I've reviewed 3 BCA's so far (Minuteman has shared some of my reviews). As long as you're willing to check everything yourself and do a little bit of post purchase QC, you can save an enormous amount of money and end up with a very competent firearm. Great review TMM!
awesome to see a low power scope I mounted a engage 1 to 4 German reticle (illuminating) on my rifle... I have that on all my rifles actually. Good video I am not into rim-fire but hey looks good...
I have 5different offerings from bca, and they are ALL badass. In fact I would putbca against Daniel defense any day of the week. I have a nice Danny defense and a Windham weaponry, and I prefer my bcas to either one of these. Bca are just awesome at what they do and they do it cheaper than anyone else.
Good video Jay, on a Bear creek arsenal upper is a good idea once you receive your upper to disassemble, clean, lube and torque to spec's. To insure no problem or issues. Put on or about 50 rounds down the pipe break-in period. Just saying.
what would you say its comparable to? obviously nothing top tier but as far as the midrange goes is the glass as good as say a vortex strike eagle for around $300?
@@musek5048 I have recently reviewed a Ozark Razorback 1-6x24 and a Vortex Venom (the replacement for the Strike Eagle) 1-6x24 as well as the Eagle Feather 1-6x24 (CVLIFE sells two 1-6x24's, i tested the more expensive version). You can see all three reviews if you follow the yellow brick road. I would say that besides price, the main difference between the three is the reticle. The Venom has an ACSS, the Razorback has a vert/horiz mil dot, and the CVLIFE has a simple BDC. All three are illuminated, with the Razorback being both green/red, and the other two red only. The Venom is by far the most expensive, and the CVLIFE is easily the most inexpensive of the three, about half the price of the Razorback, and 1/3 the price of the Venom. Both the Ozark and the CVLIFE come with a mount, with the CVLIFE mount being the nicer of the two. The Venom does not come with a mount, and is also the most expensive of the three. The venom has turret caps over top of the tactical turret knobs, which is unusual. The Venom is 1/4 moa click adj, while both the Ozark and the CVLIFE are 1/2 moa click adjustments. All three are listed as "waterproof", the CVLIFE and Venom are specifically rated at IPX7. Both the CVLIFE and the Ozark are rated at 1000g's shock rating, I could not find a rating for the Vortex. The Ozark does have a big advantage over the CVLIFE in that the Ozark has a no hassle lifetime warranty. Venom also has a lifetime warranty. I think the CVLIFE is 2 years. But to summarize, If you plan on going to actual war, I would pick the Venom, but for home/homestead defense (what Modern Minuteman is doing), typical hunting, target shooting, plinking, etc all three are perfectly fine IMO. The Venom gives the best capabilities but is the most money, the Eagle Feather gives extremely high value for the least money, and the Razorback is right in the middle. I personally have a Vortex Venom on my hunting AR. Primary Arms also makes a really good 1-6 in the same price range as the Venom. Full disclosure: I worked shot show for CVLIFE.
I put a really long response up but it's gone. I guess TH-cam nuked it, or maybe it got kicked into automatic moderation and Minuteman can approve it. To summarize if you have $150 budget, the CV life 1-6 x 24 eaglefeather is a very good option
Happy to see their quality control has improved. It's been years since I bought a upper from them. The issues I found were screws not staked, improper gas block alignment. After I fixed those issues it ran like a champ. And for the tiny price I paid and the review you gave I have no problem buying more from them. I was just thinking about you a few hours ago and went on their website to see what they had. The review on the 22 interests me greatly! Was looking at their 17hmr as well, just super handy around the farm. The next build i do will be a 308.
Seems like the issues you mentioned were common then. The issue today seems to be 7.62 in a short barrel issues (which just about every manufacturer has, lol). I have 4 uppers from them with zero issues (2-16" uppers, an 11.5" pistol upper, all those in 5.56, and then the 16" .22lr upper). I have a .22lr in a .10.5" pistol upper coming next, that should make for a fun shooter. I'll have the .22 review up in a couple weeks. It is solid.
