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carlson1 wrote: ↑Wed Aug 28, 2019 11:09 pm I have two Daniel Defense and love both of them. I also have a SBR Spikes Tactical and like it also. I am no expert, but I personally believe between the Spikes and DD the DD wins hands down.

I have some high end components from Spikes (receiver sets, buffers, etc.) and they’re pretty nice, but they’re VERY expensive.

newTexan wrote: ↑Wed Aug 28, 2019 6:53 pm Very interesting.

I'll admit that the BCM RECCE-14 MCMR in particular looks like a very fun gun to shoot. hmmmm

The three upper tier brands that interest me most for the AR platform are BCM, DD, and FN.

I have almost no exposure to any DD products. I mostly only know what I’ve read about their manufacturing quality, and not their gun politics reputation, but it’s all second hand knowledge with the exception of a DD BCG in one of my carbines—which seems exceedingly well made.

The barrel is the heart of any rifle, and FN barrels are among the very best in the business. The first time I ever shot my SCAR 17, it put 10 rounds into 3/4" at 100 yards.....and that’s from a pencil barrel. Several other AR "assembler" brands boast that they offer FN barrels, or barrels made out of "FN machine gun steel" in some of their products. I have no reason to believe that an FN AR isn’t every bit as well barreled as the SCAR, whose barrel is cold hammer forged (CHF).

I have the most experience of the three with BCM, but only with their barreled upper receivers, and a few of their accessories. Their "About Us" page says:

Bravo Company started in the garage of a veteran United States Marine in Hartland Wisconsin, shortly after Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003.

Founded to support the needs of Private Security Professionals working in theaters where durable mil-spec components for their weapon systems were not readily available, BCM (Bravo Company MFG, Inc.) builds professional grade weaponry manufactured, reinforced and tested to meet the unforgiving needs of professional Soldiers, Law Enforcement and responsible citizens in some of the most high threat environments in the world.

As I posted previously, I own two BCM uppers—one with a 20" gov’t profile "M16" barrel, and one with a 11.5" SBR barrel. The 20" is 100% milspec. The 11.5" is both 100% milspec and CHF. If I had to dump all of my ARs and could only keep one, it would be either of those two rifles. And of those two, as much as I love my SBR, I’d probably go with the 20" for its superior ballistics, even though it is heavier and "merely" milspec without a CHF barrel.

If I were buying a new complete AR from one of those three manufacturers, it would be either a BCM, based on my experience with their uppers, or a FN based on my experience with my SCAR 17. The price for similarly equipped M4 configured ARs seems to favor the BCM by about $150 or so. Both the BCM and the FN M4s are in the range of $1500 or higher, but FNs are the more expensive of the two. This does not mean that I think that the DD is inferior to those two.....it does not. It merely means that I already know of two manufacturers whose rifles meet my preferences, and so no need to look further. If I had DD experience, I might feel differently about it.

I have no experience with DD, but I have two complete BCM uppers—a 11.5” for my SBR, and a 20” government profile for an A4 replica. Both are of the highest build quality, using cold hammer forged barrels. Both are quite accurate for what they are.

I also have a couple of BCM LPKs. One is in my safe, waiting to be used, and the other is in my A4.

BCM uppers are built to the most exacting standards. I have to assume that their lowers are also built to that standard.

20” upper: https://www.bravocompanyusa.com/BCM-M16 ... gov-20.htm

11.5” upper: https://www.bravocompanyusa.com/BCM-BFH ... r-a-10.htm

Read the specs on these uppers, and you’ll see the quality.

https://www.slip2000.com/blog/s-w-a-t-m ... filthy-14/

FILTHY 14

As of this writing, EAG students have 31,165 rounds downrange through Filthy 14. During this evaluation period, it was cleaned once (as in one time), at 26,245 rounds. The end result is that Rack #14 was—and remains—filthy. It is filthy because it has been shot at class. Only at class. Every round that has gone down that barrel has been fired at class, with an average of approximately 1,300 rounds every three days. It has been lubed generously with Slip 2000 Extreme Weapons Lube (EWL).

The combination of carbon and lube create (wait for it)…filth. It is so dirty that, while sitting in the rifle rack, it is almost a biohazard. The filth oozes out and contaminates other carbines adjacent to it.

But it is still shooting—and shooting well.

Few things in life are that reliable.