[TedG]

If your bolt carrier group and/or bolt actually BREAKS and renders your rifle inoperable, please list it in this thread with the brand and circumstances. Adding photo evidence would be great.

Please don't post poor staking, or mim markings. Only post actual breakages.

Stories of "I heard about a guy's cousin's friend who knew a guy......" have no validity. Please only post if you are the actual owner/user of the broken BCG/Bolt.

Instead of arguing about who's BCG is crap and who's is 'the best', let's see facts.

Personally, I've never had a BCG or bolt malfunction or break and I've owned all the brands we generally discuss.

 

[LA_357SIG]

My POS Bushmaster BCG I had since 2005 had a malfunction that rendered my AR inoperable 2 years ago. :steamed: The gas tube stopped fitting into the gas key. Me dropping it onto a cement floor right on the tip of the gas key may have contributed to the problem, but whatever.

But no. I didn't have any problems out of it with 6.8 or 5.56.

Staking was decent as well.

 

[WoodenPlank]

I had a BCM gas key bolt shear through, causing the gas key to get loose which induced short stroking. BCM replaced it for free with no problem.

Have had several bolts "fail" due to worn out gas rings.

Sent from the USS Sulaco.

 

[TedG]

I'm almost surprised with the lack of reported broken BCGs.

With all the posts about which BCGs are the best and those that are "made from inferior materials", you'd think there would be lots of first-hand reports of BCG failures.

Maybe the BCG brand issue isn't much of an issue after all.

With a few hundred reads and only two first-hand reports (and one of those is a probable operator fault) it appears that rumors and urban legends are more prevalent than actual occurrences.

Poor customer service is one thing. Brand loyalty is one thing. Product failure? Who, when, where, and how?

 

[LA_357SIG]

I started a thread years ago on TOS. Thousands of views. Not many pertinent replies.

 

[WoodenPlank]

I'm almost surprised with the lack of reported broken BCGs.

With all the posts about which BCGs are the best and those that are "made from inferior materials", you'd think there would be lots of first-hand reports of BCG failures.

Maybe the BCG brand issue isn't much of an issue after all.

With a few hundred reads and only two first-hand reports (and one of those is a probable operator fault) it appears that rumors and urban legends are more prevalent than actual occurrences.

Poor customer service is one thing. Brand loyalty is one thing. Product failure? Who, when, where, and how?

Or maybe there just aren't a lot of people shooting enough to see the problems. Even cheap BCGs are unlikely to fail when they only see a couple hundred rounds a year. With ammo the way it is currently, I know I am not shooting anywhere near as much as I used to.

 

[LA_357SIG]

Or maybe there just aren't a lot of people shooting enough to see the problems.

If this is the case, then why make a big deal about recommending BCM/DD/LMT/Colt/Noveske or nothing at all in every thread? Not directed at you personally, but that is the general attitude here. I can see doing it if prices are close, but I rarely see anybody post that as a reason. Just TDP, Milspec, Tier 1, M4C, etc.

 

[PAGunner]

If this is the case, then why make a big deal about recommending BCM/DD/LMT/Colt/Noveske or nothing at all in every thread? Not directed at you personally, but that is the general attitude here. I can see doing it if prices are close, but I rarely see anybody post that as a reason. Just TDP, Milspec, Tier 1, M4C, etc.

Because you can buy a quality rifle for not much more than a hunk of junk BM, RRA, WA etc., and you never know if you'll need that rifle or if you will start shooting more one day. It's about VALUE, you can buy a 1k Colt and have VALUE, vs. saving $100 bucks and potentially having headaches galore.

 

[WoodenPlank]

If this is the case, then why make a big deal about recommending BCM/DD/LMT/Colt/Noveske or nothing at all in every thread? Not directed at you personally, but that is the general attitude here. I can see doing it if prices are close, but I rarely see anybody post that as a reason. Just TDP, Milspec, Tier 1, M4C, etc.

Until the recent panic, the prices usually were close - within $25-50. If I can spend $50 more for a manufacturer known for putting out good product - ESPECIALLY in something as critical as the BCG - I will do so, and I will suggest others do the same. For most people, that $50 difference is less than 10% of the cost of the rifle, but can make a huge difference in long term reliability.

 

[LA_357SIG]

Because you can buy a quality rifle for not much more than a hunk of junk BM, RRA, WA etc., and you never know if you'll need that rifle or if you will start shooting more one day. It's about VALUE, you can buy a 1k Colt and have VALUE, vs. saving $100 bucks and potentially having headaches galore.

I say that has more to do with ego than equipment.

