How many rounds before trusting your life to it?

[Dr. Bullseye]

What is there to know? It is an extra power extractor spring. Several folks make them. I looked for you because I'm waiting for my wife to get ready to go out for lunch.

BCM Extractor Spring Upgrade – 4.95 https://www.bravocompanyusa.com/BCM-...exspring-1.htm

The BCM Extractor Spring is a heavy coil design made for the increased extractor tension required on many AR15, M4, M16 short barreled rifles. This product also improves the reliability on a standard 16" and 14.5" carbines.

As with all BCM branded products, the highest quality is the primary focus. Our BCM Extractor Spring is manufactured by a 9001:2000 facility employing the latest precision equipment. BCM starts with only the highest quality chrome silicon material, heat treats to stress relieve the product and shot peens to add increased strength.

This kit also includes the new black extractor insert, standard on all M4, M4A1, Mk18 carbines and the recent new standard on M16A4 rifles. The BCM Extractor Spring is so strong the Mil-Spec Crane O-Ring will probably not be needed, but it is included.

This kit includes:
- BCM Extractor Spring (chrome silicon, heat treated & stress relieved, shot peened)
- Crane Ind O-Ring (Mil-Spec)
- Black Extractor Insert

On the other hand Wolff Gunsprings: https://www.gunsprings.com/index.php...D=1&dID=79#492

COLT M4,M16,AR15 XP EXTRACTOR SPRING Pak of 1 4.49

Welcome to Wolff GunspringsOur proprietary spring material and processes provide you with high quality, reliability and proven performance not found with most other springs. With nearly 60 years of experience exclusively with firearm springs, you can be assured that when you choose a Wolff spring, you are choosing the best!

Extractor Springs - Extra Power - These very strong extractor springs eliminate the extraction problems which are very common in M4 models used extensively by law enforcement. Use with the colored insert that is in the current extractor spring. Inserts are various colors. These spring are also recommended for the M-16, AR-15 & Sporters. Springs are unground and we do not recommend grinding them.

I called them. The guy I talked to sounded like a manager. He didn't know the initials BCM, but the guy did know Bravo Company USA. If I had to make a semi-informed guess, these are BCM's springs.

And then the folks I shill for (LOL) LaRue Tactical: https://www.larue.com/products/extra...-viton-o-ring/

Extractor Upgrade kit/AR-15/Mil-Spec/Extra Power 5-Coil Extractor Spring, Extractor Insert and Viton O-Ring $4.98

The extra-power extractor springs are constructed from ASTM grade A401 silicon wire for reliable, consistent performance, and extended duty cycle.
They are heat treated, stress relieved, and cryogenic processed after windingand are plated with deep penetrating re-Micronized moly-disulfide formulation.

These kits also include mil-spec extractor inserts and mil-spec Viton O-rings.

Choose between the Extractor Upgrade Kit which has 1 Extra Power Spring, 1 Mil-Spec Extractor Insert and 1 Mil-Spec Viton O-Ring or the the Extractor Upgrade Triple Kit which contains 3 of the Extra Power Springs, Extractor Inserts and Viton O-Rings.

So, at the end of the day, of the choices listed above BCM hypes the best, they are all comprably priced.

Is their extractor Insert (claw) any better or any different than mil spec? I read once the AK 74 upgraded their claw and made it larger than the AK 47 even though the round was smaller. Some of you guys would know if that is true or not.

[MistWolf]

A larger extractor claw grips more of the rim for more positive extraction. To fit a larger claw, more of the lip of the bolt needs to be removed. The bolt lip helps support the case web during firing.

[Mr McSimon]

Another tip, inspect your brass after firing. I recently noticed I had some blown primers and with help in the technical forum I was able to diagnose that the firing pin on a new LE6920 had some pitting around the shaft, which would have caused a problem down the road. I would have never noticed the irregularity otherwise, but after looking specifically it was pretty clear. $12 later and a new Colt firing pin was all it took, now all is well again.

[GSMullins]

A rifle's ability to cycle reliably with every ammo I can lay hands on, with every magazine in my inventory, is my litmus test for a build or buy. I also like to run them under a range of conditions: hot, cold, rainy, etc. If it does all that, it's GTG for me. That could be a couple hunnert rounds, or a year of testing. Generally, if it'll cycle Tula or Herter's on the low end, and full-power 5.56 NATO on the high end, in all my mags, I'll trust it.....

[Dr. Bullseye]

A rifle's ability to cycle reliably with every ammo I can lay hands on, with every magazine in my inventory, is my litmus test for a build or buy. I also like to run them under a range of conditions: hot, cold, rainy, etc. If it does all that, it's GTG for me. That could be a couple hunnert rounds, or a year of testing. Generally, if it'll cycle Tula or Herter's on the low end, and full-power 5.56 NATO on the high end, in all my mags, I'll trust it.....

These are good ideas. I am going to do this.

[Circle_10]

I do mostly home "builds" these days, so while I usually consider 500 rounds a good number to get down the pipe before trusting an AR, to be honest I feel a lot better when I hit 1000+ on guns I built myself, because while I generally think I know what I'm doing at this point when I assemble these things, it's also possible I'm an overconfident moron.
But as mentioned, your gun could also fail on round #1001. So really these arbitrary numbers may not be the best guage. But I do tend to feel more confident in a gun with a bunch of trouble-free rounds through it than one with an unproven track record.
On my one factory complete rifle, a PD trade in Colt, I was reasonably confident in it after about 200 rounds and pretty much satisfied after 650 rounds. On my home build SBR, I've gone past 1300 now, with no reason so far not to trust it, but still don't feel quite absolutely 100% about it.

[AndyLate]

On quality guns, the amount of rounds to zero and familiarize are enough. Quality items (not just guns) fail immediately or at the end of their service life (see bathtub curve).

I was issued a new FN M16A2 and could have deployed after only firing 9 rounds to zero, 40 rounds to qualify, 20 rounds for night fire and 20 for NBC fire. Mine was good to go through that plus quite a bit of CQB training and rezero after we landed in country. It looked like hell a year later, even though I was a POG.

[ChattanoogaPhil]

I also do an ammo check for function reliability. M193 for high pressure. PMC Bronze .223 for low pressure. Steel case just cuz. The three rifles I own have never skipped a beat so I don't have any experience with out-of-box manufacturing or assembly problems at a low round count. Do you guys find many problems that reveal themselves at 500rds that weren't detectable at 100rds?

[rockapede]

I also do an ammo check for function reliability. M193 for high pressure. PMC Bronze .223 for low pressure. Steel case just cuz. The three rifles I own have never skipped a beat so I don't have any experience with out-of-box manufacturing or assembly problems at a low round count. Do you guys find many problems that reveal themselves at 500rds that weren't detectable at 100rds?

Assuming a rifle “passes” my initial inspection, I’ve never had a problem at 500 rounds that I didn’t see in the first couple of mags as well. I still run 500 before considering something a duty weapon as a general practice though.

[MistWolf]

I also do an ammo check for function reliability. M193 for high pressure. PMC Bronze .223 for low pressure. Steel case just cuz. The three rifles I own have never skipped a beat so I don't have any experience with out-of-box manufacturing or assembly problems at a low round count. Do you guys find many problems that reveal themselves at 500rds that weren't detectable at 100rds?

When I have, it was due to a marginal extractor spring. Marginal extractor springs fail a little at a time and the malfunctions sneak up on you a little bit with each shot.