Spikes Tactical Chrome Bolt??

[ArmedCorgi]

Am I losing my mind here? Back in 2011 I ordered a Spikes Tactical chrome bolt from Valhalla Tactical Supply. This was before the whole Nickle Boron craze. Spikes Tactical offered a complete BCG in Chrome as well as the carrier or bolt separately. Why is it that I can now hardly find any reference to this? It's almost as if this product never existed. WTF? I can give you an invoice and take pictures of my Spikes Tactical Chrome bolt, but search the internet for it and not much, if anything comes up. In fact there are more hits for their NiB BCG's when searching for chrome. This isn't meant to be a thread comparing the two. I just find it weird that the internet is almost scrubbed of any reference to the product. A product I know to have existed.

 

[Podmonkey]

After 15 minutes of my own browsing I would theorize that Spikes discontinued the Chromed BCG in favor of the nickel boron one.
In fact I haven't been able to find the PSA chrome BCG either which likewise seems to have been replaced by nickel boron.
If you don't like nickel boron chromed BCGs are available from Daniel Defense but at a premium and with intermittent availability. I found one on Brownells for a bit less and Scionics offers an NP3 coated BCG also. NP3 is just a nickle plating with teflon mixed in.

Complete Bolt Carrier Group, Chrome Plated(5.56mm)

https://www.brownells.com/rifle-par...-bolt-carrier-group-chrome-mp-prod109980.aspx

Bolt Carrier Group- NP3 Coated Carrier, Bolt and Cam Pin - SIONICS Weapon Systems

As you can see they are all rather expensive. But you can spend more than that yet.

 

[Calculon]

What’s the advantage of chrome over NiB?

 

[togmaster]

Nickle carrier and chrome bolt from POF. They make solid stuff.


ULTIMATE BOLT CARRIER GROUP – Patriot Ordnance Factory

 

[ArmedCorgi]

After 15 minutes of my own browsing I would theorize that Spikes discontinued the Chromed BCG in favor of the nickel boron one.
In fact I haven't been able to find the PSA chrome BCG either which likewise seems to have been replaced by nickel boron.
If you don't like nickel boron chromed BCGs are available from Daniel Defense but at a premium and with intermittent availability. I found one on Brownells for a bit less and Scionics offers an NP3 coated BCG also. NP3 is just a nickle plating with teflon mixed in.

Complete Bolt Carrier Group, Chrome Plated(5.56mm)

https://www.brownells.com/rifle-par...-bolt-carrier-group-chrome-mp-prod109980.aspx

Bolt Carrier Group- NP3 Coated Carrier, Bolt and Cam Pin - SIONICS Weapon Systems

As you can see they are all rather expensive. But you can spend more than that yet.

I had gathered that Spikes discontinued the chrome BCG in favor of the NiB. I don't understand why though. I have the Spikes NiB BCG and I find that it sticks after a range session (yes it's lubed). I also just find it weird that there is little reference to the Spikes chrome BCG. Maybe I'm just not doing a good job of searching.

 

[Marine Cpl]

Just out of curiosity or perhaps ignorance, but what do these fancy bolt carrier groups have over standard ones that have proven themselves in combat?

 

[Podmonkey]

What’s the advantage of chrome over NiB?

Supposedly over time the nickel boron finish becomes increasingly fouled with carbon, cannot be fully cleaned and eventually loses it lubricity.

Just out of curiosity or perhaps ignorance, but what do these fancy bolt carrier groups have over standard ones that have proven themselves in combat?

Easier cleanup, bling. That's about it.
I have the Scionics NP3 one. Cleans up shiny with an oil rag, no scraping necessary, just a quick wipe down.

 

[ArmedCorgi]

After 15 minutes of my own browsing I would theorize that Spikes discontinued the Chromed BCG in favor of the nickel boron one.
In fact I haven't been able to find the PSA chrome BCG either which likewise seems to have been replaced by nickel boron.
If you don't like nickel boron chromed BCGs are available from Daniel Defense but at a premium and with intermittent availability. I found one on Brownells for a bit less and Scionics offers an NP3 coated BCG also. NP3 is just a nickle plating with teflon mixed in.

Complete Bolt Carrier Group, Chrome Plated(5.56mm)

https://www.brownells.com/rifle-par...-bolt-carrier-group-chrome-mp-prod109980.aspx

Bolt Carrier Group- NP3 Coated Carrier, Bolt and Cam Pin - SIONICS Weapon Systems

As you can see they are all rather expensive. But you can spend more than that yet.

