I just received an email from BCL. I will be shipping my rifle back to them for warranty work. Fingers crossed it won't take too long and all the issues gets resolved.
NEA/BLC 102 Reliability
- Thread starter p.Rundle
- Start date
I just received an email from BCL. I will be shipping my rifle back to them for warranty work. Fingers crossed it won't take too long and all the issues gets resolved.
There is misinformation in that thread insofar as assumptions made referencing OOB detonations and firing pin protrusion when a trigger is released without the bolt fully closed.
Firstly, the firing pin will not protrude past the bolt face on the AR fow until the bolt is fully seated.
Secondly, yes you can fire the trigger when the bolt carrier isn't fully home, but the firing pin should not protrude per the first point.
But it's his sandbox, so he can edit in whatever he likes and sell it as gospel.
Not sure if this is the right thread to report reloading results and accuracy as well as reliability, but if it is not please let me know and I can delete it and post elsewhere.
As always YMMV so use the loads below with caution and at your own risk and check your reloading manuals to ensure they are within safe parameters.
I reloaded multiple different loads all using AMAX 155 gr projectiles RL15 powder Federal cases and Winchester LRP.
RL15 Powder loads started at 42 grains and maxed out at 44.5 gr with all COAL's at 2.75.
Powder was trickled and each charge weighed on an old hornady digital scale. I am very confident charges were as accurate as my scale reported but the scale only goes to one decimal point.
All AMAX projectiles were weighed and only those with the exact weight were used in each 5 round group. Again my hornady scale only goes to one decimal point.
The AMAX projectiles were surprisingly consistent in weight varying up to a max of only 0.2gr on either side of the 155g advertized weight in the first box of 100.
Length of the projectiles was not measured but all COAL's were 2.75" per my Calipers.
Brass was full length sized and trimmed with a lee case trimmer on my lathe, then chamfered and deburred.
I did put a very mild crimp on each round using a Lee FCD as I was concerned with bullets hitting the feed ramps or rifling and being pushed back into the case when loading given Jerry's chamber analysis in his thread.
I had one failure to feed which i suspect may have been brass related and on me as I was a bit rushed to get these loaded following my brass prep and didn't media tumble again after trimming chamfering etc. This was only my second FTF in now approx 300 rounds down the pipe. The first was likely also on me, that being the first round I ever chambered in this rifle and I think I short stroked the charging handle.
Other than that the rifle has functioned 100% reliably.
I wish I had a chronograph but do not so cannot give any info on what the muzzle velocity was. I suspect the initial 42 gr charges were in the high 2400fps range and the 44.5gr charges around 2600 to 2700 fps or so but I am just spitballing here.
Accuracy impression is that this rifle does not like low velocity light weight projectiles but as velocity increases so does accuracy, almost exponentially.
I started with the lightest charges working my up watching for pressure signs. There were none and no brass appears damaged.
I didn't save the targets so no pics but all were over MOA with the initial charges being in the 4-5" range and with each increase in powder the group size started to tighten up. Over 43.5 grains you could see the groups tightening up dramatically with each increase in powder charge.
At 44.5gr the rifle is starting to show potential to be sub moa. Groups were consistently slightly over 1" with this charge. I forgot my calliper so am guessing at around 1 1/8" to 1 1/2" max but were very consistent. I only had 15 rounds at this charge weight so just 3 groups of 5 rounds each were fired of 44.5gr.
All these groups were shot with forend supported off a bag and the butt just supported by weak hand.
Next outing I plan on increasing the powder charge by 0.3gr increments or so and maxing out at 47 gr of RL15 watching for pressure signs along the way.
I will be using once fired Aguila 7.62x51 brass I recently acquired for the next outing.
If the groups keep tightening I suspect the sweet spot will be 46 grains or so.
If anyone has been loading for this rifle with Hornady Match 168gr HPBT projectiles and cares to share their results and recipe that would be appreciated. I have two hundred of those projectiles and plan to load them starting at 42 grains maxing out at 44gr and test them at the same time as the new hotter 155AMAX loads.
Hope this helps anyone doing load development for this rifle.
As always YMMV so use the loads below with caution and at your own risk and check your reloading manuals to ensure they are within safe parameters.
I reloaded multiple different loads all using AMAX 155 gr projectiles RL15 powder Federal cases and Winchester LRP.
RL15 Powder loads started at 42 grains and maxed out at 44.5 gr with all COAL's at 2.75.
Powder was trickled and each charge weighed on an old hornady digital scale. I am very confident charges were as accurate as my scale reported but the scale only goes to one decimal point.
All AMAX projectiles were weighed and only those with the exact weight were used in each 5 round group. Again my hornady scale only goes to one decimal point.
The AMAX projectiles were surprisingly consistent in weight varying up to a max of only 0.2gr on either side of the 155g advertized weight in the first box of 100.
Length of the projectiles was not measured but all COAL's were 2.75" per my Calipers.
Brass was full length sized and trimmed with a lee case trimmer on my lathe, then chamfered and deburred.
I did put a very mild crimp on each round using a Lee FCD as I was concerned with bullets hitting the feed ramps or rifling and being pushed back into the case when loading given Jerry's chamber analysis in his thread.
I had one failure to feed which i suspect may have been brass related and on me as I was a bit rushed to get these loaded following my brass prep and didn't media tumble again after trimming chamfering etc. This was only my second FTF in now approx 300 rounds down the pipe. The first was likely also on me, that being the first round I ever chambered in this rifle and I think I short stroked the charging handle.
Other than that the rifle has functioned 100% reliably.
I wish I had a chronograph but do not so cannot give any info on what the muzzle velocity was. I suspect the initial 42 gr charges were in the high 2400fps range and the 44.5gr charges around 2600 to 2700 fps or so but I am just spitballing here.
Accuracy impression is that this rifle does not like low velocity light weight projectiles but as velocity increases so does accuracy, almost exponentially.
I started with the lightest charges working my up watching for pressure signs. There were none and no brass appears damaged.
I didn't save the targets so no pics but all were over MOA with the initial charges being in the 4-5" range and with each increase in powder the group size started to tighten up. Over 43.5 grains you could see the groups tightening up dramatically with each increase in powder charge.
At 44.5gr the rifle is starting to show potential to be sub moa. Groups were consistently slightly over 1" with this charge. I forgot my calliper so am guessing at around 1 1/8" to 1 1/2" max but were very consistent. I only had 15 rounds at this charge weight so just 3 groups of 5 rounds each were fired of 44.5gr.
All these groups were shot with forend supported off a bag and the butt just supported by weak hand.
Next outing I plan on increasing the powder charge by 0.3gr increments or so and maxing out at 47 gr of RL15 watching for pressure signs along the way.
I will be using once fired Aguila 7.62x51 brass I recently acquired for the next outing.
If the groups keep tightening I suspect the sweet spot will be 46 grains or so.
If anyone has been loading for this rifle with Hornady Match 168gr HPBT projectiles and cares to share their results and recipe that would be appreciated. I have two hundred of those projectiles and plan to load them starting at 42 grains maxing out at 44gr and test them at the same time as the new hotter 155AMAX loads.
Hope this helps anyone doing load development for this rifle.
DaveMachine
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- That one place with a cowboy complex
Good to hear someone is getting decent results with some 155s.
