AR-15 Chrome Lined Bolt Carrier?
- Thread starter Whitman31
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definitely not necessary.
my TiN carrier is amazingly easy to clean. but on the whole, not worth the extra $. rumor has it they can chip, causing malfunctions, but i haven't experienced it yet. (not that one positive example is statistically significant)
however, the TiN firing pin lasted only a few hundred rounds before it started piercing primers. was very bad. do NOT use a TiN firing pin.
my TiN carrier is amazingly easy to clean. but on the whole, not worth the extra $. rumor has it they can chip, causing malfunctions, but i haven't experienced it yet. (not that one positive example is statistically significant)
however, the TiN firing pin lasted only a few hundred rounds before it started piercing primers. was very bad. do NOT use a TiN firing pin.
I have a couple of rifles with Smith Enterprise Match chromed bolt carriers.
These are DPMS M16 carriers that have been milled back to AR15 style with full support of the firing pin.
Smith also assembles the carrier key using stainless steel screws and no staking. I stake them myself.
They also offer M16 chrome carriers too.
Decent stuff, kind of expensive, and the biggest advantage they offer is much easier cleaning.
These are DPMS M16 carriers that have been milled back to AR15 style with full support of the firing pin.
Smith also assembles the carrier key using stainless steel screws and no staking. I stake them myself.
They also offer M16 chrome carriers too.
Decent stuff, kind of expensive, and the biggest advantage they offer is much easier cleaning.
I'm not real concerned with cleaning, I'm guessing I'm not the only one who kind of enjoys spending some time cleaning my guns...
Mostly concerned with the life of non-chromed carriers. I had a friend who purchased a fully chromed carrier from DPMS, said it was the worst chrome finish he'd seen, flaked off very easily, I trust him as he's an engineer and AR nut...
Mostly concerned with the life of non-chromed carriers. I had a friend who purchased a fully chromed carrier from DPMS, said it was the worst chrome finish he'd seen, flaked off very easily, I trust him as he's an engineer and AR nut...
jpwilly
Member
My two DPMS AR's aren't chrome carriers. My M4 Carbine Clone has a few thousand rounds through it and still looks new. Put some grease on the contact points and clean every now and then.
Buy a Bravo Company or LMT carrier from Bravo Company:
http://www.bravocompanyusa.com/
The full auto carrier is legal and is the carrier the gun was designed to work with. It is a bit heavier and helps smooth the cycling. All government spec carriers are chromed in the bolt bore and the bore of the gas tube. Personally, I would not use anything but milspec parkerizing on the outside. It may be a bit harder to clean but it holds the lube.
You can buy two milspec carriers for the price of one chrome plated carrier.
http://www.bravocompanyusa.com/
The full auto carrier is legal and is the carrier the gun was designed to work with. It is a bit heavier and helps smooth the cycling. All government spec carriers are chromed in the bolt bore and the bore of the gas tube. Personally, I would not use anything but milspec parkerizing on the outside. It may be a bit harder to clean but it holds the lube.
You can buy two milspec carriers for the price of one chrome plated carrier.
If you are going to actually use your rifle hard, you need a chrome lined bolt carrier. Think of the piston in an engine. The bolt (with the gas rings acting like piston rings) rides inside the carrier. Chrome lining slows the wear on the carrier and allows everything to work smoother.
If you're going to shoot 250 rounds a year in your AR it's probably not necessary. If you're going to use the weapon hard, you need a chrome lined carrier.
The military stopped using all chrome carriers in around 1966.
Jeff
If you're going to shoot 250 rounds a year in your AR it's probably not necessary. If you're going to use the weapon hard, you need a chrome lined carrier.
The military stopped using all chrome carriers in around 1966.
Jeff
Rob96
Member
Yes there is a difference between chrome lined and fully chromed carrier. Most carriers are lined with chrome where the bolt moves back and forth. DPMS, Les Baer and maybe a few others offer fully chromed carriers. My DPMS M4 came with one. Works fine. Now I would not use a chromed bolt as these had some issues with being "fragile" from the chrome process.
10-Ring
Member
Unless you shoot ALOT and clean veryb little, you won't need the chrome lined barrel
I guess I should also say that ALL my other bolt carriers are M16 style and have a chrome lined bolt portal and chrome lined carrier key port.
I agree that DPMS chrome bolts and carriers aren't the best by far, they hog out too much material on the carrier like a Colt for one.
Smith uses D marked carriers which as far as I know, DPMS is the only manufacturer that marks their carriers with a D but Smith also uses M16 carriers, does the milling on the AR15 carriers and also does the chrome plating, DPMS doesn't do the chroming for them.
Smith Bolts are also the only chrome coated bolts I know of that are magnaflux particle inspected, each and every one.
I agree that DPMS chrome bolts and carriers aren't the best by far, they hog out too much material on the carrier like a Colt for one.
Smith uses D marked carriers which as far as I know, DPMS is the only manufacturer that marks their carriers with a D but Smith also uses M16 carriers, does the milling on the AR15 carriers and also does the chrome plating, DPMS doesn't do the chroming for them.
Smith Bolts are also the only chrome coated bolts I know of that are magnaflux particle inspected, each and every one.
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