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BCA bolt action upper for $350? (Page 1 of 21)
Posted: 1/7/2025 2:05:14 AM EDT
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https://www.bearcreekarsenal.com/350-legend-18-parkerized-hb-1-16-twist-15-mlok-bas-upper.html One reviewer commented that he bought the upper in 350 Legend and immediately swapped out the 350 barrel for a 300 Blackout tube. I like the idea of 250 grain 350 Legend subs, but one of my .30 cal cans has considerably more volume than my 9mm can, and I reload Blackout. Hornady sells a 255 grain 7.62x39 sub. Green Mountain has 1/8 twist tubes. Hmm… |
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Originally Posted By s4s4u: 22-1/2° I believe, standard AR bolt geometry. Originally Posted By s4s4u: Originally Posted By stre-tch: Any idea on the bolt throw angle? Uintah precision is about 60* curious about this one. 22-1/2° I believe, standard AR bolt geometry. Thanks. So it really is similar to the “bolt action” ar15 upper like you see in Europe. Except this one looks like it doesn’t need a buffer tube as well. Being able to put your own barrel on it has a lot going for it. Also the price is just right. Be nice for a predator upper or a 300blk upper for silent cycling |
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Originally Posted By Buckeye33: Hopefully they start to sell the receiver separately. I don’t need a complete upper, like most of us around here I have plenty of parts to finish the way I want. I’m in the same boat. I talked to their sales department and they said not in the foreseeable future |
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I really like mine. I bought the cheapest upper (350 Legend) and just swapped out the barrel, bolt, and handguard (all of which I already had, fortunately). Honestly, for a customized upper receiver, bolt carrier, and bolt handle, $350 for just those items would not be completely out of line. If you think if it that way, the barrel and handguard are bonus freebies... 
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Scepticism is an exercise, not a life; it is a discipline fit to purify the mind of prejudice and render it all the more apt, when the time comes, to believe and to act wisely. -- George Santayana
Never mistake a clear view for a short distance.
Never mistake a clear view for a short distance.
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Originally Posted By Scott_S: https://www.bearcreekarsenal.com/350-legend-18-parkerized-hb-1-16-twist-15-mlok-bas-upper.html One reviewer commented that he bought the upper in 350 Legend and immediately swapped out the 350 barrel for a 300 Blackout tube. I like the idea of 250 grain 350 Legend subs, but one of my .30 cal cans has considerably more volume than my 9mm can, and I reload Blackout. Hornady sells a 255 grain 7.62x39 sub. Green Mountain has 1/8 twist tubes. Hmm… With regards to barrel swapping, I'm curious if anything is done to plug or cover the gas ports? Is it safe to assume the OEM barrels don't have gas ports drilled? |
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Originally Posted By Moondog: With regards to barrel swapping, I'm curious if anything is done to plug or cover the gas ports? Is it safe to assume the OEM barrels don't have gas ports drilled? The barrel comes with a 0.750" sleeve which is held on with set screws just like a gas block. It will transfer to any AR barrel with the same sized gas block journal. |
Scepticism is an exercise, not a life; it is a discipline fit to purify the mind of prejudice and render it all the more apt, when the time comes, to believe and to act wisely. -- George Santayana
Never mistake a clear view for a short distance.
Never mistake a clear view for a short distance.
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Originally Posted By vmpglenn: I really like mine. I bought the cheapest upper (350 Legend) and just swapped out the barrel, bolt, and handguard (all of which I already had, fortunately). Honestly, for a customized upper receiver, bolt carrier, and bolt handle, $350 for just those items would not be completely out of line. If you think if it that way, the barrel and handguard are bonus freebies... I just pulled trigger on the .223 upper. Would you by chance share a pic of the BC? Curious if I can use a folding stock. |
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Originally Posted By TNRonin: I just pulled trigger on the .223 upper. Would you by chance share a pic of the BC? Curious if I can use a folding stock. From watching TFB's video, it appears the bolt carrier needs to travel into the buffer tube. Around 3:15 in the video they talk about the bolt action  Budget Big Bore 8.6 Blackout from Bear Creek | SHOT Show 2025 |
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Originally Posted By Moondog: From watching TFB's video, it appears the bolt carrier needs to travel into the buffer tube. Around 3:15 in the video they talk about the bolt action  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ym4hIjzEczc |
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Originally Posted By TNRonin: I just pulled trigger on the .223 upper. Would you by chance share a pic of the BC? Curious if I can use a folding stock. I have one that I swapped from 350 Legend to 300 Blackout. The BCG indeed goes into the buffer tube. Folding stock is a no go. 
