"This budget friendly AR failed after 20,000 rounds, and it was quickly and easily fixed with a new bolt carrier that cost $134.99." So $10,000 of ammo was shot through it, and the total cost of repairs was $134.99. Garbage? Yeah, right.
Imagine, being you, a casual shooter critiquing a professional trainer. Who shoots more than you by orders of magnitude and owns several Aero rifles. Now imagine, this professional has keyholing problems after 5k rounds. Their bolts are also trash. Cope harder
@@alexglenn2122 1. replying to multiple people with the same comment defending this guys opinion is crazy. 2. Many “professionals” such as ex special operations, competitive shooters, etc have shown over and over that they are pros at shooting but know nothing about the science behind firearms. 3. As OP stated, he spent $10,000 in ammo, probably more considering he probably uses quality ammo, and the only part that failed was the BCG, which is known to be trash. Aero knocked it out of the park for their price point.
@@alexglenn2122 The professional had one small issue, on one rifle, after 20,000 rounds, and suddenly everything Aero makes is considered "garbage". That's not a very "professional" attitude. I would bet most "failures" are caused by improper maintenance and abusing the parts.
I think the problem here is context. Is Aero “just as good” as high end rifles, no. In fact by comparison garbage is not an inappropriate term to use. However, most people will not EVER see the round counts that professional end users see, and for a range gun, which get’s cleaned more than it’s used, it probably will function as intended for most people.
Yeah but they are. The cerrakote on the inside of my upper chipped away in like 300 rounds. My DD upper has several thousand rounds through it and the cerrakote is still intact. I believe Aero used to be really good budget brand but they’re dropped off as of late.
@@aerowrench6787 I have had similar experiences between my DD and the one Aero I have. That being said, when it’s clean and you’re running good ammo it works pretty well as a class-loaner/beater. I would not leave the house with it as a primary, nor is it the one I use for duty/defense. All I was saying is that for the average person as a range toy/hog gun/first foray into AR’s it’s not bad and is not incredibly overpriced for what it is.
The military tries to replace bolts every 6000 rounds but expects them to last around 10,000..3 bolts breaking in 20,000 rounds does not make the entire rifle junk or even bad bolts..Why are Aeros junk and what parts are junk?? What was out of tolerance for you to make this claim?? Bolt over base malfunctions are usually magazine related, extractor issues ( which is an easy fix) or under gassing..Breaking a rifle in does nothing for these problems lol, in fact a good AR rifle needs no breaking in.. All things mechanical needs maintenance and seeing how long a rifle runs without maintenance is like running a vehicle to see how long it will run without changing the oil..Stupid and pointless.. More gun tube bs based on nothing....
Wouldn't say that, it will take much longer if you clean your guns and not let carbon make your BCG brittle, as it becomes hard as a rock and will chip
He broke 4 bolts in 20k... that's horrible. I have psa bolts that have lasted longer than that lol. It's possible there was a quality control issue and he got a bad batch of bolts. That don't seem right
So, you run the piss out of the “junk“ guns until they break, but since your “good“ guns “have to work“, you don’t run those at all until you need them? And then you baby them? Yeah, that makes sense.
I think he mentioned that he's just experimenting and wants to see how all of these brands work. I don't know if you need much more reasoning than that.
OK, so you have poor reading comprehension and compensate with arrogance. I get it. So I’ll type this slowly so you can understand: logic would dictate that you would “run the piss” out of the “good guns” because they won’t break (or shouldn’t) and baby the “junk” guns because they cannot take the abuse. If you are running the junk guns until they break and babying the good guns so they work when you need them, then maybe the good guns aren’t as good as you think they are and the junk guns work just fine? If he treated the “junk guns” the way he treats the “good guns”, they will never break, either. Can your walnut sized brain grasp that concept?
Imagine, being you, a casual shooter critiquing a professional trainer. Who shoots more than you by orders of magnitude and owns several Aero rifles. Now imagine, this professional has keyholing problems after 5k rounds. Their bolts are also trash. Cope harder
And unless if you have a wicked reloading setup, you're not getting far with reloads. Takes me an hour at best to get 50 rounds through. Possibly longer since I'm consistently wasted when handloading.
while this info is informative, the context matters and the frequency and firing schedule matters and the average Aero owner is not shooting a heavy enough firing cycle to to wear guns out like a competition shooter, so while this is good info that gives data on life expectancy of Aero parts it is not indicative of poor quality rather it is intended for a market that is not competitive shooting or extreme firing schedules
A part breaks one time and people say it’s all garbage, which is ridiculous. Even “high” end companies produce parts that break, it’s just how it works in the real world.
@@cmiddleton9872interesting enough the only part that has failed me has been a Daniel defense the aero outlasted it I guess it goes to show no matter what you go with have spare parts
I built 2 Aero precision rifles one in 308 and one in 6.5 Grendel, only things not Aero are the barrels and triggers. Everything else has worked perfectly 10,000 rounds later in the 308 and about 2500 in the grendel.
I'm going to trust the professional...your AR10 aero BCG lasting 10k rounds? X to doubt...Not to mention, you spent for 10k rounds of .308 but couldn't be bothered to grab a decent AR10? X to doubt again
That round count on those bolts... you realize that's basically the standard lifespan right? They survived as long as most other bolts would. Did you ever even change the gas rings?? Sounds like a quality part to me.
Yeah GT had that AR super geek on when discussing the PSA freedom ar and talked about how even higher end bolts last about 5k rounds. Sounds like the rifle did what it needed to do. And you can find AERO uppers for $300 excluding the bcg and ch. If you don't want an AERO bolt get a different one. 🤷♂️
I use Aero Precision build kits and swap the BCGs with Nickel Boron Toolcraft. Never had an issue. The Aero Uppers I have bought come with ballistic advantage barrels. Aero Precision is legit.
Ok, I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone say anything but great things about pretty much anything Aero makes. I’ve used a lot of their products and would easily say they make some of the best products on the market, especially they’re M4E1 recievers
The Aeros ran good for what they are, and their price point is. Maybe a higher end barrel would last 20,000+ rounds but thats not always the case either. It really depends what rounds you are using as well as your firing schedule.
@@justinp1471yeah from my understanding rate of fire is essential to a barrels life. I think I read somewhere the army said 2-3 rounds per minute was the sustained rate of fire for the ar platform
@@mellifont96That’s referring to sustained fire or really heat. That is the rate of fire that you can expect to sustain without the rifle shutting down due to heat via cook off, gas tube issues, barrel deformation… And that is specific to barrel profile and other specifics of the barrel I think that number was for A4 or maybe M4 I’m not certain.
Those Aero Precision 16" barrels have a .0785 gpd. That's rather large to start off with. As the barrels gpd erodes. It starts speeding up the system. It starts decreasing the unlock time. And starts causing the bolt to have to pull brass that hasn't fully retracted in the chamber. Causing bolt failure. Things like adding a h2 buffer will help slow the system down. Replacing gas rings at 5k or sooner. Replacing the buffer spring, etc. There is a natural progression of maintenance that has to be done to get longevity out of these things. 3 bolts in 20k doesn't seem that bad though. Especially since you are not doing anything it seems to mitigate the failures. I put 12k on a Colt 6920 bolt. Back when I was taking courses. It didn't fail. Due to the fact I replaced it. I figured 12k was good enough. I had already put a h2 in it at 7-8k. And three sets of gas rings. At 17k I replaced the barrel. It wasn't key holing. But why take a course and your rifle sh*t the bed? When a good maintenance schedule can mitigate a lot.
