So what's the final word on aluminum carriers?

[thegeneric]

It's been a few years since I've looked into them. I finally have a dedicated gamer gun, so I'm open to the idea again.

 

The main reason I'm only asking about aluminum instead of titanium is because a buddy gave me a killer deal on a JP one. From what I gather, there were different iterations on the JP carrier, this one is the greenish/gold coated one. 

 

So my questions are:

 

1. Does anyone have more info/personal experience with the green/goldish JP aluminum carrier? Have you had one fail and under what circumstances (round count, overgassing?, anything I need to watch out for?)

 

2. Same question as above but with any aluminum carriers.

 

3. Some of the finish has worn, has anyone refinished one and what finish did you use? Should I not bother and just run it as is?

 

4. Do you think the jump to titanium is worth it? (I'm probably only going to do a few run n guns, so should be around 1k round count/year)

 

Thanks for any input in advance. 

 

Edited January 14, 2022 by thegeneric

[fyaman43]

I have an aluminum carrier in my 18" SCI-20 and I have prob 500 rounds through the gun.  It was manufactured in the last year or so.  I've always run the carrier nearly dripping wet (with oil) as per recommendations I've read, seen, heard, etc.  I take it out, wipe it down, and apply liberal amounts of oil to the bcg before a match or practice session.  I've had zero "failures" with it though edges of the coating on the underside are starting to show wear/slightly flake.  My buddy has one as well with a few thousand more rounds through his and he says the wear is normal and has had zero issues (his also a recent build).  

 

I don't whether it's the SCS, recoil eliminator brake, rifle length gas system, aluminum carrier, or combo of all of it, but the rifle basically doesn't move when I'm shooting.   

 

They say the aluminum carriers are good for 10k rounds but keeping em clean and highly lubricated is a key.  I don't personally mind doing that before a match but maybe some might.

[DavidSeavey]

9 minutes ago, fyaman43 said:

I don't whether it's the SCS, recoil eliminator brake, rifle length gas system, aluminum carrier, or combo of all of it, but the rifle basically doesn't move when I'm shooting.   

 

basically same experience here, probably 1000 rounds or so on mine, latest version as well, i run it wet as well, no signs of wear or chipping on mine yet.  running SCS, jp 3 port, adjusted rifle gas.

 

Would i do it again? swapping between on the bench it does produce a smaller recoil impulse, but after the buzzer i doubt i'd notice as i had previously ran their steel LMOS carrier. shooting from weird positions on long range targets is when i appreciate it the most i thinkl.  but were i to do it all again i'd probably just get a second steel lightweight carrier and likely never think much about the bcg outside extractor things again.

 

for a good deal? sure why not.  but i do keep my steel carrier with me as a backup just in case.

 

what i think i remember reading about aluminum bcg wearing was more in the bolt chamber with gas erosion and seal ring problems than external wear causing issues

[kurtm]

The final word on aluminum carriers is......They are light!

 

Oil them up good every stage or so and they will last a couple of barrels worth of shooting at least.

[thegeneric]

16 hours ago, fyaman43 said:

I have an aluminum carrier in my 18" SCI-20 and I have prob 500 rounds through the gun.  It was manufactured in the last year or so.  I've always run the carrier nearly dripping wet (with oil) as per recommendations I've read, seen, heard, etc.  I take it out, wipe it down, and apply liberal amounts of oil to the bcg before a match or practice session.  I've had zero "failures" with it though edges of the coating on the underside are starting to show wear/slightly flake.  My buddy has one as well with a few thousand more rounds through his and he says the wear is normal and has had zero issues (his also a recent build).  

 

I don't whether it's the SCS, recoil eliminator brake, rifle length gas system, aluminum carrier, or combo of all of it, but the rifle basically doesn't move when I'm shooting.   

 

They say the aluminum carriers are good for 10k rounds but keeping em clean and highly lubricated is a key.  I don't personally mind doing that before a match but maybe some might.

Appreciate the insight.

 

15 hours ago, DavidSeavey said:

 

basically same experience here, probably 1000 rounds or so on mine, latest version as well, i run it wet as well, no signs of wear or chipping on mine yet.  running SCS, jp 3 port, adjusted rifle gas.

 

Would i do it again? swapping between on the bench it does produce a smaller recoil impulse, but after the buzzer i doubt i'd notice as i had previously ran their steel LMOS carrier. shooting from weird positions on long range targets is when i appreciate it the most i thinkl.  but were i to do it all again i'd probably just get a second steel lightweight carrier and likely never think much about the bcg outside extractor things again.

 

for a good deal? sure why not.  but i do keep my steel carrier with me as a backup just in case.

 

what i think i remember reading about aluminum bcg wearing was more in the bolt chamber with gas erosion and seal ring problems than external wear causing issues

 

Okay, that is helpful. I wonder if oversized gas rings exist? Or maybe never clean the bolt chamber and have the carbon build up assist in the seal (a little tongue in cheek, but theoretically its possible right?).

 

8 hours ago, kurtm said:

The final word on aluminum carriers is......They are light!

 

Oil them up good every stage or so and they will last a couple of barrels worth of shooting at least.

 

Haha, yes! thanks

[DavidSeavey]

3 hours ago, thegeneric said:

Appreciate the insight.

 

 

Okay, that is helpful. I wonder if oversized gas rings exist? Or maybe never clean the bolt chamber and have the carbon build up assist in the seal (a little tongue in cheek, but theoretically its possible right?).

