Spent a few hours doing research, but wanted to see if anyone has upgraded their BCG and if there are any fitment issues like the sear block in the Colt? So far from what I have gathered, you are good to go running a full auto BCG in our weapon systems....from BCM, DD, Spikes, LMT, Rainier Arms etc.

Why?

What difference are you hoping to achieve by "upgrading" your BCG? Are you having weapon malfunctions? If so send it back to S&W. They will fix it.

A lot of people think they need to upgrade everything on their rifle. I don't think you will notice any difference in the rifle and only a difference in your wallet. Of you have the money on hand buy some ammo.

I see a lot of people spend almost as much money "upgrading" their rifle as what they spent on the rifle. I think most people spend more money on their rifle and accessories than they ever spend on ammo they put through the gun. From my experience all you really need on a rife is an light and maybe an optic.

Shrouded firing pin.... less stress on the firing pin and the firing pin retaining pin. Improved weight, durability, cycling etc. Are you saying there is no empirical data to suggest that all BCG's are created equal? You are correct though, I need to get comfortable with my weapon system and spend considerable time at the range putting it through it's paces. I guess I was just starting a talking point.....

I would only buy a BCG just to have a spare on hand, but it's not an item that needs replacing. If you want better accuracy/performance then I'd suggest thinking about replacing the trigger as that will provide a noticeable difference in how your rifle shoots.

The difference between a carbine and a full auto BCG is weight. A full auto BCG slows down the cyclic rate for full auto. That's all. As civilians that normally don't have access to a real-deal M16/M4, we don't have to worry about slowing down the cyclic rate to support full auto. The benefit of adding mass to the BCG is a decrease in perceived recoil.

More mass or resistance to overcome, the slower the cyclic rate, the less perceived recoil. Given this, you can decrease the perceived recoil by adding mass or resistance. Buy a heavier buffer (more mass to overcome). Buy a stronger buffer spring.

I'm not saying not to go and buy a full auto BCG if that's what you want to do. I'm one of the idiots who swapped out almost everything on a 15-Sport just because I was curious.





The AR-Restor hydraulic buffer decreases perceived recoil. The cycling feels smoother overall.





A Fail Zero nickel boron treated semi-auto BCG. Slicker, harder, and more wear resistant than chrome. Run with minimal or no lube. Cleans up with a little solvent and a wipe.

The one mod that is really truly worthwhile is a trigger upgrade. A good trigger is amazing.

Go check out the pic thread. I think I listed every crazy thing I did to my 15-sport. The only OEM parts left on it are:the upper receiver, barrel, lower receiver, buffer tube, buffer spring, safety selector, magazine catch. Do any of these "upgrades", other than the trigger, really make my rifle more reliable? Who really knows. I'm not out there cranking thousands of rounds downrange on a monthly basis. I'm not inclined to torture test any of my firearms.

What the modifications definitely did was lighten the wallet, satisfy my own curiosity, and made one heck of an expensive "affordable" rifle.

__________________
-John

...and maybe a sling. Yeah,and a sling, and that's about it....and maybe one of those single point clip thingies, yeah, that should do it.....and maybe a better stock, something with a more comfortable cheek weld. Yeah, maybe just a better stock, that's about it. and about 500 mags, any suggestions what brand? Yeah, maybe a few hundred mags and that's about it. and a new cleaning kit, something just for ARs, something with "AR 5.56" plastered all over the thing, yeah, a cleaning kit, that's what I need, and that's about it, and maybe a gun vice, you know I saw a nice gun vise in the AR picture thread, I wonder if I could find that post again, yeah, a gun vise, that should about wrap it up, but maybe I should change out that trigger, you know I hear great things about that modification, maybe I should just change that thing out, how much could it possibly be? That should do it, I think. Probably need a good case, something soft I'm thinking so I don't hurt the dog when I accidentally hit him in the head with it when I'm throwing it in the back of the car, yeah, a soft case, that's about it, that should do it, or maybe.........................................

Moe... don't even get me started on cleaning tools... LOL

I know my saying this is like the pot calling the kettle black... but all an AR-15 really needs is a comfy stock, iron sights, an affordable aftermarket trigger, and a simple 2-point sling. Keeps the rifle light.



As much as I like my pimped-out 15-Sport, I get just a touch more enjoyment shooting this simple rifle.

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-John

Yes indeed... it all starts so innocently.

Heck, even if ya keep it to just iron sights, red dot and a sling... it ain't necessarily cheap.

Irons came with my rifle but to buy the folding sights would have put me back close to $200. Aimpoint was $600. Sling was $60 plus a $30 for an RSA and $25 for QD endplate. Course ya got to have a QD on the stock so might as well get a CTR.. another $80. So there's a $1k without even trying.

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off topic.....but thanks for the replies!

I just don't see the point in buying a rife to just replace all that parts. Smith and Wesson makes a good product to begin with. Replacing the BCG and or buffer will have very little difference, especially on a semi auto gun. I do understand why some will change out a trigger. It is not necessary but has a big benefit especially for bench shooters.