@@texasRoofDoctorWhat are you looking to do? If you want a good turnkey rifle. A Colt 6920 Trooper is a good starting rifle. And is relatively inexpensive. It's a carbine gas. But they work. Probably 80% of the police run a Colt gun still. BCM is a step up. As is Sionics weapons systems. If you are building a rifle. The barrel is the starting point. Ballistic Advantage is owned by Aero Precision. But BA gasses their barrels different than the ones they make for Aero. They seem to be decent. Rosco gasses their stuff right. A mid gas 16" inch with a .076 gas port diameter runs well with a Sprinco blue spring and H buffer. When you could get those AO Precision military overruns on BCG's they were a steal. I tend to not stray to far from the TDP specs on things. The array of stuff for AR15's is vast.
Aero has a few things right. Idk about their complete rifles but… -Enhanced upper/handguard combo is absolutely superior to most because it’s “monolithic” compared to standard barrel nut mounted handguards. No rotation… total retention of laser/front sight zero. - Lower/upper specs are real tight. No play/wiggle. - Enhanced buffer tube is essential if you’re running a piston system.
I don't have experience with a full built Aero but I like their M4E1 receiver sets and I've used their BCGs with success. However, I only run their M16 BCG's, phosphate coated (No Logo) with their C158 bolts. Current bcg has over 3000 rds, all suppressed shooting and been through numerous classes. Its holding up just fine. Curious though, you never mentioned if your BCG's had a C158 bolt or 9310. Current bcg in your rifle looks to be a nitride variation.
@@ib5131never go anything Diamondback or bear river arsenal. Worst products I've ever seen. Palmetto State is miles better, and I think Aero is a bit better than PSA.
Colt military bolts USED to be replaced at 6000 rounds. I have no idea of anything from the GWOT era and beyond as I got out before then. 20,000/3 = of course 6,666 rounds. So, not exactly garbage. It was NOT unusual to sheer bolt lugs WAY before 6000.
GWOT and beyond, they were all over the place honestly. A m16 could have up to 16 MOA at 100m and be deemed “Serviceable” if nothing broke on it. But 6000 rounds sounds about right because a few didn’t even hit 4000-5000 before breaking on one end the bottom 1%,on the top 1% end 25,000- 35,000 needing other parts like barrels before bolts, most bolts lasted at the 8000-12,000 mark. It’s hard to have solid numbers since it’s all an estimates based on total ammo used in a year.
I' agree with you there, I have used their M4E1 normal receiver sets on several builds & IMO for the money on a standard config rifle are better than any of the other normal receiver sets around. My current rig has a NB A*B arms bolt, DD CHF barrel pushing now 8500 rounds with no issues
SAME I have an Aero M5 upper & lower receivers and built them out with aftermarket parts. Barrel and BCG I went with Wilson Combat and they are amazing.
You put how many rounds through them? You don't even know how many. You don't clean guns they get extremely dirty. Gucci guns fail if you don't clean them either.
So they came from the factory properly gassed . They nice to brass? Cause my m5 didn't run for shit till I rebuilt it......(don't know who built it first or what they did....)
I had one keyhole at almost 18k. I'm not saying they are the best. But they did just come out with a CH Forged barrel line and new BCGs. You have to weight the price and what you need out of eveything. you can get an Aero (Balistic advantage) barrel for under $100 on sale. I picked one up for like $79.99 once. If you consider you can buy almost 4 barrels for the price of a DD, Geissle, etc etc. Then it isn't bad. Meaning if you got 10k out of a barrel you could get 30-40k out of those barrels compared to the 25-30k of the other barrels. I love the Aero lowers and a DD upper or Geissle upper. But I've been getting DDs and Geissle Super duties for 1500 so
DD’s lowers are the biggest rip offs. You are basically paying 700-800 dollars for a basic milspec non ambi lower. Totally a waste of $. Best is to buy a DD or super duty upper and then decide if u want a basic aero lower or if u want a more expensive lower.
All things break over time, especially if you don’t properly take care of them & clean them. BCGs should be replaced about every 10k rounds. Yea, some can last longer, but I care about staying in the reliable range window. Also, you get what you pay for generally in the gun industry. I personally love Aero because of the building aspect & that’s key because I choose higher end barrels & buy the more expensive BCGs from other companies to use in my builds. Aero isn’t bad or junk & is fine for defense purposes. I do own a complete upper from them (BCG & barrel from Aero) that I use for training classes specifically & hard range use. I’ve shot over 4,000 rounds on it so far & it’s been working great actually. No issues. I own higher end rifles, but honestly I’d recommend Aero to anyone for a good rifle for the money.
I've had top of the line BCGs fail before so it happens. But if it happened to Daniel Defense or KAC their customer service would just get a lot of praise
Their complete lowers are awesome. However, I only buy complete BCM uppers. The upper is the past that actually needs to be reliable and needs to be head spaced correctly so it doesn’t blow up in your face.
It looked like a failure at the cam pin journal. It's pretty common for a bolt to fail there. I've never seen one personally in my guns or in my duty guns, but I do know it happens. A lot of the more consumer grade use 9130 steel instead of C158. The c158 is usually more resistant to breakage... usually. Take that for what is worth.
@@skyofstorms And proper heat treat is even more critical for Carpenter 158 and more difficult to than it is for 9130. So the whole 9310 vs c158 is just dumb at this point.
I’ve never had an issue with my aero lower, she is about 6 years old but also never had over 5k rounds through it. I built my AR and it’s by far the cheapest component of the weapon system. Literally cheaper than my irons, and even butt stock. She has been fine but the more I learn the more I kind of feel like a good 120 investment in an LMT lower it’s probably worth the squeeze.
I built my M5 chassis only and im incredibly happy with it. Barrel is a ballistic advantage 16" and its absolutely fine nothing to write home about, KAK LR-308 double ejector - 3 malfunction in one run, determined to be ammo related (it was 90s Venezuelan M80), RISE 140 trigger, Mission First Battlelink stock, Sig Romeo green dot about, 1,500rnds and although its incrdibly light and REALLY twitchy bc of the trigger it runs like a bat out of hell and i dont think im gonns get rid of this one. I know its radicslly different than buying a full tilt assembled M5 but the platform itself has shown itself to be my favorite of the LR308s Ive tried and I dont think a beginner should shy away from the platform itself. On rule since AR designs are just big lego kits I always recommend people try to piece their rifles together themselves and just get the specific guts they know they can trust themselves. You can build a lot more rifle with less income than you can buy outright. Try out that KAK double ejector bolt, its pretty impressive
I have an aero upper that seems to be imparting (very) slightly uneven wear on a bcg. That said, I use their receiver sets and then put the parts i want on them. Never any problem with lowers, may consider a higher tier upper due to the more function critical spec
Well ppl are stupid...look up chris at small arms solutions.....mill spec bolts commonly break at around 6k rounds...per the destructive testing performed by colt and the government...if you shoot hard enough...like Ben does.. you will break things....that why for years all the old school military guys would carry spare bolts in there pistol grips...
How much Aero counts as Aero? I use six of their uppers and hand guards but, that’s it…the rest is handpicked quality stuff. Am I using an Aero still or what does that count as? Do I go by barrel maker or who made the BCG or what?
You’re using what most AR guys are using, a Frankenstein lol. All my ARs are curated by me. I like Aero receivers, with Geissele lower parts kits, BCM bolt carrier groups, and then the barrel and buffers depend on what kind of rifle setup I’m going for. Don’t get too hung up on what these AR snobs tell you is nice and what’s garbage. You gotta do your research and find out for yourself. I like Aeros receivers and certainly don’t consider them “garbage”.
@@codygreene9067yep, you nailed it. Aero is not garbage and their stripped lowers and complete uppers -bcg and ch handle are fine. I use different brands for parts kits, drop in triggers, bcg, ch handle and would consider my rifles to be a solid mid tier (maybe even upper mid tier) due to the internal parts used.
