FN bolt carrier with marking removed?

[Richard W.]

Got this NOS BCG off GB. Advertised as FN manufacture and the bolt is clearly etched "MPF."

At first I could see no markings on the carrier, but when I looked at in a strong light at the right angle I can see the faint remains of an "F" stamping. It is smooth when I drag a fingernail over it, so I believe it's been ground off and the carrier refinished.

Anyone seen one like this? Seller has multiples that look to be the same. Any thoughts as to why it would be altered? Did it come out of FN through the back door, maybe?

[bfoosh006]

Deleted

[HansTheHobbit]

I'm just guessing here, but if they were rejects, then I doubt they would have been stamped. One possibility is that they were "liberated" from a military armory somewhere. I think it's possible that they were taken out of service after a certain round count, then slated to be scrapped before someone rescued them. It's not too common to see FN BCGs on the civilian market, so the mark may have been removed, or at least the attempt was made, so as not to arouse suspicions.

Forgot to add, if they are military surplus, then the bolts are likely to be pretty well used up. If someone refinished them, then it would be difficult to tell. I have no idea what the military does in terms of bolt replacement, so they might have quite a bit left in them, or they might break after ten rounds. I would venture to guess they probably have at least a few thousand rounds to go, as I would hope that the military would replace them proactively and leave a decent margin of error. A good mil spec bolt can outlast its life expectancy by a lot. BTW, the carrier will be good for tens of thousands of rounds. Long story short, if they headspace okay and the price is right, might be worth the gamble to give one a go.

[Richard W.]

Bolt itself appears to be unused. The bolt carrier looks new to my amateur eye, too, but if the whole thing's been re-phoshated after the "F" was altered, then it may indeed have been a used part.

My picture doesn't really make it clear, but that "F" is really only the barest shadow from the stamp. Someone intended to remove the mark entirely.

[HansTheHobbit]

Bolt itself appears to be unused. The bolt carrier looks new to my amateur eye, too, but if the whole thing's been re-phoshated after the "F" was altered, then it may indeed have been a used part.

My picture doesn't really make it clear, but that "F" is really only the barest shadow from the stamp. Someone intended to remove the mark entirely.

I think the first guy to post was right about the mark being removed with a wire wheel. If that's the case, then I can't see how it couldn't be refinished.

[jwsturr]

I have a bolt carrier marked with a faint "A" instead of a "F". It has a mpf marked bolt. As I understand "A" is from AO precision manufacturing. It may have been stamped at the same place. My staking on the gas key is better than a Daniel Defense Bcg. 5000 rounds on my "FN" bcg and no problems. The guy who's job it is to stamp "F" on it might have been having a bad day.

[Iraqgunz]

If you got it where I think, it's legit. I have a few that are also faint like that. It seems somewhat typical from what I have seen.

Got this NOS BCG off GB. Advertised as FN manufacture and the bolt is clearly etched "MPF."

At first I could see no markings on the carrier, but when I looked at in a strong light at the right angle I can see the faint remains of an "F" stamping. It is smooth when I drag a fingernail over it, so I believe it's been ground off and the carrier refinished.

Anyone seen one like this? Seller has multiples that look to be the same. Any thoughts as to why it would be altered? Did it come out of FN through the back door, maybe?

[kirkland]

I also picked up a couple of these off GB, one was installed in an upper with a colt barrel, I haven't test shot it yet. Both bcg's had the faint F mark with an MPF (F underlined) bolt. Everything appears to be new old stock.

[Unreconstructed]

That faint "F" marking on the FN carrier is normal. I've seen dozens that were so faint I had to turn them so the light would shine just right to be able to see the "F"

[HansTheHobbit]

What about the wire wheel marks? Is that possibly just an effect created by the camera? If these are legit, then I wouldn't mind picking one up if the price is right.

OP, can you link me to where you bought this one?