I have 3 BCA uppers. One of them failed a few shots in. The gas block was loose. 2 minute fix. All 3 uppers have seen 1000 rounds. Zero malfunctions due to hardware, only ammo or magazines. They are not the most accurate, but they are well worth the affordability. Yes you may get a bad egg, it will happen with any company or anything you buy, nothing is produced perfectly 100% of the time. I’ve seen $1,000+ firearms fail in the first few hundred rounds. BCA is a good buy, especially if you’re new to firearms or just wanna have fun every now and then.
Can you do a short video on the hand guard wrap you got on there? Mainly what you used to make it, can’t bring myself to spend $80-100 for one like it from burn proof.
I would like to know if their quality control has improved over the years. I've bought uppers from them and had to disassemble them and correctly assemble them to get them to work correctly.
I have 4 uppers from them with zero issues. I'm going to be doing a few more reviews on the different ones over the next month or two. I think they have made the turn in their overall quality. Remember a few years ago everyone was hating on PSA and now folks love them. I think we're gonna see that with BCA soon.
@@themodernminuteman2557 yeah exactly, I also remember when PSA was still considered poverty tier and BCA was just a blip on the radar. I bought my first upper from BCA in 2015 when people would straight up grill you for even mentioning that name anywhere online. Now in 2024 that upper is still shooting great, the only problem I ever encountered was a broken extractor pin after doing a couple of magdumps for fun. A quick $5 dollar fix and I was back on target. Not bad for the $300 I paid after almost a decade!
How much QC do you expect for a $200 complete upper that includes a BCG and a CH? Serious question. I have 3 of them. When i get them, i take them apart, torque, loctite and inspect everything on reassembly, and like TMM, I have never had any issues once I do that.
Good evening Sir! Great review, and a great day at the range! I have not tried any of the BCA items yet, but it looks like I should! Thanks for an honest review! Take care my friend!
@@Valorius It's not for people like you and I that concerns me, it's those who can not afford to buy a spikes or Daniel defense. Those little things that we know to do many people don't.
so is it safe to say that these bca chf barrels are on par with accuracy as their stainless barrels? Wanted to try to put together a cheap SPR for fun and saw their chf barrels. I like that they are nitride but the stainless fluted ones are not that far off price either. Can't decide which to go with. I've read that chf barrels can open their groups up once the barrel heats up a lot but there's so much conflicting info online its hard to get a straight answer on which to go with. If they're practically no different in performance then I'd just go with whatever is cheaper.
I don't have an answer for ya. But from my knowledge stainless is preferred when accuracy is paramount. CHF barrels are next in line for accuracy and durability. I have not read that CHF barrels open up groups when they get hot. This was from BCA's website that may answer your question: alnk.to/ge6gvlU
@@musek5048 I am not a great shooter, i have a small shake when focusing behind glass so take this for what it is worth). At 36 yards everything is within a quarter, a better shooter could put groups in a dime I bet. At 100 yards I'm within an inch and a half, at 200 yards inside 3 inches. The range at my camp has steel targets setup at the far end. mostly 10x12 and 8x10's plus 1-3" gong. I was hitting that 3"er all day at 200 yards. That works for me!
My most accurate barrel is from Bear Creek Arsenal. I mounted it on a discount billet upper and lower with a Dirty Bird 2 stage trigger, running a generic full auto bcg.
I've reviewed 3 BCA's so far (Minuteman has shared some of my reviews). As long as you're willing to check everything yourself and do a little bit of post purchase QC, you can save an enormous amount of money and end up with a very competent firearm.
Great review TMM!
Thanks man. And those checks you should be doing to every firearm you buy.
@@themodernminuteman2557 If you're relying on it for defense, I 100% agree.
awesome to see a low power scope I mounted a engage 1 to 4 German reticle (illuminating) on my rifle... I have that on all my rifles actually. Good video I am not into rim-fire but hey looks good...