Have an aero m4e1 w Geissele complete uppers/trigger and the aero has ran flawlessly im 2 classes and 7000 rounds through and countless more range bs trips It’s going damn strong I’m pleased with aero lower
Here is an idea.. build you an Aero with a high end bolt carrier like I did.. ... if my bolts kept breaking every 5000 rounds I wouldn't be on my fourth one. I call BS.
Aero is the sex, full aero 223 wylde w/ 22lr conversion. I love it, solid but light, accurate and smooth. Set up to receive pretty much any modifications available. I definitely don't maintain my guns like I used to, definitely been 5 or 6 sessions since last cleaned, clear signs of normal build-up but zero problems. The one Con, which is an understandable one, is the 22lr conversion, works flawlessly with higher end ammunition, but can fail to cycle with lower quality rounds. I don't really count this, because if I got a lighter buffer spring it would probably solve that. On bonus side of things, for unknown reasons my buddies Aero will go full auto when using 22lr conversion. It seems to happen with a very slow squeeze, almost stopping at the brink & barely creeping that last 1/32" & Freezing trigger position immediately when it fires continue holding trigger position & it cycles & fires in auto. Generally only does 5 or so rounds but have gotten a couple mag dumps doing this.(I think there is something up with trigger assembly but he insisted its installed & properly functioning) I consider this a bonus feature but some may not. Would be nice to know why it does that though, as well as knowing how to make mine do the same... err so I can make sure it doesn't happen, I mean....
I feel Aero's price point vs quality is there for the everyday gun enthusiast, there aren't a lot of people that can drop top tier cash on top tier firearms. So everything has its place in the many price point levels of products in the firearms world. In my opinion it seems Ben Stoeger resides at a price point level where $10-12K/20,000 rounds of ammo is probably pretty easy to come by. Which also means a good budget rifle is probably a throw away as well. "One mans trash is another mans treasure" All things considered for the price point level in the gun world I reside at. I've built a number of rifle's with Aero parts over the years and they all still run very well and when I hit 20K rounds on any given one of them.... for what I paid to play, I'll be even more pleased then I am now. I got nothing bad to say about Aero or even Ben Stoeger. Its all about your personal perspective, the task at hand and the purpose.
The pricepoint that aero has isn't terrible. It's a great entry level rifle. I believe the barrels are ballistic advantage, which aren't great if you are looking for awesome accuracy. Also the bolts aren't great. I think they rock the old specification bolt material. Since the majority of the receivers etc are all the same stuff, with variances in qc along the way. I personally used to only buy noveske and higher end rifles and components. Then I learned more about how they are made. Now I don't care who makes the receivers (aero for the most part), drop in a BCM bolt and a criterion barrel, with maybe a BCM or Geissele or whichever crap is available. 5 years ago it was simple, buy bcm lower on sale for 300, and buy a separate bcm upper on sale for 300... or LMT same way. With the cost of these and other things skyrocketing I can totally see how people don't want to spend 3k on a KAC SR25.... Why do the DD, Noveske etc bolts last 20k? Because they are made with considerably more expensive material. Carpenter 158 steel is what M4 and M16 bolts are made out of, and it costs a lot more. It's a proprietary steel alloy that is only sourced from one place and has to be purchased in huge batches to be cost effective, it's also relatively limited in supply since it's the go to alloy for the M4/M16 contracts. Toolcraft 9310, us also used in bolts/ bolt carriers. In the end, I look at it like this. As a Former Marine and current Field Service Engineer, I regard bolts as a consumable item that if I get 5k out of I am happy. The "break in" with some ar's is because the buffer spring takes a certain number of rounds before it takes a set unless it's chrome silicon. Don't believe me, take a new buffer spring, measure it. Shoot it and measure every 100 rounds for the first 500, it loses spring rate till it settles in. Not that you should have to break in any firearm for it to work imo, just kinda how things work with less expensive parts/ fitting.
I really like your video your thought process. I agree with your logic. I'm a Daniel Defense fan boy, and don't use Aero Precision bolts . I love Aero lowers and have not had any issues. Their LPKs and BCG's have me hesitant but any brand can fail after enough rounds, even DD. How was the customer service or support? I'm curious to know how Aero handled it?
The only things that matter is the chamber dimension, barrel harmonics and how far the bullet likes to jump into the rifling. The brands don’t matter. The dimensions do.
No kidding, my roomate brought a BCM blem upper for the clout and the bit where the gas tube goes into is so large the gas tube rattles inside of it lmao.
Aero is a good gun for most people not operators competition shooters or someone who shoots a shit ton. If you have a gun just for self defense and a little practice your aero will be fine. They make good aurpressors as well. If you plan on going to war spend more than 1800 on a rifle and more like 2-2500. Also people riding Daniel Defense leg like a dog in heat. DD is a good gun but not great. I prefer bcm or lwrc or noveske but if you are just having fun most guns will work for you
Aero is expensive considering the quality they put out. Their nitride uppers are priced along the side of, or even above, BCM. Aero is insane enough to charge Geissele prices for some of their CHF barreled uppers.
They have been the absolute worst customer service I’ve ever worked with in the industry. I have been trying to get them to replace an out of spec M4E1 lower (buffer chittering due to incorrectly placed buffer retaining pin hole) for about a year now and their communication and urgency is juuuuust about absent. I sent it in the first time and they claimed I incorrectly installed the receiver extension (I’ve correctly built a ton of lowers so I knew that was bs) and they sent it back with one more turn in the tube and the the problem still exists. I send it back again and they agree to replace it MONTHs ago. At one point they tell me it should be back to me in about 2 weeks. That was about 3 months ago. I have plenty of their stuff I’ve picked up over the years but I will not buy any more and I won’t recommend them ever again. All they had to do was run the measurements and replace it. As of 6/23/24 they still haven’t replaced the lower.
Coming from z military background I can tell you we replaced a bcg around 6-7k rounds so 3 of them in 20k rounds isn’t terrible. You can get a bcg for $150 so that’s not a bad trade off. Any serious ar owner has a backup or two laying around!!!
The biggest benefit to doing it the way you have is the price of them allows for multiples so once gun gets too hot just grab another and keep training.
It's amazing how many come out of the woodwork to.defend their purchase decision, and most didn't even listen because they keep referencing one Aero bolt went 20K rounds when that's not what Ben said. Ben said 3 or 4 broke within 20K collectively, and one barrel began keyholing at 5K.
Aero precision is far from garbage I have used their receivers exclusively and the quality fit and finish is better than even some BCM I’ve used. Their bolt carrier groups have given me no issues, and their barrels have been extremely accurate as well. I can’t stand it when someone receives one bad part and automatically the company is garbage that’s how you can tell you’re not a serious builder or enthusiast , that, and the hair, of course
I bought Aero Nickel Boron BCGs exclusively, but I also bought stuff from Aero that they flat out refused to warranty and it was factory defect, that would cause complete lock up of the upper Their handguards are amazing and they helped me with replacing barrel nuts for free, but that M4E1 enhanced upper with embedded nut, 2 same failure and they ghosted me after telling me it's my fault Never an issue with their Nickel Boron BCGs, I never hate on Aero, but that refusal to warranty sits with me.
I like their lowers and the slim line handguard for a scoped gun that wont have to hold zero. Just needs to hold a light. I have an aero build with a criterion barrel and bcm bolt. It may favorite gun, and i have several gucci rifles. This one is light and accurate.
I have two aero uppers between the both probably have around 30000 rounds. I take care of my guns however. Cleaning and lubricating is standard for me. Why would I pay for a gun then cause a bunch of unnecessary wear and friction just to turn around and say it’s garbage. Aero bolts work great the barrels are awesome also. Guess it’s just to different mindsets. One runs something without care till it breaks then complain. The other take care of your stuff and it will last a long time.
There’s a lot of doofuses in this comment section that don’t understand there’s only 3 manufacturers out there actually *MAKING* BCGs. AO being one of them.