I don't get it either and sometimes I just shake my head.... But JaPes and others enjoy the part swapping and they come on here and tell us about what happened, what worked and what didn't, so I do enjoy reading about it. If I ever do decide to modify something, saves me money and time, as someone else has done the trial and error.

Perfectly okay with your insight! I guess I'm not the type of person to purchase something, barry my head in the sand, and not give it another thought. IMO, half of the enjoyment in doing something like a hobby or sport, is the journey....and making modifications to your own personal specs. SW makes excellent products for the masses....I just put the finishing touches on it to fit my needs and profile. To each his own

I'm one of those people who have to get first hand experience. Call me crazy because I am. Hydraulic buffer is nice, but probably not worth the added expense over an H or H2 buffer. The NiBx BCG is nice, but to tell you the truth the only thing that benefits from the NiBx coating is the bolt. It's the part that gets the dirtiest so anything to make it easier to clean is better. Having the NiBx Bolt Carrier Assembly is nice because I can run with no lube, but I can't bring myself to do it.

IMO, the big things that are worthwhile...

• Trigger. Either polish your stock trigger or buy an aftermarket trigger.
• Stock. I can do with a standard handguard and standard grip. The stock makes a difference to me.
• Sights. A good set of iron sights.
• Optics. A quality optic: red dot or magnified scope.

Everything else is really just accessorizing for fun.

__________________
-John

Well then, don't spend a bunch on the 15-Sport like I did. Go to the range get some trigger time. Figure out your preferences, then build one from scratch. You'll get to pick each and every part that goes into it.

__________________
-John

The reason for a full auto bolt carrier, is that the bottom rear of the bolt carrier has additional metal extended forward, which in a full auto gun, would contact the auto sear, for full auto fire. In an AR15 the use of a full auto bolt carrier provides no benefit, as there is no auto sear for the bolt carrier to contact. So to replace the stock BCG with the auto BCG is a waste of money, with no benefit. It would just be another BC, with extra metal at the bottom rear.

Bob

Heaver bolt, equals less recoil...this has been beaten to death.....easier to clean..if you go chrome or NiB.....plus the cool factor. And do you guys really care that much how other members spend their hard earned money?

small testimonial from this very forum:

Not really. Some of us have been down this road, and want to save some of the new people some time and money. When I was new, I got the same advise as you're getting now. I had the same reaction. Do I regret what I've done so far? No. I'm the type of person who likes to get hands on. I just had to try out different parts to see whether or not the product manufacturers claims were true. Some parts and upgrades are universally worthwhile. Some are only worthwhile because they fit an individual shooter's style. The boat load of them are snake oil.

If you're like me, then you'll go and try out parts regardless. In that case the price of parts is the cost of AR-15 tuition. The fun is in the journey.

__________________
-John

The AR has so little recoil it does not matter to me. But... you may find this interesting. If you do some googling you'll see lots of folks explaining how less reciprocating mass translates to less recoil.

JP - Operating System Components

Not me. I encourage you to buy both a heavier FA and the JP light weight, then post a performance comparison.

Nobody cares what you spend your money on, other than your spouse possibly, but you posted on a discussion board. You will get opinions that agree with you and ones that don't.

As far as your reasoning to make the swap...

Break your 15T in half. I guarantee that you will find that the firing pin is shrouded.

The weight difference is a fraction of an ounce. Yes, it is enough to alter lock time and all that, but I think the perception of reduced recoil is a placebo effect. Maybe Larry Vickers or the like could tell the difference in a blind shoot test, but you and I would not.

What? The AR-15 is self cleaning! I kid, I kid. Have no thoughts either way. Drop the pieces in a jar of solvent and it really isn't that hard to clean.

Can't argue this one. If you think this is cool and worth the money, go for it.

For me personally, before I would change out a functioning bolt, I would get a good optic. A good optic has more cool factor to me than a shiny bolt carrier.

I did post this on a discussion board....but it wasn't to get the pros and cons of upgrading your BCG. But rather, it was to get feedback from members who have made the upgrade, Let's revisit the OP:

This is the problem with open forums. Instead of first hand testimonials, and specific responses to my post....this was the first reply to my thread:


Just my $.02

Nothing doing, but if you're replacing the BCG to reduce recoil, which is minimal, then you need to give up your man card, lol.

For those who are simply looking to "upgrade" parts there's nothing wrong with that, but bang for the buck the bcg should be down on the list after the replacing the trigger, butt stock, getting good optics, and perhaps a muzzle break.

Ok, fair enough... you wanted pros and cons from someone who has done it. But part of that discussion should be if it is worthwhile in the first place, and what the upgrade would accomplish.


I think someone telling you that it is a waste of money in their opinion is a specific response to your post. He asked what you hoped to gain and your first response was "shrouded firing pin", which you already have...

I haven't swapped out by BCG, so I will refrain from responding further in this post.

Ladies and gentlemen,

That's enough bickering.

The original question was if there would be any fitment problems. Answer: No.

See... This whole thread could have been replaced with two letters.

ps whenever in doubt on a product, it's always a good idea to check with the manufacturer or experienced distributor for specific application.

Sorry to hurt your feelings. Do what you want.

This is why I don't post much anymore. I try to help someone out who already has their mind made up and they get all mad because it's not what they wanted to hear.