New BCM 14.5 EAG

[taliv]

And by "completely different" he means "nearly identical" but from a different company. I have a couple of each and love them both.

Nice gun choice! If you bought it because of EAGs advice/experience you would be well advised to read what he has to say about eotechs before buying one.

 

[Bartholomew Roberts]

DAdams, if you haven't seen them yet - I did a review of the Magpul MS2 sling here (comparing it to the Vickers and older VTAC) and there is a good discussion of the Magul AFG and vertical grip use in general in THR (good links in that thread too).

Nice rifle, BTW. Very well thought out. Does the EAG upper come with the certificate for training with EAG? That is the best part of the whole EAG package IMO.

 

[Birddog1911]

Late to this party, but congrats on the BCM. I considered that model, but it just wasn't what I wanted.

I, like others, went with the Vickers Blue Force padded two point sling. I considered a one point, but I like my family jewels!

Mags; I use a mix of PMags and Colt USGI that I got a good deal on, with Magpul followers. I won't buy anything but PMags any longer, unless it is a screaming deal for good mags.

Gratuitous gun pron:

 

[DAdams]

you would be well advised to read what he has to say about eotechs before buying one.

I will do that.

Gratuitous gun porn:

EBR/EBD

Vickers Blue Force padded two point sling.

How about a link to the exact sling or slings nearly the same.

Does the EAG upper come with the certificate for training with EAG?

Yes it did. I am looking for the appropriate level class coming nearest to me.

I'm going to stick to the PMags too. Why 30 vs 20? Clearance on a bench?

 

[kwelz]

Here is a link to the sling.
http://www.blueforcegear.com/products/Vickers-Padded-Sling.html

Depending on your build you may or may not want the padded version. I am a bigger guy and the padded fits well but I know a couple small guys where the pad doesn't lay right to help them.


I suggest 30 round PMAGS only. You can get a couple 20 rounders for bench work but they aren't really useful most of the time and in fact have been known to have problems. I keep about a half dozen old Colt 20 round USGI mags around for bench work myself.

 

[ny32182]

ARs are like legos and if you think you might build more than one there is nothing wrong with buying some piece of gear and trying it out, and having it go in a drawer if it doesn't work on this particular rifle... it might work on the next. I've got a drawer full of all kinds of stuff that falls into that category, and it seems I dive in there for one part or another on just about any rifle I get these days.

Personally I like relatively close in VFG on carbines. If I had a rifle with a long rail/tube and/or wanted to use it for 3gun I might take a look at the FAG. I put ladder sections on the top rail and exposed small portions of the side rails, but prefer a more full panel of some sort for the majority of the bottom and side rails since I think they are more comfortable and protect your hand from heat better. I think mine are Magpul XT's, they are light and have a nice texture.

I have a mix of all kinds of magazines; PMAGs, USGI, 20s, and 30's. 20's are definitely nicer off the bench and shorten the profile of the rifle in general when that is desired (for storage with mag inserted, etc).

Looks like you are off to a good start.

 

[Quentin]

Outstanding rifle!

Pat Rogers would be pleased!

 

[possum]

This is my first AR.

that is a heck of a first ar! i wish BCM would have been around when i started shooting, owning and training with the AR platform. I have a BCM upper, and internals, very happy customer indeed, and i will not hesitate to buy more/ other BCM products. I have seen them run in courses, and i through my own rifle, i know that they are good to go.

 

[DAdams]

that is a heck of a first ar! i wish BCM would have been around when i started shooting,

There is indeed some very nice product out there. Alot of the hype is just that. I would stay away from the low end and there is really no reason to buy at the high end since there is no value/quality added. One is only paying for marketing costs. There is a sweet spot in the middle though where you get your moneys worth.

 

[possum]

How about the MagPul AFG (angle forward grip)?

i was kinda iffy about it at first, but i have been using an agressive forward grip for a while with a regular vfg. then i tried the afg, and I love it, it is a great product, it makes holding and indexing the gun so natural i don't have to think about it being in the right spot like i had to with the vfg.

here is a pic of mine, since others are posting theirs

 

[Z-Michigan]

Alot of the hype is just that. I would stay away from the low end and there is really no reason to buy at the high end since there is no value/quality added. One is only paying for marketing costs. There is a sweet spot in the middle though where you get your moneys worth.

???

Nearly everyone considers BCM firmly "high end" in quality. Price paid varies and is coming down. But in straight quality terms, it's hard to say who would be considered higher quality than BCM - as in, probably no one. Maybe Knight's, Colt, or Noveske at 11am on a Wednesday when it's raining and there was nothing on tv the night before. Maybe.

It just sounds really funny for someone who just bought a premium quality AR to say that the high end doesn't offer anything extra!

 

[ny32182]

BCM is nice, but there is plenty of "higher end" stuff out there at a higher price; I think that is was he was alluding to.

 

[DAdams]

BCM is nice, but there is plenty of "higher end" stuff out there at a higher price; I think that is was he was alluding to.

Exactly.

BCM as far as I am concerned is right up there, but there are Companies with higher prices which (marketing) would lead one to believe then the quality is higher as supposedly you get what you pay for? So if for example a POF is $2400 is the quality higher? I think there is a point of diminshing return but incrementally it might be.

I think the BCM is a fine quality product myself or I wouldn't have bought it but if I had 2500 to throw I may have considered a POF or LWRC or Noveske, which run more. I would put BCM in the upper upper range but not the top of the line.

Only espousing my opinion which was developed based on only 8 months of research and interviewing users.

 

[Z-Michigan]

Yeah, OK. Just choice of terms and their meaning. There are brands with fancier features and fancier reputations that cost more. I assume that's what he meant. My point is simply that there's no other brand that seems to have any meaningfully greater chance of going bang, when called upon, on a reliably boring basis.

(edit: this post was a reply to #37, before #38 was posted).

 

[Z-Michigan]

but if I had 2500 to throw I may have consider POF or LWRC or Noveske, which run more. I would put BCM in the upper upper range but not the top of the line.

A friend of mine has two POF rifles, and I've shot one (5.56) many times (the .308 only once). You aren't missing much if anything. A professional trainer I've met has very negative things to say about POF. Not much nicer for LWRC either. Noveske is top notch but really offers only bells and whistles compared to BCM.

If I were going to drop $2500 on a 5.56 rifle, I would probably get a BCM or Daniel Defense (comparable quality) and put the rest in optic, ammo and training... oh wait, that's why I have a couple of DD's. And if I just had to spend that money on the rifle, it would be for a SCAR or (gasp) ACR, or a pre-86 properly registered M16.

Anyway, enjoy your BCM, I am not in any way knocking it, quite the opposite.

 

[DAdams]

Well Put

My point is simply that there's no other brand that seems to have any meaningfully greater chance of going bang, when called upon, on a reliably boring basis.

I agree entirely. Reliability is paramount.

That and if.....

I could accomplish that and 2 MOA at 75 to 100 yards with iron sights and run out thousands of trouble free rounds with "decen't ammunition I would be a happy man.