Should I drink the Nickel Boron kool aid?

ST19AG_WGreymon · Feb 21, 2014

I'm deciding on a BCG to complete a PSA upper. I've been looking around the internets and reading reviews about the NiB BCGs. All I could glean from my search was that it's easier to clean and will run a lot less "wet" than a phosphate BCG. Is it worth the cost?

Mind you it will be a range gun. I will probably never let it run "dry". I have lube in the range bag all the time. As far as cleaning time goes, how much time is saved over a NiB BCG?

ObsceneJesster · Feb 21, 2014

If you are going for a white glove cleaning then it will probably save 5-10 minutes. If you are cleaning it the way a BCG should be cleaned then it won't save you any time.

Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk

CronusTRD · Feb 21, 2014

If you have a frequent shooter, sure. If the rifle is more of a safe queen, then don't bother.

For a PSA upper, I'd stick with a standard BCG.

HumbleEinstein · Feb 21, 2014

I like it. It's easy to clean. Also, while it still needs to be oiled, it's more forgiving.

Boom Boom · Feb 21, 2014

Invest in a higher-quality, non-NiB BCG (i.e. BCM FA).

coopermania · Feb 21, 2014

Boom Boom said:
Invest in a higher-quality, non-NiB BCG (i.e. BCM FA).

Yepp,, About 8 Million M16's have been built without it. What does that tell you?.

zoostation · Feb 21, 2014

Gimmick, in my opinion. Doesn't hurt but doesn't do much either. It's much more important to get a well-made carrier with a properly staked key and shot-peened and truly MP tested bolt. I would spend a few bucks extra for the cool coloring on the NiB though.

<Certified Colt Armorer

mopar92 · Feb 21, 2014

IF you have two bolts. BOTH MP tested, shot peened, and properly staked gas keys and one is NiB. Go for the NiB. If it's between a quality standard bolt and a no name NiB bolt then go standard.
Now is NiB hype? No it's not. Running a gun I built with Pmags and Federal ammo. The NiB made it to 738 rounds without malfunction with no lube. This was after a standard bolt made it to 436 rounds. The upper was dipped in brake clean and white glove cleaned between tests.

Pretoria78 · Feb 21, 2014

I've got a Fail Zero BCG in a BCM upper. In retrospect, I could have spent the extra $100 on ammo or training. It's nice, but doesn't really offer much of an advantage for me, since I apply generous amounts of lube to my AR's.

Go with a standard BCG from a reputable manufacturer (DD, BCM, etc), lube it and drive on.

ObsceneJesster · Feb 21, 2014

Good lube is all you need.

http://www.amazon.com/Passion-Natural-Water-Based-Lubricant-Gallon/dp/B005MR3IVO

Sent with a Gen 2 Nexus 7

lsw · Feb 21, 2014

ObsceneJesster said:
Good lube is all you need.

http://www.amazon.com/Passion-Natural-Water-Based-Lubricant-Gallon/dp/B005MR3IVO

Sent with a Gen 2 Nexus 7

That's hilarious. Some of the "reviews" are pretty funny too.

4095fanatic · Feb 22, 2014

I got a NiB... shot 200 rounds through it with no lube, worked fine, no problems (I don't plan on doing that on a regular basis, but I wanted to see out of the box how it would do). Very easy to clean. I'll need to put more rounds downrange with it before I'd say I'd trust my life with it, but so far it's looking like it's worth spending the extra $ on.

xdwaiter · Feb 22, 2014

Yes why wouldn't you would you buy a porsh with a ls motor?

Smokey45 · Feb 23, 2014

Direct impingement is going the way of the dinosaur, as evident by the Army adopting the 416, the Marine Corp adopting the M27. There is a reason everyone who built their own weapon didn't copy the DI system. That being said countless numbers of manufacturers are incorporating either Nickel Boron of TiN, either one just makes the gun last longer with less work. If I could have spared the extra $120 I would have just gone gas piston.

Jimbob2.0 · Feb 23, 2014

Smokey45 said:
Direct impingement is going the way of the dinosaur, as evident by the Army adopting the 416, the Marine Corp adopting the M27. There is a reason everyone who built their own weapon didn't copy the DI system. That being said countless numbers of manufacturers are incorporating either Nickel Boron of TiN, either one just makes the gun last longer with less work. If I could have spared the extra $120 I would have just gone gas piston.

Thats actually a shame. I started as a piston fan and have drifted to a DI fan after shooting a lot of guns in different platforms. With a VERY small amount of maintenance (cleaning and dipping your finger in motor oil) DI is an awesome platform.

As for NiBo, if I was building a gun to go to the Sahara and fight for 10 years without lube sure. Have I bought some NiBo parts for the cool factor, sure. Is it needed or worth significant extra money. Not really.

MedievalEngineer · Feb 23, 2014

ObsceneJesster said:
Good lube is all you need.

http://www.amazon.com/Passion-Natural-Water-Based-Lubricant-Gallon/dp/B005MR3IVO

Sent with a Gen 2 Nexus 7

That is too funny. At first I thought it was a joke but it appears to be available from 14 different sellers. Freight is a bit high, seems like something that would be better to get locally; perhaps Tractor Supply?

Boom Boom · Feb 23, 2014

MedievalEngineer said:
That is too funny. At first I thought it was a joke but it appears to be available from 14 different sellers. Freight is a bit high, seems like something that would be better to get locally; perhaps Tractor Supply?

Shown at the same Amazon link:
http://www.amazon.com/2x3-Giant-Val...sbs_hpc_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=0VAG9Z4JEQ91B08GS98G

BradMacc82 · Feb 23, 2014

Smokey45 said:
Direct impingement is going the way of the dinosaur, as evident by the Army adopting the 416, the Marine Corp adopting the M27. There is a reason everyone who built their own weapon didn't copy the DI system. That being said countless numbers of manufacturers are incorporating either Nickel Boron of TiN, either one just makes the gun last longer with less work. If I could have spared the extra $120 I would have just gone gas piston.

Care to cite some credible sources for that, preferably not an article that's over 4 years old as well.

coopermania · Feb 24, 2014

BradMacc82 said:
Care to cite some credible sources for that, preferably not an article that's over 4 years old as well.

This article was in the Marine Corps Times in june of 2011

http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20110629/NEWS/106290315/Marines-swap-firepower-accuracy-IAR

amoebicmagician · Feb 24, 2014

meh, it's better to have it than not to. Is it worth it?

that is for you to decide.

You DO still need to lube it, but maybe a little less. The metal feels like steel that has been conditioned with PTFE or Ballistol, and there is a reason for that- they almost always use PTFE in the electroless nickel application juice so it's plated right into the metal. It's easy to clean, about as easy as Hard Chrome in my experience, maybe very slightly easier than Nitrided BCGs.

Frankly, I would go with the latter. After not being impressed by my NiB BCGs I tried the Nitrided ones. AIM surplus has one that's fantastic, the things just don't seem to wear. They are nearly as slick as the NiB with a slight tendency to feel a little bit more 'squeaky'. A little bit of lube goes a LONG way on these, and as I've stated the only place I've seen any wear is a tiny bit where it interfaces with the hammer and one side of the camming surface that interfaces with the bolt retaining pin, and this is not metal that is in the white, but just ever so slightly lighter in color than the lustrous black of the rest of the Bolt and BCG.

Should I drink the Nickel Boron kool aid?

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