BCG?

spclayne · May 11, 2013

Just curious, I have a 15T and I was messing around inside and handling the BCG and I noted it felt a bit rough, like sandpaperish.....admittedly, I'm used to handling M4's which I believe is a chrome BCG and I noted my 15T had some chrome lining in some parts, so what is the BCG in my Smith made of?

rojodiablo · May 12, 2013

spclayne said:
Just curious, I have a 15T and I was messing around inside and handling the BCG and I noted it felt a bit rough, like sandpaperish.....admittedly, I'm used to handling M4's which I believe is a chrome BCG and I noted my 15T had some chrome lining in some parts, so what is the BCG in my Smith made of?

Almost all BCG are made of 158 carpenter steel/ ie tool steel which has good elasticity properties while being extremely tough material.
The only places which matter on the BCG are the mating surfaces. So long as they are polished, there should be no issue with function. Some BCG are phosphate coated, and might feel a bit rough; especially if you are used to a TiNi coated or chromed unit.

Randy G. · May 12, 2013

I noticed the BCG in my brother in laws Colt M-4 6920 was really ruff compared to the BCG in M&P 15. What kind of coating does the M&P have if not phosphate coated like the colt, anodized?

spclayne · May 12, 2013

Thanks for the answer. I was just surprised it wasn't completely smooth like what I'm used to dealing with in M4's. It's not a big deal to me, just felt foreign.

Randy G. · May 12, 2013

That's weird, the BCG in my M&P 15 is real smooth. Its not ruff at all. I wonder if it because they were made by different companies?

spclayne said:
Thanks for the answer. I was just surprised it wasn't completely smooth like what I'm used to dealing with in M4's. It's not a big deal to me, just felt foreign.

spclayne · May 12, 2013

Curious of that myself. With all the posts on here about the variances in the barrels, it wouldn't shock me to know that other parts were different as well. I'm not saying it's 'rough', it's just not smooth except for some internal parts where the bolt itself goes.

MichiganScott · May 12, 2013

Phosphate coatings (Parkerizing) hold lube much better than smooth steel. The roughness will wear off with time and it will still hold more lube.

Randy G. · May 12, 2013

So, the guys with smooth BCG's. What has been done to them if they haven't been parkerized?

oneyeopn · May 13, 2013

The military M4's dont have a chromed BCG, they have chrome lined but there BCG's are phosphate or parkerize coated. You would have a smooth one probably from having a ton of ammo run through it and cleaned a thousand times.

Randy G. · May 17, 2013

What finish does Smith and Wesson apply or have appied to there BCG's in the M&P15?

wpage · Apr 13, 2015

Randy G. said:
What finish does Smith and Wesson apply or have appied to there BCG's in the M&P15?

Wondering the same thing. Are they parkerized?

cyphertext · Apr 13, 2015

wpage said:
Wondering the same thing. Are they parkerized?

To quote JaPes, "Holy thread resurrection"...

Per the description of the one you just purchased, "Magnesium phosphate coated"...

JaPes · Apr 13, 2015

I'm impressed that someone searches. Good stuff.

dullh · Apr 13, 2015

spclayne said:
...so what is the BCG in my Smith made of?

Recycled Aquafina bottles case-hardened with Unicorn tears...

ClayCow · Apr 19, 2015

So those brass cleaning things in cleaning kit. Ive always kinda just scrunbed my m16 bolt with it because well im in the military and you have to sit for hours cleaning your weapon anyways.

Is scrubbing the bcg with brass bristlea ok? Should i just be wiping it down?

MichiganScott · Apr 19, 2015

ClayCow said:
Is scrubbing the bcg with brass bristles ok? Should i just be wiping it down?

Brass brushes are OK. I've seen people scrape the BC and bolt with knives and screwdrivers or use pot scrubbers on them to the point that there is no finish left.

Once the finish is removed the BCG is much more susceptible to rusting. Like I posted a year ago, parkerizing holds lube much better than bare steel.

JaPes · Apr 19, 2015

ClayCow said:
So those brass cleaning things in cleaning kit. Ive always kinda just scrunbed my m16 bolt with it because well im in the military and you have to sit for hours cleaning your weapon anyways.

Is scrubbing the bcg with brass bristlea ok? Should i just be wiping it down?

Yes. Brass bristles are ok. Short of installing a Nickel Boron treated bolt, the CAT M4 tool is the way to go.

Scrape the inside of the bolt carrier.

Swab it out.

Scrape the bolt tail.

Firing pin.

Becasue the direct gas impingement AR-15 poops where it eats, the easiest way to get a fast cleaning BCG is to install a Nickel Boron BCG. This is a Fail-Zero semi-auto NiBx BCG.

If I wanted to, I can run this BCG bone dry. I keep a light wipe of lube on it. Clean up consists of a BCG strip and wipe down. Carbon comes off. If there is a stubborn little spot, I'll wipe it with a Hoppes No. 9 moistened patch. Done.

IMO, the entire NiBx BCG is overkill. What you really want is a NiBx bolt. That's where the best bang for the buck comes from.

ClayCow · Apr 19, 2015

Hmm. I just picking ip some cleaning suppliea off of amazon. Ill have to pick up that nifty device, think it saves time? Brushes work just fine for me atleast jn the past.

I had seen your nickel boron bcg comment earlier...kinda made me want to do a custom build but not too much of a build.

How do you clean the star chamber? I nought basically star chamber mop. I refuse to buy star chamber sponges due to cost. In the past ive just rammed my finger in there with a rag to clean. Quite annoying.

WR Moore · Apr 19, 2015

If star chamber=barrel extension there are several ways to clean it. Long Q tip like things being the most common. You can also stick a rag in a patch loop and swab around. I'm fond of occasional use of spray cleaners like Gum Cutter or Brake Clean. You do have to add some lube to prevent rust after the cleaners.

I hope whoever developed the CAT M4 tool is making a mint on it. Worth every penny.

The first time I handled a new AR I was startled by the roughness of various parts. Many, many rounds solves this issue. The only parts of the carrier that actually touch the receiver are the rails at the 1:00, 4:30, 7:30, 11:30 positions and the sides of the gas key.

JaPes · Apr 19, 2015

ClayCow said:
Ill have to pick up that nifty device, think it saves time?

Before I switched to a NiBx BCG, the CAT M4 saved me a bunch of time. The right tool makes the job much easier.

The other tool I haven't had the opportunity to use is the Otis BONE tool. Same basic function as the CAT M4, just a different way to get there.

ClayCow said:
I had seen your nickel boron bcg comment earlier...kinda made me want to do a custom build but not too much of a build.

If you're happy with your current AR-15, buy a NiBx bolt. The bolt carrier is a bit overkill IMO. Install a NiBx bolt into your existing carrier, and you'll be good to go.

ClayCow said:
How do you clean the star chamber?

I use a Talon Lug Scraper.

I wrote a thread about all the cleaning methods I've tried. It can be found via the link below.

http://smith-wessonforum.com/smith-...8269-new-ars-here-some-tools-i-use-clean.html

The thread is older. I've since become less OCD about my cleaning. If my BCG really gets filthy, I'll strip it and drop it into an ultrasonic bath.

BCG?

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