Review: Avalon BCM4 14.5

[phloudernow]

First off, this is originally a Review by my brother Noveske so don't give me crap about reposting this, i found the review pretty cool and this is an interesting AR. Also if you have not seen this Review it was originally on Arnies Airsoft

Before I get started, I have to say that I'm not one to write many reviews on AEGs since I build most of mine from scratch, so please forgive me if you have no idea what I'm talking about after reading this, but feel free to ask questions!

From what I know, VFC is the OEM for Avalon and on this occasion Avalon has surprised us by collaborating with another, newer, Taiwanese manufacturer Crusader as well as Magpul PTS to bring us the BCM4 series. Bravo Company Manufacturing or BCM is known in the RS world for their quality precision parts for the AR platform and apparently Travis Haley also swears by BCM (LOL).

First Impressions

My first impression, when the box was presented to me was, “Where’s the polymer rifle case?” Avalon did not include the VFC polymer rifle case as they did with their previous releases (MK18Mod0, M4RIS, etc.) this time. The BCM4 comes in a shabby cardboard box with an Avalon sticker on the outside. Contents of the box were the BCM4, a PTS EMAG and….nothing else. No manual, no catalogues, nothing. But as soon as I picked up the BCM4, my frown turned upside-down. The first thing I noticed was that the rifle was relatively light and well balanced. I also noticed that it was very tightly put together, meaning, nothing loose or rattling inside. Then the next thing I noticed were trademarks, trademarks, trademarks!

Key Features:
- MAGPUL PTS MOE Hand Guard Mid Length
- MAGPUL PTS EMag Mid Cap
- MAGPUL PTS MOE Trigger Guard
- MAGPUL PTS MOE Pistol Grip
- MAGPUL PTS ASAP Ambidextrous Sling Attachment Point
- MAGPUL PTS MOE Carbine Stock
- Crusader MB556K Muzzle Brake
- Crusader Bcmgfh Mod 3 Charging Handle
- Crusader M4 AEG 14.5" CNC Aluminum Barrel for MOE 9"
- Crusader M4 AEG Anti-Rotation Links
- Crusader BAD-CASS-3P M4 AEG Selector Levers





Externals

Barrel Assembly/Front Sight
Starting from the tip, the BCM4 sports a steel Crusader replica Surefire MB556K muzzle-brake/flashider. Although the flashider did not have any trademarks, I was impressed by the quality and finishing. I’m guessing it was casted then finished with some CNC work.



The Crusader outer barrel is made of aluminum which, along with the polymer MOE Mid-length hand guard, keeps the longer 14.5” fore-end rather light. Crusader spared no details with their outer barrel with stamped trademarks. The 14.5” BCM4 sports a standard M4 front sight post (KAC Flip style on the 16”).



Handguard

Magpul PTS MOE Midlength on the 14.5” (Riflelength on the 16”). As mentioned before, this keeps the front assembly rather light and the entire rifle well balanced. Personally, I’m not a fan of the MOE handguards. I prefer free float rail systems which is more versatile with accessories (without having to tack on another rail) and front BUIS options.




Upper Receiver/Fake Bolt Carrier

BCM Trademarks! Both on the fake bolt carrier and the rear of the upper receiver. The fake bolt carrier mechanism is the VFC system which enables you to charge and lock the bolt plate back for easy adjustment of the hop-up.




Charging Handle and Rear BUIS

Avalon used Crusader’s BCM Gunfighter Mod 3 charging handle which has an extended large lever as well as, yes, trademarks on the top surface of the handle and on the bottom of the lever. It is a pity, however, that AEG charging handles don’t go all that far back so you can’t actually see that much of the trademark.





The rear BUIS is a replica of the popular Troy style BUIS with BCM’s logo engraved on the front. Once locked in the up position, the BUIS seems quite solid, however, the flip mechanism seems slightly loose when the lock is disengaged and the sight is flipped down, especially when I compare it with Bomber replicas. Nonetheless, it’s one of the better replica Troy sights I’ve seen to date.




