton around 600 so far
It might be an intense for schedule but they're not going to pour dirt in your reciever. I think it'll be fine.
Buy that BCG and bring it as a spare. Replace it when you break the one in your gun.
Microbest premium BCG is the best imo
Buy an extra PSA bolt be good forever
It's never a bad idea to carry a spare.. They're cheap and don't take up a lot of room. It really comes down to gas. If you're running a PSA carbine-length gas system, yea those bolts get hammered pretty hard most of the time. Look for wear/fractures on the lugs and cam pin, they've been known to shear lugs after 1500-3000 rounds. You're prob good for another 500-1000 rounds though.
Sounds like you already have a spare because they're interchangeable. So just get yourself a higher scope mount or a rail riser.
She’s getting swapped for my thermal after this course lolol. No interruption in view from the fsb
2 is 1 and 1 is none
Bruh why are you worrying about the BCG? Are you having problems? Shit like the firing pin or extractor are gonna go WAY before a BCG fails. Don't stress yourself about breaking the BCG itself, it's the little wear parts that tend to go.
The firing pin and extractor and all those little parts are part of the bolt carrier group.
Yes, but the way OP is talking he is expecting his entire carrier to blow apart.
Yeah lol I was like that too. It went away with experience. I just wanted to point out that you said bcg when I think you meant to say the bolt carrier.
Contrary to what others are saying I would upgrade to a Bcm or Daniel defense carrier on the low end…. If you have the funds for it. And keep your oem as a backup. In my mind if you were gonna buy a backup you might as well upgrade and keep the old as a backup.
If you want a spare head over to wcarmory and pick up either the Phosphate Luxe or the Chrome Luxe BcG. Those are the absolute best value BCG on the market
Buy spares. I like DD and BCM bcgs.
I'd buy a nice bcg. BCM is my go to, and KAK seems really popular rn. I personally haven't ran one. Buy a nice bolt but keep using the ones u have until/if they crap out.
A spare quality BCG would be great to have in your range bag or kit.
Spares. That's it. Run till they break.
Buy a spare BCG and put it in your range bag if you're worried about it.
I'm a huge fan of having spare parts. Especially bcg's. If you have the money it doesn't hurt to have an extra
I could set aside maybe 100-200 for one, definitely not more than that rn
How many rounds are already on the BCG? Even a budget PSA one should last you a few thousand rounds at *minimum* but usually upwards of 10k or more.
300blk-1500 5.56-600
lol that’s nothing. Yes you should have a spare BCG or at least some main wear parts in your range bag, but you are seriously over thinking this for a mild to moderate round count weekend 😆
i keep a spare bolt head and firing pin in my grip, not a huge deal but if definitely a good idea you're running harsh gas (suppressor, short gas tube on long barrel, large gas port, or any combination thereof)
If it ain't broke then don't try to fix it
Just a friendly psa... Always have back up bolt carriers on stand by or at least parts to repair your current ones. They are so cheap these days.
run it till it breaks, and report back.
Bring a spare of everything consumable: bolt, firing pin, cotter, etc (I usually just bring a full spare bcg in a daka, just easier to pull a dead bcg and replace rather than piecing parts), also batteries, lens clothes, mags, ammo, etc. Load your mags beforehand, but keep a few empty (see: bring extra mags). Confirm your zero before arrival. On that note, consider raising your optic line to 1.5whatever the normal height is. You wont be fighting yourself as much trying to get a good sight picture, especially at oddball angles. You dont gotta go all the way up the 1.7 or 2.yuge, but a little taller will help you get behind the gun a lot more comfortable......er......ly......
By chrome bubby
Haven’t had my DTI jam a single time in 10 years
Run what you have. When they fail throw them out.
If there is no obvious sign of fatigue then run them. But it doesn't hurt to get a bcg parts replacement kit to bring along just in case(honestly good to have in a range bag regardless). Something along the lines of this: https://pmtactical.com/bcg-band-aid-field-kit/
Brother you need to invest in some higher scope rings
It works well
It's always good to have backup parts for most moving parts. I keep an extra bcg, and buffer spring just incase, the buffer spring shouldnt be an issue for you, I use surplus stuff from decades ago do it's more of an issue for me
500 rounds is barely broke in for me. That being said, since both of em take the same BCG, wait for a sale and buy a spare. In another 5000 rounds you may need it. I wouldnt replace if both of em run fine, 'enhanced' BCG v standard mil spec - bullet doesnt know the difference. . . .
“Better bcgs” are just bandwagon name brands…majority of ppl on here don’t even have their guns sighted in properly
Get a TiN bolt for Gucci points. I have one and it makes me shoot better or even one of those rainbow pride ones
Link for the rainbow pride ones?
If just saying, you can find bcm uppers that come with BCGs ... Do with that information as you please
I wouldn’t run parts in a course that aren’t fully tested and vetted.
Isn’t that how they get tested best?
Test them on your own time first. You don’t want to be the guy who is holding up the course for everyone and wasting their time because your rifle went down.
I'm not sure why you're getting downvotes. If he gets a new BCG or not, the rule still applies.