AR upgrade

[HOLY DIVER]

i'm going to upgrade my DEL-TON 2 a chrome lined BCM barrel and BCM bolt. but i can't make my mind up....get a carbine length gas system or mid length will the mid length really make my bolt and bolt carrier live longer or is that just a myth? also would an auto carrier counter the higher pressures on the carbine length?

 

[MrCleanOK]

If you're getting a 16" barrel, mid-length gas is better in every way. There's no reason not to. And get the auto carrier with confidence. You should be fine with middie gas, auto carrier and carbine buffer

 

[HOLY DIVER]

is it ok to put a new carrier in a used upper receiver? reason i ask is i figured the carrier had lapped it self to the receiver that's why i was going to buy just the bolt. but if it will not hurt anything i'll buy the complete assembly

 

[Al Thompson]

Mid length IMHO.

 

[MrCleanOK]

It's okay to replace the carrier.

 

[HOLY DIVER]

thanks, bravo company machine is "out of stock" of mid length gov profile barrels so when they get them in stock i'm going to order one along with a bcm bolt carrier assembly

 

[RockyMtnTactical]

If you get a 16", go mid-length. If you get a 14.5", go carbine length.

 

[Birddog1911]

I respectfully disagree with RockyMtnTactical about the carbine length for 14.5"; there are hundreds, if not thousands, of us running 14.5" with permanenly attached brakes and midlength without any issues whatsoever. Not only that, but it makes for a very soft shooting carbine. The carbine length gas system will still be harder on the 14.5; it was originally designed for the 11.5" barrels, if memory serves me correctly.

Whatever you go with, get a midlength, and buy BCM with confidence. No, you will have no issues using a new carrier in a used receiver.

 

[Zerodefect]

BCM, and the other high end AR's, will have properly sized gas ports in the barrel regardless of which gas system you choose. Midlength or Carbine, with quality ammo they'll both function fine.

Middie 16" seems to be the sweet spot for a soft recoiling carbine. But a properly sized port on a carbine gas system will be perfectly fine, just not quite as nice.

IME:

-Carbine gas 16" has more dwell and is a hair better for weak ammo/dirt/ lefty ejection pattern. (really splitting a hair) Better have the right sized gas port though. My Colt 6920 ejects perfectly at 3 oclock. But has a slightly sharper recoil impulse than a BCM middy.



-Middy 16" is perfect and softer recoiling

-Carbine 14.5" works fine.

-Middy 14.5 is very nice. But can get a bit grumpy if your useing El Cheapo weak ammo.

-rifle gas 18", like a BCM Mk12 mod 3x SPR, is pure heaven with a medium profile stainless barrel.

 

[TonyAngel]

How many rounds do you have down the pipe of your Delton? Why are you upgrading? Are you having problems with your setup now?

I'll assume that you are running a 16" 1:9 twist non chrome lined barrel right now. There's nothing wrong with that as long as it isn't giving you problems. If you just have the upgrade bug, then do something that would be an upgrade. Just going with a different barrel because it's chrome lined isn't, in itself, and upgrade. If what I assumed above is correct, going with either 14.5 or 16" barrel with a middie gas system would be an upgrade. It will shoot more smoothly.

Depending on how worn your bolt is, you may not NEED to replace the bolt either. Replacing the carrier is a matter of personal preference. Going from a semi auto version to a full auto version isn't going to change much of anything.

Of course, if you just have the money to burn and feel like spending it, then by all means, get the new milspec BCG and barrel. I just wouldn't waste my time on getting something with a carbine gas system. It sure would suck to have spent all of that money just to have your rifle shoot the same way it did before the "upgrades."

 

[RockyMtnTactical]

I respectfully disagree with RockyMtnTactical about the carbine length for 14.5"; there are hundreds, if not thousands, of us running 14.5" with permanenly attached brakes and midlength without any issues whatsoever.

I just don't want my guns being ammo sensitive personally. The carbine gas system was made to work specifically with a 14.5" barrel and it works great IMO.

 

[HOLY DIVER]

TonyAngel: the del-ton might have 200rds through the pipe. i know there is nothing wrong with a non-chromed barrel. but i intend on going to a few carbine classes this spring and after 2200 rds i know the non-chrome barrel will be getting close to the end of its life and i've noticed the bcm gov profile mid lengths stay out of stock more than there in stock lol. iI'm going to get all the use out of the del-ton barrel before i change it over 2 the BCM and i know never mix a new barrel and an old bolt with over 2k rds through it. so i just wanna have a bcm barrel/bolt on standby so when the time comes my rifle will not be out of commission for 3 or 4 weeks

 

[Al Thompson]

after 2200 rds

IMHO, that's not even close to the end of service life, even if you burn through a couple of classes..

