BCG selection for HD carbine

[Door]

My apologies if this is outside of the scope of this subforum. I'm looking at putting together a carbine (primarily for home defense), and at this point unsure of what components I'll be using beyond likely a BCM upper.

I'm inclined to just use a BCM bcg by default based on what I've heard from people who seem reputable, but I'm open to other options and would certainly appreciate input. There are budget constraints but I'm happy to spend what I'd need to for components I can rely upon.

I've had someone suggest looking at a Toolcraft bcg, but I'm getting "just as good" vibes from the talk about them in the same vein as PSA- can anyone speak on this?

 

[pointblank4445]

BCM or Sionics would do just fine. I've heard similar about Toolcraft, but I'm not down with the "parts is parts"/Muh PSA is just as good as a Hodge crowd. Once in a while the blind squirrel finds a nut, but barrels and BCG's aren't the place to take chances.

 

[The Monk]

DD, BCM, Sionics, SOLGW, LMT all are good to go. As is the Toolcraft cage code (1B1B6) BCG which are the mil spec replacement BCGs.

 

[JeffM.]

DD, BCM, Sionics, SOLGW, LMT all are good to go. As is the Toolcraft cage code (1B1B6) BCG which are the mil spec replacement BCGs.

*Toolcraft does not make bolts*

Their carriers, not BCGs, are used as replacements. For commercial sales they source bolts from ????. They appear to have several options to choose from, across varying price-points, including some using 9310 steel, which many would consider a substandard bolt material. It appears that they'll make whatever flavor a customer wants, even if it doesn't follow best practices.

Ostensibly bolts sold by DD, BCM, Sionics, SOLGW, LMT, Colt, and Centurion, have all been tested, inspected, and accepted to meet the requirements of those companies, and are generally limited to C158 steel.

It comes down to trust. I trust the above list of companies to hold high standards for the bolts and other parts that will be sold by them, including appropriate material selection, certification, and end product testing, whether it's from outsourced suppliers or in-house manufacturing operations. Toolcraft, to me, is still an unknown regarding bolts. And considering the minimal cost difference regarding the entire cost of the rifle, in the grand scheme of things, there's no reason to go with an unknown.

 

[The Monk]

Correct.

Their bolts are to spec:
Bolt: 158 Carpenter Steel per Government Spec
MPI Inspected
Ejector: Machined from solid 4140 material
Extractor: Shot Peened Hardened D2 tool steel
O-Ring: Mil-Spec
Gas rings (3): Milspec
Manganese Phosphate

I have had one bolt failure in my life and it was a DD and was at 9k on the rifle (no issue in my mind). I have had two BCG failures and both were BCM. I am extremely anal with parts that I use (I am not one preaching the PSA montra) and I have no issue using the Toolcraft cage code BCG with milspec bolt. But that is a decision for each person to make.

 

[Anderhammer52]

I've tried to find reasons as to why 9310 is considered a substandard bolt material when compared to C158. I've just found people staring that it is substandard but dont really delve into the why. I've had several faxon bcgs with no issues, even a bootleg complete bcg (I'm assuming its C158 but cant find the specs on their site) which has seen a decent amount of full auto with no issues either. I trust companies like SOLGW and their opinions/reasons why they use what they use. The end question being why is 9310 substandard when compared to C158?

 

[Cerberus Training Group]

Microbest makes SOLGW BCG's