Is this carrier key leaking?

**BillB** · 02-09-20, 14:38

The bcg in question is a Young Manufacturing NM bcg, and as you know they dont steak their keys. Neither bolt seems loose. Any thoughts? Thanks
I'm gonna go ahead and finish my maintenance and clean it up and I'm taking this one back to the range tomorrow for more load development and I'll check for this weird patch of carbon afterwards and watch for signs of function changes. Anyone ever had one leak? I think they use a gasket of some sort.

**Clint** · 02-09-20, 15:41

That definitely appears to be a leak.

Let Y/M know and see what they think about it.

**prepare** · 02-09-20, 15:54

Is there some type of sealant applied when assembling the carrier key on the carrier?

**Clint** · 02-09-20, 15:54

There is supposed to be...

Originally Posted by prepare

Is there some type of sealant applied when assembling the carrier key on the carrier?

**C4IGrant** · 02-10-20, 13:34

Originally Posted by prepare

Is there some type of sealant applied when assembling the carrier key on the carrier?

Yes.

C4

**Straight Shooter** · 02-10-20, 17:02

Originally Posted by clandestine

The YM carriers I have serviced and that have come through my classes as of late do not have a sealant between the carrier key and carrier.

The last few also had blue loctite on the carrier key screws and not the red that used to be prevalent.

YFS screws with some as well.

The YFS screws, what does that mean & is that a good or bad thing?

**Ned Christiansen** · 02-10-20, 18:20

I don't remember why, but I had a conversation maybe 18 months, maybe two years ago, with, as I recall, the head man at Y/M. That was Mr. Young, pretty sure. We did not agree with regard to staking but I remember thinking what a nice guy he was and certainly no dummy. I think he's wrong for not staking these but at least his reason isn't "because it hurts the looks", and using the Permatex to me shows he gives a rip.

The YFS screws are a bad choice. The knurling is pretend-only and does not come all the way to the top of the head. The top edge of the head is roundy and smooth-- so there's no screw metal there for staking to contact and if it did there's no knurling, just a smooth, shiny surface. In my experience they are the ones most often found loose, even with some kinds of staking. I guess most outfits use them because they save $.17 / gun or something. I mean all things being equal, yeah, for sure get the least expensive ones. That $.17 / gun times thousand guns is $170 after all. I mean, why would a manufacturer pay $170 just to make sure the last 1000 guns worked? Some do, thank goodness.

The other offshore brand I see on some is TUZ. Like YFS, they are from Taiwan and like the YFS, they might be perfectly fine screws for 'regular' applications (questionable), but as carrier key screws they are among the worst choices. Here's the funny thing about TUZ. As far as I can tell after a fair amount of research, they have no distribution in the US. If you are a company in the US and you simply MUST have TUZ screws because they are cheap....? Amazon. Some people making carriers are buying their screws on Amazon.

YFS now is associated with one of the good old American brands, HoloKrome or HK. Some kind of partnership, not sure just what it is. Having dealt with HK engineers on some screw issues, I can just say that they are a little embarrassed by it and don't seem to hold YFS in very high regard.

**Straight Shooter** · 02-09-20, 15:59

How many rounds are on this bolt? Ive got the M16 NM bcg coming in tomorrow...now Ill have to check for that.
Besides this issue...thoughts on the bcg thus far?

**M Sadler** · 02-09-20, 16:16

If the rifle/carbine you're using it in is functionaing correctly, I wouldn't worry about it. It'll self seal if it hasn't already. You may want to check torque on the screws.

**BillB** · 02-09-20, 16:38

Yeah, they re "famous" for not staking the screws but rather using a gasket or sealant instead.
Straight shooter, that is the bcg you're looking at, full auto N/M BCG, complete. It has close to 800 rounds on it. I want to be honest with you and I'm not trying to bash YM but I feel that the ejector spring in my sample was very weak so I replaced that with one from a guy named David Tubbs (?) and that seemed to help a little and now this, which I agree, it looks like a leak.
I use it in a 14.5" mid length gun. In all honesty I dont see any difference in this and any of my many BCM units other than it's easier to clean.

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