Bought a BCM cosmetic blem 16" Socom URG a few days ago for my KISS carbine build. Planning on sending the barrel to Adco and having it cut to 14.5" and having an extended A2 flash hider pinned/welded. Having some trouble deciding which carrier to go with for this build. I’ve done a lot of reading and am leaning towards running the LMT e-carrier with a BCM bolt for my setup. Plan to run a Sprinco Blue/H2 combo. This will be my beater/trainer AR, and it will see a steady diet of Wolf. I’ll run some XM193/855 through on occasion, but 90% of the ammo will be .223 steel case. Do you think the e-carrier would bleed off too much gas and cause reliability issues with running Wolf?
I’d go standard carrier all the way. If it were a 14.5 middy, I’d be exploring the E carrier. But from what I’ve read, and felt when trying the E carrier… it allows a gun to run a heavier buffer… it recoils a touch harder.
I could be wrong on this… but I have a 14.5 BCM carbine, and it’s got enough of that carbine buck as it is.
I thought that the e-carrier could cause potential issues in the 14.5 middy’s because it may bleed off too much gas? Reason I’m interested in the e-carrier is to bleed off more gas to get rid of some of the carbine “buck” or “thump” and get it closer to my 16" DD middy (Sprinco Blue/H2 in my DD) in feel. I know it won’t feel the same as my middy, but I’d like to get it close without going to the A5 system.
*I am curious, but this also never seemed like a good idea to me, even if cool in theory. Taking a budget/blem build, spending a decent bit of money for very minimal change (a half inch?), and voiding any warranty which is one of the main reasons to buy from a reputable company. And are they also tinkering with the gas ports?
Id want to know how much difference in the end it would be to just buy it the way you want it
Well, the E-carrier could lend itself to a higher felt recoil pulse because it would allow more energy to be used to push the carrier back as it delays unlocking. I’d imagine that waiting for case obturation to subside more fully than a std carrier means that more energy will be put into the carrier as it retracts rearward.
An E-carrier running an H2 or H3 buffer in a 14.5" carbine would be smoother (and more reliable) than using the same buffer with a std carrier.
Mark, your experience of more recoil seems to reinforce the theory that an E-carrier actually does allow one to run heavier buffers…especially the A5H3 and A5H4.
I think I’m gonna run the e-carrier and a BCM bolt. I’ll try this combo in the 14.5" upper on my DD lower (Sprinco Blue/H2) with Wolf and see how it runs before deciding which buffer/spring combo to go with for the 14.5" gun.
Maybe this weekend I’ll get Pappabear’s E carrier out and do 10 rounds, quick bolt groups swap, and 10 rounds more to see if one carrier is more thrilling than the other.
I would really recommend the A5 or rifle type buffer system before installing the e carrier. The e carrier tends to over speed and needs some added mass to slow it down.
I’m specifically interested in Mark’s 11.5 which, IIRC, he tuned down significantly. I’m curious about what difference it introduces, positive or otherwise, and possible adjustments thereafter to make it run optimally.
No, I remember is being discussed that other thread. I’m seeing this as an opportunity to test it with the gas system being the only variable, and one that’s adjustable at that. It’ll be interesting to see how far it can be pushed.
Dd you try turning the block down to see where it would go? This is what I’m most curious about, specifically, how far down while maintaining reliability which the e-carrier appears to inherently increase. When you mentioned the slight increase in recoil, i remembered Grant’s SBR and began to think about the possibility of it going the other way as gas is tuned down.
