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SpringerFan wrote:Most AR guys will tell you that the BCG is the heart of the gun, and to cut costs elsewhere. Looks like you have narrowed it down to 3 high quality groups, any if which should make for a strong heart. Personally a fan of all things BCM.

I would add the barrel..... BCG and barrel are the heart of the gun.

Abraham wrote:Can any of you recommend a specific brand/model of the easiest to clean BCG? Assuming there is such a critter..

The BCGs I run in my Colt LE6920's (even lubing with Fire Clean) are a pain to clean.

Any brand where the BCG is Nickel-Boron or Nickel-Phosphate plated will be ridiculously easy to clean. Chrome plated BCGs also clean up easily.

My DMR has a Smith Enterprises M16 Chrome Match Bolt Carrier. To that bolt carrier, I added a Leitner-Wise upper receiver service package, which included a Nickel-Boron plated bolt, cam pin, and pre-1967 design solid firing pin retaining pin, and a firing pin. The bolt carrier cost me about $160 at the time. The Leitner-Wise kit was about $95 at the time.

The NiPh BCG I have is one that was custom-plated for me as part of an experiment that AndyC and I did with a local business that does NiPh plating of drill heads and other tooling for the petroleum industry. It was done for free.

The primary benefit to NiB or NiPh plating that I've noticed is that cleanup is easier. The parts basically just wipe clean because the fouling isn't stuck to or burned onto the part. It just wipes right off. I haven't noticed whether or not function is measurably improved, but I suspect that is because I keep my BCG' and receivers properly lubed, and I haven't yet fired enough rounds between cleanings to cause the gun to fail. So for me, the primary benefit has been ease of cleaning. That said.... I've gotten really bad lately about cleaning, and so my round count between cleanings is higher than it used to be, so maybe it means something. OTH, my non-plated BCGs are also still good to go. Who knows? One of those non-plated BCGs is in a gas-piston gun, which runs a lot cleaner anyway. Fouling inside three of my four receivers is due primarily to running suppressed. The one AR I have that is not yet set to accept a suppressor, is a standard M4 profile carbine length DI system. The BCG in that carbine is from Daniel Defense, is non-plated, and seems to work just fine.

So make of that what you will. I think that, ease of cleaning aside, the reliability benefit is probably overstated as long as you properly maintain your firearm. I also think that the reason most people pay extra for plating is because it looks cool. In other words, unless your an oper8tor, oper8ting oper8tionally all the time, it probably has exactly the same benefit/value as a FDE paint job......not that there is anything wrong with that.