 

[Fmjblack]

IMHO, that's not even close to the end of service life, even if you burn through a couple of classes..

+1 my first AR had a non-chromed bore and I shot at least 7-8k rounds through it and it was still very accurate and in spec when I sold it.

 

[kwelz]

As much as I dislike Non Chrome lined barrels I have to agree that 2200 rounds is no where near EoL for a barrel.

I suggest a middy for either a 14.5 or a 16 inch barrel. No reason not to.

 

[henschman]

A chrome lined barrel is an upgrade. It makes extraction easier, since it has less friction between the chamber and the case wall. All else being equal, a CL rifle will be able to go through more rounds without cleaning without having extraction difficulties. If you like to run lacquer cased russian ammo, you should definitely go CL, as their cases are a little stickier than a brass case, especially in a hot chamber like you will have if you go to a carbine class.

A mid-length gas system is an upgrade. A BCM bolt carrier with the properly staked gas key is an upgrade. Their high pressure tested bolt is an upgrade. I think you are doing right by going with BCM critical parts, if you want a more reliable rifle. The price is not bad at all for what you get, which is top-of-the-line parts. If you sign up for their e-mail notification, you will get an e-mail as soon as the parts are back in stock and you can snap them up.

 

[TonyAngel]

HolyDiver, 2200 rounds is a weekend shoot. Your barrel isn't even close to being shot out. How long it will go, in terms of number of rounds, depends a lot on your shooting habits too. If you like doing mag dumps, this will likely reduce the life of the barrel. If you're shooting consists of aimed, deliberate shooting, it will last a lot longer.

Like I said before, changing barrels just to get chrome lining isn't going to be much of an upgrade. Personally, I think it'll be a waste of money at this point. I've run chrome lined and non chrome lined and haven't found one to be any sort of advantage over the other (except that chrome cleans easier). I very rarely clean my plinking ARs. Yes, chrome lined chambers are slicker, but if having a chrome lined chamber is going to make the difference between your rifle continuing to run or not, then there's something else wrong with your rifle. I've never seen a properly running AR stop running because it was dirty. An AR will run as long as it is properly lubed.

That stuff about steel cased ammo being "sticky" is a bunch of BS. They aren't any more sticky than brass cased ammo. The main difference is that steel cases don't expand and contract at the same rate that brass cases do. There are generally two problems associated with running steel cased ammo. The first is that it is under powered and causes short stroking. The second is that the ammo isn't under powered, but the rifle is over gassed. In this case, the extraction process starts before the case has contracted and the problem manifests itself as a stuck case. The problem isn't that the chamber is or isn't chrome lined. The problem is that the rifle is over gassed. With this second situation, I'd argue that a mid length gas system would reduce the likelihood of stuck cases, due to the lower operating pressure (assuming that you aren't using underpowered ammunition).

In short, if you really want an upgrade, go with a midlength. Changing things just to get chromelining is a waste of money and will get you no tangible benefit.

 

[HOLY DIVER]

ok you got me i'll admit it the main reason is..... i want top of the line parts in my AR but i do intend to shoot both carbine classes with the AR as is. while we are on the subject anything else on the upper i should do to compliment the barrel and new bolt carrier assembly? it will have a new bcm gas tube,low profile Yankee hill gas block and a Yankee hill rifle length free float rail (lightweight) once it is complete IMHO it will as good a quality AR as any out there

 

[Birddog1911]

I can't say for certain, but I'd be more concerned about just the bolt than I would the carrier. That is something for the future, should you desire.

 

[Carter]

Comparing my carbine length 16" and my friends midlength 16" makes me a believer in buying midlength for now on. It hardly recoils at all, and it comes right back down on target. My carbine length gas system kicks a lot harder and follow up shots take longer. From the bench I don't see it as too much of a problem, but if you're going to be using it for SD, classes, anything else I'd get the middy.

 

[HOLY DIVER]

yea i'm sold on the midlength it will be a gov profile middy

 

[HOLY DIVER]

well just took a look and bcm has there gov profile 16" midlength uppers in stock i just bought the bolt didn't get the whole assembly because i remebered i have a BCM carrier (new) stashed away. i bought it when i built my target AR and decided to use a semi carrier later on because the thing turned out heavy enough lol since i came out a was honest on why i wanted to do this i left one thing out. i'm not one of those doomsday just can't wait for the STHTF type guys....but sometimes i do worry that it might and i want an AR i can run hard and not worry about if its going to start having issues(provided i do my part and keep plenty of tetra gun grease in the correct places on the bolt carrier group) i've got a case of the stuff so i should be good 2 go lol

 

[jerkface11]

A chrome lined barrel is an upgrade. It makes extraction easier, since it has less friction between the chamber and the case wall.

You really just need a chromed chamber. The chrome bore is just to protect it from overzealous cleaning with a steel rod.