A little bit of an update. I've been refreshing the BCM page on a few options that I have been looking at on a daily basis. I really wanted the 12.5 but it has been out of stock so I was considering the 14.5. Ultimately, I couldn't convince myself to get the 14.5 so I have just been waiting. With just a little bit of luck the 12.5 became available today and I picked one up. For $624.90 it seemed like high value compared to everything else that I have seen out there that is actually available (which is not a lot). The SOLGW Sage upper was selling for over $1200 a week ago. I really wanted a BFH barrel but for some reason the 12.5's don't have that option. I do believe it is still chrome lined though. The MK2 receiver is also pretty neat to me.
Overall, I really enjoyed the discussion that we all had despite the fact that that BCM was really my only options that were actually available for non-16 inch options.
Now I just need to figure out ammo and optic choice. I have a T1 on a Fullerized SLR107F AK that I can repurpose but its the only rifle I actually have ammo for which makes me really hesitant to do that. I may just get an Aimpoint Pro as it seems pretty high value and comes with a mount. Holosun look like interesting options too but I don't know much about them yet.
I doubt the BCM will disappoint, all of their barrels are chrome lined. Ammo won’t matter much, it should run just about everything but heavy stuff (69-77gr) often tends to shoot very well. My Holosun is doing well but there are plenty of other good options too, depending on the role you’re looking to fill.
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I don’t know if we talked optics here but Aimpoint is an easy default. People make Eotechs out to be way worse than my experience has shown so they should at least get a consideration. Holosun and some of the cheaper optics have come along way in the past several years and shouldn’t be totally disregarded either, unless you want to take a moral stand against Chinese made stuff (good luck). A lot of people like the MRO, I’m not crazy about some aspects so I’ve avoided them.
Here’s what I have and why:
Razor Gen III 1-10 primary on my ideal GP rifle. Thing is amazing but it costs $2k. I also have an offset Holosun that uses the RMR footprint because LPVOs are somewhat nuanced. I chose the Holosun because it was the smallest available that had a great price and I like the EOTech reticle. Wish it was american but oh well. At some point it’ll likely get replaced with an RMR because Merica but all of those are dedicated to my Glocks at the moment.
Razor 1-6 on my backup GP rifle. It will get an offset or top mounted RDS at some point but is still a great optic. My only complaint is how stiff the zoom is.
EXPS 3-2 on my shortest shorty because it’s my favorite red dot and I got a great deal on it.
T-2 on the HD/wife’s gun for the light weight, ease of use, and battery life. Don’t have any intention of every buying another Aimpoint because they’re overpriced IMO.
Vortex Crossfires on a few guns to include a shotty. I feel pretty well covered by known quality optics that I was ok going cheap on the backup guns and they’re all working very well so far. I wish they’d go a bit brighter but they use the Aimpoint micro mounts, are about $130, and are backed by a massive American company with a great warranty, even if they are made in China. If I was upgrading all of these right now, one would be another EXPS for an AR, one would be an RMR or Holosun for the shotty, and one wouldn’t get replaced because it’s on the heater AR.
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Now that I’ve got three RMR, and am used to changing out batteries every six months, I ditched the aimpoint and went with my favorite optic, the EXPS3-0. I’m about ready to buy a third.
The battery life while being left on, and of course the durability of the optic are the main selling points, but the EXPS is better for me and they come with a built in mount
Given the current market conditions and the popularity of AR pistols, really nice catch on the BCM 12.5" upper.
BCM products are top-notch ("tier 1") and given my experience with them, you will not be disappointed.
If you haven't seen the following video, you might enjoy...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaFOZAwspYI