I know a vendor will have things made per the specs (and $$$ paid) by the buyer. So maybe Toolcraft has different “levels” of product depending on your requirements and how much you are willing to pay. They have a cage code (or whatever) for military replacement BCG’s so they must meet specs in that “level” of product, no?
I’m curious as to exactly which part number LMT BCG you use and recommend.
I may be wrong but I think he’s referring to the standard phosphate LMT bolt, with perhaps an Enhanced carrier on occasion.
My go to for any rifle 14.5 or greater is their Full Auto standard BCG - L7D3.
For anything shorter than 14.5, I normally run the L7Q3A Full Auto Enhanced Carrier (no bolt). For the bolt- in my case when I swapped out my L7D3’s the round count was low enough I felt comfortable pulling the bolt from the L7D3 BCG and using it in the Enhanced carrier. So standard bolt with enhanced carrier. For the new builds where I’m not replacing an L7D3, I use a Sionics bolt.
Sionics sells a “bolt completion kit” that has an NP3 bolt and cam pin. Also includes a firing pin and firing pin retaining pin. Their bolt is made with Carpenter 158 steel, which is mil spec. The bolt also has improved extractor springs, so if you are a guy who upgrades the extractor springs in your bolt - that’s already done. That’s a plus.
I’ll post the links to each part, it might make it easier to check out. As a side note, while LMT usually has stock, I’ve found better deals in the FA BCG (standard) st DSG Arms and I want to say Strong Side Tactical, but may have been Tombstone Tactical… point being it won’t hurt to shop around. Just be sure your looking at the full auto version rather than semi-auto version. FA is heavier.
LMT Standard FA BCG L7D3:
https://lmtdefense.com/parts/l7d3
LMT Enhanced FA Carrier L7Q3A
https://lmtdefense.com/parts/l7q3a
Sionics Bolt Completion Kit
http://sionicsweaponsystems.com/store2015/bolt-carrier-group-components/106-bolt-carrier-group-hpmpi-tested-with-np3-carrier.html
In my opinion, the L7Q3A + Sionics Bolt Completion Kit is a winning combo and I believe there are some reliability gains with the carrier, and I believe NP3 is a superior coating than NiB.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Toolcraft bolt carriers being marked with their CAGE code doesn’t mean that every BCG is manufactured or tested to meet military specifications. It just means that Toolcraft made the bolt carrier.
I have a Toolcraft CAGE marked BCG and it is well staked, nicely finished and has functioned perfectly, but I am under no illusion that it is “Mil-Spec”.
Andy
Regarding F1 marked BCG:
I have a BCG with the carrier marked “f1” to the right of the cam hole and left of the firing pin retaining pin hole (it came with a correctly marked MPF bolt with correct copper-colored spring and black insert) that was sold to me as made by FN.
I was able to find a company called F1 that markets a “5.56 DURABOLT BLACK NITRIDE - BOLT CARRIER GROUP” http://f-1firearms.com/f-1-firearms-durabolt-black-nitride-5-56-nato-bolt-carrier-group/
I would like to see the complete BCG with their CAGE code in a package. The only ones I recall seeing were actual carrier bodies, and not bolts. If someone has some pictures of an entire BCG in the package with a CAGE on there, it would be interesting to see it.
I thought we had a thread some time ago on here about Toolcraft making them as replacements for the USMC. Was it just the carriers? I don’t recall.
I didn’t see any cage codes listed on their website.
WC Armory sells Toolcraft bcgs with a cage code 1B1B6. They do not state who the bolts come from, but the carriers are Toolcraft with their cage code engraved on the side.
I’m sure I don’t shooter nearly as many rounds through my AR’s as some of you guys do, as my focus is pistol. I do use Toolcraft C-158’s as my go to’s for most of my builds. Numerous rifles with several thousand rounds each, none with problems.
We’ve heard before that very few folks make their bolt’s in-house, instead sourcing from vendors. We’ve also heard from sources on here about different manufacturers using substandard vendors.
I’ll continue to buy Toolcraft’s until I have a bad experience or an given reliable data on specific failures.