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Originally Posted By ninja99: I have one that I swapped from 350 Legend to 300 Blackout. The BCG indeed goes into the buffer tube. Folding stock is a no go. https://i.ibb.co/vCHFwdPz/BCA-bcg.jpg |
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Originally Posted By TNRonin: Thank you! Oh ya, someone will come up with a "stub" of some sort with a 1913 interface. Or someone will be brave enough and just chop the back of that BCG down. It doesn't look like it serves any purpose other than the help guide the bolt. |
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Originally Posted By TNRonin: I bet it helps keep it aligned. I don't think it does anything for alignment. The "gas key" aligns the BCG. Looking closer, I don't even think it really does much to guide the BCG neither. That tail portion steps down to a much smaller diameter than the inside of the upper receiver so it makes no contact with the upper. Not a great pic, but too lazy to unscrew the bolt handle to take the whole thing out. 
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Originally Posted By ninja99: I don't think it does anything for alignment. The "gas key" aligns the BCG. Looking closer, I don't even think it really does much to guide the BCG neither. That tail portion steps down to a much smaller diameter than the inside of the upper receiver so it makes no contact with the upper. Not a great pic, but too lazy to unscrew the bolt handle to take the whole thing out. https://i.ibb.co/qM0Tpdqs/Bcg-tail.jpg Gotcha, I was referencing carrier tilt. But from the looks of it I don't know what it does. |
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Originally Posted By TNRonin: Gotcha, I was referencing carrier tilt. But from the looks of it I don't know what it does. I have a home built Solo 300 (actually a 450 BM) that I made using a Bear Creek side charger that I cut the BCG off just behind the Firing Pin. This works with a folding stock and has no problem maintaining orientation in the upper. My guess is they’ve left the BCG longer in their “Bolt Action Style” receivers so it fills the opening in the receiver where the bolt handle slides forward/aft (highlighted in red below). Just chop off the last couple of inches and you’re good to go. Attached File |
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He who makes a beast of himself, gives up the pain of being a man
He who makes a beast of himself, gives up the pain of being a man
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Originally Posted By Goody454: I have a home built Solo 300 (actually a 450 BM) that I made using a Bear Creek side charger that I cut the BCG off just behind the Firing Pin. This works with a folding stock and has no problem maintaining orientation in the upper. My guess is they've left the BCG longer in their "Bolt Action Style" receivers so it fills the opening in the receiver where the bolt handle slides forward/aft (highlighted in red below). Just chop off the last couple of inches and you're good to go. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/180867/IMG_6336_jpeg-3452785.JPG Thank you! |
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What kind of camming power does this have (no, not porn camming)? Where is the bolt handle really attached, the carrier? Or the bolt? I get the impression that is uses a standard bolt, so what actually rotates the bolt open and unlocks the action? The cam pin? When I built a straight pull (side charging) non gassed 28" .458 SOCOM, with anything but start loads one had to pull on the side charger handle along with the rear charging handle and/or mortar them out. With half way decent hot loads it was a real PITA to extract the fired cartridge and the chamber was polished glass smooth. The sticking still persisted. I finally gave up and gassed the darned thing and it has not missed a beat since, so it was not a rough chamber causing the problem. If the bolt handle is attached to the carrier, as it was in my side charger, there was little leverage to begin extraction, only what the cam pin exerted on the bolt. Of course, the handle they use is much larger than the nub sticking out of my side charger so that right there is creating more leverage, but for those who have one of these uppers, is extraction easy or do you have to beat it open with your hand? I'd love to see some good quality pictures of the bolt carrier and bolt out of the rifle and I'd be much obliged if someone did that. TIA. |
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i think the bolt handle is connected to the carrier and uses a standard bolt thats held in place fixed by the cam pin.  Bear Creek Arsenal Bolt Action Upper |
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The bolt's rotational position is fixed. The cam pin channel only allows the bolt to move back and forth. The camming is manual and is performed by rotating the bolt handle. The bolt is a standard bolt without gas rings. They added a spring between the rear of the bolt and the carrier to prevent the carrier from being all the way forward without the bolt being locked. This in theory would prevent the hammer from striking the firing pin unless the bolt is locked. The firing pin, firing pin retainer, and cam pin are also all milspec. Can't tell you how well it works yet. I slapped the sucker together but haven't had time to take it out and shoot it.  
