I know there are many here who refuse to even consider rifles that cost less than $8,000, a right arm, kidney, and your first born, because some think cost always equals quality. But for those of us that don’t have Porches for daily drivers, super model wives (and side pieces), billions in the bank, and to whom nothing less than Barrett's and Chey Tacs will do, have to budget on occasion.
The question is just how cheap is TOO cheap? At what point are you just buying garbage or rolling the dice? Where is the happy medium?
I have become interested in playing with the 8.6 Blackout but the trouble is most of the offerings are very expensive from “premium” brands and at the end of the day, other than the caliber they are all pretty much the same rifle, an AR-10, and most of the parts will probably interchange, and I just can’t justify spending $2,000-$3,000, or more, on a rifle just to experiment with a new caliber, but I also don’t want to buy garbage.
But there is the problem, because as far as I can tell the only budget manufacturer is Bear Creak Arsenal, and they don’t exactly make me confident, they claim sub MOA accuracy, and some people I have seen report that, but others report 4 MOA accuracy, canted gas blocks, unstaked gas keys, and rifles so over gassed that you end up with soot on your face like your shooting black powder. And I don’t know which is the more common experience. I’d love it if PSA made one, maybe not the best, but at least adequate and good enough to experiment with, but they don’t, at least not the last time I checked, but Bear Creek Arsenal?
What has your experience been with them? Are they worth messing with? If they ship a bad rifle will they fix it? What is that process like and what’s the turnaround time?
The intended purpose is mostly to experiment with the caliber, but also just for fun and maybe some tactical style shooting, doubt I would try for more than 500 yards or so at most, and probably less, but if it could hit a thousand that would be cool. A range toy really, but I do want it to work and be reasonably accurate, not planning on winning any competitions with it.
The question is just how cheap is TOO cheap? At what point are you just buying garbage or rolling the dice? Where is the happy medium?
I have become interested in playing with the 8.6 Blackout but the trouble is most of the offerings are very expensive from “premium” brands and at the end of the day, other than the caliber they are all pretty much the same rifle, an AR-10, and most of the parts will probably interchange, and I just can’t justify spending $2,000-$3,000, or more, on a rifle just to experiment with a new caliber, but I also don’t want to buy garbage.
But there is the problem, because as far as I can tell the only budget manufacturer is Bear Creak Arsenal, and they don’t exactly make me confident, they claim sub MOA accuracy, and some people I have seen report that, but others report 4 MOA accuracy, canted gas blocks, unstaked gas keys, and rifles so over gassed that you end up with soot on your face like your shooting black powder. And I don’t know which is the more common experience. I’d love it if PSA made one, maybe not the best, but at least adequate and good enough to experiment with, but they don’t, at least not the last time I checked, but Bear Creek Arsenal?
What has your experience been with them? Are they worth messing with? If they ship a bad rifle will they fix it? What is that process like and what’s the turnaround time?
The intended purpose is mostly to experiment with the caliber, but also just for fun and maybe some tactical style shooting, doubt I would try for more than 500 yards or so at most, and probably less, but if it could hit a thousand that would be cool. A range toy really, but I do want it to work and be reasonably accurate, not planning on winning any competitions with it.
