Brandon has a lot of experience building rifles. In this video, he goes over what he believes is the best rifle build for the value versus performance gained.
@@TheCamaro5 $664 I believe. Same price as the standards with free BCG. Once you start adding custom charging handles and muzzle devices though the price goes up
Its true though. Amazing price, ELW barrel is really good! I got 1.25in groups from my BCM with super vel 55gr training ammo. I'm super impressed, the upper has been reliable with over a thousand rounds through it.
@@MrShortanswer1k rounds IS NOT A LOT. Every rifle should maintain decent accuracy at 1000 rounds or even slightly over. Talk to us when you hit 10k or some shit...
BLEM BCM upper. BLEM Aero lower. Aero parts kit, no FCG or grip. BCM mil spec buffer tube assembly and stock. BCM pistol grip. Geissele G2S. If you are patient and get everything on sale, you’re all in for roughly $1,000. It’s amazing the value you can get for your money these days.
@@HWG-wm8ld I’m not gonna act like the economy is in great shape, my grocery bill has tripled in the last year two, but guns are more affordable now than they have ever been.
@@Gnolomwebcitrus fruit and chickens we’ve got down. Got about 30 jars of homemade mullberry, raspberry, strawberry, and peach jam that my wife’s been cranking out. We do our own bread, and I hunt. Still doesn’t cover everything. Groceries are $300 a month for a family of 4, even with all of that
@@Gnolomweb Its not a USPSA match. How valuable do you think split times are in a firefight? Guys have been rocking mil spec triggers for decades and its never been an issue.
It would be great if you did a video on AR parts to stock up on. Something that covers what will break first on this rifle and what we need to have to keep it running.
Bolts, gas rings, extractor and good colt or springco springs to go with it, commonly lost parts like detents and grip springs, these can also be used to dial in your saftey if you arent happy with it. Gas keys, some screws and a way to stake them along with permatex and a stone can be handy. A few different firing pins to deal with tolerance stacking in bolts and BCGs etc. Going a level above just replacing consumption items, is having the ability to problem solve relatively simple issues as the end user can be incredibly handy.
@@dereksendall6488 if they run Palmetto then they are not my foes, because I run Palmetto and so do all my bros. We bounce on each others JAKLs for hours every night.
I've tested LaRue triggers, they aren't as consistent as Geissele when it comes to what you get out of the packaging. It's easy to prefer a cheaper trigger if you get a good one, but we have multiple of each and Geissele is always the same. Consistently fantastic.
@@brandon.wombat well for what a G costs that's expected wouldn't you say? But for half the price a larue offers a good 2 stage that's perfectly adequate. And the video is concerning the best bang for your buck. A geissele is not that. You're paying premium for premium.
@_JEBUS that's why I opened with this being an opinionated conversation lol I also don't think any trigger comes close to Geisseles reset. Usually, triggers have a good break OR a good reset, Geissele has both.
@@brandon.wombat I've never experienced any discernible inconsistency in any of my MBT-2S and I've got them installed on 3 different rifles. 2 with the heavy spring and 1 with the light spring. Other than the spring itself, I don't see what would cause any issues. That said, I don't own any Geissele triggers and have a hard time believing they're worth 2-3x the price of something like the MBT-2S. One of these days I need to buy one or two of them , maybe a G2S and an SSA-E and see if they're actually worth that much or they've just mastered the placebo effect.
I tell everyone who’s looking to get an AR to go with BCM. If they have a little extra and really want to spring for something a little better I point to the Black Friday sale on the Geissele Super Duty. It comes in around 16-1700 clams. Also, the LaRue MBT2S is a pretty damn good trigger for the price, and THE definition of value. It’s not an SSAE-X, but it’s a third of the cost..
What are your thoughts on the PSA Sabre 14.5"? It comes with the Geissle MK14 rail, FN CHF barrel, Radian Raptor LT charging handle, Hiperfire RBT trigger, and Magpul furniture. Seems like a good buy for $1250.
I built out 2 of these recently one myself and another for a family member. But I did the lowers myself as I already had some blank lowers laying around. I still chose the Sabre lower parts kit as it still a great value for the items included. The 2 uppers have been great. I would recommend going over the cross bolts on the Geissele handguard to make sure they ae torqued to spec 5ft lbs. If you price out all the parts for the upper you will definitely spend more than what PSA charges. If you shoot suppressed you will need to swap out the buffer spring and buffer to a blue SpringCo and a h2 to gas the rifle properly.
Plinking 300 with Eotech all day in that setup. I did swap to colt socom CHF after a few thousand rounds though. Was on my bucket list. Block 2ish style
I agree with most of this. Bcm has blem 14.5” uppers rn for $636.35, add $152 for a surefire mount factory p&w. You can find SSAEs for $160ish on sale occasionally.
