Bear creek or PSA or ????

[421Jms]

So I’ve been looking at building an AR and want to get a better idea on a good low cost upper that will last a decently long time and have the least ammount of issues. Sorry if this isn’t the correct place to post this but I’ve seen countless arguments going every which way on every place I’ve looked.

 

[gassprint1]

So I’ve been looking at building an AR and want to get a better idea on a good low cost upper that will last a decently long time and have the least ammount of issues. Sorry if this isn’t the correct place to post this but I’ve seen countless arguments going every which way on every place I’ve looked.

There are many videos showing the psa uppers put thru full auto hell and other test. No need for a name brand budget build..go with psa. Lots of times you can find blem uppers cheaper at psa. To me, a complete upper includes the ch/bcg.

 

[johntheplinker]

I've got a Bear Creek upper on my coyote rifle. Doesn't have a lot of rounds through it but so far I haven't had any issues. Other than it being one heavy pig, that is. Very accurate, more accurate than it has any right to be, especially for no more than it cost.

 

[421Jms]

I believe a Psa upper is about 200$ more than a bear creek one even when it’s on sale are they worth almost double what a bear creek is?

 

[gassprint1]

I believe a Psa upper is about 200$ more than a bear creek one even when it’s on sale are they worth almost double what a bear creek is?

So then a 300 to $350 upper from psa only costs 100 to $150 from bear creek?? Interesting

 

[Tombs]

Depends on your use case. Life and liberty, go with BCM, knights, colt, FN, etc.

Range and hunting? Just about anything will get the job done these days. If you go with a bear creek, make sure to check any screws and ensure they are loctited and torqued properly, and it should run fine. My heavy profile 450 bushmaster upper from BCA is one of the most accurate rifles I've ever fired hilariously, though I don't know how long it'd retain that accuracy.

 

[421Jms]

okay cool if that’s the case then I’ll definitely try out a BCA one!

Depends on your use case. Life and liberty, go with BCM, knights, colt, FN, etc.

Range and hunting? Just about anything will get the job done these days. If you go with a bear creek, make sure to check any screws and ensure they are loctited and torqued properly, and it should run fine. My heavy profile 450 bushmaster upper from BCA is one of the most accurate rifles I've ever fired hilariously, though I don't know how long it'd retain that accuracy.

 

[DadSmith]

So I’ve been looking at building an AR and want to get a better idea on a good low cost upper that will last a decently long time and have the least ammount of issues. Sorry if this isn’t the correct place to post this but I’ve seen countless arguments going every which way on every place I’ve looked.

Here is a review of a BCA AR-15. He's going to document every shot upto 500rds.
He's also an INGO member.

 

[tcecil88]

I have a few BCA offerings and they have been solid for me. They are heavy, as they only offer heavy profile barrels, no matter what caliber. They only offer 2 styles of upper as well, regular BCG and side charging, with one style of handguard across the board. All that is for cost savings.
PSA offer a much better selection of upper styles, barrel lengths, etc. That translates into a little more cost, but they are cheap and on sale alot.
If you just want a basic upper that is decent, won't break the bank, and don't mind some weight, then give BCA a try. If you want more variety and options for your build, then give PSA a try.

 

[1nderbeard]

Neither are really known for quality.
I had a 6.5 Grendel upper from BCA that was really bad. Couldn't hit paper at 100 yards. To their credit they acknowledged the bad batch and gave me a refund. Coincidentally (or not) I spent $1,000 on an Odin works upper and had the exact same problem. Odin gave me another upper.
So do what you want. Personally I don't see the need to spend a ton of money on an AR15 these days.

 

[Expat]

PSA used to offer some pretty good uppers with FN barrels. Not sure if they still do.

 

[Purdue1991]

I have two BCA uppers. For the money, you really can't go wrong with them. Just don't expect them to be perfect.

One is a 308. Had a couple of issues with it. But it is extremely accurate for the price (MOA or less). 1). Rear lug was too long for the lower and couldn't install takedown pin. Had to file down the lug. 2). Wouldn't cycle properly so I disassembled and lubed the BCG with Slide Glide. Worked flawlessly after that.

Second is a .223 Wylde. Nothing special about the upper. Have had ZERO issues with it cycling.

Also have a PSA barrel on another AR in 6.5 Grendel. This thing shoots lights out. Literally 1/2 MOA. I was in complete shock at how well it shot.

With that said, I've had other ARs that wouldn't shoot worth a damn.

 

[DadSmith]

I think a lot of savings is the fact BCA makes everything at their factory. They do not have a middleman, and sell it directly to the customer.
Now if they shipped them off to the big distributors, then from there to gun shops etc... The price would go up at each stop they made on the way. So your $350 BCA AR-15 might be around $500-600 or more if they had a middleman.

I use several of their barrels in my uppers with no problems. I did buy a complete 20" 223 wylde upper from them to test out. I haven't got enough rds through it yet to give an opinion.

 

[ws6duramax]

Neither are really known for quality.
I had a 6.5 Grendel upper from BCA that was really bad. Couldn't hit paper at 100 yards. To their credit they acknowledged the bad batch and gave me a refund. Coincidentally (or not) I spent $1,000 on an Odin works upper and had the exact same problem. Odin gave me another upper.
So do what you want. Personally I don't see the need to spend a ton of money on an AR15 these days.

I had similar experience with their 6.5 grendel, what a POS! I won't spend another dime at BCA.

 

[55fairlane]

Personally I'm not a fan of lower end, sold at a price point, I look at the best bang for the buck, look at a rock river arms, not ridiculous priced & very well built & tested. If you can hold off, go to Camp Perry this summer and walk vendor row, there will be deals to be had.

 

[Dingleberry]

Here is a review of a BCA AR-15. He's going to document every shot upto 500rds.
He's also an INGO member.

He also did a PSA review

 

[johntheplinker]

I have a few BCA offerings and they have been solid for me. They are heavy, as they only offer heavy profile barrels, no matter what caliber. They only offer 2 styles of upper as well, regular BCG and side charging, with one style of handguard across the board. All that is for cost savings.
PSA offer a much better selection of upper styles, barrel lengths, etc. That translates into a little more cost, but they are cheap and on sale alot.
If you just want a basic upper that is decent, won't break the bank, and don't mind some weight, then give BCA a try. If you want more variety and options for your build, then give PSA a try.

Actually they now offer several different profiles, all the way down to lightweight profile. Not sure what they offer in complete uppers other than heavy and government.

 

[d.kaufman]

Neither are really known for quality.
I had a 6.5 Grendel upper from BCA that was really bad.

This is where I think it all comes down to QC. I have a 6.5 grendel bca barrel, not complete upper, just the barrel, that shoots wolf steel cased ammo 3/4" at 100 yards.

Example of poor QC..... I had an issue on 1 of their 450 bushmaster barrels on a build. Wouldn't cycle. Come to find out gas port was not drilled to proper specs. Been years ago so dont remember what the specs were vs what suppose to be. Fixed that myself and it's been perfect since.

 

[nipprdog]

Bought a PSA upper for a range gun. woefully over gassed. put an adjustable gas block on it and now it runs much cleaner and smoother.

 

[wally05]

I've only seen a few BCAs in person and a lot of PSAs over the years. Both are hit or miss. But I'd trust PSA a little more. That's just a personal opinion. Like others have said, for the range, either will do you just fine. I tend to just build my own anymore.