I never had problems with their lowers for ar15s... but the m5(308) didnt run too well eith aero parts.....after I swapped the guts and gasblock with jp enterprises it runs like a top.. sub moa with federal ...so I don't mind their receivers.....but I don't waste time with their parts kits
Same thing here….. I went with Krieger they headspace a JP bolt with there barrels. But as I saved money I ended up with a complete JP BCG and silent capture buffer system. At the end of the day my build is a mutt. But a mutt that’s capable of consistently slapping down dime size 5 shot groups at 100 yards with little effort. Idk understand why Aero is getting all this hate lately. Aero has always been a builders company.
Is Aero really “bad” if you’re beating the absolute crap out it though? I mean I get it isn’t top of the line stuff, but a quick scrub down and a bit of lubricant could potentially extend the life much longer. I feel like it’s misleading to say it’s bad if it made it through a few thousand rounds without any real care/maintenance. I will say though, I’m glad you’re doing this as I’ve been looking at Aero stuff albeit I’ll be at a much much lower round count.
Yes it's bad. Lubing a bolt doesn't change the fact that the tolerances on their BCGs fucking suck and contribute to the bolt breaking very quickly. Microbest BCGs are the best on the market (they OEM for BCM, SOLGW, Sionics and many other high end companies) and sell for as low as 90 dollars. There is 0 reason to buy an aero BCG or bolts.
I got an 11.3" upper of theirs, didn't include BCG or charging handle but had the 11.3 hansen profile barrel. Much prefer it over PSA trash, at least in finish quality being much better.
I've been seeing some issues in finish and parts out of spec with Aero stuff. I sent 4 buffer tubes back with lousy anodization, and had a out of spec mag release. Most of their stuff seems ok, wish they would offer a steel barrel nut for their handguards again. then I would buy one. Why not just offer both nuts? All brands have issues here and there, "ALL''.
Colt fn and lmt bolts break fairly regularly in military service their expected lifespan is 6k rounds before they are expected to break so 20k rounds is beyond expectations for any mil spec bolt
Aero is fine as a standard or mid-tier rifle. If you're a builder, you can't beat an Aero M4E1 lower with an Aero mil spec or enhanced upper. Put a good buffer system, trigger, barrel, and BCG in it and you've got a top-tier shooter.
Aero really isn't that bad, but for a high round count shooter like you there are 2 things that need to be changed or address if you want to keep the gun. 1 the bolt carrier group go for a 158 carpenter steel bolt from BCM or Sons of Liberty. 2 barrel go for a cold hammer forged barrel like a Criterion, Hodge or Centurion. Just saying if you were to replace or continue using that particular gun. Just my .2.
FYI the Aero bolt is also made from 158 carpenter steel. I've had one personally break at the cam pin hole. I'm not sure what they're doing wrong but they're using the same steel as the premium manufacturers. When I emailed customer service they didn't take responsibility for it but replaced it with a new one (after many weeks of waiting).
Wouldnt consider 7k rounds on a $110 bcg bad. In fact i think aero should be the go to starter rifle for most people. I don't think there is a better brand in their price range.
"This budget friendly AR failed after 20,000 rounds, and it was quickly and easily fixed with a new bolt carrier that cost $134.99." So $10,000 of ammo was shot through it, and the total cost of repairs was $134.99. Garbage? Yeah, right.
Imagine, being you, a casual shooter critiquing a professional trainer. Who shoots more than you by orders of magnitude and owns several Aero rifles. Now imagine, this professional has keyholing problems after 5k rounds. Their bolts are also trash. Cope harder
@@alexglenn2122 1. replying to multiple people with the same comment defending this guys opinion is crazy. 2. Many “professionals” such as ex special operations, competitive shooters, etc have shown over and over that they are pros at shooting but know nothing about the science behind firearms. 3. As OP stated, he spent $10,000 in ammo, probably more considering he probably uses quality ammo, and the only part that failed was the BCG, which is known to be trash. Aero knocked it out of the park for their price point.
@@alexglenn2122 The professional had one small issue, on one rifle, after 20,000 rounds, and suddenly everything Aero makes is considered "garbage". That's not a very "professional" attitude. I would bet most "failures" are caused by improper maintenance and abusing the parts.
@@alexglenn2122oh you’re melting fast
FACTS.
Aero is definitely not garbage.
Cope harder
Certified fresh copium™
I think the problem here is context. Is Aero “just as good” as high end rifles, no. In fact by comparison garbage is not an inappropriate term to use.
However, most people will not EVER see the round counts that professional end users see, and for a range gun, which get’s cleaned more than it’s used, it probably will function as intended for most people.
Yeah but they are. The cerrakote on the inside of my upper chipped away in like 300 rounds.
My DD upper has several thousand rounds through it and the cerrakote is still intact.
I believe Aero used to be really good budget brand but they’re dropped off as of late.
@@aerowrench6787 I have had similar experiences between my DD and the one Aero I have. That being said, when it’s clean and you’re running good ammo it works pretty well as a class-loaner/beater.
I would not leave the house with it as a primary, nor is it the one I use for duty/defense.
All I was saying is that for the average person as a range toy/hog gun/first foray into AR’s it’s not bad and is not incredibly overpriced for what it is.
The military tries to replace bolts every 6000 rounds but expects them to last around 10,000..3 bolts breaking in 20,000 rounds does not make the entire rifle junk or even bad bolts..Why are Aeros junk and what parts are junk?? What was out of tolerance for you to make this claim?? Bolt over base malfunctions are usually magazine related, extractor issues ( which is an easy fix) or under gassing..Breaking a rifle in does nothing for these problems lol, in fact a good AR rifle needs no breaking in.. All things mechanical needs maintenance and seeing how long a rifle runs without maintenance is like running a vehicle to see how long it will run without changing the oil..Stupid and pointless.. More gun tube bs based on nothing....
20,000 rounds to break a bolt. I'd say that's beyond it's service life. I'd say that's pretty good
He said he broke 3 bolts in that time
@cmiddleton9872 which is still a good amount.
@lordwest07 No, no it's not. Quality bolts are known to last 20K or more.
Wouldn't say that, it will take much longer if you clean your guns and not let carbon make your BCG brittle, as it becomes hard as a rock and will chip
He broke 4 bolts in 20k... that's horrible. I have psa bolts that have lasted longer than that lol. It's possible there was a quality control issue and he got a bad batch of bolts. That don't seem right
So, you run the piss out of the “junk“ guns until they break, but since your “good“ guns “have to work“, you don’t run those at all until you need them? And then you baby them? Yeah, that makes sense.
I think he mentioned that he's just experimenting and wants to see how all of these brands work. I don't know if you need much more reasoning than that.
OK, so you have poor reading comprehension and compensate with arrogance. I get it.
So I’ll type this slowly so you can understand: logic would dictate that you would “run the piss” out of the “good guns” because they won’t break (or shouldn’t) and baby the “junk” guns because they cannot take the abuse. If you are running the junk guns until they break and babying the good guns so they work when you need them, then maybe the good guns aren’t as good as you think they are and the junk guns work just fine? If he treated the “junk guns” the way he treats the “good guns”, they will never break, either.
Can your walnut sized brain grasp that concept?
@@cyruswawad if he's running the guns like the OP stated, he's not actually conducting level non-biased experiments.
Lol he doesn’t put mileage on his bike either 😂
This guy is a clown
Those round counts for parts and barrels aren’t bad for what’s considered a budget or reasonably priced rifle.
I’d say AERO is mid tier. PSA= Budget. DD= High end, but this is the scale that makes sense to my very limited knowledge base on the subject.
He is probably the kind of guy who eats his whole happy meal and then ask for a refund because it didn't taste good.... lol
LOL !!!!!