I still think the Daniel defense stripped uppers from Brownells is the best value. Especially for a ELITE upper The M4A1 is a heavy profile barrel, pinned gas block. It’s a phenomenal deal. You can find promo codes for 10% off and they go on sale a few times a year. Excellent value For an ELITE upper I think that’s the best deal around.
i got mine for $700 flat with dd charging handle (all brand new)... just slapped in a microbest BCG and threw it on a lower i had laying around. paid less than BCM $$$ for a DD rifle. I used my savings to buy optics and ammo
Pretty similar here for the most part. Upper: BCM 14.5 ELW, SF3P, SOLGW BCG, Raptor CH. Lower: M4E1, G2S, Talon safety, VLTOR A5, Magpul furniture. Optics/Light: Romeo 5, Modlite PLHv2 and button. Just need to get an Eotech setup and I’m “done” hah
My preference is Geissele or D.D. for a 1,000-ish upper with great barrels, good BCG and options to get them with a Surefire muzzle device. BCM is really great too.
Good vid, for the record the biggest difference in running cold hammer vs chrome is the heat dissipation under rapid sustained fire. Iv never shot enough to prove it myself but the rumor/theory is the better you manage heat through the life of the barrel the longer the rifling will wear in an even manor thus keeping consistent performance. The faster you "burn up a barrel" the faster it becomes a cost and in terms of military use (which is where the need to compare comes from) a barrel that lasts 40k+ rounds is more important depending on application than a more accurate, lighter or whatever barrel that only lasts 20k.
Wouldn't a more correct comparison be between chrome lined and nitrided? Cold hammer forged would be more about how the rifling is made, so it would be compared to buttoning?
I recently built a BCM Standard upper with a Stagg Arms lower. My local shop only had a Stagg stripped lower available. Just put a few hundred rounds through it and I love it.
Totally agree, BCM standard products are excellent. I have a MK2 upper with a standard 14.5" barrel. Damn thing shoots more accurately than my 16" Super Duty.
I've settled on a quality CHF barrel, toolcraft BCG and Geissele trigger/Super 42. Aero upper and lower and call it good. This combo has served me well suppressed and dirty.
Very solid, I sold my aero items for a radian and it's worth. I also like how pro 2a radian is compared to aero selling to Leo in their own banned state.
Had the radian SD charging handle snap on me at the front where it attaches to the carrier key. Warrenty took care of it, but im not keeping the replacement
My recommendation is always sionics patrol rifles. The price for value is absolutely unmatched. 4150 chrome lined barrel, Radian CH, Sionics NP3 BCG, great reciever fitment, upgraded 2 stage trigger, 1/8 twist, springco spring. It's a gun thats done out of the box better than anything in its range of 1,300. You can also just get their uppers for around 900 in 11.5, 12.5, 16 inch offerings. Ohh yeah, and that price includes a CH, BCG, and the option for gas port sizing made for supressors. Thats not to take aeay from BCM who also makes very nice guns/uppers. Its just crazy no one talks about sionics who is making outstanding guns.
F the RMR on top, with the dust here in AZ, closed emitter is the way to go. Even if you are not in AZ; rain, snow, mud and open emitters don't go too well together. I think Brandon is spot on with a closed emitter option on top. Just make sure it is rated for g-forces seen on rifle calibers.
I’m building my very first rifle I’ve ever owned now, it’s almost done! It’s similar to this setup in some ways. I also went with a BCM upper (11.5 MK2 BFH) but splurged a bit with a radian lower for the full ambi options it offered with the bolt controls through the mag release. I also got a Geissele trigger on sale for 40% off and free shipping at primary arms which covers almost the full cost of the radian sd charging handle. Went with the VLTOR a5 h2 but that might change when I get a suppressor. B5 systems pistol grip and sba4 brace. For the accessories I currently can’t decide between a holosun AEMS or eotech + magnifier. Will also probably be getting a modlite okw or cloud defense light at some point soon. No idea for the sling yet but I’ll figure that out later. I hope to get night vision at some point but I see no point of spending 2k on a laser now if I have no night vision to use it with:( Let me know your thoughts on the build as it’s supposed to function as a general purpose SHTF and home defense rifle.
I got a 16” BCM with the fixed front sight post and a quad rail for the vibes. It’s a good rifle but that FSP is more annoying than I thought it would be. Wish I went the 14.5” MLOK route
RMR was originally designed to be a rifle optic. They had to change the design when people started putting them on handguns because the battery contacts would mess up with the recoil
I agree. Geissele themselves will also do really good sales a few times per year. I got my SSA for the same ~$150 this last Black Friday from Geissele's website.
Midwest Industries Criterion Core uppers are a good value, and even better when you catch them during a 20% off sale. I've had good experience with their "enhanced" bcgs too.