 

[TedG]

It appears that the BCG failure issue is more of a 'woulds, coulds, and shoulds' scenario than actual occurrences. Kind of like what Chicken Little told Ducky Lucky....... the sky is falling.

As for the recent drain on shooting opportunities, the suspect BCGs have been around for at least a few years. With all the posted warnings, you'd think there would be some for-real failures in the number of AR owners over that period.

I personally believe the whole "problem" is over-blown rumors and internet stories coupled with brand loyalty.

 

[WoodenPlank]

It appears that the BCG failure issue is more of a 'woulds, coulds, and shoulds' scenario than actual occurrences. Kind of like what Chicken Little told Ducky Lucky....... the sky is falling.

As for the recent drain on shooting opportunities, the suspect BCGs have been around for at least a few years. With all the posted warnings, you'd think there would be some for-real failures in the number of AR owners over that period.

I personally believe the whole "problem" is over-blown rumors and internet stories coupled with brand loyalty.

Even before the recent ammo shortage, I would say at least half of the people that own AR-15s shoot them infrequently or not at all.

That said, I will make the same point I did a few posts ago: If a BCG from a known quality manufacturer (BCM, DD, LMT,etc) can be had for the same price or slightly more than an unknown company, or one with a hit-and-miss reputation, why shouldn't you buy the part from the company with a better track record?

 

[PAGunner]

I say that has more to do with ego than equipment.

Well maybe you should do some more research, BCG/Bolt arvitally important but there are many other aspects of the rifle that the big names and AR really dot their I's and cross their T's. Why wouldn't you pay a little more for a lot more quality?

Besides that, anybody that is serious about using their AR knows the rifle itself is just a very small cost of ownership. 600+ in mags per rifle, T-1 with mount, Surefire, trigger upgrade, stock, grip, sling, ammo, spare parts, training. In the big scheme a couple hundred bucks is a joke.

 

[LA_357SIG]

Until the recent panic, the prices usually were close - within $25-50. If I can spend $50 more for a manufacturer known for putting out good product - ESPECIALLY in something as critical as the BCG - I will do so, and I will suggest others do the same. For most people, that $50 difference is less than 10% of the cost of the rifle, but can make a huge difference in long term reliability.

Well, there's where we disagree. I take the people factor into consideration more than equipment. Seeing that most commercial manufacturers get their parts from the same sources, the only difference is the people putting them together. So basically, you are paying extra and hoping you get parts assembled on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday.

 

[LA_357SIG]

Well maybe you should do some more research, BCG/Bolt arvitally important but there are many other aspects of the rifle that the big names and AR really dot their I's and cross their T's. Why wouldn't you pay a little more for a lot more quality?

Besides that, anybody that is serious about using their AR knows the rifle itself is just a very small cost of ownership. 600+ in mags per rifle, T-1 with mount, Surefire, trigger upgrade, stock, grip, sling, ammo, spare parts, training. In the big scheme a couple hundred bucks is a joke.

I believe anybody serious about using their AR should be able to make repairs or conduct preventative maintenance themselves, instead of being dependent on the manufacturer to do it for them.

 

[faawrenchbndr]

Do not have any pics, but I have had two bolt carrier group failures since 1993.
Had a claw break off a Colt extractor. It had around 7500 rounds fired on it.
Had a gas key loosen on a RRA bolt carrier. It looked like it was staked well.
Rifle started short stroking, found the key had a few gas marks where the
gases were leaking from one side of the key. Called RRA, they sent me a
key, two bolts and thread locker. That carrier had around 1500 rounds fired.

Failures do happen, they happen to all brands.

 

[jakebrake]

regardless of mfr, any mechanical device can fail.doesn't matter if its an ar, an ak, or an s.u.v. it can, and eventually will happen. the trick is knowing how to fix it.

 

[WoodenPlank]

regardless of mfr, any mechanical device can fail.doesn't matter if its an ar, an ak, or an s.u.v. it can, and eventually will happen. the trick is knowing how to fix it.

THe trick is someone knowledgable checking it over to make sure it was built correctly, before it ever leaves the manufacturer. Quality control is just as important as quality of the part itself.

 

[jakebrake]

THe trick is someone knowledgable checking it over to make sure it was built correctly, before it ever leaves the manufacturer. Quality control is just as important as quality of the part itself.

biggest paperweight firearm I ever owned was a colt.

is there a more reputable manufacturer out there?

 

[TedG]

Over 500 readers.

3 "first-hand" reports.

3 different brands.

Where are all the sub-standard BCG failures? According to all the posted warnings ("their stuff is junk" "I'd never buy one" "Their stuff is made with cheap materials")..... I would have expected scores of actual failures.

Hmmmm, as Shakespeare said, "The lady doth protest too much, methinks..."