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This should be fun. I have a buddy that has all the blocks and tools that said he would help. Let's say I want to stay under $500 for a complete upper including BCG and prefer a 16" mid length. Stainless barrel preferred but not necessary and 1:7 or 1:8 twist in Wylde or 5.56.

HH,
That's the best use case and attitude for purchasing a BCA rifle.

At one point I think they were selling complete rifle for $350. At that price point you are going to have some issues, but it's a great opportunity to learn the platform. If something breaks or doesn't work, try not to send it back to the factory. Figure out why it doesn't work, and what if anything you can do to fix it with the tools at hand. Learn what to gauge, and look for, and as parts fail, or approach failure, do your research, learn provides the best value for your needs, and replace and upgrade accordingly.

Now this approach isn't for everybody, but if you do, eventually, you'll end up with a good rifle, you'll know why it's good, you'll know what you want in your future builds, and sound just like the rest of us AR snobs with a preference for (but can't always afford) high end parts.

My first build was all PSA and Anderson parts. My last build......not so much.

Yeah, I’ve built some nice stuff, but when you’re test-bedding chambering, barrel lengths, etc....it’s too expensive to use nice stuff, just to tinker, or find out you went the wrong way with the package. I use some palmetto stuff, selectively. I prefer Aero for bang vs buck on bare lowers/uppers.....and then they’re just carriers for really good barrels, bolts, etc. All of mine are frankenguns, and likely always will be. I can’t afford complete rifles from most I’d actually trust with the build QC, more than myself. That’s not because I know everything, but because I know enough and know where my knowledge/experience ends and others begins. I can afford to use really good components and build myself, with good QC. I can’t afford to pay someone like me or likely far better than me. LOL

$500 EZ Button
https://palmettostatearmory.com/psa...th-bcg-ch-mbus-sight-set-5165447592.html

By "easy button", do you mean the "notify me when back in stock" button?

Snooze you loose.

HH,
That's the best use case and attitude for purchasing a BCA rifle.

At one point I think they were selling complete rifle for $350. At that price point you are going to have some issues, but it's a great opportunity to learn the platform. If something breaks or doesn't work, try not to send it back to the factory. Figure out why it doesn't work, and what if anything you can do to fix it with the tools at hand. Learn what to gauge, and look for, and as parts fail, or approach failure, do your research, learn provides the best value for your needs, and replace and upgrade accordingly.

Now this approach isn't for everybody, but if you do, eventually, you'll end up with a good rifle, you'll know why it's good, you'll know what you want in your future builds, and sound just like the rest of us AR snobs with a preference for (but can't always afford) high end parts.

My first build was all PSA and Anderson parts. My last build......not so much.
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This is exactly the plan with the one I bought from them recently

So what parts on a full BCA upper are the biggest kink in reliability? Everything? BCG? Hand guard? If you had one and wanted to make it reliable to your standards would that be possible?

Throwing $650 worth of parts at a $350 BSA is a great way to end up with a $850 rifle (because you'll have spent $150 on shipping those parts).

Shoot,

The most frequent issues I've seen, and seen reported, revolve around the most important parts, the barrel and bolt, specifically improperly cut chambers, rough chambers, bad head spacing, and improper heat treating of the bolts.

This is why BCA's the most debated brand on the internet. Some people get lucky and have no issues with these major parts. A large percentage don't shoot 'em enough to realize they have problems. Those who do have problems, and properly diagnose them are into them for a new barrel, BCG components, or both, hence, Tyrone's numbers above.

I have a Midway "Stoner" upper (it's complete blasphemous to put his name on this collection of parts), that's rumored to be made buy, or at least contain parts from BCA. The BGC looks identical to the BCA one's I've seen. It's a 16" barrel with carbine gas, so I wasn't surprised when it was over gassed out of the gate. For the first 100 rounds it seemed fine, but I don't think it made it past 200 before it it started have ejection and extraction issues. The extractor tears the rim off the case, so it's not a small issue, probably barrel related, and give me a good excuse to replace the barrel with something from Criterion. The bolt is still within spec, but it hasn't seen 500 rounds yet, and with the current ammo situation, I'll spend my primers in better ways. This barrel will join an Anderson barrel in the Bin of Shame.

