Sell Me on BCM components

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rickyrick

New member
My newest build is going to have to be pieced together.

Don't have the funds to do it all at once this time.

It always gets mentioned that BCM excels for budget builds.

BCM parts users that use other things tell me the difference...

I'm looking at stocks and buffer, springs and tubes ATM. May think about their upper components as well....

Thank you in advance
 
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dakota.potts

New member
Mosin, I'm far from a BCM fan boy (never used their products), but do you have reason for thinking their charging handles break easily?
 
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Mosin-Marauder

New member
With a regular charging handle, it is pulled straight back and released so that it rides straight forward and doesn't require a lot of lubrication as it isn't bearing on too terribly much.

With a BCM (or any other extended or ambi brand CH) it is being pulled at an angle (the larger the catch the more of the angle). Say with the large latch, if it is pulled back by the latch with the fat of the hand (as most do), there is quite a bit of tension being put on the side of the charging handle. And unless it is lubricated very well with a good grease that stays where it's put (oil won't do it), it is prone to snapping in half, eventually. Especially if it is racked really hard, and during high round counts when everything heats up and malfunctions and mag changes are somewhat more common.

You'd get a longer life out of your MiSpec if you do any high round count shooting Or anything where the rifle is under some sort of duress or adverse-ish conditions.

Now, for the casual shooter? You'd most likely be fine.
 
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rem1858

New member
Mosin;

How long had you had that BCM CH before the failure ?
Any idea of round count ?
At what section of the CH did it fail(latch, middle ?)
Did BCM take care of you with a replacement CH ?

Clarence
 
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Mosin-Marauder

New member
I won't be dropping $60 on one, as I've seen a few bent and broken on abother forum, James Yeager of Tactical Response addressed this a bit in a video, as well, and I saw no disadvantage to a MilSpec BCG other than it didn't have a fancy logo :)D).

I'm not saying don't buy one or buy one, just saying I won't buy one, I could get about 5 Mil-Spec CHs for the cost of one BCM, so I don't really see any reason to buy one unless you desperately needed an extended latch, for some reason.

Your Mileage May Vary
 
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rem1858

New member
Good answer Mosin, but that does not help the OP out with his question especially when you have not used the product cause you would not buy one just cause :)

With that said I have a BCM mod4 CH cause I have large hands and the little larger latch is easier for me to manipulate pinching the latch side only with my thump and forefinger to cycle the BCG.

I also have the BCM mod3 grip cause I like the angle a lot better than the standard grips on the AR platform.

Side note is my lower is a pieced together Anderson Arms with a Geissele SSA-E trigger.

Upper is a 16" mid length PSA.

No complaints.

Clarence
 
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marine6680

New member
BCM makes parts that are a little more expensive than the average, but are very good quality, and more attention to QC.

You may spend $20-30 more for their BCG than say a PSA premium, but I would say they are worth the cost over the PSA.

But I have been happy with my PSA BCG in one of my rifles.


If you can get a PSA 16in mid gas CHF "machine gun" barrel made by FN, that is probably the best standard configuration barrel you can get, and for the money, most definitely.

The CHF barrel from BCM is no slouch though.


BCM parts are built well, and they have good QC, so their parts are unlikely to have issues.


As far as charging handles... some people pull the standard ones back at an angle as well... so they can break too.


Its all in how you use the thing.

If you pull only on one side, and at an angle, and you do so very forcibly, then you will have problems eventually.

If you pull from only one side, but pull back straight, you don;t put much more lateral (sideways) force on the charging handle than if you pull straight from both sides.

Its all in how you use/treat the thing...
 
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raimius

New member
Mosin, don't believe everything on the internet.

Most people in "tactical" classes or speed based competitions will only use one side of the charging handle. I've seen very few used the fat part of their hand (pinky side). That said, yes, many exert a substantial bit of force.

BCM designed their Gunfighter charging handles to better tolerate those forces, compared to the GI charging handle. They even have diagrams and videos to explain how and why they think theirs is better designed.

