Are you looking for an AR-15 .22 pistol upper?
I got a chance to test out the Bear Creek Arsenal .22 upper and here is how it performed with added BCA accessories.
While checking out the Bear Creek Arsenal website, I thought about an idea I have had for a really long time. It would be a great little .22 caliber plinker, small in size but handy in fun. It would be compact and out of the way until needed as the old school MP-5 carbines SWAT teams used. Chambered for the good ‘ole .22 long rifle cartridge, it would be cheap to shoot and quieter than many other larger centerfire cartridge options. How about it in an AR-15 platform but in pistol length with a brace? The search was over when I spotted the Bear Creek Arsenal .22 upper. Let’s take a look at what this beefy .22 long rifle chambered upper is all about:
| SKU | UASC-2111-22LHB7.5116P-7ASR |
|---|---|
| Weight (lbs) | 2.500000 |
| Magazine Capacity | N/A |
| Barrel Length | 7.5 |
| Profile | Heavy Barrel |
| Twist | 1:16 |
| Barrel Finish | Parkerized |
| Material | 4150 Chrome Moly Vanadium |
| Thread Pitch | 1/2 x 28 |
| Caliber | .22 Long Rifle |
| Flutes | Non-fluted |
| Gas System | Blow-Back |
| Charging Style | Right Side Charging |
| Classification | Complete Upper Assembly |
| Platform | AR-22 |
| Bolt Material | E9310 |
| Receiver Material | Billet |
*30% less weight with BCA Talon split rail than regular MLOK !
This BCA AR-15 complete 22 long rifle upper has a 7.5″ heavy barrel with a parkerized finish and features a 1:16 twist rate. It includes the BCA Talon 7″ MLOK split rail, an M4 flat-top 7075 billet aluminum upper receiver, BCG, Flash hider, and a side charging (Gen 2) handle (patent protected). This 22 long upper fits on a mil-spec AR-15 lower.
Since I already had a BCA braced handgun lower handy from a previous review, the BCA AR-15 complete 22 long rifle upper, along with the BCA Gen-2 Flip Up Iron Sights | Rear Sight and Front Sight Combo and the Black Dog | AR15 .22LR / .17 Mach 2 | 25 round Magazine were all shipped directly to my home. My envisioned little plinker was now a reality.
The Black Dog | AR15 .22LR / .17 Mach 2 | 25 round Magazine is a look alike to the big brother magazines but has a synthetic body and holds 25 of your favorite rimfire cartridges.
| Color | Black |
|---|---|
| SKU | SW-25BL-NY |
| Weight (lbs) | 0.200000 |
| Magazine Capacity | 25 Round Magazine |
| Caliber | Multi Caliber |
| Flutes | Non-fluted |
| Classification | Magazines |
| Platform | AR-22 |
“Sonic Weld” X FORM 25 Round magazine for 22lr and 17 Mach 2
This magazine is put together using Black Dog’s new Ultra Sonic Weld machine.
Why? This magazine is an inexpensive product with the same high quality design. We have cut assembly and product costs by eliminating brass and screws. The magazine is user friendly, no more worrying about over tightening screws and brass while assembling magazine.
Nylon feed lip.Cleaning: Remove plate, spring and keeper. Use warm soapy water. Let magazine completely dry before you assemble.
My first outing with this fun little rimfire system showed that I was shooting a couple inches low with the BCA Gen-2 Flip Up Iron Sights | Rear Sight and Front Sight Combo even at it’s lowest front pin adjustment. This is a rifle length sight system being used on a handgun length upper and with a quick touch up of the front sight post to make it shorter with a small file I was hitting dead on at 50 yards. That was quick and easy enough.
Check out that incredible flash hider at the muzzle. While it might be “only a .22” it surely looks and feels like the heft of a much larger caliber! Talk about looking ready for business!
A great feature is the BCA Talon 7″ MLOK split rail. This allowed me to add a removable sling swivel mount to the front handguard.
The whole package with my added sling ready for action. In this format the handy fast shooting .22 “handgun” allows for easy carry while wandering around the wilds or just plinking away at the range.
My second range day came after my initial previously mentioned sight adjustment.
Targets were placed 50 yards away. A sandbag was used to test accuracy against paper targets.
Accuracy was quite impressive! This is in spite of the high humidity of the very sunny 90 degree July day. Shortly after this very nice group (3 shots), I found the little BCA so much fun plinking quickly against old cans and anything else I found laying around the range. The trigger pull was light enough I was quickly firing off rounds in quick succession launching everything targeted into the air. Now this is a very fun little shooter!
The BCA AR-15 complete 22 long rifle upper ate everything I loaded into it with no hiccups. It loves high velocity cartridges the most and even hyper velocity CCI Stingers shot incredible. This small bore build is nothing short of incredible!
If you are looking for an incredibly fun little .22 AR upper I highly recommend the BCA AR-15 complete 22 long rifle upper with the BCA Gen-2 Flip Up Iron Sights | Rear Sight and Front Sight Combo and using the Black Dog | AR15 .22LR / .17 Mach 2 | 25 round Magazine. Just be prepared to buy many bricks of your favorite .22 long rifle ammo because you will certainly send it downrange quickly!