I have 5different offerings from bca, and they are ALL badass. In fact I would putbca against Daniel defense any day of the week. I have a nice Danny defense and a Windham weaponry, and I prefer my bcas to either one of these. Bca are just awesome at what they do and they do it cheaper than anyone else.
Good video Jay, on a Bear creek arsenal upper is a good idea once you receive your upper to disassemble, clean, lube and torque to spec's. To insure no problem or issues. Put on or about 50 rounds down the pipe break-in period. Just saying.
Love the idea of keeping a rod lashed to the handguard.
Great lookin rifle! Simple, straight-forward, and works.
I reviewed that Eagle Feather 1-6x24 also. It's *shockingly* good for the money.
what would you say its comparable to? obviously nothing top tier but as far as the midrange goes is the glass as good as say a vortex strike eagle for around $300?
@@musek5048 I have recently reviewed a Ozark Razorback 1-6x24 and a Vortex Venom (the replacement for the Strike Eagle) 1-6x24 as well as the Eagle Feather 1-6x24 (CVLIFE sells two 1-6x24's, i tested the more expensive version).
You can see all three reviews if you follow the yellow brick road.
I would say that besides price, the main difference between the three is the reticle. The Venom has an ACSS, the Razorback has a vert/horiz mil dot, and the CVLIFE has a simple BDC. All three are illuminated, with the Razorback being both green/red, and the other two red only.
The Venom is by far the most expensive, and the CVLIFE is easily the most inexpensive of the three, about half the price of the Razorback, and 1/3 the price of the Venom.
Both the Ozark and the CVLIFE come with a mount, with the CVLIFE mount being the nicer of the two. The Venom does not come with a mount, and is also the most expensive of the three.
The venom has turret caps over top of the tactical turret knobs, which is unusual. The Venom is 1/4 moa click adj, while both the Ozark and the CVLIFE are 1/2 moa click adjustments. All three are listed as "waterproof", the CVLIFE and Venom are specifically rated at IPX7.
Both the CVLIFE and the Ozark are rated at 1000g's shock rating, I could not find a rating for the Vortex.
The Ozark does have a big advantage over the CVLIFE in that the Ozark has a no hassle lifetime warranty. Venom also has a lifetime warranty. I think the CVLIFE is 2 years.
But to summarize, If you plan on going to actual war, I would pick the Venom, but for home/homestead defense (what Modern Minuteman is doing), typical hunting, target shooting, plinking, etc all three are perfectly fine IMO.
The Venom gives the best capabilities but is the most money, the Eagle Feather gives extremely high value for the least money, and the Razorback is right in the middle.
I personally have a Vortex Venom on my hunting AR.
Primary Arms also makes a really good 1-6 in the same price range as the Venom.
Full disclosure: I worked shot show for CVLIFE.
I put a really long response up but it's gone. I guess TH-cam nuked it, or maybe it got kicked into automatic moderation and Minuteman can approve it. To summarize if you have $150 budget, the CV life 1-6 x 24 eaglefeather is a very good option
Happy to see their quality control has improved.
It's been years since I bought a upper from them. The issues I found were screws not staked, improper gas block alignment.
After I fixed those issues it ran like a champ. And for the tiny price I paid and the review you gave I have no problem buying more from them.
I was just thinking about you a few hours ago and went on their website to see what they had. The review on the 22 interests me greatly! Was looking at their 17hmr as well, just super handy around the farm.
The next build i do will be a 308.
Seems like the issues you mentioned were common then. The issue today seems to be 7.62 in a short barrel issues (which just about every manufacturer has, lol). I have 4 uppers from them with zero issues (2-16" uppers, an 11.5" pistol upper, all those in 5.56, and then the 16" .22lr upper). I have a .22lr in a .10.5" pistol upper coming next, that should make for a fun shooter.
I'll have the .22 review up in a couple weeks. It is solid.
Nice review jay! like your setup man!