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I'm actually surprised that BCA does not offer .300 BO as a factory option with that bolt action upper. With a good suppressor that would be a excellent combo & seems to be a perfect match. They are leaving money on the table with that. |
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| I was curious about the lock up myself. Last night I looked down the receiver and it looks like the "gas key" has a cam path that helps lock it in place. I'll be curious to see how it works out. I still have to build my lower. |
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Originally Posted By Ming_The_Merciless: I'm actually surprised that BCA does not offer .300 BO as a factory option with that bolt action upper. With a good suppressor that would be a excellent combo & seems to be a perfect match. They are leaving money on the table with that. yeah, I'd have already bought one 
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Originally Posted By Ming_The_Merciless: I'm actually surprised that BCA does not offer .300 BO as a factory option with that bolt action upper. With a good suppressor that would be a excellent combo & seems to be a perfect match. They are leaving money on the table with that. Agree. I'm willing to bet that's what the majority of the market audience for a bolt action AR upper is looking for. I did the next best thing, I bought the cheapest upper they had that used a 5.56 bolt (It was a 16" 350 Legend upper) along with a 300 Blk barrel and just rebarreled it myself. With a 10% off coupon, I only paid a few bucks more than regular price for the upper. |
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Oh, that's awesome. The spring on the bolt tail -- been doing that in my bolt action builds for a while, lol. I too wish they'd sell the carrier, handle, and upper as a package. The back wings they left on the carrier won't aid with alignment much as they are narrower than the rest of the carrier. In the picture above you can see that the whole front of the carrier is the full diameter that the bearing surfaces are on a traditional carrier. They are there to keep the upper "closed". Cutting them or shortening them shouldn't affect functionality, unless something is getting inside. As far as folding stocks: EWS's buffer tower/picatinny adapter comes to mind for this -- it has the better part of an inch of internal space, from pictures. It might be possible with that, or a similar product, to use this with a folding picatinny-connecting stock with reduced or no modification to the carrier. One could also use any reduced length buffer tube system with nothing in it. CQB length buffer tubes (Strike and Maxim), or even shorter ones like Kentri or DFA's come to mind. Granted, those can tie you down to a specific (and often more expensive) stock, but they are functional options made possible by the bolt's reduced length. ETA: On sale for $299 currently:: https://www.bearcreekarsenal.com/556-nato-16-parkerized-m4-1-7-twist-15-mlok-bas-upper.html ETA2: Would you mind posting a picture or two of the inside of the receiver? I'd appreciate seeing any geometry differences. Thanks for pics posted already. Worth a thousand words ea., but I've run out for now. ----------------------------------- Topics Covered in Each Page Because an index is convenient * Discussions of most price changes/sales excluded from index
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The differences I can see are that: 1) As TNRonin mentioned, the BCA upper has a cutout for the "gas key" for when the bolt is rotated into the closed position 2) the BCA upper does not have the cutout that allows for cam pin rotation that a standard upper has 3) there is no gas tube hole and no charging handle retention cutouts It's kinda hard to get pics of the inside of the receiver. The differences are obvious when looking at it in person but don't show as well in a 2D picture:   
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Originally Posted By VTD: Is the barrel that comes with it drilled for a gas port (even if unused)? Mine came with a drilled gas port. |
Scepticism is an exercise, not a life; it is a discipline fit to purify the mind of prejudice and render it all the more apt, when the time comes, to believe and to act wisely. -- George Santayana
Never mistake a clear view for a short distance.
Never mistake a clear view for a short distance.