Psa has had the Armalite M153GN18 on sale for 999$ the gun normally sells for 1500 and is worth the 1500 price tag so with how cheap it is on sale and how accurate zero recoil and everything it comes with is just absolutely amazing it's a hidden gem and more people need to see what I'm talking about it has an adjustable gas block rifle length gas adjustable 3 port muzzle break 18 inch ss 416r medium contour barrel timney 3lb single stage trigger luth mba-1 stock ambi radian raptor charging handle ergo deluxe wide grip 15 inch anti rotating m-lock or keymod Handguard very lightweight ambi safty they also come in a 13 inch model or a 308 model only thing I changed on it was added an ambi mag realse
Geissele is a great value during sales events like Black Friday and 4th of July. You can save a TON of money during these events. Same with their triggers and pretty much everything they sell.
Primary arms sales. 10-13% off pretty much once a month at least. Plus, you can get the upper and lower separately, so you don't have to drop all the money at once. Can allow you to get a better/ more expensive rifle.
@@aleckbayless8693 Agreed. That's essentially the argument Mark Smith at Four Boxes Diner made for Trump's bump stock ban: he was trying to prevent Dems from passing something worse. Except they didn't have a veto-proof majority in either house of Congress, even with a few RINOs. You could justify doing anything by wildly speculating about some hypothetical thing that would be worse.
@@aleckbayless8693 Good to see at least some viewers of this channel not buying into Lucas' apparent desire to get in bed with DD. Kevin Brittingham from Q told an interesting story about old Marty Mcflunky regarding an engineer he hired who had been working for DD. Not that I really like KB either, but it's an interesting story if it's true.
I’m looking to get a bcm upper to replace my aero upper but for lowers I love the “Unbranded AR” ambi lowers. Even buying one of their complete lowers you can get around $150. I built a 300blk with one of their ambi stripped lowers and used the Cmmg zeroed lpk. With the buffer system and a spare trigger I had I think it was under 200. A functional full ambi lower for less than what most full ambi stripped lowers are.
How do you guys at TREX feel about the PSA Sabre line? Some of the uppers are a little pricier than BCM's options, but they come with upgraded trigger, Radian Raptor, muzzle device, and even FN barrels and Geissele handguards. Seems like a good deal for $950, but PSA's QC scares me a bit.
It's not a question of cold forge vs chrome lined. They chrome line cold hammer forged barrels. CHF references to the process the barrel is processed and then they will chrome lined the bore.
Most people will never shoot out a barrel to even matter if its HF or Standard 4150CMV . BA 556N Hanson or BA 223W Hanson Premium Black Series are IMO the best barrels for the money . 135 bucks for Hanson barrel is a no brainer. BCM or Centurion Upper paired with Aero M4E1 , CMT Ambi Controls or Griffin MK2 Ambi Controls Lowers are probably the best values .. Geissele SD3G Trigger is my go too and i love M340DF-T and Rein MICRO 3.0-DF. I run SF X300T-B on my 11.5 . I favor COMPACT lights for sure .. 13.7 or 13.9 Middy is my all around favorite lengths
Wow. Great design. My design would use a hk g3 bolt system (maybe 50% of design), and the ammo system would mount on my forearm. That will give you something to think about.
It's a small detail, but the great thing about the B5 SOPMOD is it has a really long cheek flare. I still prefer the BCM Gunfighter furniture over B5, but it's not always the best option depending on your set up. Something like an ACOG or even a dot/magnifier combo that has a fairly short eye-relief will leave you needing to shorten the LoP on a BCM stock because the cheek flare only runs about 2/3 the length of the stock instead of the whole length like the B5. I just wish the B5's were designed to fit as snugly as the BCM's usually do. Stocks that rattle are annoying af.
BCM BFH midlength with FSB. Radian Charging handle. Midwest Industries mid-length drop in handguard, either M-Lok or Pic. Streamlight pro-tac 2.0 light. Palmetto State Armory complete lower with whatever furniture you want, milspec trigger.
Thank you!!! I've been saying for years that past a certain dollar amount, it's diminishing returns. Too many latch on to the cost of a gun equating to that gun being so much better or the best. Couldn't be further from the truth.
My first Rifle was an AUG (as an Austrian - no question ) but then i switch to an DD M18 and build an Block 2 "Clone"and i dont think i give it ever away 😂❤
Windham weaponry flys under the radar. Few more bucks than a PSA but have the build quality of BCM. They carry the quality of the OG bushmaster they spawned from. They are just very basic, exceptionally built rifles.
One word about streamlight: I bought my brother in law an HLX to put on his airsoft gun and the glass got smashed by an airsoft BB. If the glass is that fragile, I am not sure I would trust it for duty use. To be fair, I do not know how a surefire would react to a BB (and I do not have the money to try.)
