Best BCG for the money

[KevinBLC]

Now that the panic seems to be over, BCG's having been popping up all over the place. Seems like some places the prices have gone up permanently, such as LMT, but there are some no-name bargains like Anderson Manufacturing.

What's your opinion guys? What's the best bang for the buck BCG out there? Not just the most expensive, but what's the best for a weekend warrior like me that shoots maybe 100-200 rounds a weekend?

Thanks.

[Hatter]

Rainier phosphate group. Roughly 150 bucks

[KevinBLC]

Rainier phosphate group. Roughly 150 bucks

Looks pretty good. Any idea what the difference between those and their thunder bolt carriers?

[KevinBLC]

Anyone have experience with the Centurion Arms BCG's? I'm kinda digging the C4 engravings.

[rob_s]

Anyone have experience with the Centurion Arms BCG's? I'm kinda digging the C4 engravings.

I have one in a Centurion 10.5" upper. I don't have a lot of rounds on it but given Monty'a attention to detail I cannot imagine it is anything but good.

When buying BCG new, I only buy Colt.

[KevinBLC]

I have one in a Centurion 10.5" upper. I don't have a lot of rounds on it but given Monty'a attention to detail I cannot imagine it is anything but good.

When buying BCG new, I only buy Colt.

What do you think about the whole HP/MPI testing? Centurion only mentions MPI and the bolts being shot peened. Is that good enough for the 200-300 round a month shooter like me?

[MistWolf]

A bolt only has a certasin number of proofs in it. HPT testing reduces that number by one. If a company practices good quality control and manufacturing processes that have a track record for producing bolts that don't fail HPT/MPI, they can reduce the number of bolts that need HPT or even eliminate it. That's what KAC has done. The trick is knowing which of the companies that don't HPT their bolts you can trust.

Shot peening is necessary to relieving stress and increases bolt life whether HPT is used or not

[tact]

A bolt only has a certasin number of proofs in it. HPT testing reduces that number by one. If a company practices good quality control and manufacturing processes that have a track record for producing bolts that don't fail HPT/MPI, they can reduce the number of bolts that need HPT or even eliminate it. That's what KAC has done. The trick is knowing which of the companies that don't HPT their bolts you can trust.

Shot peening is necessary to relieving stress and increases bolt life whether HPT is used or not

Good info.....


Tapatalk2

[BobinLaConner]

You are on the right track looking for the best quality part. Having been an inspector for years, I can say that Dye Penetrant or MPI (fluorescent magnetic particle inspection) is a great way to find cracks or defects on machined parts that are not easily seen by normal visual inspection, not so much a guarantee of future performance. It is all just improving odds and reducing risk, but mostly just avoid heartache by not buying poor quality critical parts.


Here is a picture of a machined disc with cracks using MPI..
http://mob410.photobucket.com/albums/pp190/BobinCovington/magneticparticlecracks.jpg?t=1334535626

Nondestructive Inspection is a good tool for capturing potential escapes and ensuring defective parts don't make it out to customers but also as an indicator of the quality metrics (where problems are and frequency of occurrence), so problems that present can be identified, root cause understood and then solved. A reputable company has a robust Quality Assurance program and has matured it's processes and has improved the design and reduced/eliminated defects. So buying a quality product is important on critical parts. Spend on things that matter.

A good strategy is to identify those things in any system (car, house, gun, etc) that are most likely to happen and will shut you down or cause injury if they fail. Visualize what failures could potentially happen and what the most likely situations will be when that part fails. Might be good to really understand exactly where the most likely places that fail in the BCG or in the gun for that matter. Then some strategery is in order for mitigating that risk and making it seamless to have access and install in the field...it might mean carrying an extra part or two or a repair kit. In the case of the BCG, I would make sure the BCG in my gun is in good shape. One of the most important things is to do regular visual inspection of any critical areas during cleanings and maybe even a penetrant or MPI inspection every so often if you have it available. I would purchase an extra BCG of the same quality (but with proven performance and function in your gun). Then I would purchase the small replacement parts that fit those two BCGs and keep some in my field repair kit. Any more than that and you are populating a workbench or your stores. It's not always easy, but resist the temptation to buy the latest and greatest, let someone else be the guinea pig for the new designs on critical parts for a while until proven, conservative and reliable are key.

