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BCG recommendation

long range sponge

Not quite OAF, more App-erator AF
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Minuteman
Oct 31, 2013
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Springfield OH
Building a 10.5" 5.56 LMT pistol. I'm not willing to pay $6-800 for a LMT bcg so what alternatives would y'all recommend? Toolcraft? Rubber city?
 
Cryptic Coatings. They are just tool craft if I remember right, but it's the coating that matters.
Not necessarily. Fitment, tolerance, metal finishing, springs used in it. Are more important than so called fancy finish on the metal.
I'll take a properly built bcg thats has a good chrome lining, springco springs, thats parkerized than some fancy whiz bang coating that bcg thats not in tolerance.
 
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Not necessarily. Fitment, tolerance, metal finishing, springs used in it. Are more important than so called fancy finish on the metal.
I'll take a probably built bcg thats has a good chrome lining, springco springs, thats parkerized than some fancy whiz bang coating that bcg thats not in tolerance.

Who told you Toolcraft lifetime warranty BCG's arent in tolerance???? hahah. You do know they make BCG's for lots of companies that rebrand them and for .MIL and for OEM gun companies right???
 
Who told you Toolcraft lifetime warranty BCG's arent in tolerance???? hahah. You do know they make BCG's for lots of companies that rebrand them and for .MIL and for OEM gun companies right???
I never said not to buy a toolcraft bcg or anything again then at all.
They also have a lot on 9130 bolts.
9130 definitely isn't milspec.
Just make sure its a 158c bolt.
Sons of liberty gun works also has a lifetime warranty on there products.
 
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I never said not to buy a toolcraft bcg.
They also have a lot on 9130 bolts.
9130 definitely isn't milspec.
Just make sure its a 158c bolt.

You ignored the question and said something I never said. Nobody said you told people not to buy Toolcraft. Again, who told you Toolcraft BCG's are not properly built and not in tolerance?? Taken directly from your above post.....


 
You ignored the question and said something I never said. Nobody said you told people not to buy Toolcraft. Again, who told you Toolcraft BCG's are not properly built and not in tolerance?? Taken directly from your above post.....


I never said toolcraft was not in spec was addressing that being in spec is more important than the coating.
That article is also from 2007.
 
I never said toolcraft was not in spec was addressing that being in spec is more important than the coating.

Then in the future so you dont confuse or mislead people asking these questions, dont quote a post where someone is recommending a product and end your reply with ".....than some fancy whiz bang coating bcg thats not in tolerance."

Some of use have a LOT of experience and rounds on these BCG's and know they are 100% in tolerance and of excellent quality used by many OEM's that are considered top tier and .MIL.....
 
Depends on what you want to do. I have a lightweight titanium bolt carrier that I like, I also have a number of bolt carriers from other companies that work well. Just my .02

Rubber City is good. If you can find another TI bolt carrier in stock somewhere please let me know.
 
+1 for Toolcraft. Like @padom said, they supply BCGs for several manufacturers (can't remember which ones off the top of my head). As of late, anything that I've built or helped friends build involved Toolcraft BCGs.

Don't shy away from Brownell's house brand BCG, they're decent too. I've got one in a 6.5G that has worked well so far...it hasn't been, and probably won't ever be, thrashed or abused by any means, but it hasn't given me any trouble in the several hundred rounds I've run through it.
 
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Then in the future so you dont confuse or mislead people asking these questions, dont quote a post where someone is recommending a product and end your reply with ".....than some fancy whiz bang coating bcg thats not in tolerance."

Some of use have a LOT of experience and rounds on these BCG's and know they are 100% in tolerance and of excellent quality used by many OEM's that are considered top tier and .MIL.....
based on his comment on 9130, my guess is he meant mil spec and not tolerance. Still a dumb comment imho as 9130 heat treated properly is stronger than 158c. 9130 has seen a gizzillion rounds downrange and don't think it's a problem
 
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Okay, so the coating isn't all that matters. But they are Toolcraft, and the coatings they do are amazing. Yes there are fancy carriers with unique shapes that do some sort of whizz bang magic and anti tilt ends and so forth. But the two I bought are prefect and look great. Carbon wipes right off, oil hardly stays and grease barely sticks. I have a couple thousand rounds with a suppressor on one and it still looks brand new. I guess the hard part is going to be finding one. As they are out of stock on all of their options.
 