I have a 14.5 bcm quad rail upper with an aero lower that i absolutely love. But now im looking at a daniel defense ris iii that im looking to pick up, is it worth get the DD for my next ar or should i just stick with bcm 🤔
blem bcm upper, pallameto lower with b5 systems stock and grip bcm for grip stream light 1000lumen rifle mounted light and a pa slx 1-6 on a aero mount
I’m building one and I have aero and Anderson parts for much of it. But I am spending money on my barrel handle and Bcg. Anyone used microbest Bcg? Thoughts on them?
Geissele Super Duty ($700) on LMT defender lower ($140). Too many issues with BCM barrels to purchase their complete uppers. Will use their stripped uppers, bolts and rails though.
I'd say the two best value full rifles are from BCM and PSA, specifically the Sabre line. Also I have to disagree on the best value trigger being Geissele. The PSA Sabre is 90% of the way there while being less than half the price and, if you want a single stage, the Velocity 3lb trigger is phenomal and under $150. Edit: I've finished the video and realized that you seem to not know what value means despite explaining it well in the beginning.
Look into PSA pulling out of their relationship with Focus Tripp after he was critical of the Jackal. PS. BCM is also a pro 2a company. They shipped and continue to ship to my state while PSA abandoned us about 10 years ago.
I’ll buy “blem” BCMs til the day I die.
Same, wait for the MK2’s to go on sale again to snatch one 😂
@@djrobinson8859 what did the mk2 go for ?
The free bcg makes it a no brainer.
@@TheCamaro5 $664 I believe. Same price as the standards with free BCG. Once you start adding custom charging handles and muzzle devices though the price goes up
@@djrobinson8859 man thats a great deal.
My guess… BCM
Agreed
I was thinking BCM or a PSA SABRE.
Its true though. Amazing price, ELW barrel is really good! I got 1.25in groups from my BCM with super vel 55gr training ammo. I'm super impressed, the upper has been reliable with over a thousand rounds through it.
@@MrShortanswer1k rounds IS NOT A LOT. Every rifle should maintain decent accuracy at 1000 rounds or even slightly over. Talk to us when you hit 10k or some shit...
FN is better for the money. Js
A lot of people forget that buying stuff on sale and blems can safe a lot of money.
Literally everyone knows that. But what a lot of people don’t know is the difference between “save” and “safe.”
@@OFFICIALUND haha just noticed that my bad I was driving
I bought 5 or 6 BCM blem lowers and have never even found thr blems. Doesn't matter any way as it's a tool and mine get rattle canned anyway.
@@dustyrhodes1655 yeah I bought a DD upper on sale and on top of that used a discount code for it and got it for like 700 bucks
Texting while driving very good sir! @@JAM20627
BLEM BCM upper. BLEM Aero lower. Aero parts kit, no FCG or grip. BCM mil spec buffer tube assembly and stock. BCM pistol grip. Geissele G2S. If you are patient and get everything on sale, you’re all in for roughly $1,000. It’s amazing the value you can get for your money these days.
Bidennomics
@@HWG-wm8ld I’m not gonna act like the economy is in great shape, my grocery bill has tripled in the last year two, but guns are more affordable now than they have ever been.
@@lordjack567 lol, imagine not having bees, chickens, goats and a garden w/ citrus trees and fruit trees by now.... YIKES.
What about the geissele psa Sabre upper? Thoughts?
@@Gnolomwebcitrus fruit and chickens we’ve got down. Got about 30 jars of homemade mullberry, raspberry, strawberry, and peach jam that my wife’s been cranking out. We do our own bread, and I hunt. Still doesn’t cover everything. Groceries are $300 a month for a family of 4, even with all of that
Can you also do a video of the best groceries I can afford to give a more realistic account of the times.
There are meal prep videos that get you down to $3 a meal for burger meat, veggies, and seasoning on rice.
Aldi, Lidl, Big Lots, Sam's Club, Costco.
I'll take the saving and performance of the LaRue MBT triggers
Have you compared your split times on each trigger with the same host?
@@Gnolomweb Its not a USPSA match. How valuable do you think split times are in a firefight? Guys have been rocking mil spec triggers for decades and its never been an issue.
such a bad trigger tbh
@@elcidcampeador9629 sooooo, youre saying you have NOT compared your slitz then. cool.
Damn straight!
It would be great if you did a video on AR parts to stock up on. Something that covers what will break first on this rifle and what we need to have to keep it running.
Bolts, firing pins, gas rings, charging handles
Bolts, gas rings, extractor and good colt or springco springs to go with it, commonly lost parts like detents and grip springs, these can also be used to dial in your saftey if you arent happy with it.
Gas keys, some screws and a way to stake them along with permatex and a stone can be handy.
A few different firing pins to deal with tolerance stacking in bolts and BCGs etc.
Going a level above just replacing consumption items, is having the ability to problem solve relatively simple issues as the end user can be incredibly handy.
No need to stock up on parts when you can just stock up on the rifles of your fallen foes. 🎉
@roundearthshill248 lol what if your foes all have palmetto?
