Have contracted with Toolcraft to make black nitrided M16-style bolt carriers that have Forward Assist serrations only where they are needed on the "tail" of the carrier while keeping the "head" of the carrier smooth-sided.
Serrations on the tail only allows the Forward Assist to operate as intended for both any conceivable malfunction needing the FA and for a chambered-round check and it makes the carrier easier to clean. Plus, no dirt and sand and snow and ice is gonna get caught by the serrations on the head and dragged back into the receiver every time the mechanism reciprocates.
This is a Best-of-Both-Worlds solution, with zero downside, for those using a standard forward assist AND for those using no-forward-assist receivers who like that sleek, clean look.
Toolcraft is the undisputed value leader; you can't get a better carrier for the money. Bolt carriers is all they do. You can pay more for a brand with equal quality. You can pay more for fancier coatings if you want but you won't get better performance.
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:: 6.5 GRENDEL Deer and Targets :: 6mmARC Targets and Varmints and Deer :: 22 ARC Varmints and Targets
Thanks! Interesting idea. Would this be compatible with some non-standard uppers, like the VLTOR MUR and probably a few billet types, which have the FA mounted a little farther forward (for some reason) than standard?
SDW Wrote:Thanks! Interesting idea. Would this be compatible with some non-standard uppers, like the VLTOR MUR and probably a few billet types, which have the FA mounted a little farther forward (for some reason) than standard?
Engineered for standard uppers. Don't know about non-standards. But having studied the issue I'm gonna say they're probably compatible, cuz, again, there is no malfunction that starts with the bolt basically wide open and is then fixed by mashing the FA.
The FA comes into play with a clean chamber and a slightly sticky round needing to go that last inch, at the most like Kyle Rittenhouse found out. You don't want to use the FA to wedge stubborn rounds into the chamber; that creates more problems than it solves; better to have pulled back the charger to eject that round and cycle a fresh one or check for chamber obstructions.
Other than that, a hunter or a tactical guy might want to quietly verify a round is chambered by pulling back the charging handle a half inch until he "sees brass" and then slowly riding it home again, and using the FA if it doesn't seat by itself. In the case of Rittenhouse and a chamber check, without an FA one uses his thumb in the ejection port to seat the carrier that last inch. There is no malfunction an FA solves that a thumb can't just as easily solve. Any malfunction a thumb can't solve, an FA can't solve.
At any rate, I understand both sides of the debate, and I sell Aero Precision assembled uppers both with and without the FA. And nobody beats my "Prices Too Low to Show."
:: 6.5 GRENDEL Deer and Targets :: 6mmARC Targets and Varmints and Deer :: 22 ARC Varmints and Targets
I would gladly pay a bit more for a complete bolt carrier group. It prevents any issues using a mix match of parts, extra shipping for parts from other places.
BluntForceTrauma Wrote:QUESTION: How important is it to pay a little extra to get a complete bolt carrier group with bolt, firing pin, retainer pin, and cam pin?
In my opinion it only makes sense to buy complete BCG. I have often bought your bolts and then need a carrier to put them in. I always buy complete and have a spare 556, because nobody sells a bare carrier for a price that makes sense not to buy it complete. IOW, if you sell a bare carrier for somewhere in the neighborhood of $30, it would make sense. Otherwise I can buy one complete for ~$75, and have the FP, retainer, cam pin..........and an extra bolt.
Checking my price lists, you can't get a Made-in-USA bolt carrier wholesale OEM in quantities of 1,000 or more for under $30. But, overall, yes, I hear what you're saying.
:: 6.5 GRENDEL Deer and Targets :: 6mmARC Targets and Varmints and Deer :: 22 ARC Varmints and Targets
BluntForceTrauma Wrote:myrifle, gonna start with a standard M16-style carrier in black nitride. Too soon to even think about non-standard configurations and coatings.
BluntForceTrauma Wrote:QUESTION: How important is it to pay a little extra to get a complete bolt carrier group with bolt, firing pin, retainer pin, and cam pin?
I'm kinda late chiming in on this, but I'd say yes, it's worth paying a little more for these BCGs. Definitely. IF I were starting over. In my personal situation I'm committed (financially) to what I have on-hand already. And those 6.5G sets also have your latest enhanced bolts.
My opinion is based partly on the fact that, under these circumstances, the QC will likely be done to a higher level than if just buying BCGs from a pile that's selected randomly at PSA or similar.