But I know the risks when I bought it. As I recall it was a really good sale which made for a reasonable risk/reward ratio, but after subtracting out the price of the bad barrel, and assuming the BCG doesn't disappoint, I will still have over paid for the usable parts, but I'll get that back in experience (or at least that's what I'm going to tell myself. )

I wouldn't trust their upper receivers to be straight either. A lot of people don't care, but it annoys me when I lose, say, 10 minutes of wind to a crooked receiver.

I'm asking because I have a dog in the fight. Just bought a pistol upper with carbine gas system from them. Side charging. Never had an AR before. Pinned it to an Aero Precision full lower and everything's tight but that's just what I can see. Since it's a side charger I'm not sure how easy it'll be to upgrade the BCG but I'm asking out of ignorance. If there's a reasonable way to preempt a bolt issue I'd be interested. Really like the side charging concept, biggest reason I went BCA. Barrel shouldn't be much trouble or overly expensive. But not being familiar, how do I begin to recognize over gassing before case rims start tearing? 20 foot ejection distance? If I go to another barrel should I look at adjustable gassing? And a new barrel is possible because I really wanted a 12 or 12 1/2" rather than the 10 1/2" I got.

The saga continues...

How hard is Carpenter 158? Just takes D&T of a hole to add a side handle, no? I have D&T some hard receivers, not pleasant or easy, but doable. It'd suck ballz to f'k up a new BCG! I like my BCA side charger but follow-up with standards, as I wanted standard parts.

There's plenty of workable AR barrels available without going to match grade pricing, aren't there? But yah, $90 seems a bit low for the 300BO I got. LOL


AR Stoner. I got a carbine buffer tube I had to file on to make work. Shame shame Larry.

So are you saying you have done a D&T on standard bolts to convert them to side charging? If that's the case problem solved. I don't know the inner workings of a side charge vs rear charge bolt; ie interchangeability. If they're pretty much the same except for location of the jerk handle..........

So after 20 minutes on the innanet it seems there's a boo-koodle or so of mfgs who make side charging bolt carriers that fit the BCA receiver. And it appears bolts fit them. So 'spose I'll run some cotton into the chamber and maybe down the barrel to see if there's any grabby spots and maybe do some arm exercise with JB paste. Similar for the BCG and bolt just to check finishing. After that guess it's pow-pow time to see if anything blows. Have a young friend that did some shop work whenever he could while in the Navy and know he has put together a long and a short for him and his wife. We may owe them dinner. Any more input appreciated. And to the OP sorry for the jack, hope it was useful to someone else.

No worries, I'm trying to learn as well and that info on the side chargers is beneficial. There just isn't much on the shelf to order right now, complete upper or parts to piece one together.

Right to Bear seems to have the most in stock I could find but even then your selections are limited.

Absolutely not. IIRC I read that that's what is involved and seems it's a tight spot to locate. D&T hardened receivers (for scope bases) is doable but a bitch. It was recommend to me to use HSS tooling so busted taps can be chipped out and I found that to be solid advice. Carpenter 158 bolt carrier? I don't know and not real eager to find out.

After seeing that there are other companies making compatible BCGs it doesn't much matter. I tried to D&T a Ruger 77 trigger and never got finished with D. Barely marred the surface. Hardened metal is for the pros getting paid to do it. In scanning thru some of the online info it appears it HAS been done which is good for a ignernt learner like me to know since that means the similarities are greater than the differences.

If you want to go long & heavy on the Wylde then BCA can help. But you're back into the Workable vs POS arguement.

https://www.bearcreekarsenal.com/22...m-15-mlok-split-rail-side-charging-upper

On this place there are at least 4 side chargers that they made.

556 as well as wylde chamber.

So far the only thing to break is on one rifle had a gas key screw shear.

I ordered some screws and when they came in the bad ones were removed and the key as well as the bolt were checked for flatness.

That rifle is still going today.

My son got a 458 SOCOM upper from them and we have had a blast finding loads for 325 and 400 grain cast bullets for it.

If they are taken care of as all tools should be they work when they are needed.

I have a 6.5 Grendel and a pistol with a Wylde chamber and after finding what the rifle barrel liked it has not balked once.

I have no problem with them knowing that there might be tweaks that need to be done but the same can be said of folks changing out parts because they like brand e over brand t.

For the money they work.