He works for the competition LOL
This dude is a pro competitor he probably put more rounds through his rifles than you can afford on a yrly salary
@@rodiculous9464 shut it. Unless this guy is shooting 250-300K rounds a year 😂🤣😂.. you simp
Imagine, being you, a casual shooter critiquing a professional trainer. Who shoots more than you by orders of magnitude and owns several Aero rifles. Now imagine, this professional has keyholing problems after 5k rounds. Their bolts are also trash. Cope harder
Most civilians don't have the time and money to put 20,000 rounds down range in a year. That's over $10,000 worth of ammo unless if you do reloads.
And unless if you have a wicked reloading setup, you're not getting far with reloads. Takes me an hour at best to get 50 rounds through. Possibly longer since I'm consistently wasted when handloading.
@@CantoniaCustomsbased
while this info is informative, the context matters and the frequency and firing schedule matters and the average Aero owner is not shooting a heavy enough firing cycle to to wear guns out like a competition shooter, so while this is good info that gives data on life expectancy of Aero parts it is not indicative of poor quality rather it is intended for a market that is not competitive shooting or extreme firing schedules
A part breaks one time and people say it’s all garbage, which is ridiculous. Even “high” end companies produce parts that break, it’s just how it works in the real world.
Aero bolts break earlier more consistently and they use cheap barrels. All parts break, aeros break faster.
@@cmiddleton9872interesting enough the only part that has failed me has been a Daniel defense the aero outlasted it I guess it goes to show no matter what you go with have spare parts
Facts.
Aero bolts are known trash
I built 2 Aero precision rifles one in 308 and one in 6.5 Grendel, only things not Aero are the barrels and triggers. Everything else has worked perfectly 10,000 rounds later in the 308 and about 2500 in the grendel.
I'm going to trust the professional...your AR10 aero BCG lasting 10k rounds? X to doubt...Not to mention, you spent for 10k rounds of .308 but couldn't be bothered to grab a decent AR10? X to doubt again
@@alexglenn2122bro settle down 😂 you’re way to upset by people having opinions different from this guys
@@alexglenn2122triggered much? 😂😂😂
@@alexglenn2122lol bro you said what I was thinking.
No you didn’t shoot 10k rounds of 308. You’ve never seen 10k.
Homie put 20k rounds through it 😂
You don't know how to listen...
@@rustyshackleford8473I listened. 20k rounds you will indeed be replacing parts multiple times.
That round count on those bolts... you realize that's basically the standard lifespan right? They survived as long as most other bolts would. Did you ever even change the gas rings?? Sounds like a quality part to me.
Yeah GT had that AR super geek on when discussing the PSA freedom ar and talked about how even higher end bolts last about 5k rounds. Sounds like the rifle did what it needed to do. And you can find AERO uppers for $300 excluding the bcg and ch. If you don't want an AERO bolt get a different one. 🤷♂️
I use Aero Precision build kits and swap the BCGs with Nickel Boron Toolcraft. Never had an issue. The Aero Uppers I have bought come with ballistic advantage barrels. Aero Precision is legit.
Ok, I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone say anything but great things about pretty much anything Aero makes. I’ve used a lot of their products and would easily say they make some of the best products on the market, especially they’re M4E1 recievers
This is a joke right?
@@03Scumbag definitely not
It’s like when people are anti Glock. They only know what they heard from some random RUclipsr.
I've had problems before, my gas block wasn't installed correctly on my complete upper from them.
@@03Scumbagwhat is wrong with their m4 lower?
I'm confused. Isn't 10k+ rounds a good life for a non-chrome lined barrel?
Also, what was the treatment on the bolts? Phosphate? Nitrided?
Yes, it is.
The Aeros ran good for what they are, and their price point is. Maybe a higher end barrel would last 20,000+ rounds but thats not always the case either. It really depends what rounds you are using as well as your firing schedule.
@@justinp1471yeah from my understanding rate of fire is essential to a barrels life. I think I read somewhere the army said 2-3 rounds per minute was the sustained rate of fire for the ar platform
@@mellifont96That’s referring to sustained fire or really heat. That is the rate of fire that you can expect to sustain without the rifle shutting down due to heat via cook off, gas tube issues, barrel deformation… And that is specific to barrel profile and other specifics of the barrel I think that number was for A4 or maybe M4 I’m not certain.
Those Aero Precision 16" barrels have a .0785 gpd. That's rather large to start off with. As the barrels gpd erodes. It starts speeding up the system. It starts decreasing the unlock time. And starts causing the bolt to have to pull brass that hasn't fully retracted in the chamber. Causing bolt failure. Things like adding a h2 buffer will help slow the system down. Replacing gas rings at 5k or sooner. Replacing the buffer spring, etc. There is a natural progression of maintenance that has to be done to get longevity out of these things.
3 bolts in 20k doesn't seem that bad though. Especially since you are not doing anything it seems to mitigate the failures. I put 12k on a Colt 6920 bolt. Back when I was taking courses. It didn't fail. Due to the fact I replaced it. I figured 12k was good enough. I had already put a h2 in it at 7-8k. And three sets of gas rings. At 17k I replaced the barrel. It wasn't key holing. But why take a course and your rifle sh*t the bed? When a good maintenance schedule can mitigate a lot.
Damn Bro, you sound like you know what you are talking about. Any recommendations on someone who can build a cetme from a kit ?
@@texasRoofDoctorWhat are you looking to do? If you want a good turnkey rifle. A Colt 6920 Trooper is a good starting rifle. And is relatively inexpensive. It's a carbine gas. But they work. Probably 80% of the police run a Colt gun still.
BCM is a step up. As is Sionics weapons systems.
If you are building a rifle. The barrel is the starting point. Ballistic Advantage is owned by Aero Precision. But BA gasses their barrels different than the ones they make for Aero. They seem to be decent. Rosco gasses their stuff right.
A mid gas 16" inch with a .076 gas port diameter runs well with a Sprinco blue spring and H buffer.
When you could get those AO Precision military overruns on BCG's they were a steal.
I tend to not stray to far from the TDP specs on things. The array of stuff for AR15's is vast.
@@texasRoofDoctorYou also have SOLGW in Texas they have good stuff. Become pricey. But they put together a nice package.
@DutchK.USMC.Knuckles3. Actually I want to build up a Spanish Cemte from the parts kit.
@@DutchK75please tell me what solgw actually produces. As in manufactures
Aero has a few things right. Idk about their complete rifles but…
-Enhanced upper/handguard combo is absolutely superior to most because it’s “monolithic” compared to standard barrel nut mounted handguards. No rotation… total retention of laser/front sight zero.
- Lower/upper specs are real tight. No play/wiggle.
- Enhanced buffer tube is essential if you’re running a piston system.
I don't have experience with a full built Aero but I like their M4E1 receiver sets and I've used their BCGs with success. However, I only run their M16 BCG's, phosphate coated (No Logo) with their C158 bolts. Current bcg has over 3000 rds, all suppressed shooting and been through numerous classes. Its holding up just fine. Curious though, you never mentioned if your BCG's had a C158 bolt or 9310. Current bcg in your rifle looks to be a nitride variation.
Would you go Diamondback Receiver or Aero?
@@ib5131 Aero. In my opinion, they have better QC.
@@ib5131do not buy Diamondback or Wilson Combat receivers, specs and qc are horrible.
@@ib5131never go anything Diamondback or bear river arsenal. Worst products I've ever seen. Palmetto State is miles better, and I think Aero is a bit better than PSA.
Colt military bolts USED to be replaced at 6000 rounds. I have no idea of anything from the GWOT era and beyond as I got out before then. 20,000/3 = of course 6,666 rounds. So, not exactly garbage. It was NOT unusual to sheer bolt lugs WAY before 6000.
