Bear Creek Arsenal, out of Sanford, North Carolina, is known for straddling the fence in firearms engineering. While they make complete AR-15s and AR9s, they are also known for their bufferless designs and AR upper receivers in unconventional calibers not normally associated with the AR-15 platform. For a company known for ambitious concepts, the Bear Creek Arsenal BC 201 is modest, to say the least. It is a Ruger 10/22 clone in a market where that precedent has been set. But the 201’s not-so-modest upgrades level it up as a worthy offering for those who want a tack driver without the sticker shock.
Features
The BC 200 family of rifles was created by Bear Creek Arsenal’s desire to revive the discontinued Ruger 10/22 models in .22 Magnum and .17 HMR. Those rifles did not sell well or work particularly well compared to the staple 10/22 in .22 LR. The 201 is the base model .22 LR chambered rifle of that line.
The BCA 201’s most striking feature is its 16-inch 416R stainless steel bull barrel, which has a diameter of .920 inches—overkill for a .22. The barrel is unthreaded and has an 11-degree target crown to protect the rifling. The barrel is free-floated and matted to a black anodized aluminum receiver that rides in an over-molded full-pistol grip Hogue stock. My model came with a black molded stock, although Ghillie Green is also available. The stock has two sling swivel studs and sports an unnecessary rubber butt pad to tame the nonexistent recoil of the .22 round.
The butt pad extends the length of the pull of the rifle to a generous 13.75-inch length, making it a truly adult-sized platform. As the barrel would entail, the BCA 201 is muzzle-heavy for a steady offhand hold, but it is not prohibitively heavy. It comes in at 6.8 lbs. with a Vortex Crossfire II 3-9×40 rifle scope I mounted for testing.
Iconic 10/22 DNA
The rifle has the same bolt and recoil spring assembly as the blowback-operated 10/22, except it features a BCA extended charging handle that is held captive by a hex bolt. It dispenses with iron sights in favor of an integrated section of aluminum Picatinny rail for the optic of your choice. The bolt, recoil spring, and guide rod that make up the blowback action are nearly identical to that of a Ruger 10/22. It even has a Ruger BX-Trigger group installed. That features a polymer trigger guard, a serrated, red-anodized aluminum trigger, cross-bolt safety, and an extended magazine release.
The trigger itself mimics a two-stage trigger with ample play before a light, deliberate break. On my Lyman Trigger scale, the break occurs with only 1 lb. 14 oz. of pressure. The BCA 201 has the same bolt hold-open feature in front of the trigger guard. It even ships with a single 10-round Ruger 10/22 rotary magazine.
Quick Specs:
- Model: BCA 201
- Caliber: .22 LR
- Capacity: 10+1
- Barrel Length: 16 inches
- Overall Length: 34 3/4 inches
- Length of Pull: 13 3/4 inches
- Sights: Picatinny Rail only
- Weight: 6.8 lbs. (with optic)
On The Range with the Bear Creek Arsenal 201
When it comes to .22 rimfire rifles, I tend to keep things simple and in stock configuration. For plinking and small game hunting at moderate distances, I have always been content with finding a pet load and sticking with whatever barrel and trigger came on the rifle. For me, the BCA 201 is something out of left field. Out of the box, it looks like something out of No Country for Old Men. But after looking over the rifle, feeling its weight and balance, and measuring out the trigger, I quickly came to the conclusion that the 201 would make a great contender for those seeking target rifle accuracy in a platform that is friendly to fieldwork.
That is not to say that stock .22 rifles are not capable of excellent accuracy, but on the other hand, the BCA felt like something that was set up for the task and could do it, group after group. But having needed features does not make a rifle shoot. To test that, I assembled a sampling of .22LR ammo from my stash and headed for the range to see how function met form.
Easy-Loading, Easy-Shooting
Loading up the BCA 201 is as smooth as glass. The Ruger 10/22 rotary magazine has an easy spring, and getting all ten rounds in was accomplished without busting my thumbs. The same was true for Ruger BX-15 and BX-25 magazines, which fit the rifle perfectly and give you more capacity if you want it. With the magazine in place, all that is needed is a tug on the charging handle to load the rifle. Push in crossbolt safety and you are ready to shoot.