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Originally Posted By ninja99: Yes. The barrel was just a standard AR barrel and has a gas port. They have a sleeve with a set screw that blocks the gas port. Thanks for all the info in this thread. I'm looking forward to putting a .300bo together for quiet back porch plinking. |
| Paladin, tp555(at)vfemail.net, will make your barrel for you, any caliber you want if you rent the reamer from 4D Reamers and supply him the blank and barrel extension. If you want it sans gas port, no problem, no gas block seat, no problem. I cannot believe I am saying this, but I wish BCA had this out a few years ago. I am now tempted to have Tony or Paladin make me a 27" .375 SOCOM on a GM blank. If they sold just the upper and bolt, I'd order it a heartbeat but I really don't need to be paying for a forend and barrel that I don't want. I don't like to sell things on the net and it's unlikely I'd find a buyer locally. |
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Beware speaking with a sharp tongue as you are apt to cut your own throat.
My name is John Wick, you killed my puppy, prepare to die.
Beware speaking with a sharp tongue as you are apt to cut your own throat.
My name is John Wick, you killed my puppy, prepare to die.
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Originally Posted By Big-Bore: Paladin, tp555(at)vfemail.net, will make your barrel for you, any caliber you want if you rent the reamer from 4D Reamers and supply him the blank and barrel extension. If you want it sans gas port, no problem, no gas block seat, no problem. I cannot believe I am saying this, but I wish BCA had this out a few years ago. I am now tempted to have Tony or Paladin make me a 27" .375 SOCOM on a GM blank. If they sold just the upper and bolt, I'd order it a heartbeat but I really don't need to be paying for a forend and barrel that I don't want. I don't like to sell things on the net and it's unlikely I'd find a buyer locally. You can get a complete 5.56 upper for something like $280... At that price, I would not be worried about trying to sell the handguard or barrel. Mine in 6.5 Grendel is a pleasure to shoot, especially suppressed. Once you know how to grip the rifle, running the bolt fast is very easy. 
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Scepticism is an exercise, not a life; it is a discipline fit to purify the mind of prejudice and render it all the more apt, when the time comes, to believe and to act wisely. -- George Santayana
Never mistake a clear view for a short distance.
Never mistake a clear view for a short distance.
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Originally Posted By vmpglenn: You can get a complete 5.56 upper for something like $280... At that price, I would not be worried about trying to sell the handguard or barrel. Mine in 6.5 Grendel is a pleasure to shoot, especially suppressed. Once you know how to grip the rifle, running the bolt fast is very easy. https://personal.visualitymedia.com/personal/65g_bolt_can.jpg I have a spare .300 pistol upper so I'm just going to swap barrels. With a 10% discount code the 16" 5.56 upper was $296 shipped. |
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After seeing the design, I think I'd plan on buying a couple receiver/carrier/handle kits, if they sold them as such. I like the looks of both of the Grendel and the blacklout, guys. Slick jobs. I've got a straight pull of both. Right now, though, I've decided to get one to tear down and use for the .338 ARC barrel I have coming in a while. I guess the question is how long before they sell a kit, if they choose to? |
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Originally Posted By PreacherOfGadget: After seeing the design, I think I'd plan on buying a couple receiver/carrier/handle kits, if they sold them as such. I like the looks of both of the Grendel and the blacklout, guys. Slick jobs. I've got a straight pull of both. Right now, though, I've decided to get one to tear down and use for the .338 ARC barrel I have coming in a while. I guess the question is how long before they sell a kit, if they choose to? Probably never |
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Originally Posted By Normlizer: Probably never Care to provide any reasoning for that line of thought, other than general pessimism? Inquiring mind would like to know. Given that they could probably sell the combo carrier+handle+upper+rear plug for $200-$250, and not have the assembly cost (in addition to barrel, bolt, muzzle device), I'd think it'd be a profitable decision to make at some point. |
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Originally Posted By PreacherOfGadget: I guess the question is how long before they sell a kit, if they choose to? It's anyone's guess but I think they will eventually. It's a new product so I'm betting they won't do receiver sets until after demand on the complete uppers die down. Probably the same reason they haven't released the .300 AAC yet. Just spacing them out to maximize sales. |
BCA bolt action upper for $350? (Page 1 of 21)
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