What's the advantage to a nickel plated AR BCG?

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Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
Lighter wallet so you can run faster?
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YES !!!
 
It would probably be worth it if you were an operator and actually depended on the firearm on a daily basis, but for the average range Rambo like most of us here, it is purely for the bling.
 
I've had personal experience with a bunch of these. I am not a fan. I don't like them, and here is why. I definitely won't use them on a defensive use firearm.

Regular bolt carrier groups work perfectly fine, they are machined to the proper specs, just lube them up and go.

On the nickle boron coated ones, the coating adds thickness to the part. In a properly built part, they would machine the part a tiny bit smaller, and than coat it with the nickle boron coating, and the part would be the exact same dimensions once finished as a regular bolt carrier group. This extra thickness can and does cause tolerance stacking issues. I have personally seen about 5 carbines with nickle boron carriers choke because they were too tight and had tolerance stacking issues. Replace the nickle boron carrier and replace with a normal one and they run perfectly fine.

Yes they are slicker. Yes they are easier to clean. But they do not improve functionality and in some cases reduce reliability. Not to mention they cost more than a regular carrier. Avoid.
 
Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
it is purely for the bling.


Ok chrome wheels for your AR?

Nope don't need it
 
I've been running this NiB Bolt Carrier Group from Ares Armor in one of my Bushmasters for about 6 months now. I got it on sale for $99.00 delivered to my door. Dropped it in and it runs like a scalded dog. Cleans up much easier. Don't be afraid to go with NiB Bolt Carrier Groups. The carbon simply wipes right off. Especially on the bolt near the rings. No scraping. Don't overpay for these things either. Many of them are horrifically overpriced.

http://aresarmor.com/store/Item/hpmp_nib_bolt_carrier_group

 
well PSA has their premier BCG on sale at $79.99 which is not nickel plated but for that price...who cares?
 
The advantage to a nickel played BCG.... None.

The advantage to a nickel Boron BCG.... A Ton!

1. Much easier cleaning. firing residues come off with almost no solvent or scrubbing.
2. Much higher slickness and lubricity of the BCG itself. Needs less lube and the action cycles much smoother, particularly in a new upper with tighter tolerances.
3. Looks cool

Don't pay more than about $180 for one of these. I got mine from for about $100 during the sale that leitner wise was having. DSG arms and aim surplus have NiB parts on sale quite frequently.
 
Originally Posted By: AMC
The advantage to a nickel played BCG.... None.

The advantage to a nickel Boron BCG.... A Ton!

1. Much easier cleaning. firing residues come off with almost no solvent or scrubbing.
2. Much higher slickness and lubricity of the BCG itself. Needs less lube and the action cycles much smoother, particularly in a new upper with tighter tolerances.
3. Looks cool

Don't pay more than about $180 for one of these. I got mine from for about $100 during the sale that leitner wise was having. DSG arms and aim surplus have NiB parts on sale quite frequently.


+100!
 
PSA premium bolt carrier for $79. Made by FN, so it is properly made with proper components, tested, and is 100% mil-spec. You don't get any more mil spec than FN.

A "easier cleaned" BCG offers zero benefits. In fact there is no real need at all to clean the bolt carrier group (except the bolt face and extractor groove) Yes, you can fire 50k rounds though the gun and never clean the bolt carrier group except the bolt face and extractor groove and the gun wouldn't care and would chug along happily.

It's laughable how many people espouse the benefits of easier cleaning. That's makes about as much sense as saying that washing your car every Sunday makes your car more reliable.

The gun doesnt need to be clean (within reason). It just needs to be lubed.
 
IMO they're not worth the cost. I run mil-spec standard bolts in mine and use leftover Mobil 1 and bolts always clean easy when the time comes. As mentioned above the premium bolt sold by PSA is a solid buy at 79.00.
 
Stop with all this "not worth the cost" nonsense.

If you are really honest with yourself, most firearms in general are "not worth the cost".

Other than a basic carry or home defense firearm, most guns are just toys that we choose to purchase with our extra spending cash. The truly frugal folks often use this argument when they are asked why they don't own firearms. Don't take what I am saying the wrong way, I am an NRA lifetime Endowment member, I am just pointing out some reality.

Back to the original topic, NiB BCG's do significantly reduce friction in new uppers and really do require no lube, gas rings aside. The easier cleaning is just an extra benefit but who really wants the extra elbow grease when it comes time to clean your gun?

