BCM Barrel: M4 vs M4 SOCOM

The day has come… I would like to place an order today from BCM… I’m still not 100% sure what I want. I’ve had my 16" carbine gas system for a while now and it is has been proven to me. But I am still open on getting middy gas system… Just cannot make up my mind. :frowning:

Thank you for all the inputs… I really appreciate it a lot.

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Yes…

If you are going 16" a middy makes the most sense and shouldn’t be a hard decision. If you were talking about a 14.5" barrel then YMMV. There are hundreds of guys running 16" mid-gas guns on this site with excellent results so you need not worry about reliability. If it’s BCM, even better. Time to crap or get off the pot.

16" LW mid with a 12" rail is my all time favorite.

14.5" LW carbine with a 12" rail is also my favorite.

BCM has never built anything I was interested in, but if I had to buy a complete BCM, this would be it. I’m not a keymod liker by any means, but this is still a handy upper since I only use the top rail.

http://www.bravocompanyusa.com/BCM-BFH-16-LIGHT-WEIGHT-Mid-KMR-KEYMOD-p/bcm-urg-mid-16lw-bfh-kmr13.htm

Knowing what I know now. I think you should either go with a lightweight barrel or SOCOM depending on your uses for the rifle and the optic you are planning on using. IMO both the M4 profile and Govt profile barrels make no sense at all. Both M4 and Govt profiles are heavy in all the wrong places (muzzle) while being light under the hand guards.

If I was planning on using a aimpoint or Eotech, I would probably buy a lightweight midlength and call it a day. If I was planning on using a magnified optic or planning on extensive full automatic fire, I would probably go with the more accurate and durable SOCOM.

Thank you for all the inputs guys. I squeezed the trigger and ordered a 16" mid-length barrel and a mid-length gas tube from Bravo Company today. I am very excited to try out this new-to-me gas system.

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LW or gov’t??

Whatever the Standard from BCM :slight_smile: I assume it is the Gov’t… Which I good with… It will be lighter than my current HBar so I’m good :slight_smile:

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You mean holes drilled for FSB taper pins? BCM stripped barrels are dimpled for a GB. Unless you get a barrel with a FSB (I think DD offers them in this configuration) or pinned GB (like some of the Noveske offerings) installed none are gonna have the holes pre-drilled. It sounded like the OP was looking for a complete upper anyway.

If you’re talking about “slots” or flats, a 16" Colt SOCOM barrel doesn’t come with m203 flats under the hand guard , the 14.5" does. Both 14.5" and 16" BCM SOCOM’s have flats. Which really means jack shit for civvies anyway. I just didn’t understand what you meant by “slots cut”.

You just asked a lot of questions to not realize BCM has standard (non hammer forged) govt and lightweight profile barrels. Regardless it sounds like you got a good upper, BCM puts out great stuff, hope you are happy with it.

Hope he got the BFH instead of the Standard, but either way he’ll be happy as long as he gets a good BCG to go with it. I think he made a good choice having read all the posts. JMHO

I got the standard barrel. I went to BCM website tonight and try to change the barrel the BFH one and It won’t let me change it anymore because it “reached the final processing” so I will give them a call first thing in the morning.

Nothing wrong with the standard barrel.

I don’t know if you read this http://www.bravocompanyusa.com/shoppingcart.asp?Check=True

Indeed a good BCG is important. But, I’d go so far to say either the standard button rifled or BFH should serve you well, imo.

Another gov’t profile barrel.

A 16" mid gov’t profile is not going to feel much different. They’re almost as clumsy as a 20" A2, but it’s whatever, I give up.

Omg…Amen…so freaking true. I agree that ounces equal pounds and blah blah, but there comes a point that I’m not going to sacrifice what is needed versus what is easy.

BCM canceled my entire order. For some reason its easier for them to just cancel the entire order than just to make some changes. So I this morning I placed another order but I went got the Middy BHF instead of the standard. I want a barrel that is lighter than my current HBar but I dont want to be extra light so LW barrel is really not my thing. I want it lighter than my HBar but also I want to be durable and heavier duty than a LW barrel. I am pretty sure that I will be more than happy with my BCM BHF 16" middy :slight_smile: thanks to you guys for introducing me Mid-length world.

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I’m sure you’ll be happy with your barrel too. I think, however, that everyone’s point was that the government profile is essentially a light weight barrel in the areas where weight makes a difference in durability and a heavier barrel in the areas where weight makes a difference in balance and handling.

Regardless, as an owner of an HBAR and recently a 16" SOCOM and a user of the M4 profile at work, I can tell you that all things being equal your new barrel will certainly be noticeably lighter than your old one.

You’re not getting it.

The gov’t profile is thicker at the muzzle where it does nothing.

It’s the same as the LE from the chamber to the gas block.

So you have four ounces at the muzzle end of a LW barrel.

OP, the man speaks truth. Either get a LW or socom IMO. Govt profile is extra weight with no benefit. I have no use for a thick barrel so I went LW personally. People get about 1.5 MOA groups with LW barrels(good ones) so I don’t suggest heavy bbls or ss unless you are running mag dumps/hot bbls or magnification respectively.

Its not a bid deal Its a great barrel. Learn to shoot, get good, figure out what you REALLY want in a gun and build up a new one from there down the road.