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And that's part of the problem; if the BCG was from a name brand, quality manufacturer, Radical would probably be touting that as a selling point.

From what I seen & heard about Radical, they're not what I'd consider a top tier manufacturer ' assembler.

Kinda doubt they are Aero too...........I'm not overly impressed with much of Aero's stuff but I've used their lowers without any issues.

Skimping on lower end guns & parts is pretty much a false economy, IMHO. Not much sense in overpaying if you know what you are doing, but most times you get what you pay for.

MM

I have an AR-15 that needs a BCG right now and I was going to just pick one up a Nickel Boron one from PSA. These are about as cheap as they come but claim to be good quality and I haven't heard anyone complain about them yet. So how would you rate the PSA BCG in the link below?

PSA Nickel Boron BCG

You mean you gotta figure out who charges what they need to. Well I guess they all do. But you know, more for a better part and some for a reputation maybe, or more for a better part but lots more cause I have this "name"

So what are some options for solid, quality, correctly assembled bcg’s?

I'd have Smack build one. The stuff he puts together sure does look great and shoots great, too. I probably should sell most of my AR's and let him build me a couple.

That does absolutely nothing to answer the question.

Look for a Carpenter 158 bolt that’s been HPT and MPI tested, individually. And a 9310 carrier with a gas key that’s actually been staked.

I’ll try to remember that

I like these; Toolcraft LINK Toolcraft builds BCGs for a lot of other retailers & manufacturers.

They meet the proper materials and HPT/MPI standards and don't break the bank. Retail is $110.00 though Cryptic Coatings; LINK

Ed

Here's the specs from PSA:

Caliber: 5.56/.223
Finish: Nickel Boron Coating
Bolt Steel: Milspec Carpenter No. 158
Shot Peened Bolt
High pressure tested
Mag particle inspected
Gas Key Hardened to USGI Specifications
Gas Key Grade 8 Hardened Fasteners
Gas Key Staked Per Mil-Spec
Tool Steel Extractor
Extractor Spring
Extractor O-ring Insert

Sounds like a pretty good deal to me but doesn't mention anything about a 9310 carrier. How big a deal is that??

I wouldn’t trust what they’re saying.

Unless your plan is to just shoot refrigerators at the dump a few times a year, don’t buy a PSA BCG.

I'll second that comment...............

Also, HPT isn't necessarily a good thing as it can damage an otherwise good bolt; it's a test that likely isn't needed even though the mil-spec calls for it.................doesn't necessarily mean it's best practice.

As far as BCG's go, so far, I've had good luck with BCM, Rubber City Armory (RCA) / Noveske, Rise Armament, Young Mfg. & Knight's Armament. Some guns get more round than others & the 3 KAC's that I have obviously have their proprietary bolts made from neither C158 or 9310.

MM

Colt and Daniel Defense bolts have never failed me, I have one Stag BCG in a 6.8. Companies that have a good reputation generally spend extra time and money to protect their good name. You could not give me a PSA BCG and there are many more I would not buy under any circumstances.

I've never had an issue with any part from White Oak Precision or Armament.

That said I"ve still not lost a bolt lug or had a bad carrier etc.. from some of the cheap folks either.

Granted I don't abuse guns like we used to though.

My BCGs are Rock River (.223/5.56), S&W (.300BLK) and Aero (.308). No problems to date, but none see heavy use.

Here ya go. $120 for a BCG from a reputable company. Check out the specifications in this link. They don't just say it's "mil-spec", they even list the specs for the firing pin retaining pin. That's what you're looking for.

https://sonsoflibertygunworks.com/c...-carpenter-sp-hpt-mpi?variant=3084070593

And these guys are the real deal. When Houston flooded a few months ago they rented helicopters and flew in from San Antonio to start doing rescues. Nobody even knew what they were doing until somebody posted a link for a gofundme to help with fuel.

But it ain't got no super duper slick coating on it that makes yucky stuff fall off easily...

I'll give em a try!

Yes, that's a really detailed spec, including all the ASTM standards where they apply so at least they know what specs actually do apply.

Do you know if they manufacture anything or if it's all outsourced? Looks like they carry a lot of branded products..............never did any business with them before but they look like a good source.

MM

Thanks Mavrick.

From the pic I'll take a SWAG that the heat treatment was f'd up. I'll also take a SWAG that most if not all manufacturers of BCG's send them off to firms that specialize in heat treatment vs. treating them in house. Hence it comes down to performing QA testing in house of bolts after they come back from the heat treatment to be assured the bolts don't fail. So anybody can make a bolt that will fail, the question is who performs sufficient QA to each batch to make sure they don't.