@@dereksendall6488 if they run Palmetto then they are not my foes, because I run Palmetto and so do all my bros. We bounce on each others JAKLs for hours every night.
If you're talking budget and value it's crazy to recommend a geissele over larue. Paying 2x the money for a slightly better trigger.
I've tested LaRue triggers, they aren't as consistent as Geissele when it comes to what you get out of the packaging. It's easy to prefer a cheaper trigger if you get a good one, but we have multiple of each and Geissele is always the same. Consistently fantastic.
@@brandon.wombat well for what a G costs that's expected wouldn't you say? But for half the price a larue offers a good 2 stage that's perfectly adequate. And the video is concerning the best bang for your buck. A geissele is not that. You're paying premium for premium.
@_JEBUS that's why I opened with this being an opinionated conversation lol I also don't think any trigger comes close to Geisseles reset. Usually, triggers have a good break OR a good reset, Geissele has both.
@@brandon.wombat I've never experienced any discernible inconsistency in any of my MBT-2S and I've got them installed on 3 different rifles. 2 with the heavy spring and 1 with the light spring. Other than the spring itself, I don't see what would cause any issues.
That said, I don't own any Geissele triggers and have a hard time believing they're worth 2-3x the price of something like the MBT-2S.
One of these days I need to buy one or two of them , maybe a G2S and an SSA-E and see if they're actually worth that much or they've just mastered the placebo effect.
I got my SSAE for $100, i know its the best geis but ill takee that all day for 100.
I tell everyone who’s looking to get an AR to go with BCM. If they have a little extra and really want to spring for something a little better I point to the Black Friday sale on the Geissele Super Duty. It comes in around 16-1700 clams.
Also, the LaRue MBT2S is a pretty damn good trigger for the price, and THE definition of value. It’s not an SSAE-X, but it’s a third of the cost..
Excellent video! Thank you Brandon! The parts overview of both the upper and lower is extremely helpful.
I love my 12.5 DD upper and my 16 Fn carbine upper. Gets the job done no complaints, both chf.
I'm 9 seconds in and I'm already in the comments section shilling for a PSA lower and a BCM upper.
Why not go full PSA? BCM is pretty much the same IMO
@@bradyclark7185 WRONG
A bcm with a sabre lower is the way to go.
I'm going Anderson lower, don't believe the keyboard warriors.
Why not a full Ambi lower with a bcm upper
What are your thoughts on the PSA Sabre 14.5"? It comes with the Geissle MK14 rail, FN CHF barrel, Radian Raptor LT charging handle, Hiperfire RBT trigger, and Magpul furniture. Seems like a good buy for $1250.
I built out 2 of these recently one myself and another for a family member. But I did the lowers myself as I already had some blank lowers laying around. I still chose the Sabre lower parts kit as it still a great value for the items included. The 2 uppers have been great. I would recommend going over the cross bolts on the Geissele handguard to make sure they ae torqued to spec 5ft lbs. If you price out all the parts for the upper you will definitely spend more than what PSA charges. If you shoot suppressed you will need to swap out the buffer spring and buffer to a blue SpringCo and a h2 to gas the rifle properly.
I have been running BCM uppers on stripped Palmetto lowers built up with Wilson parts kits. They run great.
Plinking 300 with Eotech all day in that setup. I did swap to colt socom CHF after a few thousand rounds though. Was on my bucket list. Block 2ish style
I agree with most of this. Bcm has blem 14.5” uppers rn for $636.35, add $152 for a surefire mount factory p&w. You can find SSAEs for $160ish on sale occasionally.
I got a Geissele 11.5 URGI on black Friday last year for $940. I haven't seen anything else come close to that value.
Thank you for the information. Great Advice.
I still think the Daniel defense stripped uppers from Brownells is the best value. Especially for a ELITE upper
The M4A1 is a heavy profile barrel, pinned gas block. It’s a phenomenal deal. You can find promo codes for 10% off and they go on sale a few times a year. Excellent value
For an ELITE upper I think that’s the best deal around.
i got mine for $700 flat with dd charging handle (all brand new)... just slapped in a microbest BCG and threw it on a lower i had laying around. paid less than BCM $$$ for a DD rifle. I used my savings to buy optics and ammo
@@th-mo8fq yea I think mine was $699 plus an additional 10% off so it was like $630
And I already had everything else I needed
@@CannonCountry someone I knew bought it brand new and never used because they preferred mlok lol another man’s treasure
Just picked up a bcm mk2 upper and omg what a difference in quality
Keep in mind when he’s talking about barrels what he’s talking about is button rifled vs cold hammer forged. They’re both chrome lined.
Awesome video, thank you!
I’ve had my BCM 14.5” midlength and BCG for 12 years. I wouldn’t change a thing!
Pretty similar here for the most part.
Upper: BCM 14.5 ELW, SF3P, SOLGW BCG, Raptor CH. Lower: M4E1, G2S, Talon safety, VLTOR A5, Magpul furniture. Optics/Light: Romeo 5, Modlite PLHv2 and button.