GWOT and beyond, they were all over the place honestly. A m16 could have up to 16 MOA at 100m and be deemed “Serviceable” if nothing broke on it. But 6000 rounds sounds about right because a few didn’t even hit 4000-5000 before breaking on one end the bottom 1%,on the top 1% end 25,000- 35,000 needing other parts like barrels before bolts, most bolts lasted at the 8000-12,000 mark. It’s hard to have solid numbers since it’s all an estimates based on total ammo used in a year.
Aero upper and lower receivers are great quality and value. I almost always go with other brands for the barrels and bcgs I put in them though.
I' agree with you there, I have used their M4E1 normal receiver sets on several builds & IMO for the money on a standard config rifle are better than any of the other normal receiver sets around. My current rig has a NB A*B arms bolt, DD CHF barrel pushing now 8500 rounds with no issues
SAME
I have an Aero M5 upper & lower receivers and built them out with aftermarket parts. Barrel and BCG I went with Wilson Combat and they are amazing.
Why cheaper
BA makes their barrels and BA makes good barrels
People who say aero is trash are the same ones who think you’re a primate for not carrying a sig.
You are still a primate if you carry a sig or not.
Or think that colt is still the epitome of quality for ARs
You put how many rounds through them? You don't even know how many. You don't clean guns they get extremely dirty. Gucci guns fail if you don't clean them either.
People that don’t shoot enough have the most knowledge on what firearm brand is the best.
My Tavor carrier just broke after 8000 rounds.. mechanical stuff may break.. it happens.
Not one single issue or problem with my aero
Not one single issue or problem with my 5 aeros
So they came from the factory properly gassed .
They nice to brass? Cause my m5 didn't run for shit till I rebuilt it......(don't know who built it first or what they did....)
@@prone_wolf8871 🤷♂️ I own 11 ar's, not 1 of them was factory built
What's the round count on those. 250?
@@camarokid518how many have been through classes?
I had one keyhole at almost 18k. I'm not saying they are the best. But they did just come out with a CH Forged barrel line and new BCGs. You have to weight the price and what you need out of eveything. you can get an Aero (Balistic advantage) barrel for under $100 on sale. I picked one up for like $79.99 once. If you consider you can buy almost 4 barrels for the price of a DD, Geissle, etc etc. Then it isn't bad. Meaning if you got 10k out of a barrel you could get 30-40k out of those barrels compared to the 25-30k of the other barrels.
I love the Aero lowers and a DD upper or Geissle upper. But I've been getting DDs and Geissle Super duties for 1500 so
DD’s lowers are the biggest rip offs. You are basically paying 700-800 dollars for a basic milspec non ambi lower. Totally a waste of $. Best is to buy a DD or super duty upper and then decide if u want a basic aero lower or if u want a more expensive lower.
@@9770G did you read my comment ...or are you just double commenting what I've already said? Haha
The average Aero is never going to see 1000 rounds. In fact like 98% of guns will never see that.
All things break over time, especially if you don’t properly take care of them & clean them. BCGs should be replaced about every 10k rounds. Yea, some can last longer, but I care about staying in the reliable range window. Also, you get what you pay for generally in the gun industry. I personally love Aero because of the building aspect & that’s key because I choose higher end barrels & buy the more expensive BCGs from other companies to use in my builds. Aero isn’t bad or junk & is fine for defense purposes. I do own a complete upper from them (BCG & barrel from Aero) that I use for training classes specifically & hard range use. I’ve shot over 4,000 rounds on it so far & it’s been working great actually. No issues. I own higher end rifles, but honestly I’d recommend Aero to anyone for a good rifle for the money.
Curious, the BCG or just bolt?
After hearing all this aero praise im going to get a complete Aero upper (bcg & ch) and match it to my binary Franklin armory lower
I've had top of the line BCGs fail before so it happens. But if it happened to Daniel Defense or KAC their customer service would just get a lot of praise
Their complete lowers are awesome. However, I only buy complete BCM uppers. The upper is the past that actually needs to be reliable and needs to be head spaced correctly so it doesn’t blow up in your face.
I do the same thing Ben. And yes, you do learn a lot with this process.
It looked like a failure at the cam pin journal. It's pretty common for a bolt to fail there. I've never seen one personally in my guns or in my duty guns, but I do know it happens. A lot of the more consumer grade use 9130 steel instead of C158. The c158 is usually more resistant to breakage... usually. Take that for what is worth.
9310 is no worse than C158, and in certain ways is better.
@@Hornet135 9130 is highly dependent upon proper heat treatment which can vary by mfg
@@skyofstorms And proper heat treat is even more critical for Carpenter 158 and more difficult to than it is for 9130. So the whole 9310 vs c158 is just dumb at this point.
I’ve never had an issue with my aero lower, she is about 6 years old but also never had over 5k rounds through it. I built my AR and it’s by far the cheapest component of the weapon system. Literally cheaper than my irons, and even butt stock. She has been fine but the more I learn the more I kind of feel like a good 120 investment in an LMT lower it’s probably worth the squeeze.
Most BCGs should be replaced or refreshed at about 10k rounds. If they don't survive to 10k, you aren't maintaining your rifle properly.
Barrels are consumables , did you maintain / clean regularly?
I've been shooting with the dust cover on my optic closed. Kind of a trip. An SF buddy of mine told me of this "trick". Thanks for the share!!
What complete or semi-complete (i.e., without BCGs and charging handles) do you recommend for a duty rifle? BCM? MI?
These are pretty astounding numbers and results. Thanks for sharing.
You know I have the same problem I only ran my corvette down the track 20 thousand times and the engine blew what a peace of junk..
I built my M5 chassis only and im incredibly happy with it. Barrel is a ballistic advantage 16" and its absolutely fine nothing to write home about, KAK LR-308 double ejector - 3 malfunction in one run, determined to be ammo related (it was 90s Venezuelan M80), RISE 140 trigger, Mission First Battlelink stock, Sig Romeo green dot about, 1,500rnds and although its incrdibly light and REALLY twitchy bc of the trigger it runs like a bat out of hell and i dont think im gonns get rid of this one.
I know its radicslly different than buying a full tilt assembled M5 but the platform itself has shown itself to be my favorite of the LR308s Ive tried and I dont think a beginner should shy away from the platform itself. On rule since AR designs are just big lego kits I always recommend people try to piece their rifles together themselves and just get the specific guts they know they can trust themselves. You can build a lot more rifle with less income than you can buy outright.
Try out that KAK double ejector bolt, its pretty impressive
I have an aero upper that seems to be imparting (very) slightly uneven wear on a bcg. That said, I use their receiver sets and then put the parts i want on them. Never any problem with lowers, may consider a higher tier upper due to the more function critical spec
Which company is BCG? Are you talking about Bravo Company?
Yeah my bad I am a moron. I meant bcm.
@@BenStoeger187Now go do 69 press-outs with a wave grip as penance.
Well ppl are stupid...look up chris at small arms solutions.....mill spec bolts commonly break at around 6k rounds...per the destructive testing performed by colt and the government...if you shoot hard enough...like Ben does.. you will break things....that why for years all the old school military guys would carry spare bolts in there pistol grips...
Thee FN m4 eat gas rings for whatever reason
180 degree experience with Aero, clean and oil them and they'll last you the 10 plus years I've been shooting mine
How much Aero counts as Aero?
I use six of their uppers and hand guards but, that’s it…the rest is handpicked quality stuff.
Am I using an Aero still or what does that count as? Do I go by barrel maker or who made the BCG or what?
You’re using what most AR guys are using, a Frankenstein lol. All my ARs are curated by me. I like Aero receivers, with Geissele lower parts kits, BCM bolt carrier groups, and then the barrel and buffers depend on what kind of rifle setup I’m going for. Don’t get too hung up on what these AR snobs tell you is nice and what’s garbage. You gotta do your research and find out for yourself. I like Aeros receivers and certainly don’t consider them “garbage”.