Lower Receiver/Selector/Anti-Rotation Pins

BCM Trades on the receiver, MOE Pistol grip and trigger guard. Standard mag catch. Need I say more?



The Crusader BAD-CASS-3P M4 AEG Selector Lever is my favorite feature on the entire BCM4. This is probably because I’ve been plagued by many years of shifty selectors on my AEG ARs. The Crusader BAD-CASS-3P levers are tight and they snap into place perfectly. The only comparison I can make is that it feels close to a GBBR/RS selector. It’s a pity they did not add an ambidextrous selector feature as Avalon did with all their other ARs.



Another cool detail Avalon added was the Crusader Anti-Rotation links (ARL) for AEG. The pseudo trigger pin that is used in most AEGs to secure the gear box into the receiver are known to get loose, shift and fall out over time, especially with a lot of rifle disassembly. The Crusader ARLs are a good alternative to eliminate the chance of losing that pin, not to mention they look cool too

Sling Plate/Stock

The Avalon BCM4 sports the newer generation Magpul PTS ASAP sling plate with the Magpul logo on the left side and the PTS logo on the right. Dynamics anyone?



The stock on the 14.5” is a PTS MOE Carbine stock (PTS ACS on the 16”). I have to note that Avalon used a VFC stock tube which is not to spec at all. The PTS MOE stock is loose on it. I also tried a RS CTR and it was also loose on the tube.



Internals Quick Overview

I hadn’t had time last night to dissect the internals of the BCM4, but I expect that they will be similar to VFC internals. I will post more details about the internals and performance later. But I did do a quick take down and found the following:

Hop-Up (Shocked!)

This was a huge shocker to me, but I expected the standard VFC clear plastic hop up chamber, but to my surprise, I did not find one. Instead, there was a different style hop up which resembled the Pro-Win dial-style enhanced chamber, but made of polymer. Tested a few shots and it held its straightness very well! Will post more about the performance later.



Gearbox (Quick Overview)

Looks like a VFC standard V2. I’ll post more about it later when I dissect it.




Conclusion on First Impressions

I am impressed, though I expected nothing less than excellence from Avalon. They came through, yet again with another great product. At the price of USD369, one may think it’s on the pricier side, but when I compared the BCM4 to similar MOE AEG carbines, it’s actually quite a good value considering what you are getting (there are some cheaper G&P alternatives and some more expensive KA ones). I believe the only other MOE midlength carbine available now is the Beta Project which is USD40 less than the Avalon (I believe the BP uses ACM internals?).

Pros:
-Avalon/VFC build quality
-Trademarks!
-New enhanced hop-up chamber
-Functional bolt catch
-Great sturdy selector
-Anti-rotation links
-Well-balanced weight (light)
-More trademarks!

Cons:
-Cheapo packaging (lack of polymer case/no instruction manuals/catalogues)
-Stock tube not to spec / stock a bit loose
-No ambidextrous controls
-Only 1 color (black) available

[AKA]

bravo company <3!

[jordan7831]

didnt finish reading it yet but thanks for the review!

[Hirdmann]

Simple question, is it rear-wired for a LiPo in the tube?

Haven't seen any retailer that mentions the batteries at all.

[spartan117]

Very sweet Review. Do you know how the PTS mags fit in the gun? Do they wobble?

[noveske]

Originally Posted by spartan117

Very sweet Review. Do you know how the PTS mags fit in the gun? Do they wobble?

They do fit. I'm assuming you're talking about the Gen 2 PTS Pmags? They fit with a small bit of play/wobble but they feed properly.

[spartan117]

Originally Posted by noveske

They do fit. I'm assuming you're talking about the Gen 2 PTS Pmags? They fit with a small bit of play/wobble but they feed properly.

Cool. The reason i asked that is because i have a VFC colt lower receiver. Gen 1 pmags seem to be tight and the only gen2 mag i have with me right now is an EMAG and there is a lot of wobble.