 

 

Haha, yes! thanks

I wouldn't over think it and definitely wouldn't re-engineer it. Just keep it wet in and out and it'll wipe clean frequently before it can get too carboned up. Jp had an article about the quality of their coating being much better than the early short lived versions

[kurtm]

Isn't grill paint a high temperature coating?

 

The aluminum carrier in my original CTR-02 from 1998 is well into it's second barrel so I would say with good maintenance at least 15,000- 20,000 rounds, but I haven't killed it yet. 

Edited January 15, 2022 by kurtm

[fyaman43]

On 1/14/2022 at 6:38 PM, DavidSeavey said:

what i think i remember reading about aluminum bcg wearing was more in the bolt chamber with gas erosion and seal ring problems than external wear causing issues

 

Funny thing about JP bcgs though - they "fail" the gas ring test (at least my alum does).  The bolt collapses into the carrier under its own weight very easily even when new.  

 

I know it's probably part of the dark magic dwarven forging process used at the JP factory but it's interesting to note.

 

[thegeneric]

10 hours ago, fyaman43 said:

 

Funny thing about JP bcgs though - they "fail" the gas ring test (at least my alum does).  The bolt collapses into the carrier under its own weight very easily even when new.  

 

I know it's probably part of the dark magic dwarven forging process used at the JP factory but it's interesting to note.

 

Does your bolt have the one piece gas ring? If I recall correctly, one piece's seldom pass that rest, can anyone else confirm?

[thegeneric]

17 hours ago, kurtm said:

Isn't grill paint a high temperature coating?

 

The aluminum carrier in my original CTR-02 from 1998 is well into it's second barrel so I would say with good maintenance at least 15,000- 20,000 rounds, but I haven't killed it yet. 

Man that's good to hear. Has the coating worn to expose the bare aluminum anywhere?

[TonytheTiger]

@ecn515 has a couple JP's, they seem to work for him. Buddy of mine used a Whiskey Arms for a long time, it never failed but it sure felt gritty charging it with all the bare aluminum rubbing together. My personal experience says not to touch any of the really cheap ones on the market.

[fyaman43]

2 hours ago, thegeneric said:

Does your bolt have the one piece gas ring? If I recall correctly, one piece's seldom pass that rest, can anyone else confirm?

 

No, three piece.  It doesn't seem to matter functionally/when shooting though.

Edited January 16, 2022 by fyaman43

[ecn515]

I wouldn't recommend anything other than the JP ULMOS or VMOS if you want a steel carrier. Like most things the cheaper options are cheaper for a reason. I have a lot of friends who have tried other companies ultra low mass carriers and they all had tons of issues.

I shot 3 seasons with one JP ULMOS, it was run wet and maintained fairly well. It definitely has some wear and has started to have some issues at this point. I believe that the issue is that the inner bore of the BCG has actually started to wear now and I'm not getting good gas seal. It likely will need to be replaced soon, but the first 2.5 years were smooth sailing. 

My newer ULMOS has been running in my girlfriends rifle for two seasons now, no issues. I have no idea of round count on any of my carriers, but we shoot a lot usually at least a match every week if not more plus practice. 

The large frame (AR-10) VMOS hasn't seen too much use yet, it's very gas sensitive. Unless you are running a two screw or JP gas block you're going to have issues with it traveling too fast. 

[kurtm]

Let's not lose track of the fact that this is a "full on racing part"! Would any of you expect your top fuel nitro methane burning engine to last for years and years as a grocery getter?? As we used to say "morn the loss, look forward the the new one"..... It's a racing part and J.P. is the BEST top fuel maker! 

[thegeneric]

17 hours ago, kurtm said:

Let's not lose track of the fact that this is a "full on racing part"! Would any of you expect your top fuel nitro methane burning engine to last for years and years as a grocery getter?? As we used to say "morn the loss, look forward the the new one"..... It's a racing part and J.P. is the BEST top fuel maker! 

I agree, that's why I didn't have many qualms picking up the carrier first and then dealing with the details of my knowledge gap. 

[ecn515]

18 hours ago, kurtm said:

Let's not lose track of the fact that this is a "full on racing part"! Would any of you expect your top fuel nitro methane burning engine to last for years and years as a grocery getter?? As we used to say "morn the loss, look forward the the new one"..... It's a racing part and J.P. is the BEST top fuel maker! 

 

I think you misunderstood my post. I was simply giving an idea of how long someone could reasonably expect the ULMOS Carriers to last based on my experience with them. I bought the carriers fully knowing they wouldn't last forever and intend to replace them, as stated, when they wear out. I completely agree with what you said.

[kurtm]

It was a general statement and not pointed at anyone.

[avastcosmicarena]

There are also a few titanium BCGs out there that are only a tiny, tiny bit heavier than the JP aluminum BCG. Might be worth considering for a more permanent option.

[PacMan]

On 1/27/2022 at 2:03 AM, avastcosmicarena said:

There are also a few titanium BCGs out there that are only a tiny, tiny bit heavier than the JP aluminum BCG. Might be worth considering for a more permanent option.

I'm using one from 2A after I ran into issues with Whiskey Arms AL carrier.  The change in weight is negligible.  I have the original JP AL from years past, it still works fine but got moved to the backup gun.

[verla]

I wore out a JP aluminum light carrier in my 223 after thousands of rounds- thing that tipped me off was that it would run several rounds and the not cycle- loses tolerance. If you are having problems with your JP aluminum carrier call them and they will give you the factory measurements. It is a fantastic carrier and the impulse from recoil is very light- almost like a 22 long rifle. Downside is that they wear out much faster than a steel carrier.