A comparative look at BCG's....Colt/LMT/BCM

Hi gents, for some time now I've considered these three complete BCG's the benchmark for how it's done in regards to building the best BCG's. I also believe these are a big part of what makes up Colt, LMT, and BCM's industry leading reputation for reliability, quality, and adherence to doing all the big AND small things correctly.

Some might already suspect or know that you cannot go wrong with any of these three BCG's, however some might be unclear to just how close these three mfg'rs BCG's really are. Before undertaking this evaluation and documentation of the findings I would have assumed that the Colt full circle F/A BCG would be just a bit better in all the aspects over the other two minus LMT's bolt. I would have assumed wrong and I would be either mistaken or a fanboy if I was able to report one being even negligible better than the other.

The LMT BCG is the newest however it's been primarily the one being used as of recently and it's roughly caught up minus 250-500rds give or take with the BCM and Colt. I don't keep an actual log book for my AR's but rather just the AR barrels, however I do chart a rough count and keep up with it at the end of each trip out with a particular build. Anyway I can positively put the accurate round count between the margin of 4500rds - 6000rds( I am being very liberal in the amt. of potential differences in rd. counts since I can for sure say that every one of the BCG's has had a minimum of 4500rds fired on it). Not a real shocker, but none of them have had a single hiccup and have been 100% flawless in operation thus far.

Rundown:

BCG's compared:
Colt's full circle F/A complete BCG
LMT's F/A complete BCG
BCM's F/A complete BCG

Round count fired on the unit's:
4,500rds - 6000rds per unit

Malfunctions/Hiccups(total for all 3 bcg's):
0

Now let's let the proverbial beautiful bean footage roll...
http://i55.tinypic.com/xndu1f.jpg
(L to R.. Colt, LMT, BCM)
http://i52.tinypic.com/mcxg05.jpg
(Top to Bottom..Colt, LMT, BCM)
http://i55.tinypic.com/2qve0c2.jpg
(L to R.. Colt, BCM, LMT)
http://i52.tinypic.com/2ngarnl.jpg
(L to R.. Colt, BCM, LMT)
http://i51.tinypic.com/3484j93.jpg
(L to R.. Colt, BCM, LMT)

Also included below is a pic of the standard CH offered by each respective company...and they were purchased at the same time as their matching BCG was.
http://i54.tinypic.com/240x6xg.jpg
(Top to Bottom..LMT, BCM, Colt)

The thing I've noticed.. which is reflected a little in your photos is that the finish on the BCM bolt tails comes off faster than COLT.

It's not an issue... but an observation from someone who cleans his guns. :eek:

Should maybe think about adding this in the new member section to show the quality. Pics like that are great for them.

Cool comparison pics, thanks....I just purchased a BCM to use in my AR, looking forward to it arriving.

could be me, but looks like the bcm firing pin might be a little beefier then the other two.

The bolt on the far right has more wear on the lug at 9 oclock and at 7:30.

If it is only roughly 250-500 rounds lower than the other two it tells me that those two lugs are taking much more pressure (and wear) than the others.

The other two are more evenly worn and thus the load should be spread to all the lugs vs the LMT on the far right. One of the lugs shows no signs of wear at all.

Maybe it matters, maybe it doesn't.

BCM uses an AR15 style firing pin instead of the M16 firing pin. The AR firing pin works fin in a 16 carrier.

Keep in mind that the Colt and BCM bcg's belong to host rifles that use 16"+ mid length barrels, and the LMT belongs to a 10.5" carbine length. Might have something to do with it as well.

The interesting thing is that the LMT bolt is a little less polished and pretty than I am used to getting in the past, and judging on appearances it would seem to have the rougher finish b/t the three. That said, the LMT's bolt actuates within the carrier amazingly smooth and easily smoother than the other two. So I guess LMT gets a check on that aspect.

The BCM has the best staking outta the three with LMT coming in second.

The Colt wins in terms of the overall finish....much, much deeper black finish than the other two. I really stripped all the residual oil and such off these prior to the pics to disclose the full wear that they have undergone but once they get it with that light coat of CLP the appearance and finish really looks excellent.

is the bolt tail more short on the LMT?

Didn't LMT switch to MIM gas keys a couple years ago? looks like a mold mark on the top of yours. Anyone ever have any issues with that?