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The Carrier and bolt in my LBC .204 are chrome inside and our and I can tell you it's easier to clean than the DD bcg in my other AR. That is the only coating I have experience with but it works. I have A Lot of experience cleaning un-coated bolts and good solvent and time is the best way I have found. More lube = less cleaning.
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Mine are all coated with weapon shield. All other special coatings may marginally increase performance, but I'd rather have that extra money for ammo. I've never had any trouble with cleaning a properly lubed BCG.
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I've Micro-slicked quite a few carriers and they do clean up easier and seem to ride smoother. I ran my Micro-slicked LMT just over 1000 rounds with no lube and no malfunctions.
I've also used WMD's nickle boron bcg's and they seem to be pretty nice so far.
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It's not about having trouble cleaning a standard bcg and then finding a cure. It's simply finding a coating/finish that allows for faster/easier removal of carbon. We've all cleaned standard bcg's umpteen billion times. Some of us have just found coatings/finishes that make it easier... I have yet to see a coating that cost so much, to where you could actually buy any significant amount of ammo instead. Perhaps there are finishes out there that do cost an arm and a leg. I've not personally seen them.
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I don't really care about cleaning the carrier, but I do want the reduced friction that a good coating provides. Yes you can get almost all the benefit from polishing the carrier bearing surfaces, but with Microslick as low as $25 for a BCG it's not worth my time and effort.
Since bolt cracks have been proven to begin at imperfections such as corrosion pits, good coatings may improve reliability here. Also, if cam pin wear can be reduced, it will stay tight in the bolt and might cut the chances of bolt breakage at the cam pin hole.
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I have a hard chromed BCG that is much easier to clean. Some of the newer finishes might offer better results, but HC has been around for quite awhile and I do like the results.
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We just picked up an SPR build for my lady friend done by MSTN that has the barrel, gas block, BCG, and charging handle coated in "Ionbond DiamondBLACK".
I don't know much about it other than it wears off the anodizing on the inside of the upper but the BCG is still black as night. I have been told this is normal with this coating. Supposed to absorb oils and wipe down really easy or some unicorn dust business like that.
http://www.springerprecision.com/ionbond.php
We just got the rifle in today so I really can't speak to the durability etc, just thought I would mention the stuff since you were inquiring about different coatings. For what its worth we bought it used and didn't pay for the coating ourselves.
I probably would have just bought another BCG or some ammo but thats just me.
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Thanks for that bit of ionbond info 308Junkie. Something to look into for sure. Does anyone here know of any companies that do hard chroming, specifically on AR parts/bcg's? Got a buddy who is definitely interested in either hard chrome or ionbond. Just not sure who does the hard chroming???
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Special coatings are not worth the extra cost IMO.
I've had good luck with frog lube. It usually comes off somewhat easily.
If carbon bothers you, just clean it more.