Bear Creek Arsenal 7.62 x 39 Complete Upper ?

[gwchem]

My opinion is based on first hand knowledge of their quality and customer service. Both garbage.

 

[clandestine]

Are all the negative remarks about BCA first hand experience or just hearsay

My advice is free. I'm not harmed in any way if observers ignore what I post, and they experience a problem with their BCA.

I have seen many BCA's that had problems because of how poorly they were put together. Rebuild them properly and they often run like a top. AR's are not Legos.

I have seen BCA's with numerous small issues that cause reliability problems, or one serious problem that prevented the gun from running. Sometimes some smithing was the fix, and sometimes parts had to be replaced.

I have seen them blow up and worked on ones that blew up. Some was ammo related, some wasn't.

I would have no problem owning a BCA AR because I have the skill and knowledge to make the gun right, but there's no way I would trust it without a full teardown, rebuild, and replacing some critical parts.

 

[clandestine]

When I was younger and poorer I bought a BCA complete 7.62x39 AR for $300.

Then I took the remainder of my budget and signed-up for Clandestine's AR Armorer 101 class.

The rifle had only one minor flaw in it's manufacturing, the gas key screws, which we replaced in the class.

I still have the rifle and it still runs great, probably 2K rounds through it over the years.

This is not an endorsement of BCA, just another perspective on weighing your options when you're on a limited budget. I'm glad I bought the rifle because it meant I was able to afford Clandestine's course.

I remember your AR. The budget rifles can be a good value if you know what to look for. I'm glad yours didn't have serious issues my friend.

 

[Hibs]

Are all the negative remarks about BCA first hand experience or just hearsay

apparently didn't read my post.

 

[Sirex]

I have a BCA 7.62x39 upper. It is ok, but I bought it for its low price point and because I had a ton of ammo in that caliber, and if 5.56 ever got hard to find again, like past ammo shortages, I could still shoot. The BCA isn't my primary rifle upper. It did have some initial issues igniting the harder Russian steel cased ammo, and magazines can be finicky. I upgraded the bolt on mine with a Young Manufacturing bolt with heavy duty extractor, swapped in a heavier hammer spring, and added an enhanced firing pin and it shoots about everything now except the hard primered Golden Tiger. It's fun to shoot, but I wouldn't trust its reliability over my Colt 5.56 AR, or my Vepr. It's mainly a range toy, or back up upper when 5.56 is hard to find. Mine has had pretty good accuracy though.

 

[rgramjet]

My sons each have a BCA upper. In .22 and 450 Bushmaster. Their budgets were definitely BCA and nowhere near Daniel Defense.

The 22 is very accurate and cycles smoothly. Very happy with its function. The 450 has only had a couple boxes through it. Knock on wood, it has fed and functioned properly. It is dialed in and my son enjoys shooting it.

I have since purchased a couple pistol uppers. A .300 and 5.56. Both have 7.5 inch barrels. Ideally the plan is to put a suppressor on the 300. Both are new and have had 100 rounds down the pipe. Zero issues.

Hoping their QC has improved to correct their previous shortcomings.

Is there anything I should be on the lookout for? I'm not doing quick mag change ammo dumps or stress tests. Just want to target shoot and hunt.