Nickle boron bolt carrier group.

[Plink50]

I was recently told that any BCG in an AR platform needs to be lubricated. I have purchased a nickel boron coated BCG for mine. Does anyone have any advice for me?

[rickyrick]

I don't think a touch of lube would hurt any ar bolt.

However, I know nothing of nickel boron

[ingEneer22]

Nickle Boron has a few advantages over a phosphate finish. One being that it is smoother and may not need as much lubrication. Also easier to clean! I would definitely still lubricate it though. And by lubrication, I do not mean an oil. Something stiffer like frog lube or similar will work great. Make sure to hit all spots were you have metal on metal contact especially the bolt itself!

[Sharkbite]

My AAC gun came with a NiB bolt carrier. I still lube the bolt as normal. A light coat of quality gun oil. Fireclean is my current fav.

The NiB coating does make cleaning easier. Esp when shooting suppressed, the bolt mostly just wipes clean

[marine6680]

I like Slip 2000... great CLP type.

But while the coating does allow the bolt to clean easier, and has less friction, It does need to be lubed at least a little in the critical areas.


I had one at one time, but it actually cause overgas issues. The lower friction actually cause the bolt to unlock faster... Needed a heavier buffer to combat the problem.

Even an H3 buffer was not enough, so I just got a standard BCG from BCM.

[btmj]

A chrome plated BCG is significantly easier to clean than a black phosphate one. I have heard that the Ni-Boron BCGs are even easier to clean than the chrome plated ones.

[Ibmikey]

I do not look at cleaning as an issue with my Ni boron or nitride bolt carrier groups, rather I am interested in performance. The coated units seem to be smoother working and coupled with a high quality receiver extension and a bit of Mobil 1 provide less friction for moving parts. I have both Ni Boron and black Nitride BCG's that have many thousands of rounds run through the rifles with zero malfunctions and little suggestion of wear. As for cleaning the Nitride carriers clean easier but both finishes still require a modicum of cleaning effort.

[Mobuck]

There's no reason not to use lube if you're not playing in a dusty/sandy location.

[Dragline45]

Nickel boron coatings have natural lubricating properties, but with that said they still need to be lubricated just like any other BCG.

[skizzums]

I want one just in hopes that the actual "bolt" would stay cleaner. I don't know if that is even the case, but I hate scraping that contour behind the face.

I couldn't see why it wouldn't need ANY lubrication, we aren't that smart yet

[Ibmikey]

If you use the rifle scraping is still a must with Ni boron. I lube everything as parts run smoother but they do get dirty with lube trapping gunk that would otherwise be welding it'self to internal parts. Firing a few hundred slow fire shots is not creating the same cleaning demands as running the rifle hard and hot which is a lot more fun.

[dean1818]

Always lube AR15 bolts..... Always

Nickle Boron
Phosphate
Unubtanium

All need lube.....

[skizzums]

was surfing the web and came across this video, made me think of this thread. I know it's just one person's rifle/bolt and may not be representative of the norm, but worth checking out
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Flju7NvWJ3c

[A pause for the COZ]

I use a Nib bolt and carrier in my 300 Black Out carbine.
I use it strictly for ease of cleaning. I shoot primarily cast bullets through mine.
Even supersonic loads generate much less pressure than jacketed loads.
I still even run them at just enough gas to operate the bolt so as to maximize accuracy.

With that I get the performance I am after but man is a carbon mess in the bolt.
Nib solves the problem, But it never ever would occur to me to not lube it.
So I cant comment on weather it would work.
I think all AR's run best when wet.

[IdahoG36]

I recently tested the "no lubrication needed" theory on my POF P308 Gen 3. POF states right in the owner's manual that due to the nickel boron finish on the bolt carrier/bolt, and NPE finish on the upper and lower receiver that the rifle can be ran with no lubrication.

I used a spray cleaner to strip any and all lubrication off of the BCG of the P308 and fired one 25 round magazine without issues. Next magazine, every single round jammed. The gun was short stroking. The bolt carrier was going back far enough to eject the empty brass, but not enough to pick up the next round. The bolt was jamming about 2 inches back, on the top round in the magazine. This occurred every single time. The rifle completely choked. I removed the BCG and added a little oil to it, and the gun ran like a Swiss watch after that.