Just need to get an Eotech setup and I’m “done” hah
Really enjoyed and appreciated the information given. Could you do the same type of video for an SPR?
My preference is Geissele or D.D. for a 1,000-ish upper with great barrels, good BCG and options to get them with a Surefire muzzle device. BCM is really great too.
Standard blem BCM is $636, and you can get it shipped with a Surefire pinned, so the value there is still incredible
@@lordjack567 The only thing DD has going for it over BCM is the handguard. They also continue to use the obsolete gubment profile barrel.
@@raifsevrencecope
Chopped my colt to 13.7 pinned a while back and it’s perfect for me
I’m 3 for 3 on Anderson Lowers. Last one was $50 with no out of spec issues
did you actually measure them? if you didnt, then you can't say there are no out of spec issues
Thank you for this content
I’m all about having a nice KAC, make it shine by giving it that ol hawk tuah!
😂 dated ❤
Good vid, for the record the biggest difference in running cold hammer vs chrome is the heat dissipation under rapid sustained fire. Iv never shot enough to prove it myself but the rumor/theory is the better you manage heat through the life of the barrel the longer the rifling will wear in an even manor thus keeping consistent performance. The faster you "burn up a barrel" the faster it becomes a cost and in terms of military use (which is where the need to compare comes from) a barrel that lasts 40k+ rounds is more important depending on application than a more accurate, lighter or whatever barrel that only lasts 20k.
Wouldn't a more correct comparison be between chrome lined and nitrided? Cold hammer forged would be more about how the rifling is made, so it would be compared to buttoning?
I recently built a BCM Standard upper with a Stagg Arms lower. My local shop only had a Stagg stripped lower available. Just put a few hundred rounds through it and I love it.
Totally agree, BCM standard products are excellent. I have a MK2 upper with a standard 14.5" barrel. Damn thing shoots more accurately than my 16" Super Duty.
Hey TREX arms, invest in some Sanken COS-11 lav mics. Will make those DJI’s sound less tinny. Also, you don’t need wind covers indoors.
I've settled on a quality CHF barrel, toolcraft BCG and Geissele trigger/Super 42. Aero upper and lower and call it good. This combo has served me well suppressed and dirty.
Thanks for the info! It'd be fun for you guys to do a few Radian reviews at some point, they seem like a solid company.
Very solid, I sold my aero items for a radian and it's worth. I also like how pro 2a radian is compared to aero selling to Leo in their own banned state.
My 14.5 radian model 1 is amazing.
@@colew8308 oh I bet. I own the 10.5, I'm interested in the 17 inch upper for a long range set up.
Had the radian SD charging handle snap on me at the front where it attaches to the carrier key. Warrenty took care of it, but im not keeping the replacement
My recommendation is always sionics patrol rifles. The price for value is absolutely unmatched. 4150 chrome lined barrel, Radian CH, Sionics NP3 BCG, great reciever fitment, upgraded 2 stage trigger, 1/8 twist, springco spring. It's a gun thats done out of the box better than anything in its range of 1,300.
You can also just get their uppers for around 900 in 11.5, 12.5, 16 inch offerings. Ohh yeah, and that price includes a CH, BCG, and the option for gas port sizing made for supressors. Thats not to take aeay from BCM who also makes very nice guns/uppers. Its just crazy no one talks about sionics who is making outstanding guns.
You can find complete rifles for 950ish, and complete uppers for around 650 when Sionics is doing sales as well.
F the RMR on top, with the dust here in AZ, closed emitter is the way to go. Even if you are not in AZ; rain, snow, mud and open emitters don't go too well together. I think Brandon is spot on with a closed emitter option on top. Just make sure it is rated for g-forces seen on rifle calibers.
I’m building my very first rifle I’ve ever owned now, it’s almost done! It’s similar to this setup in some ways. I also went with a BCM upper (11.5 MK2 BFH) but splurged a bit with a radian lower for the full ambi options it offered with the bolt controls through the mag release. I also got a Geissele trigger on sale for 40% off and free shipping at primary arms which covers almost the full cost of the radian sd charging handle. Went with the VLTOR a5 h2 but that might change when I get a suppressor. B5 systems pistol grip and sba4 brace. For the accessories I currently can’t decide between a holosun AEMS or eotech + magnifier. Will also probably be getting a modlite okw or cloud defense light at some point soon. No idea for the sling yet but I’ll figure that out later. I hope to get night vision at some point but I see no point of spending 2k on a laser now if I have no night vision to use it with:(
Let me know your thoughts on the build as it’s supposed to function as a general purpose SHTF and home defense rifle.
I have a complete BCM rifle and I love it!
BLEMULA uppers are my go to. Best value to performance I use to find.
Thanks for this video, Brandon. BCMs are good. I've found the ALG Defense's El Jefe is good out of the box as well.
