I have a new BCG, NiB plated, that leaked from the key at first use. The first round ejected at 3PM, but the bolt did not catch (empty mag). The next 9 rounds, same thing. My sense is that the front screw was probably not torqued sufficiently when the key was installed at the factory, or, the staking was not good enough.
So, I took it apart, intending to clean the mating surfaces, stone them flat if needed, and put it back together with fresh non-plated screws. The front screw was a bit loose, the rear screw seemed to be tight. They were both easy to remove despite the staking. Either the staking was not robust enough, or, the NiB plating made it easier to remove them.
You can see in the photos that the leak was forward, and did not migrate by the tighter rear screw.
On closer inspection with a 10X loupe, the surface of the key shows light CNC machining marks, and the granular aspect of the NiB plating. You can also see that the screw was NiB plated along with everything else.
It seems to me that the slick nature of NiB plating would make it less likely for the screws to remain in place after torquing, requiring fail-proof staking and/or thread-lock. It also seems to me that NiB plated threads, both on the screws and in the carrier, might not be the best idea.
What thinks the hive?
