I will eventually put this unit on my other two work M4's. Without lubbing, I can shoot far longer with this BCG. In the event that I have to, it is nice to know I do not have to wet the weapon as frequently. I have used this with great success with Colt, Spike, and Palmetto carbines. Sure, it's about double what a regular BCG cost but that is nothing compared to the peace of mind I have knowing I can extend shooting well beyond the norm.

I specifically ordered this bolt carrier group to review for my blog fans and followers. While building my VLTOR SBR, I was looking for a very high quality bolt carrier group to use for the build. I was looking for something special for this build and I definitely found it in the Spike's Tactical Nickel Boron BCG.

Since Spike's Tactical is located only about an hour from my house, I had already owned several of their products. From rifles, to accessories Spike's seemed to nail it every time. Thus far, I have not found a Spike's Tactical product that has not worked flawlessly or that I didn't like.

After hearing only positive things about the Nickel Boron coating, I decided to order one here from Brownells. When it arrived, I have to say that I was immediately impressed. The BCG was packaged very well in a clear plastic tube bearing the Spike's Tactical logo. When I removed the BCG from the tube, honestly I didn't know what to think at first.

This was my first encounter with anything coated with Nickel Boron, so the surface texture was a bit strange at first. It almost felt as though it was coated in some sort of plastic. It was very smooth to the touch and had a very appealing look. I was also impressed to find that everything part on the BCG (minus the firing pin) was coated. Not only the outside of the BCG, but the inside the BCG and bolt itself.

Initial inspection revealed that the gas key was perfectly staked. No issues with the key coming loose on this BCG! Everything was just as I have come to expect from Spike's Tactical. After marveling over it for a few minutes, I placed it into the receiver of my SBR. Not only did it look awesome, but it functioned flawlessly. It's hard to explain, but the Nickel Boron BCG seemed a lot smoother than the other standard phosphate coated BCG's I was running in my other rifle. And yes, I did compare them all to see if there really was a difference.

I was impressed to find that the Spike's Nickel Boron Carrier is constructed of 8620 tool steel and that the bolt itself of 158 Carpenter steel. And of course, all coated with the Nickel Boron for extreme resistance to corrosion. So no more worries when firing corrosive primers often found in some steel cased ammo.

One thing I noticed that was not advertised about this BCG when I ordered was how easily it cleans. For my first time out with the SBR, I fired about 500-600 rounds of Federal 55 grain ammunition. Although I don't necessarily find this ammunition to be "dirty", it stills produces that common powder and carbon build up associated with shooting in general.

After this specific range trip, I was pleased to find that when I got home, the BCG simply wiped clean. I used an old t-shirt and no solvent or oil of any kind. And to be quite honest, there wasn't much carbon or powder residue found on the bolt anyways. Much cleaner than a standard phosphate coated BCGs. I was dreading having to scrape off the carbon, but was excited to find that it was not needed.

Since then I have well surpassed 1,500 rounds and still have not had any issues with this BCG. I recently used it in my SBR last weekend at a local 2 gun match. The bolt functioned flawlessly and ran smooth as a baby's bum. Several people at the matched asked what I thought. Let's just say that a few of them may be making the switch over soon enough!

Because the Spike's Nickel Boron BCG is advertised as self-lubricating, I have decided to never oil or lubricate this bolt. I will wipe it down of course when required, but I want to see how long she'll run without ever using lube/oil. I have run this BCG completely dry since day one and its still performing flawlessly.

One other thing that I noticed about this BCG as compared to others, is that it does not get as hot after a lot of firing like a phosphate coated BCG. You can literally remove this BCG after a mag dump and it will be warm, but not hot. Not only does it stay cooler, but cools faster after a lot of shooting. The Nickel Boron really holds its own.

Because I built my SBR to be my SHTF rifle, I am glad that I ordered this BCG…minimal cleaning, no lubrication, flawless functioning, all things that can make a SHTF scenario easier to deal with. I did notice that the Nickel Boron BCG seems to weigh a little more than your standard phosphate. However, this was good for me because I was able to use a heavier buffer than in my other rifles. So in reality, the weight change (which was minimal anyways) was not an issue.

I would highly recommend this to any AR-15 enthusiast or for anyone looking for a reliable part for their SHTF rifle. I would definitely consider this BCG to be an upgrade to your AR-15. Get this bolt and you will not be disappointed!! Have fun, be safe and shoot on!

-Michael Sapp

Despite the initial hype this is an outstanding BCG made of the highest quality materials. Spikes delivers again. I have added a couple user notes for the potential buyer.
FYI it is advisable to tear down this BCG from time to time and perform a thorough cleaning to remove powder residue buildup, cleaning is fairly simple and takes little time. After 500 rounds I did notice allot of powder residue. I'm shooting a Federal 62grain round FMJ. I do notice a smoother shot sequence with this BCG may be the weight.

Ounce again they deliver. Very smooth shooting BCG, well made and properly staked. 0 effort installation and instant performance enhancer

This is a good group, as good as my Colt, but I honestly did not see any spectacular results. It looks better, that is for sure, but as far as functionality, it was no great improvement over my Colt's. Probably would spend the money on other improvements before this.

I bought this to replace my phosphate bolt carrier group, fit and finish is top notch as well as staking on the key. Dropped right into my Spikes Upper and has been going for 500 rounds with no lube.

This BCG is outstanding. I shot 320 rounds of 62 gr. ammo and this group only needed to be wiped clean. I didn't use any solvent to clean this group. There were no problems during the use of this bcg. There is one small item to be aware of in that this bcg is noticeably heavier than standard bolt carrier groups. In a nut shell, if you have the money this is the group for to seriously consider.

Not a mandatory upgrade. If you don't want to spend the money, go with a Colt/DD/BCM/LMT bolt carrier and be done with it.

I still run this setup with lube (Slip 2000 EWL), but it is oh-so-smooth in its operation. There is no operational difference between running 1200 rounds of dirty russian ammo without cleaning (did that; only added lube prior to storage in between range sessions) and running a freshly cleaned gun. Allows me to use heavier buffers like an H3 buffer with a springco blue spring or tubbs flatwire spring. This means I get a reliable, soft shooting gun with no ill side-effects.

Came with grade-8 torx head gas key fasteners that were properly staked....as opposed to the smaller std gas key screw heads.

It's not mandatory, but it's worth the money.

This BCG, which is Spikes OEM of FailZero is superb. Real smooth running and requires no lubrication. I've found it has really smoothened up the cycling on my ARs'. One of the best money spent yet.