I hate to ask such a stupid question.  I've been wanting to build an AR for several years and have been planning my first build for at least 8 months.  My family surprised me on father's day with my entire budget to make it happen.  My plan is to sit on it until the weekend of the 4th in hopes that there will be some great deals.  I have a feeling this is going to be the longest week and a half of my life :)

That being said, I want to get a hammer forged barrel/upper group from BCM, but the exact one I want is out of stock.  They have the non-CHF version in stock.  I'm terrified that I'm going to wait until next weekend and those are going to go out of stock too.  I don't know if it's worth the risk to wait in hopes that there is a sale or if I should just go ahead and buy it.

Does anybody know if BCM has historically had specials for Independence Day?  I've asked them directly and they are very tight-lipped about any plans for upcoming sales.

Consider this. The difference you paid in regular price vs sale price has guaranteed you an upper that will typically ship within 24 hours of the order being placed.

After 8 months, is that potential $50 savings really worth it? Then again, you already said you wanted an out of stock BFH version. The question you should be asking is when do they plan on having that model back in stock, if it's within the next week or so, then go ahead and wait.

Anytime BCM has run a sale, items sell out VERY quick. I mean within minutes of the email notification.

I've seen items come in stock and sellout before some people's mail servers even processed the message (those instances always make for a lot of butthurt threads on here).

Very good advice -- thank you.  I guess my thought was the upper with rail, charging handle, and bcg was going to run $835.  Just making numbers up, if they ran a 20% off sale, that's a $167 savings.  If the savings only turned out to be $50 and that determined whether or not I was able to actually get what I want after such a long wait, it would definitively be smart to just buy now.

I was going to buy an upper group with a CHF barrel, but I honestly don't know that I care about whether or not the barrel is hammer forged.  They currently have the exact upper group I want with a non-CHF barrel in stock.

Will the non-CHF barrel go out of stock and I'll be totally screwed if I don't buy now?  Will the CHF barrels come back in stock soon?  Will there be sales next weekend that I could have saved a ton of money on and regret buying now?  LOL so many questions bouncing around in my head, just not sure what decision to make!  I think the only variable that could really help me decide is knowing whether or not BCM typically runs these types of 4th of July sales on their upper groups that would make it worth the risk to wait.  If they don't, I might just go ahead and buy the non-hammer forged group now.

Those are both things you could call them about.  They may tell you they have a lot of the non-CHF left and it's unlikely.  They may also be able to tip you as to if they are producing another run of the CHF ones that you really want in the near future.  Or they may say they can't share that information, but it doesn't hurt to call.

Having been exactly where you are...I settled for something less than what I exactly wanted.  Months down the road I bought the upper I originally wanted, then ate a little on the selling the other one.  I was so anxious to finish my rifle that I settled and looking back I wish I wouldn't have.

If you are anxious to buy something, get a cheaper PSA one and then save up for the BCM one that you really want when it comes back into stock.

Or the other argument is that you will end up with a bunch anyways so just get both

Independence Day ?

I don't remember BCM having any super duper holiday sales. They had the blem clearance which was a very good deal, and the free bcg and comp was great while it lasted. Hammer forged barrels are nice and help with resale value, but their "regular" barrel is 4150 mil-spec and very good.

This. In general, BCM doesn't have sales. Maybe one of their dealers will have a sale, but getting it straight from BCM is also a great deal as well.

You're very unlikely to see bcm run 20% off complete uppers, ever.

Then buy the non-CHF one. You won't notice the difference. I had one and it was a great barrel.

This. Bcm cl barrels are awesome  (so are chf, but not worth the premium)

You should just buy the non-CHF barrel.  You will never see a difference.

FWIW, I have a BCM upper on my main go to rifle.  It's a 14.5" heavy barrel mid length with an Omega rail.  Had it for YEARS and LOVE it.  Not a CHF barrel.

Thanks guys... I think I've resolved myself to not care about the potential sale.  I have the money, as a gift, so I should just get what I want.

The real question now is what I want :)  I'm struggling real hard, and keep changing my mind back and forth on whether or not just to jump in and grab the non-chf barrel or wait it out.  I may need to sleep on this one...

If your mind is set on the BFH version, no amount of opinion is going to sway you otherwise and you're always going to have that lingering in the back of your mind until you eventually just buy what you wanted originally. Just email them for an ETA.

