2A-Armament Regulated Bolt Carrier | Review

As an avid fan and occasional participant of motor sports, I appreciate the fine details and skill needed to build a fast, lightweight and capable machine. Exotic materials like carbon fiber and titanium alloy. As well as engineers willing to push the limits of lightweight designs in order to deliver a winning edge for their driver on race day. All of these qualities are put into practice at 2-A Armaments Boise, Idaho headquarters. Here, products range from titanium take down pins to complete AR’s and everything in-between. I recently received a Regulated Bolt Carrier (RBC) from 2A-Armament, solving a minor problem I was having with my Daniel Defense Mk-18 with a Surefire SOCOM Suppressor.

2A-Armament Regulated Bolt Carrier

Much like an engine is the heart of a race car, the bolt carrier group (BCG) is the heart of the AR-15. Its ability to cycle repeatedly in such a hostile environment is a testament to its design. Is there room for improvement? Of course there is. For the same reason the Ferrari F1 team doesn’t use a factory engine in their race cars, we shouldn’t settle for the overweight bolt carrier group in our AR’s.

The crafty engineers at 2A-Armament have whittled away any unnecessary material in the Regulated Bolt Carrier. Achieving a sleek, lightweight engine for your AR-15. Plus, they’ve added a titanium regulating gas-gate under the carrier key. This gate allows easy adjustability of the gas system in your rifle. If you run suppressed like I do, this alleviates the need for an adjustable gas block. Allowing effortless tuning of the system to function suppressed or un-suppressed. Additionally, the adjustable gas-gate in the 2A-Armament Regulated Bolt Carrier can be accessed through the ejection port of the rifle with a T-6 Torx driver. Allowing the user to adjust the valve while still installed in the rifle making tuning quick and easy.

Reducing weight increases performance

The stock Mil-Spec bolt carrier group supplied with the Daniel Defense Mk-18 and most other AR rifles weighs 11.6 +/- ounces. By removing unnecessary steel from the bolt carrier group and mating it to a 7075-T6 aluminum back half, 2A-Armament was able to reduce the reciprocating mass by 32% delivering a bolt carrier of only 7.9 ounces. Any reduction in mass of a reciprocating part pays huge dividends in both performance and longevity. Additionally, the RBC’s components are all heat treated for strength. And is further cryogenically treated and QPQ Nitride coated to reduce wear.

In the video below, (sorry for the wind noise) you’ll see just how easy it is to tune the gas system using the 2A-Armament Regulated Bolt Carrier. My Mk-18 was slamming the stock BCG due to the “over gassed” condition created by the suppressor. To adjust that, I found a setting within the Regulated Bolt Carrier that both cycled the rifle reliably with the appropriate amount of gas and held the bolt open once the magazine was empty. The proper amount of gas regulation is achieving a perpendicular ejection of the spent cartridge.

When I first purchased the Daniel Defence Mk-18, I had to swap the buffer to get it to cycle reliably with the suppressor installed. Rather than swap buffers and/or springs when alternating between firing suppressed and un-suppressed, now I simply adjust the regulating gas-gate. 2A-Armament does not supply the needed T-6 Torx driver with the Regulated Bolt Carrier but they are available anywhere they sell tools for around $5.

2A-Armament Regulated Bolt Carrier Installation

Description and Specs:

“The Regulated Bolt Carrier (RBC) is a lightweight carrier with a gas regulating gate built into the carrier itself. This provides a drop in, lightweight solution for those looking to tune your AR-15’s gas system. It eliminates the need for adjustable gas blocks, and allows the firearm to be restored to a factory full weight system by simply swapping your full-mass carrier back into your firearm. The RBC has infinite adjustment from fully open, to fully closed on the regulating gate. It can be tuned to most combinations of buffers, springs, suppressors, and barrel lengths. The RBC Is fully adjustable through the port door, and does not require the firearm to be broken down for adjustment.” -2a-arms.com

• Carrier: 8620 steel, heat treated, QPQ Nitride
• Bolt:  9310 steel, heat treated, MP, Cryo’d, QPQ Nitride
• Rear body:  7075-T6, hard anodized clear
• Extractor: machined, heat treated, QPQ Nitride
• Carrier key: machined, heat treated, QPQ Nitride, staked screws
• Regulating gate: machined from 6AL-4V Titanium
• Weight: 7.9oz assembled
• Requires customer supplied T-6 Torx tool for adjustment
• Patent Pending
• Product of the great state of Idaho, MADE IN THE U.S.A.
• MSRP $332.00

2A-Armament is more than just bolt carriers

Functionally lightweight seems to be the mantra at 2A-Armament. Aside from the streamlined Regulated Bolt Carrier, they manufacture lightweight receivers halves, hand guards, complete upper receivers. Plus an assortment of titanium muzzle devices and a couple of very slick lightweight rifles. The sum of these lightweight components is found on their top of the line BLR-16 Rifle. Which I was able to handle at Shot Show a few years ago. Based on 2A-Armaments proprietary BALIOS-Lite receiver set, along with all of their titanium bits and pieces, your left holding what’s hard to believe is a complete rifle. Weighing in at 5.0 pounds, 2A-Armament has achieved lightweight nirv-AR-na.

I would have given anything for a 5 lb. rifle while serving in 2nd Ranger Battalion. The delicately sculpted receiver and hand guard show the level of attention needed in achieving this feat. Hopefully, I will be able to report in more detail on the BLR-15 in the coming months. For now, take a look at 2A-Armament and bask in the beauty of their creations.