Excellent Rimfire Accuracy
The 201 comes without iron sights, but mounting an optic is as straightforward as finding the appropriate one. Although the rifle is equipped with a Picatinny rail and most rigid with a Picatinny mount, I opted for my venerable Vortex Crossfire II rifle scope mounted in aluminum weaver rings. I admit the 201, with its silencer-like stainless barrel, would look amazing if paired with a micro red dot for close-end work, but I opted for this 3-9x rifle scope to see how much accuracy this little big rifle could give me.
I set up a paper target 25 yards from the bench and fired a few rounds to dirty the bore and get the rifle on paper. Inside of 10 rounds, I moved out to 50 yards for a proper zero. I chewed out a ragged hole with five rounds of CCI Blaser 40-grain LRN. At that distance, I could easily see my hits, and the light, predictable let-off from the BX-Trigger gave me no opportunities to miss.
Dependable Results
As it turned out, switching bench rests was that excuse. I had a point of impact shift when I switched from my Caldwell Rock Jr. to a more rigid Lead Sled. I reconfirmed my zero and went about firing five-round groups across my Caldwell Chronograph and on paper. Of course, I took time to cool the barrel between strings of fire, although I was sure it was unnecessary. That barrel scarcely grew warm from the heat of the day, not from the rounds leaving the bore.
Brand Avg. Velocity 5-Round Group
Federal Automatch 1258 2.2 inches
Federal Target 1078 .63 inch
Remington Yellow Jacket 1383 3.6 inches
CCI Stinger 1412 2.5 inches (with flyer); .9 inch without
CCI Blaser 1239 .51 inch
Ammo Preferences
In many ways, the BCA 201 is a typical .22 rifle. Some ammunition will not be reliable; some will produce excellent accuracy, while others will not. In the 300 rounds I’ve put downrange thus far with the rifle, I encountered no malfunctions or failures to fire, even with notoriously inconsistent ammo like Federal’s 40-grain Automatch and Remington 33-grain Yellow Jacket hollowpoints. However, these rounds performed the worst in terms of accuracy as I got five round vertical strings rather than a consistent cluster of rounds.
CCI Stinger 32-grain hypervelocity hollowpoints are known for being heavy-hitting but not particularly accurate. The 201 produced a respectable group measuring less than one inch at 50 yards, if not for a single flyer to ruin the picture. The lighter Yellow Jackets and Stingers also printed three inches above my aiming point at that distance.
Unmatched Reliability
The BCA 201 had no issues feeding and ejecting Federal Target loads. These are quieter standard velocity loads meant for target work. I could turn in a cool .63-inch group. The best group was turned in with the cheapest ammunition I had on hand: CCI Blaser 40-grain LRN. I could reliably put five rounds into half an inch at that distance and inside two inches at 100 yards.
On another occasion, I went to work with the Bear Creek 201 on a pair of 1/2 D28 steel torso targets at a distance of 300 yards. Without the aid of a bullet drop compensator, I was able to walk rounds into the target by observing the vapor trail in the shimmering summer air. After firing out my hold, I could get those Blaser rounds into a foot-size cluster of impacts with a 10-mph crosswind to contend with.
This is well beyond the effective distance of .22 ammo, but it was fun to try and, for once, succeed. To date, I have yet to go five for five with my stock Marlins, Rugers, or CZs. The BCA holds steady, and the BX trigger is forgiving. I even came to appreciate the Hogue stock. I was not a fan of how readily dust and debris seemed to cling to it. But I came to like the mottled outline and the fact that my grip on the rifle never shifted, even with slick hands and cheeks.
The Bear Creek Arsenal Model 201: Color Me Impressed
A lot of new firearms on the market are, at best, incremental improvements to improve the user experience at a higher cost. At worst, they are retreads or genuinely new designs that simply do not live up to the hype. The Ruger 10/22 needs no introduction, and clones that seek to improve on the original can be a hit or a miss. As they tend to do, Bear Creek Arsenal went boldly to revive a semi-auto .17 and .22 Magnum.
My take on the Bear Creek Arsenal BC 201 is not a referendum on those designs. It is Bear Creek’s take on playing it safe with a base platform that is proven to be reliable and familiar to many shooters but aesthetically upgraded and accurized at a price point not much beyond what one would pay for a stock rifle. Whether you are a dedicated paper puncher or small game hunter, the BCA 201 is an option worth a look.