@@ValoRuss thank you
I have 3 BCA uppers. One of them failed a few shots in. The gas block was loose. 2 minute fix. All 3 uppers have seen 1000 rounds. Zero malfunctions due to hardware, only ammo or magazines. They are not the most accurate, but they are well worth the affordability. Yes you may get a bad egg, it will happen with any company or anything you buy, nothing is produced perfectly 100% of the time. I’ve seen $1,000+ firearms fail in the first few hundred rounds. BCA is a good buy, especially if you’re new to firearms or just wanna have fun every now and then.
Hear me out. They are an even better buy with a little knowledge and tools. Especially with the return policy.
I've got a BCA 6.5 grendel that is a laser
Can you do a short video on the hand guard wrap you got on there? Mainly what you used to make it, can’t bring myself to spend $80-100 for one like it from burn proof.
Grunt proof gave you a shout out bro hope to see your numbers come up 🤙🏻
Looks good.
I would like to know if their quality control has improved over the years.
I've bought uppers from them and had to disassemble them and correctly assemble them to get them to work correctly.
I have 4 uppers from them with zero issues. I'm going to be doing a few more reviews on the different ones over the next month or two.
I think they have made the turn in their overall quality. Remember a few years ago everyone was hating on PSA and now folks love them. I think we're gonna see that with BCA soon.
@@themodernminuteman2557 yeah exactly, I also remember when PSA was still considered poverty tier and BCA was just a blip on the radar. I bought my first upper from BCA in 2015 when people would straight up grill you for even mentioning that name anywhere online. Now in 2024 that upper is still shooting great, the only problem I ever encountered was a broken extractor pin after doing a couple of magdumps for fun. A quick $5 dollar fix and I was back on target. Not bad for the $300 I paid after almost a decade!
How much QC do you expect for a $200 complete upper that includes a BCG and a CH?
Serious question.
I have 3 of them. When i get them, i take them apart, torque, loctite and inspect everything on reassembly, and like TMM, I have never had any issues once I do that.
Good evening Sir! Great review, and a great day at the range! I have not tried any of the BCA items yet, but it looks like I should!
Thanks for an honest review! Take care my friend!
@@Valorius It's not for people like you and I that concerns me, it's those who can not afford to buy a spikes or Daniel defense. Those little things that we know to do many people don't.
Sweet 250 range Jay. I’m looking forward to the 22LR review
Nice rig !
Thanks
so is it safe to say that these bca chf barrels are on par with accuracy as their stainless barrels? Wanted to try to put together a cheap SPR for fun and saw their chf barrels. I like that they are nitride but the stainless fluted ones are not that far off price either. Can't decide which to go with. I've read that chf barrels can open their groups up once the barrel heats up a lot but there's so much conflicting info online its hard to get a straight answer on which to go with. If they're practically no different in performance then I'd just go with whatever is cheaper.
I don't have an answer for ya. But from my knowledge stainless is preferred when accuracy is paramount. CHF barrels are next in line for accuracy and durability. I have not read that CHF barrels open up groups when they get hot.
This was from BCA's website that may answer your question: alnk.to/ge6gvlU
@@themodernminuteman2557 thanks for the response, what kind of groups were you getting with that barrel?
@@musek5048 I am not a great shooter, i have a small shake when focusing behind glass so take this for what it is worth). At 36 yards everything is within a quarter, a better shooter could put groups in a dime I bet. At 100 yards I'm within an inch and a half, at 200 yards inside 3 inches. The range at my camp has steel targets setup at the far end. mostly 10x12 and 8x10's plus 1-3" gong. I was hitting that 3"er all day at 200 yards. That works for me!
Surefire knock off... "Put that sh!t on everything" 😂
Would like to find the torque spec for the handguard screws
i see we have a mutual sling making friend ;)
What happen with the 7 pocket rig?
Still have it and use it
My most accurate barrel is from Bear Creek Arsenal.
I mounted it on a discount billet upper and lower with a Dirty Bird 2 stage trigger, running a generic full auto bcg.
Everything we have from Bear Creek Arsenal has been 100% good to go.
I put that shit on everything… 😆