Whether you are working on a new build or just upgrading your current rifle the bolt carrier group is one of the most important parts of your rifle. Don’t fall for gimmicks such as nickel boron coating, which is known to flake off commonly. When it comes to coatings, stick with phosphate, chrome, and our favorite, NP3. There are a few specific brands we will recommend but most are made by Microbest who manufactures for several big name brands that you know and love. For now we will stick to 5.56/.223.
Our favorite is Geissele because for us they have the best triggers on the market. In our opinion this is easily the best product category Geissele makes. Extremely well made, clean crisp break and reset. You can't go wrong with the SSAE. There are several varieties of Geissele triggers and shoes. If you’re really looking to save a buck wait for a holiday sale and these are very reasonably priced.
Option Two is Laure MBT-2S. This is also a great trigger and won't break the bank. The trigger shoe is a little larger than Geissele but it is also a very crisp trigger. Offered in curved or straight for a price that won't make you cry.
The last option is the Schmidt Tool 2 Stage. This is very affordable and the lowest tier recommendation we will make. Many companies use this trigger and then rebrand it such as SOLGW, Centurion, FCD, etc.
Stay away from cassette triggers that are prone to failure. Also, while we're on the topic of triggers… NO ANTI ROTATION PINS!
Radian Raptor - Probably the most common and well liked charging handle. They offer options for suppressed and unsuppressed. They also have smaller and larger handles. We will link you to all of the above and let you make the choice of what's best for your configuration.
Badger Ordnance - Maybe you don't see it as much but not because it's not just as well liked as the Raptor. Badger makes quality products. This handle will be the widest of the three options we suggest.
Forward Controls Design - FCD never disappoints. This is definitely different from the first two recommendations and gets good reviews for gas control when shooting suppressed.
This one is easy, we recommend only two options. Our favorite is the Badger Condition One but the argument can be made that the FCD safety is the best on the market. You may be asking why the Radian Talon isn't listed here. In certain situations the Radian safety can be spun backwards and render your rifle worthless. We really like their lower receivers and charging handles though.