I bought the Brownells BCG you listed and the first one that arrived had to have been a return because not only was the chrome not in places it should have been but there was sand all inside the bolt. I sent it back for another and the one they sent back to me was much better. All the surfaces that weren't chromed on the first one, were covered on this one and there was no sand. I ended up putting that BCG in an upper I put on the AR I traded for my PCC.

 

[ArmedCorgi]

I have the Scionics NP3 one. Cleans up shiny with an oil rag, no scraping necessary, just a quick wipe down.

How do you like that one?

 

[GOYABEAN]

Am I losing my mind here? Back in 2011 I ordered a Spikes Tactical chrome bolt from Valhalla Tactical Supply. This was before the whole Nickle Boron craze. Spikes Tactical offered a complete BCG in Chrome as well as the carrier or bolt separately. Why is it that I can now hardly find any reference to this? It's almost as if this product never existed. WTF? I can give you an invoice and take pictures of my Spikes Tactical Chrome bolt, but search the internet for it and not much, if anything comes up. In fact there are more hits for their NiB BCG's when searching for chrome. This isn't meant to be a thread comparing the two. I just find it weird that the internet is almost scrubbed of any reference to the product. A product I know to have existed.

The internet controls the narrative and content it's the new all mighty

 

[Podmonkey]

I bought the Brownells BCG you listed and the first one that arrived had to have been a return because not only was the chrome not in places it should have been but there was sand all inside the bolt. I sent it back for another and the one they sent back to me was much better. All the surfaces that weren't chromed on the first one, were covered on this one and there was no sand. I ended up putting that BCG in an upper I put on the AR I traded for my PCC.

How do you like that one?

It's fine. Easy to clean. Shiny. Other than the finish its strictly milspec.

 

[Acer-m14]

just get a bolt and a bottle of this i used to have a can of powder moly .. mixed it with a light oil

Dow Corning's Molykote Z Powder from SkyGeek is a solid lubricant that can be used throughout your aircraft. The lubricant is composed of molybdenum disulphide (MoS2), which is a powder at room temperature. It has a variety of applications including acting as a dry burnished (rubbed-on) lubricating film for metallic contacts or it can be used as a run-in aid. It can even be used in press-fittings, in heavy loads and slow speeds applications and also in extreme environments (e.g. dusty atmospheres and temperature extremes). Moreover, Z Powder can act as a solid lubricant additive for self-lubricating plastics and sinter metal parts, in metalworking compounds and in brake lining applications.

Dow Corning Molykote® Z Powder Gray Solid Lubricant - 283 Gram Bottle

 

[ArmedCorgi]

So, what the heck. I bought the POF chrome bolt (just the bolt, not the full BCG) BOLT ASSEMBLY – Patriot Ordnance Factory. I figure I'll mate it up with my Spikes NiB carrier. I just finished free floating my S&W M&P15 upper, which was a bear with it's GI front sight post. It was obvious which way the pins needed to be driven out, but man they were in there.

 

[ArmedCorgi]

AAAANND I just now realized that bolt is for piston rifles! WTF! Fucking A that is disappointing. Hope they do returns.

 

[togmaster]

AAAANND I just now realized that bolt is for piston rifles! WTF! Fucking A that is disappointing. Hope they do returns.

The one linked in my post above is DI. I'm sure they will accept a return but if they don't I'll give you half of what you paid.

 

[ArmedCorgi]

The one linked in my post above is DI. I'm sure they will accept a return but if they don't I'll give you half of what you paid.

Ha! It's odd that they have a DI BCG with a NiB carrier and a Chrome bolt, but they don't sell the parts separately. Or that they have piston rifle BCGs and they sell this piston rifle bolt, but not DI bolts.
Idk, I'm kicking myself for just assuming and not scrolling down the page further and reading the actual discription. Looking at the photo initially with the angle the photo is taken at, it looks like a DI bolt, but when you compare it to a picture of an actual DI bolt you can see the difference.

 

[Podmonkey]

If you are willing to spend POF money just get the Scionics one! I have many thousands of rounds on mine, no problems. Individually MP and HP tested.

 

[Twogunwilly]

AAAANND I just now realized that bolt is for piston rifles! WTF! Fucking A that is disappointing. Hope they do returns.

Sounds like a part for a new project!

 

[ArmedCorgi]

So the bolt arrived yesterday but I didn't get a chance to open the mailer till just now. I don't know what happened (I feel like it was a clitch in the matrix) but the item I bought from POF was the same sku number as the one I linked to that says further down in it's description that it is for piston rifles. However, I open the package and wouldn't you know it....it's a bolt for DI guns!! Hot damn! Just what I wanted and thought I ordered in the first place! Made my day. It's so weird though, lol.

