BCL 102 assembled

So, against my better judgement, I decided to slap the thing together.  I'm still missing a pile of parts, not to mention the barrel nut tool, but I figured I'd just "mock it up"

The barrel nut was tight going on.  At first, I thought maybe the barrel nut had the wrong threads, and I was worring about cross threading the receiver...but I took a chance and spun it a few turns and realized it was just really tight because of the cerakoting.  

I could actually make quite a few turns by hand, but eventually, it got too tight and I had to start using tools....though not the correct ones.  I used a regular AR15 wrench, but was only using one lug insterted into the barrel nut.  But since I was just mocking it up and not really torquing anything down hard, I figured this would be ok.  When the Armalite barrel nut wrench arrives, I will torque it down properly.  

I also improvised using an AR15 receiver block wrapped in cloth and it seemed to clamp down on the receiver just fine.

I actually got the barrel nut on there pretty good.  Thought I was pretty smart until I realized I'd left off the locking ring for the hand guard, lol!

So off came the nut, and back on again.

And that was my uppper slapped together.

Next, I had to tackle the issue of not having any spare lower parts kits.....so decided to butcher my 10.5" shorty with the stripped KAC lower it was assembled using the Armalite Tactical Two Stage Trigger kit, and I would need the trigger for the 102 anyway.  

It was the first time I'd ever stripped a lower of all it's parts.  To be honest, it wasn't that hard.  The only thing I left was the front pivot pin since the 102 has it's own. 

Reinstalling all of the parts was almos second nature at this point, and it was basically exactly the same as any other AR15.

Since the receiver set was cerakoted, and I had experienced tight threads earlier with other sections of the receiver, I was careful to put dabs of CLP wherever I thought friction would be involved, in this case roll pins. 

Trigger guard done.  I was thinking about using an aftermarket "enhanced" trigger guard, but since this was supposed to be some sort of clone of an existing military rifle, I decided to stick with a standard AR trigger guard.  

Next was the left side of the bolt catch, basically where I left off last post.  Since the other side was done, all I needed to do was drop the plunger supplied by BCL.

Next was the spring from the regular AR LPK.

Then the plunger for the bolt catch that came with the LPK.

The last thing to do is lock it all in place using the screw supplied by BCL (all this could have been avoided....read previous post)....and here's where my nightmare began.  I was careful to give dabs of CLP, but it wasn't enough.  because the hole was so tight, I really wasn't sure if I was cross threading the thing or what.  I decided to push through, and the allen wrench slipped.  Fuck.  A few more attempts to turn it, and it just kept on spinning.  

What I didn't realize at first was that it wasn't the receiver that was stripped, it was the screw.  The allen key was made of harder steel than the screws and I ended up stripping the head, not the threads, that's how tight the hole was.  I managed to back the thing out and put it aside.  I backed out the screw I installed on the other side, and started to spin it in on the left side.  It got tight again, so instead of cranking on it, I tightened a bit, then backed out, then tightened, then backed out, sort of like the same thing as cranking on a muzzle device onto a crush washer.  

Anyway, I got the screw all the way in, with no issues, but I still had the semi stripped screw for the ambi side of the bolt catch 

I managed to get the screw in part way into the hole for the ambi side of the bolt catch, but then the screw head was so far gone and stripped that the allen key just kept spinning inside it.  I ended up super gluing the key in the screw and I'd let it sit while I worked on the rest.  

The Armalite trigger dropped right in, using AR15 size pins.  I have heard that lighter AR15 triggers might not have enough mass to move the firing pin on AR 308s, so we'll see if this one will work or not. 

Next was the selector switch and rear take down pin.  Those slipped right in, but BCL/NEA has always been quirky about their rear take down pin detent and spring location.  Instead of using the rear plate, they use the pistol grip to capture the spring.  

So, from the bottom, you have to insert the rear takedown pin detent, then the spring.

Then insert the selector switch detent, then the spring into the grip.  I remember my buddy Alex's selector switch was unusually tight, so I made sure I used plenty of CLP to lube the selector and detent. 

Actually, it really wasn't that hard to install this way.

Next, I had to go back to my fuck up.  That stupid stripped screw.  

I managed to get a few more turns in, and was down to the last 1.5 threads when it just wouldn't turn anymore.

So I taped it all up and took a file to the friggin' thing.  This thing was never coming out anyway, so I started filing.  

I did a pretty good job I'd say, but the ambi side of the mag catch is never coming out.

I slapped the rifle together, though I'll need to finish the thing properly when a few more things come in.  I also have to decide whether I want to take the Krylon to the stock and hand guard.

The selector was way smoother than my pal's.  I'm not sure why, but I'm quite happy with it.

Anyway, that's it for now.  Still need the gas block, gas tube, a different grip that I ordered, as well as the Armalite barrel nut wrench to to torque down the barrel nut properly.

BCL 102 Receiver Set cerakoted in FDE

My BCL 102 receiver set arrived.  Two weeks and change from the time I ordered to the time it arrived at my door.  Some people have waited the better part of half a year for their complete rifle, only to end up swapping out most of the parts anyway when they customized their rifles.  I didn't mind the wait because it gave me a chance to see if there were any bugs in the first few batches, as well as give BCL a chance to work them out.  Also, I wanted to see how well these things performed.  After shooting my buddy's rifle, I was sold.  

