Is the BCL 102 worth it?

Have around 500 rounds through mine at this point. Had initial feeding problems; replaced bolt. Much better but still sometimes failure to eject. Put an adjustable gas block on it and haven't had any issues since. Was it perfect out of box nope. Should've been for sure imo for $2g. It is what it is. Accuracy is basically MOA out to 300yds in my testing only using handloads. Yes if heated it will start stringing, I would expect it to.

This complaining I keep hearing about a "match" chamber...yeah. It's tight. Fired brass still fits in a case gauge. I've not had a single round (of any projectile type) feed right from the mag into chamber with any issue.

Get your cycling correct and I don't see this in anyway as a detriment...something to complain about? Maybe my lee die set it so out of whack (because they're clearly cheap junk according to what I've read on the interwebz) and they're sizing more like a small base set. What do I know.

Is it worth it? You'd have to take it from my cold dead hands boys. Im alright with figuring out mechanical items and it's a win to me.
 
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cr5 said:
No, but it's close enough and they've been building AR's long enough that they should know that the inside of a bolt carrier should be polished smooth where the gas rings ride.
The point is that they've been doing this long enough and had their reputation tarnished enough times that there should be no surprises when a customer buys a new rifle from them. They need to learn from their past experiences and fix the problem in their shop that is allowing their reputation to be drug deeper through the mud.



You realize that a direct impingement rifle is nothing new and is something that they have been making for years?
Call it an AR-15, AR-10, BCL-102, or NEA-25 they are all built in a similar manner with similar tools in the same shop and everything that comes from that shop seems to be plagued with issues that should have been caught before being sent to the consumer.
Just because this is a new version of the same thing they've been building for years does not mean that all the manufacturing deficiencies are suddenly ok and to be expected. This rifle along with a name chage to BCL was their chance to shake off the old reputation and start fresh but so far it seems they are blowing it and making the same crap they made before only now they are charging $500 more for it because it comes with a NR FRT.

I think the rifle has a lot of potential and I would like to own one some day but until they sort out their QC issues I'm content to play with the toys I already have and let others struggle to get this rifle to work reliably, and if making it work reliably means changing out the barrel and BCG I'll just stick to my Modern Hunter that works and is already accurate. I want the 102 for a utility rifle, I don't care if it's sub moa, I just want it to run 100% the way the manufacturer builds it without having to pay for two trips back for warranty before I get what I paid for.
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$500 For being NR?

Your not fine with $500 but your fine with thousands of dollars extra for NR for MH... lol
 
Love mine... I've had multiple other 308 semi's this is by far my favorite.

If think you polled the owners, you'd find an overwhelmingly positive response. Some guys have had issues and it's a hassle to send a gun back, but at least it has lifetime warranty. The gun does not NEED anything and was fun to shoot as is even with the stock trigger. If you want to make changes, go for it. I bought mine expecting issues as it's the first production run and an NEA, but the warranty sold me along with the reasonable price. I didn't know how much interchangeability there'd be, but it was pleasantly surprised to find it takes tons of off-the-shelf parts.

Personally, the only reason I go to forums are to read the experiences of others and use it to make decisions. In this case I was in lucky enough to get in on the preorder so I'm trying to be helpful and share my experiences so others can see what they're in for. I would 100% buy this gun again even if it had issues.

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JGE said:
Lol, Funny that everyone that doesn't have one wants it to be a failure. Any 102 thread is just littered with how terrible the rifle is and all the parts that need to be replaced. If you are having issues, here's a thought, contact bcl about fixing it instead of whining on cgn.

Rant over...

Is the 102 worth it, depends on what you are looking for. If NR, I would say yes as not many rifles in this price range that are also NR. Maybe you will have issues, maybe you won't. Never dealt with NEA so when I get a 102, on second pre order, we'll see how it goes. Worse case you can always sell it.
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It's funny also that people who have valid first hand observations about the faults with version 1 of the rifle are called "whiners" on CGN by people who don't actually own and/or have never actually fired one for extended periods of time...

The rifle has serious potential. It's at 3rd base but it's obviously going to need some revision yet to make it a home run. I'll be watching patiently to see how NEA follows through on the next couple runs and if they are paying attention to the obvious problems reported with the first batch and rectify them for round 2 and 3.

It's also funny that people who buy guns in Canada, attach their personality and #### size to them and take any valid criticism about them as a direct insult to their f**king mother or something lol
 
cr5 said:
No, but it's close enough and they've been building AR's long enough that they should know that the inside of a bolt carrier should be polished smooth where the gas rings ride.
The point is that they've been doing this long enough and had their reputation tarnished enough times that there should be no surprises when a customer buys a new rifle from them. They need to learn from their past experiences and fix the problem in their shop that is allowing their reputation to be drug deeper through the mud.



