Titanium BCGs

[ethib]

What are the negatives to titanium bcgs? I started seeing them pop up from a few manufactures and it seems the low mass and quality makes them top notch, and a price tag that agrees. There have to be disadvantages other than price right?

[meeestirg]

i believe what you are seeing are titanium coated bcg's

[ethib]

No. 100% titanium BCGs. Here's one of a few I have seen. http://www.stcroixtactical.com/colle...group-ar15-m16
There is suppose to be a few advantages, but the big thing is weight. Titanium is very lightweight and apparently smooths and reduced cycling which was drawing in 3gun competitors.
Looking for more info as I like seeing new tech, but I have not found out much about negatives outside of price

[09rubicon]

Titanium can be brittle if not treated perfectly. I can't speak for the whole BCG, but I have had and seen plenty of Ti firing pins break. Another down side is at such a low mass it may cause the BCG to cycle to quickly if you don't adjust the gas as well.

[Press Check]

I have about 1,200 rounds on a Boomfab bolt carrier group, and so far, I have not been successful in deliberate attempts to induce a failure or stoppage.

For the first 800 rounds, I used a standard gas block, in addition to both carbine and mid-length gas systems, and both carbine and H buffer systems, with the latter of the two being counterproductive to low reciprocating mass systems.

At 800 rounds, I started using an SLR Rifleworks adjustable gas system, but the common misconception is that you have to use an adjustable gas system when you do not. I switched to simply further flatten the shooting, but in switching to a 1oz buffer, I turned the gas down to reduce impact wear to the hammer cocking ramp.

Since I load my own ammunition, I have no experience with different loads, but the only mechanical aspect I have not experimented with are springs, but already know if I switched to a softer spring, I would expect to start having problems stripping rounds from the magazine.

[crazyalskn]

For that price, I'd just buy 3x NiBX bcg's n be set for life...that's .308 BCG pricing! Lol

[BigPimping]

Milspec is fine. That seems a bit Mall Ninja.

[MXRider]

What are you planning on putting it in is the real question. Unless you're building a race gun and will be tuning the gas system and reloading to suit it's a waste. If you're just wanting a nice range / hard use rifle with off the shelf ammo stick with a standard M16 BCG.

But if you are building a 3 gun setup or something I guess it could be worth it. Though for that kind of money I think you might be better served by one of the JP low mass setups. A lot of guys are running those with good results.

[ethib]

Right now I'm not building another rifle. I'm seeing new technology pop up, with at least 3 companies having this, including Spikes although not sure if its out yet. Everything I read is about the positives which seem great, but it's out of budget right now. I want to know more though. Rarely is something only upsides and no downsides. If its as good as the reports, maybe its worth changing too. Or maybe its a lot of marketing. Ideally I want a rifle that never fail, never needs cleaning, shots straight every time with no kick. But until this ray gun shows up on the market I'll do what I can to improve what I have as both a defense weapon, range toy, and fun hobby to tinker with.
And thank you those with actual experience giving your thoughts.

[Jimi Jah]

A solution looking for a problem? Lightweight BCG's are available.

[pklin1297]

I have their Titanium BCG with the phosphate gas key and bolt but having just finished the rifle and with the holiday festivities I have not gotten around to shooting it... Once I do I'll report back...

I actually left a review on their website, asking for this BCG to have NiB gas key and bolt and lone and behold, they listened and came out with one...

For me, this is a 3 gun rifle with adjustable gas block (at rifle length) and lightweight buffer, and I will be reloading to suit. I have another rifle with your typical M16 BCG with H1 buffer, regular gas block (at midlength) and regular spring which I will use for comparison. Should be fun.

[Merc1138]

A solution looking for a problem? Lightweight BCG's are available.

The point is to have even less weight, it's hardly a "solution looking for a problem". The "problem" is how to make the BCG even lighter.

A JP low mass carrier weighs 6.25 oz.
The boomfab carrier with key weighs 4.4 oz.

Combine that with a lightweight buffer, an appropriate spring, and some gas block tuning, and you can end up with far less reciprocating mass than a "standard" build. Yes that boomfab carrier also runs $480, but if you want the lightest, you have to pay to play.

[ethib]

I have their Titanium BCG with the phosphate gas key and bolt but having just finished the rifle and with the holiday festivities I have not gotten around to shooting it... Once I do I'll report back...

Definitely take it out shooting and do a write up.

I guess this goes with all low mass bcgs. Anyone read any good reports on reliability of the lower mass? I read a lot of conjectures. 3gunners are using them, but for comps you're cleaning and maintaining it well. What seemed like opinion reports said that the low mass carriers like these will have issues running dirty and you need full mass carriers to push powder particles...but then other reports said no the lighter carriers will move faster which pushes particles.
Maybe I need to get back to reading books but this has me interested right now.

[Press Check]

A solution looking for a problem? Lightweight BCG's are available.

With that mindset, you can add mid-length gas systems, lighter barrel profiles, self-contained trigger systems, and the list goes on.

Easily and arguably, the most reliable AR configuration is a 20" barrel, rifle-length gas system, rifle-length spring, etcetera. In short, the M16 platform, so anything beyond that would constitute a solution in search of a problem.

Competitively or defensively, the goal in a low mass system is to reduce, or completely eliminate disruption of the sight picture, not reduce the weight of the rifle, which is a common misconception, and seems to be the draw for most end-users.

The only time you will have a reliability issue is when you tune the gas system for a very specific load, then attempt to shoot a broader range of ammunition. Meaning, you shut off the gas, shoot, then increase the gas until the bolt locks on empty, and do not tune further, essentially forcing the rifle to operate within a very narrow margin.

Personally, I increase the gas about 3-4 more clicks beyond the initial lock on empty, which is accommodating of a much broader range of ammunition, as is any over-gassed system.

[pklin1297]

Definitely take it out shooting and do a write up.

I guess this goes with all low mass bcgs. Anyone read any good reports on reliability of the lower mass? I read a lot of conjectures. 3gunners are using them, but for comps you're cleaning and maintaining it well. What seemed like opinion reports said that the low mass carriers like these will have issues running dirty and you need full mass carriers to push powder particles...but then other reports said no the lighter carriers will move faster which pushes particles.
Maybe I need to get back to reading books but this has me interested right now.

Sign up for Brian Enos' forum and start reading. Low mass BCGs are a stable and one of the first things to upgrade for those run and gun guys, and you'd be surprise how often some of those rifles get cleaned sometimes... Most malfunctions still come from ammo-related issues, but I see more shooters worry about their shotguns more than their rifles.

A large percentage of shooters on Calguns aren't building ARs for shooting sports and this is why you get the occasional comments like "you're only using [insert part name] in this AR for bragging rights..." or "why not stick with mil-spec parts?" By the way, there are many parts out there that are not the original "mil-spec" these days.

I like to use "good" parts. Once I use a part and find that it does what I want reliably, I continue to use it. I do venture out and buy these "bragging rights" parts, but when they don't play well with my other "proven" parts, I won't hesitate to return it (that's why I like shopping with Brownells). I always do my fair share of research but at the end you just gotta say screw it and buy it to try. I've been burned before by the "consensus" and I've also proven the "consensus" wrong sometimes...

For what is worth, over at BENOS forum, the prevalent set is adjustable gas block, JP low mass bcg, low mass buffer, and enhanced buffer spring/JP silent captured spring system. While some are starting to venture into titanium bcgs, the tried and true is still with JP low mass bcg.

Have fun reading.