I’ve been doing research on a new build lately and have decided to go semi-lightweight since I already have a precise HBAR build.
Through my research, I have decided to make the BCM line of ELW/BFH barrel my top contender, but I have a few concerns. There has been a lot of great feedback about the barrels, the weight, and weight distribution. But my main concern is accuracy. There have not been any rigorous or at least minimally controlled testing of the ELW/BFH barrels’ precision. Also, the barrel, which was highly hyped late 2014 and early 2015, has now completely subsided after a large number of people purchased them.
On top of the occasional forum post that say the barrels are picky, the lack of recent positive feedback in the middle of the product’s lifecycle indicates that there is a lot of buyer’s remorse and that the barrel is not performing to everyone’s hype/expectations when they first got it months ago.
So my question is to owners of the owners of these barrels - How have your barrels been performing in terms of accuracy, sustained accuracy with heat, compatibility with different ammunition, and other aspects good or bad. Please also include your barrel length, fore-end setup, and whether or not it’s BFH or fluted.
Definitely interested in what people will have to say. I just completed a build with the 14.5" ELW and a Fortis RED brake. Haven’t had an opportunity to get it to the range, yet.
In my case it’s not buyer’s remorse, it’s just boring and I figure no one would want to hear it. It’s boringly light, boringly accurate, boringly reliable. Exactly what you’d expect from BCM. As with most barrels there just isn’t much to say if it performs well.
The fact you’re not hearing about any nightmare scenarios is probably a better signal to pick up on than a lack of gushing over it.
Every time I look for a ELW/BFH complete upper BCM is out of them. I just figured it to be a hot item. I’d like to pick one up so am definitely interested in what people will have to say too.
A lack of information is sometimes a good indicator that things are going very well and the product in question is delivering as promised. I wouldn’t lose sleep over it.
You and the last person are absolutely right. But when paired with occasional negative feedback, it’s not a good sign. Either way, wouldn’t it be better to have actual feedback than speculate? I don’t expect to lose sleep over it. I just like having more information rather than less. Which is why I asked for that, not more speculation.
Would you PLEASE change your screen name and picture. I am sure you did it to get a rise and you succeeded. Not that anyone here gives a shit but I will not open any thread with that commy bastard’s picture above it. I will not purchase from any site sponsor who’s banner appears above his name or picture. Come on mods… Take that ass hole’s face off of this site.
BCM Standard 16" Mid Length (ENHANCED Light Weight-FLUTED) Upper Receiver Group w/ BCM KMR 15" Handguard Ordered on 09/04/2014 with the free BCG / CH and Mod 0 comp. I had a 16" CHF DD barrel, and I prefered the BCM.
Why?
The midlength shoulder on the BCM matches to gas blocks. The DD has an odd shoulder set length.
Accuracy. I don’t shoot far enough to notice a significant difference, but at 100 yrds they feel about the same.
weight is less with the bcm so that’s something for sure.
Will report back after this weekend. Doing a proper test on each the DD 16" and the BCM ELW.
I’ve read every single thread on here, ARFcom, and reddit that contained in the title or comments the words “ELW” “BFH” “BCM, barrel”. I have seen some data for non-ELW barrels, particularly interesting was the non-ELW 14.5" BCM barrel test by Molon.
Not sure what you mean by me not wanting to like it. Perhaps you misunderstood what I meant when I said the ELW was my top contender. To rephrase, I really like it. I just want to know more about it before making a decision. I’m sure plenty of people are okay with buying a barrel they’re comfortable with and loving it, but I’m very data and information driven in my decisions.
If you can direct me to any data I’ve missed on this barrel, I’d love to see it.
I would be incredibly grateful for that test. With the same shooter, I’ll at least be able to make a few assumptions based off of the precision data on the DD barrel other people have collected. Awesome, Moxy.
There’s also a lack of complaints about them as well. Any issues or dissatisfaction would have been brought to light as well. I have two, and do not notice any reduced accuracy or reliability when compared to my other barrels that perform well for me. However, they’re much lighter, which is why I wanted them in the first place. When sighting in my rifles, I’m not getting spectacular one-hole groups with the ELW barrels to post about. I’m shooting factory ammo and a two-inch group is perfectly acceptable for me. I’m not getting large groups with the ELW barrels that disappoint me either. Hence, the lack of anything out of the ordinary for me to post.
The 14.5 ELW BCM I have is the most precise barrel currently in my stable. Granted that is with tuned handloads, but I strongly believe that is a necessity in precision shooting.
My 14.5 ELW Standard holds 1 MOA or better with match ammo.
The BCM KMR will get pretty warm if you shoot a couple of mags in a row, but thats normal.
I did two mag dumps and immediately made hits at 500 yards.
M193 holds 2 MOA or under.
The following group is with Freedom Munitions Remanufactured .223 ammo when I was zeroing. Red dot and the target was getting blown away by the wind, put together a rough group before it blew off.
