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I like a great deal as much as the next guy and always weigh out the value I get for my money.
I'm mystified by these super cheap Bear Creek Arsenal 6.5 Grendel barrels that recently dropped onto the market. How do they do it?
I'm always on the lookout for good deals for our members here, and would be happy to offer these BCA barrels, as well, but I need to know what the deal is.
Feel free to have a wide open discussion here, might as well get it all on the table:
"There's no way these guys can produce anything but crap at that price point."
"These guys produce some great barrels, and it just proves how the other barrel makers are gouging the buying public."
I WANT THE TRUTH!!! 
:: 6.5 GRENDEL Deer and Targets :: 6mmARC Targets and Varmints and Deer :: 22 ARC Varmints and Targets
:: I Drank the Water :: Revelation 21:6 ::
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You can't handle the....nevermind. I have no idea.
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06-13-2017, 06:36 PM
(This post was last modified: 06-13-2017, 06:56 PM by SHORT-N-SASSY.)
BTF,
No personal experience. But, for what it's worth, I came across this review: Bear Creek Arsenal Barrel Review (http://www.bayougunrunner.com/Bear-Creek...w_b_8.html).
ETA: I don't know if this item has been posted, previously: Bear Creek Arsenal 6.5mm Grendel 1:8 Twist Carbine Gas System 16" Barrel, $71.24. (http://www.primaryarms.com/B6-5CM41618-SS).
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I called them to find out what bolt they use since it wasn't posted with their barrel sales. Guy on phone didn't know but said he would research and email me when he finds out.
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First gun i ever bought was a bolt gun savage with scope included. Moa capable.
Plenty of old rem700s too with great accuracy for low $
Who ever said barrels had to be $$$ (besides bench rest crowd. But they are freaks.)
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Certainly a cheap way to get into a short barrel if you don't mind doing a chop & thread job. That is at least what I've been pondering.
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06-13-2017, 07:19 PM
(This post was last modified: 06-13-2017, 07:25 PM by 85_Ranger4x4.)
Bigs28 Wrote:I called them to find out what bolt they use since it wasn't posted with their barrel sales. Guy on phone didn't know but said he would research and email me when he finds out.
.136" bolt face. Supposed to have a SAAMI chamber too.
I just received mine from Classic last Saturday, FWLIW it looks really really nice. 18" straight fluted, nitrided 4150. Only blemish is a scratch where it looks like it got caught by a boxcutter when someone opened the case (the protective netting was cut too) I have been meaning to post pics but I have been too busy.
From my research at least Classic, AR Stoner and Sander's Armory are all made by BCA.
BCA and Classic had the best prices so I asked them both basic specs (material, bolt face etc...) BCA never responded but Classic got right back to me. I didn't like that... if you can't answer a simple question how are you going to deal with a problem?
Reviews before I got mine all looked pretty good. There were some reports of them being overgassed so I did pick up a adjustable gas block for it. Since then one guy posted with very less than ideal groupings... so yay.
http://www.65grendel.com/forum/showthrea...CA-barrels
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has anyone been able to find out who makes thier blanks?
at those prices i am thinking possible green mountain?
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i'd be all about one of them if they werent in the dumbass m4 profile.
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Primary Arms has 30% of all BCA barrels in stock. The link to this 16" Stainless Steel 6.5 Grendel barrel is the cheapest I've ever seen on a 6.5 Grendel barrel since I started researching in 2009. BCA supposedly has a 1 MOA guarantee for whatever it's worth.
I always figure you get what you pay for but at that price why worry if you wore out the barrel real fast with Wolf steel cased 6.5 Grendel ammo.
http://www.primaryarms.com/B6-5CM41618-SS
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I took my 18" fluted barrel from classic out the other day. Shot about moa with 123amax. Steel case was about 2-3.
I had the adjustable gas block too low and was short stroking. Wolf steel was getting stuck. I just adjusted and did a function test all is fine now. Locks back on final and steel is running fine. Will go back in a couple weeks and do s better workup.
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Great thread BFT I'm curious as well. I've been eyeballing the side charging upper BCA has and if the barrels shoot 1 MOA I may have to jump on in for an 18".
"The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. A well regulated militia, composed of the body of the people, trained to arms, is the best and most natural defense of a free country." James Madison
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My theory is that typically what you get with an expensive barrel is both accuracy AND consistency. You expect it to be accurate. You expect it to be accurate at all ranges. You expect it to be accurate over longer strings of fire. You expect ALL premium-priced barrels from a given manufacturer to be consistently accurate. But we know that even premium barrels need to be tuned to the load.
