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View Full Version : POF Roller Cam Pin .223 Upgrade Kit



Eric
21 February 2010, 18:18
Recently received for review is a POF-USA Roller Cam Pin Upgrade kit and modified chrome gas key and fasteners for AR-15/M16 Gas Impingement Rifles. Cost for the kit is $45.

POF-USA (http://www.pof-usa.com/parts/arparts.htm)



Reduces friction and drag of the bolt carrier.
The roller cam pin rolls as the action moves.
The roller cam pin NP3 coated and the body is Mil-spec hard chrome plated. This allows the pin to operate without the need to lube.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v503/AR15forme/POF/IMG_81901.jpg

I should have a new bolt carrier arriving shortly and I'll be installing the kit and getting some rounds through it. More information to follow.

Eric
24 February 2010, 21:43
The kit easily installed in a new stripped bolt carrier. The gas key was properly torqued and staked. I was curious to see if the chrome plating would show signs of flaking off during staking, but none was observed.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v503/AR15forme/POF/IMG_8214.jpg

Eric
24 March 2010, 22:48
I've had the opportunity to spend a bit of time with the POF Roller Cam Pin and have gone through about 600 rounds of mixed ammo. Obviously this minimal round count does not come close to what a service weapon will see during an extended training revolution, but it gave me an idea how the part would function. The donor carbine was a Colt 6520 that has proven to be reliable and with the modification, the reliability remained intact. Some report that the action feels smoother with the roller cam in place, but I didn't notice a difference and even if so, it isn't an indication of reliability.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v503/AR15forme/POF/IMG_8319copy.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v503/AR15forme/POF/?action=view&current=IMG_8319copy.jpg)

The cam pin is a high friction part that begins to show wear early on, typically within the first few magazines. Most cam pins seem to reach a point were they are worn in and thereafter, the wear pattern drops off steeply. The visible wear on the new roller cam pin was without a doubt less than what I have seen on typical USGI type parts. A very slight ridge developed above the firing pin channel and some shiny spots elsewhere, but that was about it. Another claim is that the roller portion that contacts the upper receiver causes less wear. Since the upper was not new and already had some wear from the cam pin, I can't comment on that specifically.

The question a lot of folks have will have is the kit worth buying. I can't definitively answer that for you. However, I don't see that this necessarily enhances the function of the weapon, nor do I think the wear associated with the standard part is an issue. Even if you change out a worn cam pin, a Colt replacement part is only about $10. Since this is not in a duty carbine, I'm going to leave the kit installed just to see what happens.