Hi all! Well, I just picked up an nice used DPMS.223 upper, and got to thinking, is one BCG better than another? I don't want to buy an M16 BCG, it's just not worth the hassle. This is for a 16" barrel, I already have an H buffer and don't want to turn the upper into a jam-o-matic. I see that Bushmaster and Rock River are selling chrome plated ones (as a free upgrade) are they any better and any other coating? How about Titanium? I guess the bottom line is ...as long as it is a mil-spec BCG I should be good to go?

 

Thanks in advance.

Rich

Yes, there are some very important differences. You want a BCG that has a HPT and MPI tested bolt. HPT (high pressure testing) is basically firing a proof load (70K PSI) and MPI (magnetic particle inspection) is the subsequent check to make sure the material held up as it should. You want a BCG where the gas key has been properly staked. This prevents the screws from backing out. Loctite is NOT a substitute for staking. The gas key should be chrome lined. The choice between full and semi-auto isn't as important however the full-auto BCGs feature a fully shrouded firing pin which results in less wear. They're also a little heavier to slow down the cyclic rate however it's been my experience that a heavier buffer is more effective at reducing felt recoil than a full-auto BCG.

To add, if you really want some space-age stuff, Spikes Tactical is selling some interesting BCGs. Along with the default type, they have hard chrome and nickel boron (which utilizes the vaunted Fail Zero treatment). Far too expensive for me considering they would probably be backups ($175 and $225 respectively), though I would love to try out a BCG with the Fail Zero treatment.

 

As for staking, as it was said, its probably one of the more important things to look at when getting a BCG. Even if its not staked properly, you can do it yourself (there are plenty of do-it-your-self guides on vetted forums).