I got a 16” BCM with the fixed front sight post and a quad rail for the vibes. It’s a good rifle but that FSP is more annoying than I thought it would be. Wish I went the 14.5” MLOK route
RMR was originally designed to be a rifle optic. They had to change the design when people started putting them on handguns because the battery contacts would mess up with the recoil
Primary arms has Geiselle triggers for ~$150 about 5-8 times per year. There is no reason to buy a different trigger.
I use larue mbt2s in my guns. Got some before they went up in price. I find them to be just as good compared to my ssa
I agree. Geissele themselves will also do really good sales a few times per year. I got my SSA for the same ~$150 this last Black Friday from Geissele's website.
That's more expensive than a Rise Armament 2.5lb trigger any day
@@bradyclark7185 its better too
@@bradyclark7185junk triggers, my buddies rise armament drops the hammer on trigger reset.
Midwest Industries Criterion Core uppers are a good value, and even better when you catch them during a 20% off sale. I've had good experience with their "enhanced" bcgs too.
Psa has had the Armalite M153GN18 on sale for 999$ the gun normally sells for 1500 and is worth the 1500 price tag so with how cheap it is on sale and how accurate zero recoil and everything it comes with is just absolutely amazing it's a hidden gem and more people need to see what I'm talking about it has an adjustable gas block rifle length gas adjustable 3 port muzzle break 18 inch ss 416r medium contour barrel timney 3lb single stage trigger luth mba-1 stock ambi radian raptor charging handle ergo deluxe wide grip 15 inch anti rotating m-lock or keymod Handguard very lightweight ambi safty they also come in a 13 inch model or a 308 model only thing I changed on it was added an ambi mag realse
Nice presentation
The BCM upper is my favorite.
Geissele is a great value during sales events like Black Friday and 4th of July. You can save a TON of money during these events. Same with their triggers and pretty much everything they sell.
Primary arms sales. 10-13% off pretty much once a month at least. Plus, you can get the upper and lower separately, so you don't have to drop all the money at once. Can allow you to get a better/ more expensive rifle.
Ya'll see Warrior Poet bringing on Marty Daniel to walk back his keep the ATF around statement?
Walk back? He basically said the ATF should exist because it could be worse lol fuck DD
@@aleckbayless8693 Agreed. That's essentially the argument Mark Smith at Four Boxes Diner made for Trump's bump stock ban: he was trying to prevent Dems from passing something worse. Except they didn't have a veto-proof majority in either house of Congress, even with a few RINOs. You could justify doing anything by wildly speculating about some hypothetical thing that would be worse.
@@aleckbayless8693 Good to see at least some viewers of this channel not buying into Lucas' apparent desire to get in bed with DD.
Kevin Brittingham from Q told an interesting story about old Marty Mcflunky regarding an engineer he hired who had been working for DD.
Not that I really like KB either, but it's an interesting story if it's true.
Who gaf
@@raifsevrencewhere?
Great vid 👍🏻
I’m looking to get a bcm upper to replace my aero upper but for lowers I love the “Unbranded AR” ambi lowers. Even buying one of their complete lowers you can get around $150. I built a 300blk with one of their ambi stripped lowers and used the Cmmg zeroed lpk. With the buffer system and a spare trigger I had I think it was under 200. A functional full ambi lower for less than what most full ambi stripped lowers are.
Good points.
How do you guys at TREX feel about the PSA Sabre line? Some of the uppers are a little pricier than BCM's options, but they come with upgraded trigger, Radian Raptor, muzzle device, and even FN barrels and Geissele handguards. Seems like a good deal for $950, but PSA's QC scares me a bit.
PSA for a cheap, reliable option.
BCM for overall quality.
The Scope RDS you are running is perfect for 99% of what most will use that rifle for.
It's not a question of cold forge vs chrome lined. They chrome line cold hammer forged barrels. CHF references to the process the barrel is processed and then they will chrome lined the bore.
Most people will never shoot out a barrel to even matter if its HF or Standard 4150CMV .
BA 556N Hanson or BA 223W Hanson Premium Black Series are IMO the best barrels for the money . 135 bucks for Hanson barrel is a no brainer.
BCM or Centurion Upper paired with Aero M4E1 , CMT Ambi Controls or Griffin MK2 Ambi Controls Lowers are probably the best values ..
Geissele SD3G Trigger is my go too and i love M340DF-T and Rein MICRO 3.0-DF. I run SF X300T-B on my 11.5 . I favor COMPACT lights for sure ..
13.7 or 13.9 Middy is my all around favorite lengths
Wow. Great design. My design would use a hk g3 bolt system (maybe 50% of design), and the ammo system would mount on my forearm. That will give you something to think about.
It's a small detail, but the great thing about the B5 SOPMOD is it has a really long cheek flare.
