Aero BCG - phosphate/black nitride/nickel boron

[BLQQD]

Does it make a difference? Worth an extra $50 for the nickel boron?\

Or is it just swag?

[Usmc0844spare]

Does it make a difference? Worth an extra $50 for the nickel boron?\

Or is it just swag?

I've only ever used the standard phosphate or a nitride version. The nitrides DO clean up easier. If NB cleans up THAT MUCH easier than nitride, I have no idea, and no desire to experiment. Cleaning BCGs is not that hard as long as you do it semi-regular.

Don't have any feedback over NB "lubricity" or anything like that. I'd look around and see if there are still issues with NB "flaking off" as I thought I read some complaints about.

My .02 is "nitride is spiffy enough for me".

[instaramen]

Phosphate is your typical mil spec coating, not as easy to clean as nitride or NB, but holds onto lube a bit better because of how porous the coating is. Nitride and NB are better, but can't go wrong with phosphate.

Nitride is a chemical surface treatment that makes the BCG very harden and resistant to corrosion and wear, easy to clean.

Nickel boron is an applied coating to the BCG, makes it very hard and resistant to corrosion and wear, also very easy to clean, however repeated use will discolor the coating. Poor quality NB BCGs have been known to chip off the coating.

I like to use nitride BCGs myself, but it is a personal preference.

[WHH]

Take a look at Toolcraft and potentially save some money. I’m pretty sure they make Aero’s BCGs. (And don’t forget about DLC as an option.)

[golfish]

Take a look at Toolcraft and potentially save some money.

I think Toolcraft makes PSA BCG. I have a TC BCG in my AR10 clones with PSA Gen 1 lower. All my other BCGs are PSA premium BCG.

IME, The mil-spec Toolcraft, PSA BCGs are as good as it gets for..$70.00 right now.

https://palmettostatearmory.com/palmetto-state-armory-5-56-premium-full-auto-bolt-carrier-group-8779.html

[k1dude]

I choose Nitride these days. Phosphate takes too long to break-in nice and slick, and is harder to clean. NiBor discolors, potentially flakes, and is dimensionally finicky due to the plating thickness.

[vino68]

I recommend you educate yourself on the process of each option and how they relate to your use case. I switched from phosphate to nitride and find it easier to clean.

[Jimi Jah]

Nitride is a harder surface with less wear. I's also slick. Park wears off quickly and then you loose it's benefit for holding a lube.

[kcheung2]

I originally had phosphate, then went to NiB, now I go back between nitride & phosphate, whichever is cheaper. As others pointed out, Toolcraft bcg's are about $70 in either nitride or phosphate so there's no need to look further.

Nickel boron is "smoother" but in reality the rails of any bcg are pretty smooth regardless of the process, and the rest of the carrier doesn't contact anything so that extra smoothness is moot. They also start getting that burnished, burnt look pretty quickly so if you want NiB for the bling, enjoy that pre-100 rounds look. Also, it's a coating so stick with a quality mfg otherwise it can start to flake off.

Phosphate is old fashioned but in reality it works fine. It's similar to a cast iron skillet in that there are microscopic holes in the metal which hold onto the oil. As it heats, the pores open up and the oil moves around, when it cools the pores contract & the oil is locked up. It doesn't wear off (how do holes "wear off"?) and even though it may feel dry when cold, as it warms it will start lubricating. Just like a cast iron skillet, it's best to not wash it in soap or ultrasonic cleaner, but rather just wipe it down. Seasoning is also the same concept, in the middle of your range trip as it gets hot, pour a few drops of oil on it. Or don't. It's really quite forgiving.

Nitriding, like phospate, is a treatment of the surface of the metal. Also like phosphate, what appears to be wear is actually not. The rails on nitrided bcgs will occasionally start to show the white metal underneath, that's not the nitriding wearing off. It's the coloration wearing off because nitriding does not change the color of the (original white) metal. However if a nitride bcg is dry, it really is dry. The only thing it has at that point is that the dry surface is pretty smooth.

On all 3 types, I've found cleaning to be the same: Wipe down with cloth. Maybe a qtip on the small areas. Don't overthink it. As long as it's from a reputable mfg, I just buy the bcg that's on sale. Or rather, I used to, since the reality is that I've never had one fail on me so I have plenty of spares now.