You realize that a direct impingement rifle is nothing new and is something that they have been making for years?
Call it an AR-15, AR-10, BCL-102, or NEA-25 they are all built in a similar manner with similar tools in the same shop and everything that comes from that shop seems to be plagued with issues that should have been caught before being sent to the consumer.
Just because this is a new version of the same thing they've been building for years does not mean that all the manufacturing deficiencies are suddenly ok and to be expected. This rifle along with a name chage to BCL was their chance to shake off the old reputation and start fresh but so far it seems they are blowing it and making the same crap they made before only now they are charging $500 more for it because it comes with a NR FRT.

I think the rifle has a lot of potential and I would like to own one some day but until they sort out their QC issues I'm content to play with the toys I already have and let others struggle to get this rifle to work reliably, and if making it work reliably means changing out the barrel and BCG I'll just stick to my Modern Hunter that works and is already accurate. I want the 102 for a utility rifle, I don't care if it's sub moa, I just want it to run 100% the way the manufacturer builds it without having to pay for two trips back for warranty before I get what I paid for.
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different market, different quality control. It would be great if our Canadian 102 civi version received the same care and control as the 25 undoubtedly got before being sold to the rest of the world.
 
Fully agree. I don't have NEA any more, and those I had were mostly good / fine. Later gens started to get better qc, but they were still inconsistent. I was really hoping that would have changed with the 102. I'm not planning on buying one yet, maybe the next revision if things change.
Hitzy said:
I concur. I do believe the folks that get a "good one" and are quite happy with NEA/BCL rifles and have a hard time understanding what all the complaints are about. I also believe and have experienced the garbage NEA lets out for sale. The consumer seems to be the "QC department" for them, and yes SFRC has been great to deal with for returns, no complaint there.
Either way, nobody should be sending a $1750 rifle BACK for QC issues in this day and age. NEA's problem from the beginning was two fold... consistency, and their need to deviate from standard drawings and materials.
I'm 0/4 on NEA AR15 parts (bolt blew up, barrel bored way off center, upper had gaps all around dust cover, brake with huge machine gouge out of it), but if the 102 QC issues can get under control, I'd try one as long as I can get a full refund if it's a POS that doesn't work out of the box. No interest in spending more of my own money to make it work, or sending it back to get one that might.
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andrew3081 said:
$500 For being NR?

Your not fine with $500 but your fine with thousands of dollars extra for NR for MH... lol
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My modern hunter works with the loads I feed it and it was advertised as being finicky with ammo.
All I want from the 102 is for 99 out of 100 of them to be as advertised and work reliably the way it comes from the manufacturer, if I choose to upgrade something later that's fine but I don't want to have to send it back or buy parts for it just to make it function. I mentioned the $500 because it's how much more a 102 costs than an NEA-15.

When these rifles are coming to market without problems 99% of the time I'll be buying one. I've owned two AR-10's before but sold them mostly because they were restricted, the 102 is exactly what I want if I was lucky enough to get a good one that was reliable for it's first 2000 rounds. I don't care about the accuracy, I know what to expect. Round 2 of the pre-orders will show us if they've been listening.
 
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Travis Bickle said:
It's also funny that people who buy guns in Canada, attach their personality and #### size to them and take any valid criticism about them as a direct insult to their f**king mother or something lol
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Some guys here cant take criticism at all. Heck it was evident with the MH a while back...lol... When I own something and it sucks im the first one to admit it :)

I dont see why people expect perfection of of a NEA at the price point these sell for. If you want a .308 that runs flawlessly you need to drop 2600$ on a POF and its still restricted. Or just use the NEA as a base to build that perfect .308 for the same money.

as for waiting until NEA sort their ch!t out, you'll wait forever... hahahahahha

Theyll never sell just the upper and lower, these things are cash-cows for them. As for warrenty buy the time you pay to ship the crap back to them a couple of times, you could of just purchased a new bolt and adjustable gas block and have better components...lol...
 
Yeah i don't think NEA's goal was to produce a NR ar10 that costed 4k. They want to get these into the hands of as many people as they can, and at their price point that is certainly achievable! I agree that 99% of them should be working perfectly right out of the box though.
 