Accuracy is a squirrelly beast. Depends on shooters skill. Quality of build. Quality of optics. Quality of optics mount. Quality of ammunition and components. Quality of bullet. Seating depth. Magical match-up of ammunition to a particular barrel and chambering.
With budget barrels, I think accuracy is luck-of-the-draw. Guys who get lucky almost always report how well their cheap barrel shoots for the price — they can hardly resist. The rest we don't hear from. They tell themselves, "Well, I got what I paid for" or "Hey, it's good enough."
And there have always been "cheap" barrels and bargain-basement ARs. So this really isn't anything new, or is it? Does it just seem new cuz it's the Grendel? What's the story with cheap barrels in the 5.56 world? Is everybody ditching more expensive barrels in the 5.56 world cuz cheap barrels are "just as good"?
The whole thing is difficult to sort through . . . to wait for long-term trends . . . for a reputation to develop. But, I guess, if the price is right it's not that hard to take a chance and plunge in. . . .
:: 6.5 GRENDEL Deer and Targets :: 6mmARC Targets and Varmints and Deer :: 22 ARC Varmints and Targets
:: I Drank the Water :: Revelation 21:6 ::
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You will likely never know why they are priced the way they are. There are all types of business models and methods to price a good or service and sometimes companies do things that are not sustainable for good reasons (or bad). Speaking from running a business in another industry I've found that consumers are not always able to accurately judge quality. In that industry I knew vendors selling poor quality products for many hundred percent marke-up and other vendors selling product at very reasonable margins for high quality goods. You would like to think that consumers are rational, but I've found that especially with hobbies they often are not. They often buy into a "story" behind the product and even perception of products among educated consumers is often goofy. Things go in/out on fads.
Just accept the $80 goodness of getting a reasonable barrel and go put some rounds down range.
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My train of thought was you can find MOA bolt guns for $3-400 everywhere. Savage Axis, Ruger American etc. From the factory my 30-06 American has an adjustable trigger, cold hammer forged barrel, full floated bedded stock and I paid $357 for it out the door (in 2012)
So price it out. Adjustable trigger is $100 (soft, IIRC my brother paid $150 for a Timney to make a rifle out of his older Axis he won a Whitetail Unlimited banquet) a cheap stock for my 91/30 was $70 so figure $100 for a decent floated one. We have $157 left, well below what many consider "rack grade" for just a barrel. Then figure you have the bolt, receiver and a mag. How much is left for that cold hammer forged barrel?
Even a pricier gun broken down into parts isn't going to really leave a whole lot for a barrel.
I don't know to what degree but I do think a lot of guys fall into the "it is expensive so it has to be good, cheaper stuff isn't worth my time" train of thought. I am not that well off so I have never tried "the good stuff" so maybe they are right. No doubt for serious competition they probably are.
Haven't figured out how to post pics yet...
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I'll give this analogy, since I'm retired from the food business, Golden Corral and other Cafeteria style food business' are way less expensive than all sit down eateries yet the beef, chicken, and seafood sold is the very same quality. Some of the best meals I've eaten were at Mom and Pop eateries. So don't sell low prices as low quality cause it ain't so, in most cases.
That $500.00 cut rifling barrel can be screwed up too, it's all in the hands of the operator.
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06-17-2017, 10:50 PM
(This post was last modified: 06-17-2017, 10:53 PM by Retro.)
What the heck, for $80 delivered I went ahead and bought one. I wish that you guys would stop posting stuff like this it always ends up costing me money. Heck, for $80 bucks if I don't like it maybe it will get shortened and become a pistol. Dang, I just went back to the Primary Arms website and now the barrels are out of stock. I'm thinking that I got the last $71 barrel that was in stock.
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They are just down the road a bit from where I live. I thought about taking an afternoon off and seeing if they allow walk ins to pick up a barrel or complete upper.
I haven't seen either barrel or upper in person yet, they seem to get fair reviews responses.
Once upon a time they used to be known as Moore Machine Co., in fact I still think BCA (because there is a place called Bear Creek nearby) is just a 'trade name' for MMC.
MMC had some issues in the past but that was during one of the great "panics" and they may have been pushing too hard to get product out the door.
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Ive got 26 inch Krieger barrels, and 24 inch Bear Creek barrels that I would hate to have to choose between. Both shoot better that I do, and I shoot for a living.
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