To be completely fair, I only had 200 rounds through the rifle at that time, so it may not have been completely broken in. I am going to try this test again once I reach the 500 round mark.

My POF P415 Gen 3 had about 600 rounds through it when I performed this same test. Same finish on the BCG and upper/lower receivers. It ran through 150 rounds without any malfunctions of any kind, with absolutely no lubricant other than what the finishes would provide.

And to be clear, I have no intentions of running my rifles dry. It's just nice to know that if I was ever in a situation where this may occur, my rifles will perform as designed. Regardless of the finish on the BCG of my AR's, they all get lubricated the same.

[bfoosh006]

Remember... while your NiB BCG might not need much lube... the upper receiver it rides in does.

Lube it.

[Fishbed77]

I was recently told that any BCG in an AR platform needs to be lubricated

The bolt carrier group in ANY rifle needs to be lubricated (even AKs).

Sure, some rifles may run reliably without lubrication, but you are just causing unnecessary accelerated wear.

[TheGunPunch]

Lube it up, I recently started using FireClean and have been impressed with it

[jetinteriorguy]

When I put my AR together I bought a Zero Fail BCG. I figured I'd run it lubed as normal with the idea if I'm ever in a life or death situation and couldn't clean or lube it would keep me going. So after putting about 500 rounds through my rifle with lube as normal I thoroughly cleaned the BCG and receiver and tried using it bone dry to see how it would work. I ran ten 30 round mags through as fast as I could pull the trigger with absolutely no issues. But of course now I do run it cleaned and lubed as normal, can't hurt. But nice to know it works as advertised if ever in a pinch.

[Ridge_Runner_5]

I lubed mine same as normal. Biggest advantage was that I could wipe off all the carbon with a patch, save for the bolt tail. All the convenience of a piston and none of the weight!

[Metal god]

A chrome plated BCG is significantly easier to clean than a black phosphate one. I have heard that the Ni-Boron BCGs are even easier to clean than the chrome plated ones.

I don't really doubt this but I often wonder how much of that is perceived . I had been shooting you standard black BCG with both factory and reloaded ammo . Sure the bolt would get dirty but never really seemed that bad . Then I built my NM service rifle with NiB BCG . Right away I thought holy cow this bolt gets dirty fast . After putting a little more thought to it . The bolt is not getting dirtier , It just looks like it because it's silver . Shoot 30rds of the same ammo with both and the standard BCG does not LOOK any different . how ever the NiB will look really dirty . They both have the same amount of dirt . You just can see it more on one then the other . It works the same in reverse . When cleaning it looks like you just wipe the the NiB with a rag and it's all clean . Is it really or is it the fact you expose the shinny silver metal making it look cleaner faster .

Just a thought

FWIW I lube my NiB the same as the standard BCG . Only because I don't overly lube the standard BCG and I like routines . I clean and lube all my ARs the same .

[Brotherbadger]

Does anyone have any advice for me?

lube it and shoot it. Lube it like you would any other AR. As the others have said, the coating just means it's easier to clean. Personally, I run my AR a bit on the wet side(any excess oil will vacate the gun on the first shot).

As for what to lube it with, well that's a personal choice. Some guys use run of the mill gun oil like Rem oil. Some like to use a CLP, some like to use high end stuff like frog lube. Some use Mobil 1. Everybody will give you a million reasons why their choice is superior. Honestly, they all do the job. Do your research on that and make your choice.

[Duzell]

my own experience is its a good coating, i used fail zero coated aero precision 556 i ran dry in a slide fire system

ran 500 rounds no issues. when lubed it cycles smoother and is easier to aim and consistently hit targets at that rate. the only thing this would helps if you had a picky gun about bullets. some of my ars tend to run worse with different ammo, in terms of grouping but also cycling

for semi auto style shooting this was not as noticeable, but oil/grease up the bolt to prevent any build up. you do have to disassemble BCG and clean bolt, the carbon builds up behind the bolt and can get baked on, simple scrub and clean worked fine