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Toolcraft Nitride or DLC for this application. If you’re talking 3gun or DMR style rifles im partial to the Young Manufacturing chrome carrier groups
 
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You don’t “need” an adjustable carrier to run suppressed. Do you have an adjustable gas block?
 
Well in that case an adjustable carrier would help eliminate some of the overgassing. Again you don’t need it to have the gun run properly. But it would help tune it a bit.
 
Not necessarily. Fitment, tolerance, metal finishing, springs used in it. Are more important than so called fancy finish on the metal.
I'll take a properly built bcg thats has a good chrome lining, springco springs, thats parkerized than some fancy whiz bang coating that bcg thats not in tolerance.


I want it all; a high quality, correctly built BCG with a modern surface treatment.

In today's world, anybody that thinks that only old school, plain jane mag phose BCG are good is nuts.

There are plenty of really 1st class BCG suppliers that use DLC, Chrome, NiB or Nitrided surface treatments & sacrifice absolutely no quality whatsoever.

Anyone that shoots much will surely appreciate the ease of cleaning of the bolt stem with one of the slicker coating, & with most of them, but especially DLC, you can feel the slickness (low coefficient of friction, smoothness) of the carrier sliding in the upper.

Unless of course, you're a macho man that just never cleans a gun.................

JP, Young, Toolcraft, Radian, RBC all make really top shelf BCG's.............when they are/were available,

As to the argument about 9310 not being mil-spec for the bolt, that's true. But, properly done 9310, as with one of the suppliers listed is at least as good. Mil-spec does not always mean better, sometimes it does. Toolcraft offere both 9310 & C-158. The others offer only 9310,
,
From a less than good manufacturer who does not have a reliable source for correctly HT'd 9310......................not so much. Radical & Bear Creek fill that POS niche nicely.

So if you really like pissing around cleaning the bolt stems on mag phos bolts, & you think that they are the only ones that are good.............then rock on. Leaves more of the good stuff for everyone else not locked into that mindset.

MM
 
KAC's bolt is proprietary, both in lug design & material, & is the best on the market, IMO...........I have 3.

But it won't fit a standard barrel extension & the bolt alone is over $200.

MM
 
Last I knew Toolcraft made those. I've got two that are indistinguishable from Toolcrafts.
Be careful with OE supplied Toolcrafts, they are not all made to same specification. It seems Toolcrafts offers carriers that are polished (all the ones I've seen sold as Toolcrafts are like this), and ones that are not and have a much rougher as machined surface finish. I think RTB had NiB carriers available in both varieties that show the difference.

I recently bought a lightweight Brownells nitride BCG (Toolcraft) that had a fairly course surface finish. The difference in finish feels noticeable when charging and doesn't seem as easy to clean as other carriers.
 
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my Nitrided Toolcraft BCG cleans up just as easily as my Young NM chrome BCG. We’re talking a MK18 rifle here. Not some precision SPR or RECCE build. Toolcraft nitride / DLC, Radian, or BCM would be at the top of my list for a carrier to beat on with an SBR
 
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have we ever found out who toolcraft sources their bolts from?
They've probably use/used several sources. I recall the bolt marking fonts/styles differing between various Toolcraft BCGs, even ones that were rebranded.

Also, the Azimuth enhanced (Radian, Alpha Shooting and a few others) are pretty nice, even if the enhancements are cosmetic.
 
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They've probably use/used several sources. I recall the bolt marking fonts/styles differing between various Toolcraft BCGs, even ones that were rebranded.

Also, the Azimuth enhanced (Radian, Alpha Shooting and a few others) are pretty nice, even if the enhancements are cosmetic.
you are probably right

My go to is AO, they supply some pretty hefty brands
 
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Never thought I'd be so conflicted being told to buy another gun...
Searching the webz and the wife asked what I was doing. Told her calculating cost to finish my LMT, figured around $850-1000. All I have is the lower and LM8 cqb upper. She recalled that before I picked up the pair I was looking at other pistols (B.A.D., Black Rain, POF, Lantac, PWS) in the $1500 range. She suggested I sell the LMT stuff (and the 300blk pistol in the px) and buy a complete pistol then use the funds from the upper and lower to buy another suppressor. I told her how awesome and understanding she is. She then told me she's just sick of me spending time looking for parts and doesn't want me to fuck up the build and get blown up. 😐😐😐😐😐
 
My go to is AO, they supply some pretty hefty brands
Like who for instance?

