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Except for the specific coating & the bolt being C-158 (most today are 9310), that is a more or less boiler plate description of 99% of the full auto BCG's you see spec'd out.



If it's nitrided, then it's made by Rubber City Armory (RCA) who is an excellent top tier producer. Not sure who is supplying Noveske's phosphated BCG's now

Toolcraft makes more BCG's than probably everyone else put together for guv contracts & private labels for lot of commercial suppliers as well as them being sold under their own name.

MM

I'm sure it's a good one, I'm also sure it wasn't cheap.

Coatings are probably good but I don't see anything about being chrome lined inside the carrier? I'm trying out a coated Sionics and it seems real nice.

For rifle gas, you don't need a black insert, 5 coil spring or O ring on the extractor. Probably proven in your setup by now but some issues were reported with O rings and rifle gas just FYI.

It also doesn't say anything about being MPI'd AFTER HP testing.

See how things can get loose on mil spec? Not that any of this matters but hopefully you get my point.

Another point my buddy likes to make about mil spec is "low bid"...

TWR, that’s the answer I needed. So the term mil-spec is becoming generic, kinda like, give me a coke. Buyer beware as always, talk to your friends, ask questions, find out what works.

Mil-spec simply means it will fit.

To marketers.


To engineers and manufacturing supervisors,

It means dimensions, materials, and every single process after
the raw steel is unloaded from the truck. Including not just the
testing, but the sampling. (Testing by the batch, or every single piece)

If 99% of the BCGs have that description, I’d bet 80% of them are lying.

If 99% of the BCGs have that description, I’d bet 80% of them are lying. [/quote]

This is the conundrum. Having all the go no go gauges & the knowledge & specs to use them is a good start, but a Rockwell hardness tester fills in a lot of blanks. Simply spending big bucks on big names is putting a lot of faith in a name.

Isn't it?

I like that dude in the videos...


Mike

It’s not putting faith in their name, it’s putting faith in the reputation they’ve built behind that name.

There are drawings available that will give you are the pertinent dimensions on the bolt & you can measure most of those w/o the go /no-go gauges.

As for hardness, most parts that are hardened like the bolt are case hardened, not full through hardened, so to know if the case depth is correct & at the right hardness at a given depth, you need to be able to cross section parts & check the hardness across the case.

MPI & HP tests are simply fail / pass tests.............I'm not really fond of seeing bolts I'm going to actually use be HP tested as it can weaken the bolt by subjecting it to abnormally high pressure..............OK as a spot / lot sample test, but I'd prefer my bolts not be HP tested.

Shot peening adds fatigue strength & helps prolong life due to breakage.

JMHO, other have differing views, I am sure.

As for who to buy from, just be careful & go with suppliers that have consistently good feedback from various sources & recognized names.

Certain parts are more critical than others.

No one wants to over pay but sometimes you get what you pay for.............or not.

I think TWR said it best "if it seems too good to be true, it likely is" or something to that effect.

Buy once, cry once.

MM













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Probably a good idea when it comes to BCG's and barrels. Other parts like handguards, charging handles, grips and stocks may be a different story. I recently bought a lightweight handguard made by Matrix Arms. I wanted something similar to my Noveske NSR handrails, but I didn't want to spend $300.00 on a stinking handguard. I went to Joe bob's and found one for $62.95. This gave me a chance to swap some handguards around, IE: Put the 16.7" NSR on the 22" tubed 6WOA and pulled the ugly round hogue off. So since that handguard was on my Noveske, I pulled it off and put the 15" NSR from my Northtech on the Noveske. I then put the Matrix Arms foxtrot M-lok 15" handguard on my Northtech. I like how trim and lightweight it is. Although, not as trim or light as the high dollar Noveske, it gets great reviews and appears to be a good handguard. Pretty much exactly what I was looking for:


I like the idea of going M-lok on my next rifles. But I'll leave the older key mod's, that are on my other rifles, alone. I can see where M-lok has its advantages...

Thanks MM. It is nitrided. I like the BCG, as it is very smooth and doesn't get stained like my NIB bcg's. The finish on the Noveske BCG is of very good quality. Sometimes I wish I would have gone that route with the other BCG's, instead of NIB.

I did try an anderson receiver that had pin walk, fixed with KNS pins, but other than that I don't own any bargain basement guns, as a woodworker and the son of a carpenter I learned early "buy the best tools that you can afford". The Makita will still be running after you have thrown 3 Ryobi's in the trash. I also think its funny when people say "I am just buying a gun to have fun with, a range toy" a gun that is not reliable is never fun and often quite dangerous. You can buy2- 3 PSA's for the price of one DD, figure that one out at your leisure.

It isn't the gun, some people just have to buy something/anything. Men, it's guns; women it's clothes or shoes. I get customers like that all the time. They need the fix of the purchase more than the object itself. They don't really shoot their guns that much. It's sad, really.

What is your experience with cheaper handguards and muzzle devices? Like the handguard i recently purchased. It gets rave reviews, but only cost $62.95. I also bought a cheap muzzle device ("low concussion, competition muzzle brake") the other day, that i intend on trying on my M&P10 6.5 creedmoor. It cost $20.00, but appears to be machined nicely. I may try it out after work. I realize some parts is just parts, some parts you get what you pay for, some parts you are paying for the name and some parts just plain work, even though they are a great deal. Weeding through all the reviews, personal experiences from guys here, and your own personal experience can be pretty time consuming.

Well, those videos convinced me to at least upgrade one BCG while they are available. Got this Geissele from Primary Arms
https://www.primaryarms.com/geissele-automatics-m4a1-bolt-carrier-group

I've got a one of the first light weight BCM rails made from aluminum and magnesium blend that fortunately I got on sale but it was still expensive. A good light weight keymod rail that was warped. They traded it out for me then I saw a video of a guy smashing into a barrier for a shot and his dented.

Names and price doesn't always get you what you want. In this case, I wanted light weight and got it but I won't be throwing this gun around.

As for flash hiders I like Vortex. Brakes I don't like at all, in fact I've got a BCM mod 0 brake I'd sell cheap if someone wants to try one. It works for its intended purpose but does not reduce flash at all.

I had an A1 flash hider from dpms once that I stuck on my LaRue barrel, it shot like 3" groups. I scratched my head and swapped the A1 with a Vortex and groups came together, 5 under an inch. I had a witness or I wouldn't even tell this story.

There are parts that work and parts that don't. They come from both sides.

I believe installing a muzzle device will change group size. Ive seen it myself. Thats good to point out, for guys that have never experienced that. I guess ill probably find out tonight. If its garbage, ill probably know after the first 5 shots. I may look into the vortex you speak of.

Anderson makes a lot of lower receiver.

They were the number 1 maker in 2018:

https://www.shootingillustrated.com...-1-in-miscellaneous-firearms-production/

Of all his video's on BCG's I've watched so far, the Geissele did about the best:

I believe back in 2018 they were selling lowers for $29 on sale, maybe it was 2017 but I bought a couple along with everyone else. For that price they had better have sold a bunch.