The forces and angles involved don't vary that much from charging handle to handle. They do vary a bit based on technique used. The BCM handles are designed with a certain technique in mind, much like the originals envisioned a different technique. I'd recommend not claiming a handle designed to work better for a certain technique will fail quicker while using that technique, unless you have more than James Yeager's internet opinion to back it.
 
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noonesshowmonkey

New member
I run a BCM charging handle, grip, and stock. The charging handle is sturdy, offers an exceptionally positive grip for ripping the charging handle out of the upper to rack the weapon, and once lubed is smooth. I swapped the Troy grip for an A2, to a BCM, to the Troy, and back to the BCM. The angle is clean, and suits an upright, tightly tucked shooting posture well. The stock is lighter, tougher, and offers more cheekweld for its size & durability than any other I've come across. It is excellent.
 
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reynolds357

New member
Any design modification has its positives and its negatives. If we assume(which we can not do) that an extended charging handle and a mil spec charging handle are both built to the same strength, then we can emphatically say that the mil spec handle will last longer due to the fact it is not being exposed to lateral forces. Most mfg. who make extended handles make them stronger than mil spec. Even assuming the extended handles break faster than mil-spec, the handles are still lasting thousands of rounds. If the handle will outlast the barrel, I definitely consider it a quality part. Having said all that, I hate extended charging handles. I almost never use the charging handle anyway. I only tactical reload. I never go out of battery. I got paranoid about letting weapons run dry when I was in Level III SWAT training. Letting a bolt lock back on an empty mag got you an immediate ticket back to your house and out of the school. The rule applied even to the automatic sub guns and the select fire AR's. You either had to be able to count real well or you had to change mags an awful lot. There were days in that school when I shot over 500 rounds and used the charging handle only 2 times. 1. Unloading for lunch. 2. Unloading to leave for the night.
 
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rickyrick

New member
I'm not really wanting a BCM handle though, I'm not a gunfighter anyway...

I don't like things sticking out further than needed, soldiering has shown me that things sticking out further get hung up on stuff.

I was thinking along the lines of other upper stuff.
 
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marine6680

New member
BCM makes a version of their charging handle that is only a little larger than a standard one. A little easier to grab, but its not sticking out. I am thinking of getting one.
 
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dayman

New member
The biggest design difference between the bcm charging handle and the GI version is that bcm designed theirs to take pressure off the pin.
Given the same treatment, they should be considerably more durable than the GI version.
They're not unbreakable, but you'd have to misuse it pretty hard to break one.

They do make extended releases, but that's sperate to the basic design.
Even with an extended release your supposed to pull it straight back. The bigger release just make it easier to run fast, or with gloves.

Unless you get the ambi version they're more like $45, and BCM occasionally runs deals where they're less than that.

I don't know anyone who actually had one that's been unhappy with it. In fact, everyone I know that's used one has switched over to using them pretty much exclusively.

When you consider the total cost of a quality ar build, what's an extra $20 anyway?
 
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Theohazard

New member
Mosin-Marauder said:
I can't see justifying a $60+ charging handle that will just break faster than the Mil-Spec one but hey what do I know.
Click to expand...
If you like to charge your AR using your support hand, I can't see sticking with the mil-spec one that's much harder to use. The BCM charging handle with the medium latch (my favorite size) is much easier to rack this way than a mil-spec charging handle is.

Even if the BCM handle will break faster (and I've seen no real evidence that it will), I'd rather have a rifle with a charging handle that's easy to rack with my support hand.
 
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candr44

New member
BCM makes good quality parts but their selection is somewhat limited. I would like to see BCM expand their selection of part to other calibers as well but they seem to only be interested in 5.56.

I used their bolt carrier group on my carbine. It is well made and works without any problems. I also used their SAMM-R 20inch 410 stainless steel barrel on another build and it turned out to be very accurate. I have no regrets at all buying that barrel. I have no problem bouncing a golf ball around at 100 yards with it.

I know what you mean about things sticking out further than necessary. I put a extended latch on my charging handle because of the scope and found it gave no significant advantage. I can charge the rifle without it just as well, if not easier, just by changing my technique for gripping the handle. The extended latch also digs into my back when I carry the rifle by the sling.
 
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