I don't really know anything about AO, but I'm a little skeptical when a manufacturer misrepresents their products as being Mil-Spec............doesn't mean the product is not good, but it does mean that their advertising is not 100% accurate or truthful.

Here's info for one of their BCG's from Right to Bear Arms' website. Sorry, but that ain't right.

MM

VfaxbVg.jpg
 
Like who for instance?

I don't really know anything about AO, but I'm a little skeptical when a manufacturer misrepresents their products as being Mil-Spec............doesn't mean the product is not good, but it does mean that their advertising is not 100% accurate or truthful.

Here's info for one of their BCG's from Right to Bear Arms' website. Sorry, but that ain't right.

MM

VfaxbVg.jpg
that description is wrong and not sure what you are looking at as AO is 100% spec, in fact, they are the ones used by Colt just to name one. AO Precision is best out there


Edit, looks like you pulled the Toolcraft one as that is the their description on RTB page
 
No, it's an AO

AO BCG

Nothing at all wrong with GOOD 9310 bolts, just that it's being touted as Mil-Spec materials & process.

I do see the one that you are referencing too.

MM
 
Building a 10.5" 5.56 LMT pistol. I'm not willing to pay $6-800 for a LMT bcg so what alternatives would y'all recommend? Toolcraft? Rubber city?

there is noting wrong with toolcraft. I bought lmt’s enhanced bolt carrier for 150 and used a basic bolt the was matched to my white oak barrel.
 
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No, it's an AO

AO BCG

Nothing at all wrong with GOOD 9310 bolts, just that it's being touted as Mil-Spec materials & process.

I do see the one that you are referencing too.

MM
RTB is wrong, not the first time they've had wrong descriptions, as I said, as AO is the supplier for Colt, has been for FN, BCM and many others. I've never seen an AO with your description, not even listed on their website or anyone else's with a quick google search. Has that changed, have they started nitriding carriers? I don't know but can't find any online and only at RTB. The fact that you never heard of them and are debating their quality speaks volume, respectfully.

The list is long for them, they are the top of line not named LMT.
 
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Last I knew Toolcraft made those. I've got two that are indistinguishable from Toolcrafts.
They very well may be - it's been a little bit since I went down that rabbit hole.

Even if they're not, I'm assuming Brownell's customer service would save the day if a person had problems with anything.
 
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They very well may be - it's been a little bit since I went down that rabbit hole.

Even if they're not, I'm assuming Brownell's customer service would save the day if a person had problems with anything.
I want to get one of their chrome bcgs for a nice budget build
 
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RTB is wrong, not the first time they've had wrong descriptions, as I said, as AO is the supplier for Colt, has been for FN, BCM and many others. I've never seen an AO with your description, not even listed on their website or anyone else's with a quick google search. Has that changed, have they started nitriding carriers? I don't know but can't find any online and only at RTB. The fact that you never heard of them and are debating their quality speaks volume, respectfully.

The list is long for them, they are the top of line not named LMT.
Not debating their quality, just saying what I saw reported.

Respectfully, I've used over 2 dozen or so BCG's including RCA, both branded & their Noveske branded, Young Mfg., Toolcraft, Radian, Rise Armament Griffin Armament, BCM, JP & KAC & all have been & are great.................never done any business with RTB, & never had an occasion or reason to deal with AO, directly or branded as AO, at least. Maybe they make parts for some of the ones I mentioned, but I don't know that one way or the other.

Respectfully.

MM
 
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for a pistol just get a Toolcraft bcg. I’ve used 3 or 4 and they’ve performed great. Also use Spikes, Geiselle, JP Enterprise in various rifles and they all work great
 
Brownell’s....mil spec and guaranteed for life.


Are you guys sure 9310 hasn’t been determined as equivalent to Carpenter 158? If I remember right, Carpenter 158 is an exclusive brand spec where 9310 is an ASTM or other standard.
 
Brownell’s....mil spec and guaranteed for life.


Are you guys sure 9310 hasn’t been determined as equivalent to Carpenter 158? If I remember right, Carpenter 158 is an exclusive brand spec where 9310 is an ASTM or other standard.


Stronger by 7% actually