@@codygreene9067yep, you nailed it. Aero is not garbage and their stripped lowers and complete uppers -bcg and ch handle are fine. I use different brands for parts kits, drop in triggers, bcg, ch handle and would consider my rifles to be a solid mid tier (maybe even upper mid tier) due to the internal parts used.
Have an aero m4e1 w Geissele complete uppers/trigger and the aero has ran flawlessly im 2 classes and 7000 rounds through and countless more range bs trips It’s going damn strong I’m pleased with aero lower
Here is an idea.. build you an Aero with a high end bolt carrier like I did.. ... if my bolts kept breaking every 5000 rounds I wouldn't be on my fourth one. I call BS.
Aero is the sex, full aero 223 wylde w/ 22lr conversion. I love it, solid but light, accurate and smooth. Set up to receive pretty much any modifications available. I definitely don't maintain my guns like I used to, definitely been 5 or 6 sessions since last cleaned, clear signs of normal build-up but zero problems. The one Con, which is an understandable one, is the 22lr conversion, works flawlessly with higher end ammunition, but can fail to cycle with lower quality rounds. I don't really count this, because if I got a lighter buffer spring it would probably solve that. On bonus side of things, for unknown reasons my buddies Aero will go full auto when using 22lr conversion. It seems to happen with a very slow squeeze, almost stopping at the brink & barely creeping that last 1/32" & Freezing trigger position immediately when it fires continue holding trigger position & it cycles & fires in auto. Generally only does 5 or so rounds but have gotten a couple mag dumps doing this.(I think there is something up with trigger assembly but he insisted its installed & properly functioning) I consider this a bonus feature but some may not. Would be nice to know why it does that though, as well as knowing how to make mine do the same... err so I can make sure it doesn't happen, I mean....
I feel Aero's price point vs quality is there for the everyday gun enthusiast, there aren't a lot of people that can drop top tier cash on top tier firearms. So everything has its place in the many price point levels of products in the firearms world. In my opinion it seems Ben Stoeger resides at a price point level where $10-12K/20,000 rounds of ammo is probably pretty easy to come by. Which also means a good budget rifle is probably a throw away as well. "One mans trash is another mans treasure" All things considered for the price point level in the gun world I reside at. I've built a number of rifle's with Aero parts over the years and they all still run very well and when I hit 20K rounds on any given one of them.... for what I paid to play, I'll be even more pleased then I am now. I got nothing bad to say about Aero or even Ben Stoeger. Its all about your personal perspective, the task at hand and the purpose.
The pricepoint that aero has isn't terrible. It's a great entry level rifle. I believe the barrels are ballistic advantage, which aren't great if you are looking for awesome accuracy. Also the bolts aren't great. I think they rock the old specification bolt material.
Since the majority of the receivers etc are all the same stuff, with variances in qc along the way. I personally used to only buy noveske and higher end rifles and components. Then I learned more about how they are made. Now I don't care who makes the receivers (aero for the most part), drop in a BCM bolt and a criterion barrel, with maybe a BCM or Geissele or whichever crap is available.
5 years ago it was simple, buy bcm lower on sale for 300, and buy a separate bcm upper on sale for 300... or LMT same way. With the cost of these and other things skyrocketing I can totally see how people don't want to spend 3k on a KAC SR25....
Why do the DD, Noveske etc bolts last 20k? Because they are made with considerably more expensive material. Carpenter 158 steel is what M4 and M16 bolts are made out of, and it costs a lot more. It's a proprietary steel alloy that is only sourced from one place and has to be purchased in huge batches to be cost effective, it's also relatively limited in supply since it's the go to alloy for the M4/M16 contracts.
Toolcraft 9310, us also used in bolts/ bolt carriers.
In the end, I look at it like this. As a Former Marine and current Field Service Engineer, I regard bolts as a consumable item that if I get 5k out of I am happy. The "break in" with some ar's is because the buffer spring takes a certain number of rounds before it takes a set unless it's chrome silicon. Don't believe me, take a new buffer spring, measure it. Shoot it and measure every 100 rounds for the first 500, it loses spring rate till it settles in. Not that you should have to break in any firearm for it to work imo, just kinda how things work with less expensive parts/ fitting.
Carpenter 158 bolts are only rated for 6k rounds before they are expected to fail 20k rounds on a carpenter 158 bolt is an exceptional lifespan
There's nothing notable about c158 other than it's mil spec.
Mil spec being the 'awesome' standard it is
"I abused this gun and it broke and was easily fixed"
I really like your video your thought process. I agree with your logic. I'm a Daniel Defense fan boy, and don't use Aero Precision bolts . I love Aero lowers and have not had any issues. Their LPKs and BCG's have me hesitant but any brand can fail after enough rounds, even DD. How was the customer service or support? I'm curious to know how Aero handled it?
The only things that matter is the chamber dimension, barrel harmonics and how far the bullet likes to jump into the rifling. The brands don’t matter. The dimensions do.
No kidding, my roomate brought a BCM blem upper for the clout and the bit where the gas tube goes into is so large the gas tube rattles inside of it lmao.
Poor maintenance=poor performance. This test sounds about as fair and comprehensive as lucas bodkins test 🙄
Aero is a good gun for most people not operators competition shooters or someone who shoots a shit ton. If you have a gun just for self defense and a little practice your aero will be fine. They make good aurpressors as well. If you plan on going to war spend more than 1800 on a rifle and more like 2-2500. Also people riding Daniel Defense leg like a dog in heat. DD is a good gun but not great. I prefer bcm or lwrc or noveske but if you are just having fun most guns will work for you
Aero is expensive considering the quality they put out. Their nitride uppers are priced along the side of, or even above, BCM. Aero is insane enough to charge Geissele prices for some of their CHF barreled uppers.
They have been the absolute worst customer service I’ve ever worked with in the industry.
I have been trying to get them to replace an out of spec M4E1 lower (buffer chittering due to incorrectly placed buffer retaining pin hole) for about a year now and their communication and urgency is juuuuust about absent.
I sent it in the first time and they claimed I incorrectly installed the receiver extension (I’ve correctly built a ton of lowers so I knew that was bs) and they sent it back with one more turn in the tube and the the problem still exists. I send it back again and they agree to replace it MONTHs ago. At one point they tell me it should be back to me in about 2 weeks. That was about 3 months ago.
I have plenty of their stuff I’ve picked up over the years but I will not buy any more and I won’t recommend them ever again. All they had to do was run the measurements and replace it.
As of 6/23/24 they still haven’t replaced the lower.
“Aero is garbage,” but I own four of them………
Coming from z military background I can tell you we replaced a bcg around 6-7k rounds so 3 of them in 20k rounds isn’t terrible. You can get a bcg for $150 so that’s not a bad trade off. Any serious ar owner has a backup or two laying around!!!
The biggest benefit to doing it the way you have is the price of them allows for multiples so once gun gets too hot just grab another and keep training.
or just have one that always runs
@@rastaman69420it will still get to hot to handle.
What kind of volume of fire are we talking where you’ve torched a gun to that point?
This video was clickbait and we all failed the test
It's amazing how many come out of the woodwork to.defend their purchase decision, and most didn't even listen because they keep referencing one Aero bolt went 20K rounds when that's not what Ben said.
Ben said 3 or 4 broke within 20K collectively, and one barrel began keyholing at 5K.
i knew this video was coming, was waiting for the round count. Definitely lower than I was expecting.
What gas system (carbine?). What buffer?
Some of you will blow your minds when you find out Aero produces for many other brands.