There are a few vids on youtube showing people taking their AR;s apart and blasting the entire insides with brake cleaner. They then put them back together and try to fire the rifle to see how they run totally dry. NiB bolts do very well in this test and often do not fail. Standard milspec BCG's usually start acting up in less than 10 rounds or so. Give this test a try yourself and report back to us if you are doubtful.

If these advantages are worth while to you and you feel like spending the extra cash, go for it. If not, try to keep your milspec parts lubed and you shouldn't have any problems. In the meantime, be grateful that you have enough freedoms to own an AR-15 and enough cash to buy one and even enough money to get yourself into these debacles.

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Originally Posted By: AMC
Stop with all this "not worth the cost" nonsense.

If you are really honest with yourself, most firearms in general are "not worth the cost".

Other than a basic carry or home defense firearm, most guns are just toys that we choose to purchase with our extra spending cash. The truly frugal folks often use this argument when they are asked why they don't own firearms. Don't take what I am saying the wrong way, I am an NRA lifetime Endowment member, I am just pointing out some reality.

Back to the original topic, NiB BCG's do significantly reduce friction in new uppers and really do require no lube, gas rings aside. The easier cleaning is just an extra benefit but who really wants the extra elbow grease when it comes time to clean your gun?

There are a few vids on youtube showing people taking their AR;s apart and blasting the entire insides with brake cleaner. They then put them back together and try to fire the rifle to see how they run totally dry. NiB bolts do very well in this test and often do not fail. Standard milspec BCG's usually start acting up in less than 10 rounds or so. Give this test a try yourself and report back to us if you are doubtful.

If these advantages are worth while to you and you feel like spending the extra cash, go for it. If not, try to keep your milspec parts lubed and you shouldn't have any problems. In the meantime, be grateful that you have enough freedoms to own an AR-15 and enough cash to buy one and even enough money to get yourself into these debacles.

cheers3.gif



Your post is spot on. A lot of the reasons for NiB bolt carrier groups will also support the piston vs. D.I. AR-15 argument. Right away the nay sayer's bring up cost, along with how the piston guns "aren't worth it", etc. Same thing with cleaning. You tell them how much easier a piston weapon is to keep clean, and right away they'll start arguing with you that a D.I. weapon isn't hard to clean. Which is why many invest in piston AR's to begin with.

Cost is irrelevant in firearms because other than a home defense weapon, or a C.C. piece, none of them are required, or even necessary. They are a hobby we as gun enthusiasts enjoy. Like dressing up a new Harley. Is anyone going to argue that is "cost effective"? It doesn't matter if it brings enjoyment into your life in any capacity. Besides, I paid $99.00 for by NiB bolt carrier group. I paid $140.00 for a BCM Phosphate coated bolt carrier group. So based on the easy cleanup of the Nib model, along with it's lower cost, it was a better buy all the way around...... And also well "worth the cost" all the way around.
 
Originally Posted By: AMC


Back to the original topic, NiB BCG's do significantly reduce friction in new uppers and really do require no lube, gas rings aside. The easier cleaning is just an extra benefit but who really wants the extra elbow grease when it comes time to clean your gun?

There are a few vids on youtube showing people taking their AR;s apart and blasting the entire insides with brake cleaner. They then put them back together and try to fire the rifle to see how they run totally dry. NiB bolts do very well in this test and often do not fail. Standard milspec BCG's usually start acting up in less than 10 rounds or so. Give this test a try yourself and report back to us if you are doubtful.

If these advantages are worth while to you and you feel like spending the extra cash, go for it. If not, try to keep your milspec parts lubed and you shouldn't have any problems. In the meantime, be grateful that you have enough freedoms to own an AR-15 and enough cash to buy one and even enough money to get yourself into these debacles.

cheers3.gif

What does the upper look like after running a dry upper/carrier for a few thousand rounds?
 
A steel BCG slamming around inside of an aluminum upper receiver is going to cause some wear regardless of what coatings are on the BCG or what kind/how much lube you use.

Unless you are going to take a micrometer to your upper, I don't think there will be any visually different wear patterns with a NiB BCG or not.

I lightly lube my N.i.B. BCG with corrosionX and it works great. You can still lube a NiB BCG as usual, it just won't matter as much if the lube burns off or if you forget to reapply when the gun starts getting dry.
 
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