 

[Podmonkey]

What ams yous putting it ins?

 

[ArmedCorgi]

What ams yous putting it ins?

I'm going to mate it up with my NiB carrier.

 

[Podmonkey]

I'm going to mate it up with my NiB carrier.

Can't you take a hint and give me the gun porn I am after?

 

[ArmedCorgi]

Can't you take a hint and give me the gun porn I am after?

It's nothing you haven't seen before. I have just free floated the upper from my S&W M&P15. That upper has the Spikes NiB BCG and I jave had issues with the bolt sticking after use. So I want to use a chrome bolt with that NiB carrier.
The picture below isn't the upper but it looks exactly like it. I used the same handguard, that is the optic I have on it now (Vortex Strikefire II),
The barrel is the early Sport barrel with the 1/8 5R rifling Melonited. The upper(not pictured) also has a MI rear BUS with Tritium dots on either sid of the ghost ring. I have a tritium front site post I have to remove from the oem site base.


This past Saturday I took the upper to the range for testing and had what started out like magazine issues that turned out to really be gas block issues. It started to not strip a new round which I though had to do with my mag, but it started doing it with all of my mags. Turns out my gas block was walking towards the muzzle and as it did so, the gun began to short stroke until it became a bolt action and had to be manually cycled, lol.

 

[Podmonkey]

This past Saturday I took the upper to the range for testing and had what started out like magazine issues that turned out to really be gas block issues. It started to not strip a new round which I though had to do with my mag, but it started doing it with all of my mags. Turns out my gas block was walking towards the muzzle and as it did so, the gun began to short stroke until it became a bolt action and had to be manually cycled, lol.

That is exactly why I require a pinned gas block. A set screw in a dimpled barrel is supposed to work also.

 

[ArmedCorgi]

That is exactly why I require a pinned gas block. A set screw in a dimpled barrel is supposed to work also.

I have half a mind to saw off the sight tower of the original front sight base and put it back on. Just not sure if I could get away with using a hack saw or if I'd need a band saw or angle grinder. I thought about putting dimples into the barrel, but I don't have a drillpress and I don't think I'd feel comfortable drilling into the barrel.

 

[Podmonkey]

I have half a mind to saw off the site tower of the original front site post and put it back on. Just not sure if I could get away with using a hack saw or if I'd need a band saw or angle grinder. I thought about putting dimples into the barrel, but I don't have a drillpress and I don't think I'd feel comfortable drilling into the barrel.

I am not comfortable with that procedure either.
But companies like Faxon offer a pre fit and pinned gasblock. That's the route I'm going when I get around to my lightweight build............ someday.

 

[ArmedCorgi]

So I went for it @Podmonkey . I used a hacksaw and a dremel and then used Oxfoblue on the oem front sight base. It fits perfectly and while not the prettiest gas block, it's secure and fits with my slender handguard. I'll have to function check it asap, but I don't foresee any problems.

 

[Podmonkey]

Very nice indeed. Looks clean to me and the has block is hidden besides. Also with 2 pins that block is going nowhere. Nice job!

 

[Acer-m14]

that's a crappy chrome job .. where is the mirror shine .. WTH ..










LOL ..

 

[ArmedCorgi]

So, forgive the thread revival, but there is something that bothers me a little regarding the POF chrome bolt I purchased. Granted, I haven't used it yet and looking at the bolt you can tell it is quality. The finish and machining are top notch. I'm in no way dissapointed with the bolt. What bothers me, is that there is virtually no specs on this bolt. The bolt isn't marked. Their website doesn't even list the DI bolt, they only have the piston version listed and there are no specs listed for that one either...

So I decided (a year later I know) to reach out to POF and ask them if the bolt is MPI and HPT along with other specs. I did the online chat and have the transcript of the discussion. Long story but the short is that I didn't get a direct answer to a very simple and direct question. What I mostly got seemed defensive in its tone and content. The rep simply bombarded me with how there bolts have withstood many a torture test and have better than milspec specs(only wouldn't say what those are) and better materials, the proof is in the pudding and yes they are batch tested we can't test each one individually, yada yada yada.... In a way it reminds me of my experience with Foxtrot Mike. Lots of talk about nothing that would help me.

I don't have any experience with this company other than buying the bolt, but I know they have a good rep. Just don't really understand why the talk around to a simple question. I don't know. Anyone else have experience with them or have an opinion to what I described?