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Thread: Need help on picking a new upper - BCM or KAC?

  1. #11
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    You mentioned weight as one of your factors. The SR15 will fill that bill quite nicely. I'm not sure what the EAG upper would weigh.

    Also, I wouldn't be overly concerned with proprietary parts. Last time I asked, KAC had not had a single case of a commercial SR15 breaking a bolt, not so much as a sheared lug. Hence, their 20K round guaranty. They must be doing something right with that design. There are some guys around here with many more rounds through their SR15's than I have put through mine and I've never seen a single report of a parts failure of any of the "proprietary" parts.

  2. #12
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    how much difference in price are we talking about?
    never push a wrench...

  3. #13
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    From readily available sources, BCM is 1175, KAC is 1500. I've not seen KACs for 1200-1300 as somebody stated above, but I haven't really looked. BCM comes with 100 bucks certificate towards a EAG class.

  4. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by YVK View Post
    From readily available sources, BCM is 1175, KAC is 1500. I've not seen KACs for 1200-1300 as somebody stated above, but I haven't really looked. BCM comes with 100 bucks certificate towards a EAG class.
    There was one in the EE last week, new & unfired for $1200 and I know Lawmens had them on sale for $1300. MSRP for the upper is $1450.

    Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk

  5. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by ra2bach View Post
    how much difference in price are we talking about?
    For this discussion, let's assume they cost the same amount. I'm not worried about the price difference, just want the best performance.
    Full disclosure - I am an Engineering Supervisor at Trijicon, Inc.

  6. #16
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    KAC...My SR15 is the only 5.56 gun I've ever still been interested in after owning a while. I tend to go through different setups, and they come and go for me.



    The BCM EAG is a nice gun but the SR15 is that much better. You aren't talking about a huge price difference either, and I think the price difference is easily justified. The URX rail has more features than LaRue, you're getting a much improved bolt design with 20k round warranty, a better barrel profile for weight and speed, little bit longer gas system length for low recoil and smoothness in operation, and my opinion but nicer iron sights as well. Plus you are not going to have to deal with a pinned muzzle device if you ever are in the market for a can.



    The gas port sizing had to do with people running weak ammo in the winter. Mine has done fine with every type of ammo I've run through it including steel case stuff even after extended periods of no cleaning and just adding more lube.

  7. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by Belmont31R View Post
    KAC...My SR15 is the only 5.56 gun I've ever still been interested in after owning a while. I tend to go through different setups, and they come and go for me.



    The BCM EAG is a nice gun but the SR15 is that much better. You aren't talking about a huge price difference either, and I think the price difference is easily justified. The URX rail has more features than LaRue, you're getting a much improved bolt design with 20k round warranty, a better barrel profile for weight and speed, little bit longer gas system length for low recoil and smoothness in operation, and my opinion but nicer iron sights as well. Plus you are not going to have to deal with a pinned muzzle device if you ever are in the market for a can.



    The gas port sizing had to do with people running weak ammo in the winter. Mine has done fine with every type of ammo I've run through it including steel case stuff even after extended periods of no cleaning and just adding more lube.
    Good, solid info from all. Thanks. I think I'll be ordering the SR15 upper this afternoon!
    Full disclosure - I am an Engineering Supervisor at Trijicon, Inc.

  8. #18
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    It's a tough call between two great guns. The SR15 may have a slight weight advantage & I would expect similar reliability between the two. However, I prefer the urx rail and the pinned FH on the BCM is a non starter for me. You really have to handle an SR15 to fully appreciate it.

    ETA- bkb summed it up pretty well

  9. #19
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    Best way to tackle this is to look at the pros and cons of each comparing your stated criterion; weight and reliability. I'll also through out there that longevity, accuracy, and overall cost are probably factors as well. Define each criteria:
    Weight - mass (kinda of a no brainer there).
    Reliability - the probability that the rifle will fire when the trigger is pulled.
    Longevity - length of service life (not the same as reliability, although related).
    Accuracy - you'll need to define your accepted level of accuracy but my guess is this is pretty much a wash between the two.
    Overall cost - this goes beyond initial purchase price, but should shold also include what it takes to run the gun (think of it like a car, gas, tires, parts replacement). Can you run cheap training ammo reliably? In the "unlikely" event that there's a parts failure, how quickly and affordably can you get the gun back up and running.

    Both BCM and KAC make high quality rifles and components. If you're using quality mags and decent ammo, the next most common issue witht he AR platform is the bolt. If you're going to break a bolt it's going to be at a training class. If you don't have a spare bolt, someone else may very well offer to loan you their back-up. The question is will it fit?

    ICANHITHIMMAN mentioned the 20K round bolt guarantee from KAC. I'm sure this means that if your bolt fails witin 20K rounds they'll replace it for free. Will they refund you the pro-rated cost of the training course you just had to drop out of because the bolt failed? The bolt may not be likely to fail, and you'd probably NEVER have an issue with it. However, if it's going to fail, it's going to occur during the course. So, make sure to have a back up bolt (for either upper you choose) and factor that into you overall cost.

    However, your last post mentioned to assume cost is a wash and that you wanted the "best performer". Both will be relatively light weight, very reliable, accurate, and should last a long time. In my opinion, I'd go with BCM. To me the parts commonality between my other rifles (and the rifles of others) is an important factor. Absolutely nothing against Knight's, I'd love to have one. I just know that if anything short of the receiver breaks on any of my BCM rifles, I can quickly swap out parts as needed and even borrow parts from others if necessary.

  10. #20
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    Re: bolt failure

    KAC has stated that a standard bolt will function in the E3 barrel extension. In a pinch, you could always drop in a standard bolt, but KAC does not recommend it for long term use.

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