I still prefer the BCM Gunfighter furniture over B5, but it's not always the best option depending on your set up.
Something like an ACOG or even a dot/magnifier combo that has a fairly short eye-relief will leave you needing to shorten the LoP on a BCM stock because the cheek flare only runs about 2/3 the length of the stock instead of the whole length like the B5. I just wish the B5's were designed to fit as snugly as the BCM's usually do. Stocks that rattle are annoying af.
Thanks!
BCM BFH midlength with FSB. Radian Charging handle. Midwest Industries mid-length drop in handguard, either M-Lok or Pic. Streamlight pro-tac 2.0 light.
Palmetto State Armory complete lower with whatever furniture you want, milspec trigger.
I realized i was poor when he said not a lot of money in reference to an ACOG and RMR
Oh shit, for a second i though trex arms had that ghoul guy from fallout on payroll😂
Love my PSA Sabre, great value, great quality
My bcm and psa lower has been the best gun I ever bought. Light weight , reliable , sexy ,
LMT and done!
Thank you!!! I've been saying for years that past a certain dollar amount, it's diminishing returns. Too many latch on to the cost of a gun equating to that gun being so much better or the best. Couldn't be further from the truth.
I'm very happy with my CHF 13.7 Sabre. Heck of a lot of rifle for a grand...
I just bought my first AR from PSA for 580… maybe in a bit I’ll get a BCM but for now I’m hoping the PSA works good
n00b question here, but where is a good spot to get the tape that you use on the rail? Thanks
My first Rifle was an AUG (as an Austrian - no question ) but then i switch to an DD M18 and build an Block 2 "Clone"and i dont think i give it ever away 😂❤
I’ve liked seeing Brandon more lately
Forward controls charging handle is my favorite charging handle.
Getting my first ar soon. Looking into the psa Sabre billet 16”
Windham weaponry flys under the radar. Few more bucks than a PSA but have the build quality of BCM. They carry the quality of the OG bushmaster they spawned from.
They are just very basic, exceptionally built rifles.
I got the H&R because Windham weaponry had no rifles, now they are back, good gun.
Bcm, griffin industries, dd, Geissele, sionics, Midwest industries, munition works all seem to be that perfect value role
Anything BCM and even Aero receivers, and your golden
One word about streamlight: I bought my brother in law an HLX to put on his airsoft gun and the glass got smashed by an airsoft BB. If the glass is that fragile, I am not sure I would trust it for duty use. To be fair, I do not know how a surefire would react to a BB (and I do not have the money to try.)
I have a 14.5 bcm quad rail upper with an aero lower that i absolutely love. But now im looking at a daniel defense ris iii that im looking to pick up, is it worth get the DD for my next ar or should i just stick with bcm 🤔
Shoot, if you got a bcm I'd spend the money on ammo (or cool add-ons to your bcm). Shooter's money/preference tho
Any recommendations on PEQ repairs?
I shelled out the good money for a complete BCM upper, then a $200 complete Aero lower with no stock to save 40 bucks.
This guy is good at videos.
blem bcm upper, pallameto lower with b5 systems stock and grip bcm for grip stream light 1000lumen rifle mounted light and a pa slx 1-6 on a aero mount
I like to work on getting a BCM upper. My options for that is a GPR. I have a 14.5 I for just home defense.
I’m building one and I have aero and Anderson parts for much of it. But I am spending money on my barrel handle and Bcg. Anyone used microbest Bcg? Thoughts on them?
Microbest is solid AF. I recommend the hard chrome with phosphate extractor
Love my Colt.
Geissele Super Duty ($700) on LMT defender lower ($140). Too many issues with BCM barrels to purchase their complete uppers. Will use their stripped uppers, bolts and rails though.
I'd say the two best value full rifles are from BCM and PSA, specifically the Sabre line. Also I have to disagree on the best value trigger being Geissele. The PSA Sabre is 90% of the way there while being less than half the price and, if you want a single stage, the Velocity 3lb trigger is phenomal and under $150.
Edit: I've finished the video and realized that you seem to not know what value means despite explaining it well in the beginning.
Lmt. My favorite acronym
We had RMRs on 240B in the Marines that held up just fine. I think they are more than capable as a rifle optic
Need to get the Mark 12 Carry Pro Comp Ultra Ltd with the mod option. Only way to go
sold!
Recommend stock trigger? Or drop in
Id live to see a Die Hard best in slot no budget kinda rifle list, KAC upper/LMT/AD ambi lowers ect
i just buy LMTs now. they work well
SOL new trigger has a great feel @$150 but for the money Larue..👍
I am curious, what was the optic on the SPR?
Look into PSA pulling out of their relationship with Focus Tripp after he was critical of the Jackal.
PS. BCM is also a pro 2a company. They shipped and continue to ship to my state while PSA abandoned us about 10 years ago.
So you’re crying cause PSA doesn’t care about your sorry ass state 😂