This why I don’t use Aero as they continue pushing 9310 bolts with poor heat treatments. 🤦🏻♂️
Aero precision is far from garbage I have used their receivers exclusively and the quality fit and finish is better than even some BCM I’ve used. Their bolt carrier groups have given me no issues, and their barrels have been extremely accurate as well. I can’t stand it when someone receives one bad part and automatically the company is garbage that’s how you can tell you’re not a serious builder or enthusiast , that, and the hair, of course
I bought Aero Nickel Boron BCGs exclusively, but I also bought stuff from Aero that they flat out refused to warranty and it was factory defect, that would cause complete lock up of the upper
Their handguards are amazing and they helped me with replacing barrel nuts for free, but that M4E1 enhanced upper with embedded nut, 2 same failure and they ghosted me after telling me it's my fault
Never an issue with their Nickel Boron BCGs, I never hate on Aero, but that refusal to warranty sits with me.
Aero is NOT garbage . The M4E1s are GREAT receivers . I suspect you know this but said otherwise in order to get more comments .
I like their lowers and the slim line handguard for a scoped gun that wont have to hold zero. Just needs to hold a light. I have an aero build with a criterion barrel and bcm bolt. It may favorite gun, and i have several gucci rifles. This one is light and accurate.
I have two aero uppers between the both probably have around 30000 rounds. I take care of my guns however. Cleaning and lubricating is standard for me. Why would I pay for a gun then cause a bunch of unnecessary wear and friction just to turn around and say it’s garbage. Aero bolts work great the barrels are awesome also. Guess it’s just to different mindsets. One runs something without care till it breaks then complain. The other take care of your stuff and it will last a long time.
So did you just have problems with your BCG? Definitely glad i bought an AO precision BCG for mine 😄
There’s a lot of doofuses in this comment section that don’t understand there’s only 3 manufacturers out there actually *MAKING* BCGs. AO being one of them.
@@echofoxtrotwhiskey1595 and i would say uf it's good enough for FN America, then it's good enough for me
Aero receivers are fine, dunno about complete guns or other parts but their receivers have been good to me.
I never had problems with their lowers for ar15s... but the m5(308) didnt run too well eith aero parts.....after I swapped the guts and gasblock with jp enterprises it runs like a top..
sub moa with federal ...so I don't mind their receivers.....but I don't waste time with their parts kits
Same thing here….. I went with Krieger they headspace a JP bolt with there barrels. But as I saved money I ended up with a complete JP BCG and silent capture buffer system. At the end of the day my build is a mutt. But a mutt that’s capable of consistently slapping down dime size 5 shot groups at 100 yards with little effort. Idk understand why Aero is getting all this hate lately. Aero has always been a builders company.
what about the solus remington 700 308 20 in one?
6,000 rounds into my "trash" PSA AR-15. I'll buy a KAC as soon as it dies.
Psa is definitely trash lol.....least the stuff I got from them 😆
Is Aero really “bad” if you’re beating the absolute crap out it though? I mean I get it isn’t top of the line stuff, but a quick scrub down and a bit of lubricant could potentially extend the life much longer. I feel like it’s misleading to say it’s bad if it made it through a few thousand rounds without any real care/maintenance. I will say though, I’m glad you’re doing this as I’ve been looking at Aero stuff albeit I’ll be at a much much lower round count.
Yes it's bad. Lubing a bolt doesn't change the fact that the tolerances on their BCGs fucking suck and contribute to the bolt breaking very quickly. Microbest BCGs are the best on the market (they OEM for BCM, SOLGW, Sionics and many other high end companies) and sell for as low as 90 dollars. There is 0 reason to buy an aero BCG or bolts.
The fact that the gun are mass produced but need to be worn in speak volumes.
If it wears in then it quickly turns into wearing out.
@@veryhappyturtle good to know! Thanks! Is there any issue with the uppers and lowers themselves? Or is it mainly centered around the BCG?
@@dchil15 fair point. Thank you!
How long is a bolt supposed to last?
I like their stripped uppers, lowers & Atlas one Handguards for builds. But I use Faxon or Rosco barrels & Toolcraft bcg’s.
I got an 11.3" upper of theirs, didn't include BCG or charging handle but had the 11.3 hansen profile barrel. Much prefer it over PSA trash, at least in finish quality being much better.
I have AR’s made by many different companies. AP is a quality rifle in my experience.
Aero receiver sets are always great for builds. But for the more crucial components I go elsewhere
Nope, the receivers are trash too.
@@hyphydanare you gonna explain why or just leave it at that
from what i've heard theres no wiggle/rotation...so why is it trash? Was yours not as promised?@@hyphydan
Why the tape over the red dot window?
I've been seeing some issues in finish and parts out of spec with Aero stuff. I sent 4 buffer tubes back with lousy anodization, and had a out of spec mag release. Most of their stuff seems ok, wish they would offer a steel barrel nut for their handguards again. then I would buy one. Why not just offer both nuts? All brands have issues here and there, "ALL''.
Was the bolt c158?
I love Aero, but bolts are consumables. There a a few very high quality but you will spend $300 or more on a top teir bolt.
My Aero 350 legend Bull barrel upper has been solid. No complaints other than having a short break in period.
Is the gun junk or the bolt and carrier?
I don't mind their lowers.....I don't care for their parts
I’ve got one but it has an ao precision bolt in it. I’ve got their m5 as well. Neither will see the round counts his has is why I ask.
@walt3r88 my m5 wouldn't run the way I wanted with aero parts....unreliable and chewed up brass.....I basically rebuilt it with jp parts
Well that’s a bummer. I might have 30 rounds thru mine, I use it for pigs. Same with the 556 aero but closer to 250 rounds.
Well that’s a bummer. I might have 30 rounds thru mine, I use it for pigs. Same with the 556 aero but closer to 250 rounds.
Aero makes solid stuff. My only criticism is the BCG's are kinda mid and that's an easy fix.
Colt fn and lmt bolts break fairly regularly in military service their expected lifespan is 6k rounds before they are expected to break so 20k rounds is beyond expectations for any mil spec bolt
i get the internals but most uppers and lowers are made from the same exact materials as the more expensive companies..
Aero is fine as a standard or mid-tier rifle. If you're a builder, you can't beat an Aero M4E1 lower with an Aero mil spec or enhanced upper. Put a good buffer system, trigger, barrel, and BCG in it and you've got a top-tier shooter.
Yea. Not getting a million rounds out of that rifle definitely qualifies it as “garbage”!!! Lol
I bought AP lower for my MODERN M Upper. The disconnector is missing. I send an email no response.Not going to buy again.
BCG stuff is better than Aero stuff? What brand is BCG?
Aero really isn't that bad, but for a high round count shooter like you there are 2 things that need to be changed or address if you want to keep the gun. 1 the bolt carrier group go for a 158 carpenter steel bolt from BCM or Sons of Liberty. 2 barrel go for a cold hammer forged barrel like a Criterion, Hodge or Centurion. Just saying if you were to replace or continue using that particular gun. Just my .2.
FYI the Aero bolt is also made from 158 carpenter steel. I've had one personally break at the cam pin hole. I'm not sure what they're doing wrong but they're using the same steel as the premium manufacturers. When I emailed customer service they didn't take responsibility for it but replaced it with a new one (after many weeks of waiting).
Criterion isn’t CHF, they’re button rifled with chrome lining.
I don't mind their receivers cause they are cheap and work.....but I run faxon match or proof barrels and jp enterprises/geiessle parts.
@@jesse5167The only C158 bolt aero offers is in their Phos/CL. It looks like Ben has been using the Nitride BCGS, which have 9310 bolts.
@@jesse5167Aero Precision doesn’t make BCGs.
Wouldnt consider 7k rounds on a $110 bcg bad. In fact i think aero should be the go to starter rifle for most people. I don't think there is a better brand in their price range.
So how does this guy treat his daily car? Does he even change the oil?
Which bcg’s broke though? They have a few…
Bro fired more rounds on that BCG than most soldiers or cops will fire in their entire career. I’d say it’s most definitely not garbage.