There is something satisfying about having that part that saves the day (or your life) on hand when it is needed. I have done some things that seemed ridiculous at the time, but have really saved my bacon later. For example, I put a tooth repair kit in my Med Kit in the car and then had a tooth break at work. When I walked out to my car, came back and said I fixed it until I can get to the dentist, people at work said "who the hell has a tooth repair kit in their car?" LOL So things like throwing an extra CR123 battery in my glove box or in my desk at work or hiding a $20 bill in my bike tool kit or even putting some bolt parts and a tiny tube of oil in the grip of my AR may seem like silly things, but when you need them at a critical time, you will be glad you did.

(sorry for the long winded post, but QA and NDI is my occupation, so it's just hard to keep my mouth shut)

[KevinBLC]

You are on the right track looking for the best quality part. Having been an inspector for years, I can say that Dye Penetrant or MPI (fluorescent magnetic particle inspection) is a great way to find cracks or defects on machined parts that are not easily seen by normal visual inspection, not so much a guarantee of future performance. It is all just improving odds and reducing risk, but mostly just avoid heartache by not buying poor quality critical parts.


Here is a picture of a machined disc with cracks using MPI..
http://mob410.photobucket.com/albums/pp190/BobinCovington/magneticparticlecracks.jpg?t=1334535626

Nondestructive Inspection is a good tool for capturing potential escapes and ensuring defective parts don't make it out to customers but also as an indicator of the quality metrics (where problems are and frequency of occurrence), so problems that present can be identified, root cause understood and then solved. A reputable company has a robust Quality Assurance program and has matured it's processes and has improved the design and reduced/eliminated defects. So buying a quality product is important on critical parts. Spend on things that matter.

A good strategy is to identify those things in any system (car, house, gun, etc) that are most likely to happen and will shut you down or cause injury if they fail. Visualize what failures could potentially happen and what the most likely situations will be when that part fails. Might be good to really understand exactly where the most likely places that fail in the BCG or in the gun for that matter. Then some strategery is in order for mitigating that risk and making it seamless to have access and install in the field...it might mean carrying an extra part or two or a repair kit. In the case of the BCG, I would make sure the BCG in my gun is in good shape. One of the most important things is to do regular visual inspection of any critical areas during cleanings and maybe even a penetrant or MPI inspection every so often if you have it available. I would purchase an extra BCG of the same quality (but with proven performance and function in your gun). Then I would purchase the small replacement parts that fit those two BCGs and keep some in my field repair kit. Any more than that and you are populating a workbench or your stores. It's not always easy, but resist the temptation to buy the latest and greatest, let someone else be the guinea pig for the new designs on critical parts for a while until proven, conservative and reliable are key.

There is something satisfying about having that part that saves the day (or your life) on hand when it is needed. I have done some things that seemed ridiculous at the time, but have really saved my bacon later. For example, I put a tooth repair kit in my Med Kit in the car and then had a tooth break at work. When I walked out to my car, came back and said I fixed it until I can get to the dentist, people at work said "who the hell has a tooth repair kit in their car?" LOL So things like throwing an extra CR123 battery in my glove box or in my desk at work or hiding a $20 bill in my bike tool kit or even putting some bolt parts and a tiny tube of oil in the grip of my AR may seem like silly things, but when you need them at a critical time, you will be glad you did.

(sorry for the long winded post, but QA and NDI is my occupation, so it's just hard to keep my mouth shut)

Thanks for all the info Bob. That was a great post, and lots to take in.

I guess for my purposes, I'm probably overthinking it. I'll just start shopping for prices now among reputable companies.