I waited for several months to get a stripped version of the 14.5" BFH middy barrel even though I could have had the standard version that whole time.

PSA will probably have a sale.
DSG Arms has 10% off sight wide right now.

10% Off a Colt/DSG/Spike's Tactical Upper seems like a steal.

Thanks for the tip on the DSG sale.  I went ahead and ordered my stock, BUIS, and grip from them.

DSG is a great place to do business (so is BCM).

Which CHF BCM combo did you want?

If you haven't purchased anything yet, PSA is already having a 4th of July sale if you want to check it out. Pretty good deals...

I saw the PSA sales also.  Unfortunately, I don't think I need anything they currently have listed for their 4th of July sales.  The upper group I want is the 16" Enhanced Light Weight Hammer Forged upper group with the 15" KMR.  They have this with a 13" KMR in stock, but I personally like the idea of being able to move my front site and flashlight out as far as possible.

Here are the parts I have on my list that I still need and I'm hoping pop up on sale some time this week/weekend.

16" ELW CHF Upper Group / 15" KMR FF Rail - BCM - $835 - http://www.bravocompanyusa.com/BCM-BFH-16-Mid-Length-ENHANCED-Light-Weight-Upp-p/bcm-urg-mid-16-bfh-elw-kmr15.htm
Lower receiver - Spikes - $90 - http://www.joeboboutfitters.com/Spike_s_Tactical_Lower_Multi_Forged_PUNISHER_Str_p/sp-stls015.htm
Buffer assmebly - Spikes - $68 - http://www.joeboboutfitters.com/Spikes_Tactical_6pos_Milspec_Carbine_Stock_Kit_p/sp-sla500r-k.htm
SD-C Trigger - Geissele - $230 - http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/product/2-GEI05-165
Lower Parts Kit - PSA - $30 - http://palmettostatearmory.com/index.php/catalog/product/view/id/2563/category/389/
EZ Pull Takedown pin set - YHM - $18 - http://www.joeboboutfitters.com/Yankee_Hill_EZ_Pull_Takedown_Pin_Set_p/yhm-7284.htm
P Mags (4) - Magpul - $48 - http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/product/2-MGMPI571OD

I have other things I want for my build (AFG, sling, keymod qd mounts, etc), but I think I'm going to be running out of cash.

A rule of thumb on bcm products..



Do not wait

BCM's best deal was including a BCG with their uppers. I wouldn't expect much beyond that. Paul wants a premium brand, and premium brands don't need sales.

So the day that upper group I want comes in stock, I'll be purchasing it.  I just hope its days and not months :)

For the rest of the stuff, I'll hope for some good sales.  The LPK is already so cheap, that doesn't much matter, but I suppose on the lower receiver, trigger, and possibly buffer kit, it be nice to shave a few $$ off.  Anything that I can't find crazy deals on this weekend will just end up getting purchased at the prices I listed above.

I just keep doing searches on google for "sale site:ar15.com" with the time set for the past 24 hours.  I also keep going to each of the sites I have listed and seeing if they have any big banners that pop up talking about upcoming sales.  And finally, I keep searching slickguns.com for each product.  

Anybody else have a good tips on how to catch sales as they pop up?

As an fyi, Larue barrels are still half off, or $199.

Txl

Here is the st lower a bit cheaper

http://www.aimsurplus.com/product.aspx?item=F1STSLPUNISHER&name=Spike's+Tactical+Multi.+Cal.+Punisher+AR+Receiver&groupid=1565

attempting to get in on the BCM deals before they sell out in a fun endeavor. It took multiple tries before I got my upper at the sale price I wanted due to the insane speed in which things sell out for them. That being said BCM kicks ass and my rifle is amazing.

Wilson Combat has a sale on the barrels.

http://shopwilsoncombat.com/Independence-Day-Sale/departments/526/

Well, after hitting refresh on the BCM web page 10 times a day for the past couple of weeks, the BCM BFH 16" Mid Length (ENHANCED Light Weight) Upper Receiver Group w/ BCM KMR 15" Handguard that I've been waiting for just came back in stock!  Tomorrow was my deadline and I was going to order the non hammer forged barrel... so now the hammer forged barrel is on it's way!

Good to hear!

awesome!

cant go wrong with BCM!

Wow, and it shipped today also... Same day I placed the order.  Delivery scheduled for Tuesday! Now that's some fast order processing!