bolt carrier - opinions/experience

[therealtrikky]

Y'all are gonna be sick and tired of me by the time it's over... Hopefully I'll be able to repay the knowledge one of these days..

About to work on building another upper using an 11AA barrel w/ SLR adjustable gas block picked up from a member (thanks again by the way!). Looking like I'll be going with a geissele super 42 buffer/spring setup presently & have a Monster bolt & am going to "borrow" a bolt carrier from my ar that sits in the safe "for now"...

Here's my question...

I'll probably be running this one suppressed full time, is a low mass bolt carrier worthwhile or more of a "play pretty" with an adjustable gas block?

I'm very much a "simplicity" person but want reliability & function too... Some groups swear by the low mass stuff and say it's a must while others say it's just extra money that's not necessary...

Tired of getting "general" opinions from those running who knows what & thought I'd see what y'all have to say...

[CJW]

A5B will probably chime in on this. He is the low mass man.

[A5BLASTER]

What you have to understand is a adjustable gas block is just one part of the whole system.

By itself it does help but it's when you add the lowmass bcg and either a standard buffer and spring are go with the lowmass style buffer and spring that you really see the results that having a truly dialed in gas system can do for you.

All my ar grendels run on adjustable gas and lowmass bcg's but I still use standard carbine buffers and springs. Works really well for me.

But, BUT I don't have a can get so I can't advise how it would work with the added back pressure from the can.

Here is what I would do. Put the adjustable gas on it your going to need it with the can. Get a righttobeararms lowmass bcg, just as light weights as a JP lowmass but way way cheaper in price.

Drop a standard carbine buffer and spring in it and see how it runs. If it needs more buffer weight. You can pick up tungsten buffer weights cheap and add them to your buffer one at a time and test to see how it goes.

Going about it like that will be cheaper and you will know for sure if it works are if you need to use a full weight bcg instead of the lowmass bcg.

Hope this helps sir.

For what it's worth when I get my can. The route I described above is how I will be going. I want min weight mass being slammed around in my gun as possible.

[therealtrikky]

Y'all are really on the ball! Dang..

I haven't had any experience with the low mass versions but they sure are "popular".. My current grendel is a 12" psa upper that I run suppressed with the geissele super 42 & once dialed in it works pretty dang well..

BUT, if a low mass reduces it that much more it can't be a bad thing in my head. That being said - in my head is a flat out scary place to be and seems "crazy" to most folks! lol

[CJW]

I told you A5B was the Low Mass Man......

[therealtrikky]

I told you A5B was the Low Mass Man......

You didn't disappoint either!

[therealtrikky]

Ok A5B I don't think I like you anymore...

RTB had a great sale on the carrier & jumped on it.. BUT, they also have a KILLER sale on Aero Precision blem'd hand guards for less than anywhere I've seen so I just haaaad to order a 9 & 12" Atlas R-One while I was at it...

[A5BLASTER]

Ok A5B I don't think I like you anymore...

RTB had a great sale on the carrier & jumped on it.. BUT, they also have a KILLER sale on Aero Precision blem'd hand guards for less than anywhere I've seen so I just haaaad to order a 9 & 12" Atlas R-One while I was at it...

Hey don't blame the handguard on me lol.

[Cowdog]

I jumped on the RTB sale also and ordered another of their low mass BCG. Was able to resist the sales on the hand guards cause I just got a 15" STNGR RPTR in last week. And that BCG was the last thing I needed to assemble my 2nd Grendel. Now just need to make time to get it all together and to the range.

[therealtrikky]

OH, it's most definitely your fault A5B, hadn't heard of RTB before you which means by default you take the blame ..

I'm almost there with ya Cowdog, I "had" everything ready to go until I figured out what brand hand guard I had laying in the safe for the last 2 or so years & decided I should go with something with a slightly better "reputation". I'm way too hard on my gear to chance a cheaper handguard.

I do have some hard choices to make though.. Wait for my hang guards to arrive, finish this build & stick the incoming thermal on it as my "new primary" OR slap the thermal on my 12" psa rig and drag my feet on the current build..

[Cowdog]

I do have some hard choices to make though.. Wait for my hang guards to arrive, finish this build & stick the incoming thermal on it as my "new primary" OR slap the thermal on my 12" psa rig and drag my feet on the current build..

What Thermal are you getting?
I will have to settle on digital NV because thermal is out of my price range.
I know a guy that has a ranch west of Fort Worth that said if I had NV I could come hunt hogs at night. So I am going to sell my blackout since it hasn't been touched since I put my first grendel together about a year ago and probably get a Sightmark Wraith.

[therealtrikky]

Pulsar Thermion XP38 is what I have coming. Have an older armasight Zeus 640 presently & planning on putting it to use also once I get it repaired.

Hogs are tearing our hay fields up bad. When I did the math on loss of revenue from the hay not growing it was an easy choice. Plan is to file it as a write off for the farm for predator control. That's the main reason I waited till mid December to order. Know the write off wont happen for dang near a year but still....

[Cowdog]

That Pulsar Thermion XP38

looks like a dandy! Please give a report on it after you take it out hunting. And some video would be nice too.

[therealtrikky]

What part of the awesome state of TX are you in? If not too far, can check it out first hand perhaps if nearby.

I demoed an xp50 & as much as I wanted it, the 38 I think will fit my needs better & a lil cheaper too.

[Cowdog]

I am North of Dallas. But I would love to make a trip to the Tyler area to take a look at it when you get it running.