[BobinLaConner]

If you are like me, you want to make everything perfect on the rig. I think the ones suggested are very good suggestions and others will hopefully post some more that are good. I would think you could also call John at Rainier and he can talk about what and why he would recommend one over the other. It doesn't hurt to learn from some of these guys that see these parts on a daily basis and know what works and what doesn't. Personally, I have the Daniel Defense rifles, so I am planning to just buy an exact duplicate DD BCG as a spare and then run it a few cycles so I know it functions when I need it.

[Computalotapus]

On Tuesday we will be purchasing a Phase 5 BCG. I haven't personally used one and have not seen a review of one on WEVO. Unfortunately we won't be giving it the hell on wheels treatment. And it will be about another 2 months before that rifle is complete.


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[GOST]

I recently got a Rainier Arms Nickel Boron BCG. This is my third nickel boron BCG, and by far the nicest. Nickel boron coating ussually shows poor machining a lot worse than phosphate coating. This BCG is flat out pretty, and yes I am superficial and like my guns pretty. But if you are looking for a deal Leitnerwise who used to make JP Rifles bolts has released a Nickel boron BCG for $169.

[UWone77]

On Tuesday we will be purchasing a Phase 5 BCG. I haven't personally used one and have not seen a review of one on WEVO. Unfortunately we won't be giving it the hell on wheels treatment. And it will be about another 2 months before that rifle is complete.


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Comp,

When I ordered my Phase 5 Pistol Receiver Extension Kit, I was considering purchasing their BCG as well. However, for $180, they didn't use Carpenter 158. For that price, I expected a bit more. BCG's I've used and liked:

Colt
BCM
LMT
Rainier Arms Thunder Bolt BCGs

I am a huge fan of Nickel Boron coated carriers for suppressed setups, but that's a whole different thread.

[gatordev]

I am a huge fan of Nickel Boron coated carriers for suppressed setups, but that's a whole different thread.

Ooo, can you start that thread? I'm curious to hear your thoughts. I've got several NiB BCGs (mostly Spike's/FZ but one WMD that only has a few rounds through it) and for me personally, it was worth the extra (pre-panic) price when cleaning.

While I was back home during Xmas, I got to play with my new suppressor and ran it on a 10.3 Colt with the WMD BCG. It was only ~60 rounds, but I was surprised how it wasn't really that much easier to clean. Plus it seemed like the coating made it much easier/faster for the lube to burn off. Again, limited experience, so I may be mistaken. In anticipation of moving back to the NFA legal world, I grabbed a Centurian Arms BCG and 12.5" barrel for a build that I plan to run suppressed a lot. I figured I'd roll with the phosphate finish on that one.

I'm going home in a couple of weeks so I hope to have a chance to play around with both a phosphate and the NiB BCGs and the can, but I'm curious what the thoughts are on NiB and suppressed guns.

[UWone77]

Ooo, can you start that thread? I'm curious to hear your thoughts. I've got several NiB BCGs (mostly Spike's/FZ but one WMD that only has a few rounds through it) and for me personally, it was worth the extra (pre-panic) price when cleaning.

While I was back home during Xmas, I got to play with my new suppressor and ran it on a 10.3 Colt with the WMD BCG. It was only ~60 rounds, but I was surprised how it wasn't really that much easier to clean. Plus it seemed like the coating made it much easier/faster for the lube to burn off. Again, limited experience, so I may be mistaken. In anticipation of moving back to the NFA legal world, I grabbed a Centurian Arms BCG and 12.5" barrel for a build that I plan to run suppressed a lot. I figured I'd roll with the phosphate finish on that one.

I'm going home in a couple of weeks so I hope to have a chance to play around with both a phosphate and the NiB BCGs and the can, but I'm curious what the thoughts are on NiB and suppressed guns.

Gator, I'm actually going to start a thread on a Nickel Boron upper/lower receiver project I'm working on. I'll post that later tonight, but feel free to start a BCG one. I think a BCG thread would probably appeal to more people as they are more likely to get a BCG vs a receiver set. I'll expand later when I'm not on a mobile device.

[gatordev]

Started the thread here: http://www.weaponevolution.com/forum/showthread.php?5060-NiB-BCG-running-suppressed&p=43110#post43110