I’m doing a budget pistol build and was on the hunt for a good BCG. I have several BCM’s and a Novekse but just saw this one pop up on PSA for $60? Looks like it’s made from the right stuff and has tons of good reviews. I’m pairing it up with a Aero Precision 10.5 upper.
They are gtg.
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All the specs check out, and there are certainly lots of reviews to back it up, even though many of those probably hadn’t even used the thing at time of posting. Buying a PSA product is always a slight gamble, but if it’s not your primary or backup gun, I think it’s probably worth it. I’ve been considering that deal for a while, I just know that I’m a brand snob and wouldn’t want to use it in anything other than a budget snob which I only have one of.
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I just bought one of those for a rifle build.
Carpenter 158 bolt, MPI, as said above, it specs out. Got an O-ring on the extractor spring too. Gas rings are tight, carrier key screws properly staked, all looks good.
Seems like decent quality, everything checks out. Will know when the barrel and rail arrive for final assembly.
99% sure these are toolcraft which is good stuff. PSA won’t confirm but Toolcraft posted on Facebook about a PSA BCG sale before. Only makes sense it’s theirs.
Even if not they seem to be good quality. PSA has a ton of complete uppers and bcg’s out in the wild and I have not heard much bad
They look good on paper but myself and another shooter local to me have both ran them hard and gas rings wore out under 1k rounds. As in, two of the three rings completely disintegrated around the 750 mark. I never got a chance to closely inspect it after discovery, ex-wife has it for now. Buy with caution, and be sure to keep either a set of known quality gas rings, extractor, etc on standby, or at least a MacFarland ring if the PSA fails. When mine gave out it ruined a range day, no big deal, but all of my serious-use guns have Sionics and Colt bolts.
If that’s the worst part of it, that’s pretty good. My first Noveske several years ago had the same thing but I think it was a little over 1k which still seemed way too early. They’re so small and cheap that there’s no reason not to have spares on hand (I didn’t initially, so it was a good lesson I guess).
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PSA BCG’s are very good quality and great price.
Side note, they have FN CHF barreled 10.5" uppers now for $370. https://palmettostatearmory.com/psa-10-5-hammer-forged-ar15-upper.html
Ineed, if premature gas ring wear is an issue, that’s an incredibly cheap and easy fix. I have an extra set, and a spare bolt on hand. Just replaced the rings on the aging bolt on my primary, surplus ammo and arms, local to me, always has them in stock.
Yeah I have a couple of BCM sopmod bolt upgrade / refresh kits in my spares already. I might just pull the trigger to have it as a spare.
The PSA checks the specs boxes on paper, but due to experience, I dont trust assembly out of the box.
Verify function before trusting it (a rule I apply to everything, but PSA stuff gets more attention) and you should be good. If you inspect your gear routinely (assuming you know what to look for), it should serve you well.
I had the exact experience with a PSA Premium BCG as Leonidas and I threw in the towel after the third set of gas rings.
They are not particularly hard or expensive to replace, but swapping them out after every second or third range trip was ridiculous.
Andy
Excessive gas ring wear can be the result of a rough bolt carrier bore.
This has been just my experience with this particular Premium BCG.
OP:
While I don’t have a problem with PSA premium BCG in general - they have been 100% reliable. I have to say that out of 4 I purchased (2 with logo, and 2 without) I had to send back two (one of each) for the refund due to a very rough chrome lining. One other BCG I kept I now regret and wish I would have sent it back to them as well due to a very rough exterior finish phosphating. The very first one I bought was perfect in all aspects. Their customer service was courteous and provided a free return label and promptly issued a refund in both cases.
Here are the things I’ve seen with their premium BCG which might be fine functionally, but might not be up to some people’s standards:
- occasional rough chrome lining
- rough/uneven phospating
- reports online of tool marks on carrier/bolts although I have not seen it myself
- weird chrome plating on firing pins - all of them. Seems a bit rough/pitted. Functionally works 100% fine though. Not sure if that’s how ToolCraft does it, but definitely not a Colt/BCM
- extractor pin weird shape/color on 1 of the BCGs I received - definitely not milspec - had to replace it. Not sure about function, but it bothered me.
- firing pin retainer pin - 1 of the BCGs had a slightly longer than milspec and weird shape - very sharp and pointy ends. Had problems going into the carrier. Replaced it immediately.
- some O-rings over the extractor springs were of brown color not black. Does’t bother me because I run Sprinco or BCM extractor spring without an O-ring.
- I suspect one of the cam pin channels was cut incorrectly just a little bit because it was dragging and marring the cam pin noticeably even hand cycling.
Good:
Bolts were all good without issues.
Two BCGs I kept functioned fine 100%
Extractor spring seems good
Extractor looks fine and made properly, although I wish they would have listed a material spec for it
Extractor insert looked fine and mil-spec. No difference from BCM.
Ejector spring is VERY good and strong, flat ground ends (as it should be) and proper length on both BCGs I have.
Staking has been perfect on all of the BCGs.
Gas key has been torqued fine and looked fine to the untrained eye.
My take on it - make sure to inspect thoroughly and be sure you’re happy with it. Buy it for the spare and inspect it. If anything, it’s a good deal for the bolt itself. If you have a couple - I wouldn’t go crazy and buying dozens of them. If you already have a few PSA spares I would look into Centurion, BCM, Colt, and other premium brands.
They are Toolcraft. I believe they are GTG.
Roll the dice. You could get an awesome deal or you can get screwed over and have to deal with their horrible customer service. Thats just how PSA is.
I fully agree with the fact that it WOULD be a pain having to replace them that often.
Does the collective here know of a good way to hone or polish the bore in a carrier if one were to experience this?
When I get home I’m gonna have to compare the new PSA unit to a known good one, for smoothness of that surface.
I’m no expert, but just reading the posts in this thread there is enough doubt that I’d go with a known quality brand.
I think I got my answer. Most of my bolts are BCM and I’ve never had an issue, going that way again.
Thanks to all that chimed in.