BC9 Review – Plinker or Problem – A Quick Review
Bear Creek Arsenal sent over their take on the AR9, the BC9, for testing (They also have pistol length variants).
We ran it hard, had a ton of fun, and here’s what we found…
The BC9 is a budget-tier, pistol-caliber carbine with side-charging (left or right) or rear-charging options if you don’t want to be cool. It’s a bufferless design available in 9mm, 10mm, and .45 ACP, with Bear Creek’s in-house barrels in lengths of 5”, 7.5”, 10.5”, or 16”. Best part? It takes Glock magazines.
If you don’t own a PCC (Pistol Caliber Carbine), you’re missing out. They’re ridiculously fun to shoot, ammo is affordable, subsonics are easy to find, and they suppress beautifully. Plus, for self-defense or home defense, they don’t over-penetrate like the kool-aid man ripping through your neighbors walls.
Initial Impressions
Out of the box, the BC9 felt solid. The fit and finish was nice, the controls were tactile, and the bolt and spring action smoothness were acceptable for a budget firearm. Like most budget-tier firearms, I expected a break-in period to smooth things out anyway…
Bear Creek Arsenal is a relatively young company, and while the company has had its ups and downs, the BC9 felt like a clear improvement over their earlier offerings. At its price point, the BC9 looked promising.
On the Range
We put about 650 rounds of 115gr and 147gr Magtech and Federal ammo through the BC9. The direct blowback action made her a dirty girl, but overall, she ran better than expected. I tested it from 5 to 100 yards with both slow and rapid fire.
Reliability: I ran into a few feeding issues early on (4 total), but only when chambering the first round from a mag (it was probably the same mag, though I didn’t keep track). Aside from that, there was just one malfunction in 650 rounds, and the gun smoothed out nicely as the break-in period progressed. But about that one malfunction… more on that later.
Accuracy: This was the real star of the show. The BC9 was stupidly accurate. We were consistently shooting under a 10-inch, 10-round group at 100 yards using an Eotech with no magnification. For a 9mm platform, that’s incredible. One guy next to me commented that it was outshooting his AR-15. Was that his gun’s fault? Absolutely. I would really like to test it out with a more precise optic and see what it’s actually capable of.
But then…
At around 650 rounds—which, yes, sounds like a weird number for a testing standard (because it is)—the extractor sheared. Bear Creek Arsenal’s customer service was awesome and sent out a replacement immediately, but let’s be real—no gun should break after just 650 rounds. That said, I couldn’t find any other reports of this issue online, so I’m hoping that the shearing extractor was just a fluke.
Final Thoughts
The BC9 has some major wins and a few critical drawbacks:
• Pros: Affordable price, insane accuracy, and a ton of fun to shoot.
• Cons: Early extractor failure and some minor feeding issues.
Bear Creek Arsenal is clearly moving in the right direction. The BC9 may not be ready to be your shit-hits-the-fan gun, but as a range toy, plinker, or training carbine, it’s a solid option—especially for the price. If Bear Creek can iron out the reliability issues, this could be a standout in the PCC category.