DILLIGAF said:
Some guys here cant take criticism at all. Heck it was evident with the MH a while back...lol... When I own something and it sucks im the first one to admit it :)

I dont see why people expect perfection of of a NEA at the price point these sell for. If you want a .308 that runs flawlessly you need to drop 2600$ on a POF and its still restricted. Or just use the NEA as a base to build that perfect .308 for the same money.

as for waiting until NEA sort their ch!t out, you'll wait forever... hahahahahha

Theyll never sell just the upper and lower, these things are cash-cows for them. As for warrenty buy the time you pay to ship the crap back to them a couple of times, you could of just purchased a new bolt and adjustable gas block and have better components...lol...
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And when you order one that they F'd up the receiver instead of the carrier or bolt then what? Just gonna laugh it off as another NEA ooops and order another one hoping for a better one next time?
I don't care how many they screw up in the shop, the point is that the consumer should not be tasked with being the QC department and then having to pay to send them back for repairs just to get one the way it should have been when they took delivery.
It is not that hard to have someone checking over the parts as the they're built, It may be a lack of pride in workmanship in the shop or maybe they're just hiring people off the street with no skills but something needs to change if they are going to continue to build rifles. These aren't tissue dispensers, if I can't trust them to build it right 99% of the time then I can't trust the firearm to not blow up in someones face one of these days. Don't forget that a large number of people buying these are guys who can't afford most other non restricted rifles and they may not be overly familiar with the platform thereby not knowing what to look for before loading it up and shooting it. They've been lucky so far but luck has a way of running out.
 
I am on the second pre order and have bought a few parts like but stock, pistol grip and verticle foregrip, Trigger Tech trigger, etc. I can only hope they are better than the first batch, but ain,t losing any sleep. I knew the risks when getting in the early batches. That said it will be great if BCL has been listening and upping their game. I sure hope as this is the first AR platform rifle I have owned. I have an XCR-L that I had an issue with and Wolverine was great, paid for shipping and it has been running fine since. Not impressed to hear that BCL is making customer pay shiping for warranty as they are using the customer as their QC guineapigs.
 
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Mine functions perfect I had a few ftf on green box when I first got it but now it eats every thing.
With my skill level I can run under 2moa with the right ammo I'm sure more skilled shooters could get a better group. For me it's fun to shoot at the range and it's nice to carry hunting with the right sling and mounts

Only complaint is the lack of a forward assist. For the bolt to fully lock up you must drop the bolt full force this is loud in the bush while hunting.
 
870supermag said:
Mine functions perfect I had a few ftf on green box when I first got it but now it eats every thing.
With my skill level I can run under 2moa with the right ammo I'm sure more skilled shooters could get a better group. For me it's fun to shoot at the range and it's nice to carry hunting with the right sling and mounts

Only complaint is the lack of a forward assist. For the bolt to fully lock up you must drop the bolt full force this is loud in the bush while hunting.
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Glad to hear yours is working well.
Chamber when leaving camp or when getting off the quad and trust the safety. Much quieter that way.
You are supposed to let the bolt drop to chamber the first round, if you're riding the charging handle you're doing it wrong. I know, not the greatest thing for hunting but that's why I still hunt with a Remington 700 even though I own a Modern Hunter. I just don't see the point in carrying a rifle that weighs a couple pounds more than my Rem 700, I used to hunt with black rifles then realized I was carrying more weight than everyone else and I haven't needed a second shot on a deer in many years. For me these are pretty much just another toy in the collection.
 
I have lighter and more accurate guns but the more of these out in the bush where co's and cops and other hunters see them the more people will come to see it's a tool just like the ones they carry. I have met a lot of folks this season that where more than interested in the rife and the legality of using these guns in the bush.
 
Maybe my expectations were low, out of the gate. I had read all the stories of past NEA QC issues, but I took the chance. And I got myself a damn cool serial # out of the first batch.

Running 99% stock, as it came out of the box. I'm one of the lucky ones, with no running issues. The only issue I have is on one of my pistol mags, it will not pick up the first round if you use the bolt release. But if I use the CH, it will. I'd say that one is a mag issue. It runs Norc surplus, and the XM80 (or whatever), as well as about ten or so factory ammo samplings I have thrown at it. I have done a pile of cold bore testing, and I have found a factory round that performs excellent, in that regard. For the hunt and as far as being able to put meat on the table, this will do what I need. I have precision rigs, if that is the way I want to shoot.

I was looking at all the other NRs that are talked about in these threads, but none of them fit what I wanted enough to jump in. This was the ONE. It had what I wanted. So even being lustful about the rifle, I kept my expectations real, based on all the background info I could research on the company.

I had one issue. A bent muzzle brake - obvious shipping damage. SFRC was all over that, and took care of me.

So to answer the question in the OP, IMHO I am 100% satisfied for the price and the product I have received. You will not see mine on the EE. It will never be sold, it's a keeper. And that is the way I purchase, generally, in any regard.

Based on the range of real world feedback, it's a shame that a few have had troubling issues. But that sounds like a matter of a few thou, and a bit of polishing here and there. They are running the same rifle as me, from the same production run, so they can't be that wildly different.

Hope all the little issues get ironed out, by BCL, as this will definitely be a rifle I will be adding more of to my collection.
 
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