Home Forums Hunting & Shooting AR and Tactical Rifles Bear creek arsenal. Any good?

LOL….a barrel is the LAST part I’d buy from them. I’m trying to think if I’ve even seen one that had a chamber/throat cut to spec, much less shoot accurately.

I’m not sure but I think I have my answer. 🤣

Way too many red flags raised with them. Exactly why I asked you guys…..I had never heard of them.

My 6.5 Grendel SS barrel does quite well. These type groups are fairly routine.

I'd only buy one for a "close enough" lmao, definitely not for anything other than trash dumping at the range.

I’m replacing a BCA Grendel barrel right now that might group within 3-4” @100. Realistically, it starts stringing them all horizontal. As everything else checks out, and it’s across all ammo tried, it’s an indicator of another jacked up throat/neck chamber cut.

Might be 4 years ago, but unless the company has changed hands (I don't know one way or the other) that's kinda indicative of business practices.

I don't know too many illegals (even legals under 30) who can read mic's & calipers & prints, much less tell if what's coming off a machine is good or bad.

And that comes from direct experience in a precision industry not gun related, with who we can hire today.

YMMV

MM

Irons or scope? If the barrel index pin is missing or the slot is loose, iron sight guns will do that.

Scoped. Everything else is as it should be. If it’s an index pin, I’ll see it when I take it down…..but I’ve seen this several times, to varying degrees with their barrels.

Well, in fairness, the upper that Anthony bought was a few months before that.

And the raid still happened.

After seeing them screw up the barrel, and then not even being capable of putting the right caliber bolt in it, I wouldn't buy anything from them.

Anyone as incompetent as what I saw, should not remain in business. If you think I could recommend them with a straight face, think again.

I must be very lucky! I have 224 Valkyrie, 6.5 GRENDEL, 350 LEGEND, 223 Wylde, 7.62 X 39, 300 Blackout and several 5.56 barrels from BCA and all shoot very well. The 223 Wylde took some breaking in, but it shoots better every time I shoot it and thoroughly clean the barrel. I thought the 5.56 barrels were defective after I assembled rifles and they wouldn't chamber and fire any ammunition. Called BCA and they asked for the barrels and bolts I was using, which were Aero "Precision". Got a call a week later and the tech said the Aero Precision bolts were not machined correctly. The hole for the ejector was not machined deep enough. When returning my barrels and bolts, he sent me two new BCA bolts and the rifles functioned perfectly with them. I'd call that pretty good customer service. I was able to make the Aero Precision bolts function by shortening the ejector springs one coil. Oh, I shoot the Grendel and Valkyrie in our local 300 yard F-Class matches. Both shoot my match handloads into 1/2" for five shots.

Interesting. We own 4 bear creek uppers. One was 22LR that had issues from the get go. That I tried to fix and failed. They sent a brand new one that works perfectly now. Customer service.

The other 3 we own are 2 in 223 and one in 6.5 Grendel. I"ve also sighted in about 3 others in 6.5 Grendel so far. All have functioned fine. All have shot 1 inch group for 5 shots at 100 while in the zero phase. Or better. Couple took my reloads to do it with but I didn't tweak the loads, just whatever I have loaded for our Grendel.

I have not played with bear creek until the last few years though FWIW.

My goal now is to buy an on sale upper at about 200 bucks or so every sale they put on. So far no flies on that for general beat around guns and so far as noted they have been holding to MOA for our uses basically. One is probably more like an honest 1.2 or so MOA gun but its plenty good for pigs and coyotes out to 300 around the house which is about as far as we typically shoot at them if so inclined.

For you and others. If you have accuracy issues with any barrels please send em back. Almost all makers know there can be issues. Those can't be helped sometimes and have no clue until its on the gun. I don't know of any that won't back em up. Well there was maybe one years ago but I can't recall the name and don't want to use the wrong name.

I"ve had a bad Kreiger before so you just never know. But they have all stood behind the product in various ways.

I'd consider an Anderson long before I'd consider a Bear Creek. That's saying something.

Thanks Tyrone. I know you are a shooter. When those guys come to my club, I admire their rifles. They are very spendy. They do shoot well too. Those guys are used to shooting them at 600+ yards too. Mainly at Douglas Ridge in Estecada Oregon. You've probably never heard of that place. I feel bad about bad mouthing them because they are good shooters. They are just used to their clubs rules and NRA sanctioned events. I'll rattle their cages though and you know that is all part of the game. Get in their head kind of thing. I'm used to that from when I shot for money, at different trap clubs in Oregon. Half of it is a head game. Some of these guys here that don't compete, don't know that. I don't know what the OP is going to decide, but I'm wondering how many guys have experience with the Aero Precision uppers?


Like I said earlier, one of my buddies uses a 308 Aero precision with ballistic advantage barrel and that damn thing shoots great. Even with irons. He's a retired Airborne Ranger and knows how to shoot. He keeps me on my toes. Anyone else here use one??? That and the Windham are probably the one's I'd suggest. On another note, I had a really nice pre ban Bushy in my hands today. My buddy uses one of those and it shoots very well. Would it be worth looking for an older Colt or Bushmaster??? Or are some of the newer manufactures just as good, or better? Or what about the new Colts???

I thought about looking for an older HBAR upper from Colt. Sky high when they can be found.

My results yesterday with my M-16 upper. One hundred yard groups: Seemed like more vertical spreading than horizontal for what it’s worth.

Could easily be bench technique, setup.

I have been known to have excessive operator headspace occasionally

ARs aren't the easiest guns to shoot off a benchrest. The sloping stock makes them want to porpoise which string the shots vertically. A dedicated bench gun has a straight bottomed buttstock so the gun recoils straight back.

Makes sense. What do folks do it this case with respect to benchrest technique?