The proprietary parts that came with the receiver set.  I heard the first few batches were missing some of these so those customers got theirs mailed out to them separately.

I was pretty impressed with the fit and finish.  This surprised me because under their previous name, North Eastern Arms (NEA), they had a horrible reputation for making substandard and poorly finished firearms and firearm parts that were prone to breaking, not functioning, or fitting poorly. 

I did not detect a significant amount of machine marks, but there were a few minor ones.  I personally don't care, but I'm, just reporting what I see.  There was a minor blemish above the selector hole in the upper receiver, and there are minor machine marks under the cerakote by the lip of the mag well.   

It sure does appear to be a seamless fit.

Although it's hard to see, I held a flashlight behind the receiver set and barely any light got through the seams.  

Another thing I tried was the A2 rifle length receiver extension.  As per Midwayusa.com, the product name for this is:

This is a DPMS Receiver Extension Buffer Tube AR-15 A1/A2 Stock 

The one I ordered for my buddy was:

AR-Stoner Rifle Extreme Duty Buffer Tube Assembly LR-308 A2 Stock Aluminum Black

Anyway, I will have to talk to my buddy and look at his 102 again, because the one I odered for my buddy was able to capture the buffer retainer, the one I got for myself does not.  Fuck.

The receiver set compared to other Tan/FDE/Coyote brown finishes.

On top of my Mk18 Block II clone (which in itself is 50 shades of FDE)

Compared to my Cadex Lite Strike

Compared to my PGW LRT-3, which is a different color than the Steiner M5Xi Coyote Brown.

A few other parts showed up this weekend as well.  

1. AR Stoner Bolt Carrier Group LR-308 308 Winchester Nickel Boron finish
2. DPMS Ejection Port Cover LR-308 Matte (parkerized finish)
3. DPMS Ejection Port Cover Pin LR-308 Matte
4. DPMS Ejection Port Cover Spring AR-15, LR-308
5. PRI Big Latch Over-sized Charging Handle Latch AR-15, LR-308 Steel Matte

I'll update this post if I find that any of these parts don't fit/work.

To continue with the M110 clone theme (reminder, this is not going to be a faithful clone), I also got a Knight's Armament Folding Micro Rear Sight, 200-600 meter adjustable P/N 25650.  I have one of these on my Mk12 clone build and have never used it, and probably will never use this one either, but it's well made and will probably function as required if needed (and if I ever get a front sight, lol!).

The Nickel Boron (NiB) from Midway seemed like it was finished VERY nicely.  

I think the staking of the gas key screws could have been a bit more aggressive, but let's see what happens in the long run.  This product is so new, they don't have any reviews of it yet.

The firing pin retaining pin is not the standard cotter pin style.  It came out pretty easily, which concerns me a bit, but once in the upper, I think it's captured and won't fly off into space.

I still don't know what the correct way is to test the gas rings, but the bolt wasn't as loose as the factory BCL BCG so maybe that's a good thing?

I noticed the firing pin did not have a spring like the factory BCL one.  To be honest, I don't know a thing about ARs in 308, so I can't really speak to the benefits of one design over another.  To me, this one seemed very much like a scaled up AR15 BCG.

I should get the go-no-go gauges to make sure this thing is good to go.  Here's where the BCG sits fully seated.

A collection of parts I have collected so far.  I still need the gas block (.875"), gas tube (mid length), LPK, and maybe a front BUIS.

So, I said I wasn't going to start piecing this thing together until I had all the parts, but I couldn't resist.  I really like the Badger Ordinance Tac Latch, but since I was going for a certain look, I decided to swap it out in favor of the PRI unit.  I was going to buy a complete PRI Gas Buster charging handle for 308, but I didn't feel like fitting one to the receiver so since I had a spare BCL unit laying around, I decided to just swap the latch. 

Next was the dust cover.  I had no idea which dust cover to order, so I took a gamble and ordered a DPMS pattern one.  Next was to figure out how to install it.  I haven't done many of these, so I just used my Mk18 Block II as reference.

The universally hated wing logo from BCL, which seems to be finding it's way onto every new part they produce.

Thankfully, I had a solution for my rifle.  

And just to make sure the rear BUIS would not interfere with mounting glass, I did a quick test fit and it seems okay.

Since this is a Canadian made rifle, I had a feeling any screw would be metric, and sure enough, the two Allen screws that came with it were metric.

***ETA*** 10Jun18: You need to really pay attention to this part, apparently the two screws are two different sizes.  I didn't pay attention to this as you will read about later. 

I also dug out a few spare LPK parts from my spare parts bin so I figured I'd at least install the front pivot pin.

Fit like a glove.

As I mentioned earlier, the receiver extension I had would not capture the buffer retainer.  I may try my buddy's and if necessary, order another one from MidwayUSA.

Lastly, I had a spare Norgon ambi mag release.  It installed just like normal.

The only thing I see people having an issue with is the mag release fence which surrounds the button.  If you have fat fingers, you may not be able to depress it easily.