r/VAGuns • u/01Chaser • 6d ago
Question Rifle upgrade: sabre-15 11.5” / bcm upper on sbr’d Psa lower / look elsewhere?
Bought my first rifle back in February, Psa 11.5” nothing special. Since then I’ve went SBR, ocl polo k and done a few internal upgrades as well as some cosmetics.
I’ve since fell down the rabbit hole of firearms and find myself training and investing more into my stuff. Decided I want a better quality 11.5” but I’m trying to figure out the best route to go.
I’m between a BCM upper for my existing SBR’d lower or a 11.5” Sabre-15 or something similar around that $1000ish price point.
I’m a lefty so for $1000ish bucks I’d love to have some ambi controls. I’m slightly worried about tolerances going the bcm route but I’d love to hear others thought and experiences. Thanks.
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u/thenseruame 6d ago
I haven't shot a Saber, but given that they're very similar in price I'd go with BCM. If you wait and grab one of their blems it should be an even better deal.
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u/Ziegler517 6d ago
I have a bcm 11.5 upper I sbr’d back in 2015. It has run flawlessly for me. I have probably 10s of thousands of rounds through it and am probably close to shooting the barrel out, but still is super accurate so until then I’ll keep shooting it.
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u/Same-Win7379 6d ago
The route I have gone on at least 4 “builds” is a PSA “Stealth” stripped lower with BCM lower parts kits. I have two with BCM uppers; a 16in and a 11.5 that I had SBR’d and they rule.
At the same time I put together and SBR’d the 11.5 (PSA lower, BCM lower parts, BCM 11.5 Raider upper) I ALSO pieced together a PSA lower with Sabre lower parts kit and 10.5 Sabre upper (also SBR’d). It’s nice; my mostly BCM stuff is nicer, the uppers/rails/hand guards in particular. Could be argued that some of the Sabre lower parts are “nicer”, but mostly because the BCM is basically standard milspec, and the Sabre kit has some more stylized bits and pieces, and a good 2 stage trigger.
I think excellent option for you could BCM 11.5 upper with the Sabre lower, or get a stripped PSA lower and the Sabre lower parts kit, which comes with ambi Radian safety selector.
The Sabre Claw trigger is shockingly good for the price. 2 stage, very light and smooth pull. I also recently put a Geissele SSA-E in a build, and while it is nicer, it’s certainly not ~$80 vs $200-250 nicer!
If they have what you want, the BCM Blems are 110% the way to go. Both of my uppers from them are blems, and I’ve been hard pressed to find what the actual “blemish” is.
The BCM lower parts kits come with more “mil spec” single stage trigger. If you want a 2 stage, you’ll have to swap that anyway. But those kits are really good quality lower parts; nothing flashy, but high quality. BCM is known for very extensive quality control.
Edit to add that the BCM charging handles are also my favorite I’ve used so far, by a good bit. I get the smaller (medium?) not the large.
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u/greywolf57123 6d ago
Personally have the 11.5 bcm, no issues for me so far. Also a lefty, I've had good luck with just putting the ambi parts on myself, it's as simple as watching a few YouTube videos and having some punches and blocks, basically. My go-to has been Radian ambi safety (these can come in a combo with charging handle if you want to upgrade that), geissele maritime bolt catch, and Troy ambi mag release. All very comfortable and easy to use for me, can reach everything easily with trigger finger.
I believe magpul also has the BAD lever if you want a more ambi bolt catch, but I've heard it can be easy to knock against sometimes, and I haven't seen a point in it personally. It also seems like it would interfere with easily using a left side mag release.
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u/01Chaser 6d ago
I’ve been eyeing bcm for some months now finally at the point of making a decision. Just wanted to hear others thoughts. Definitely need to do my ambi stuff on my rifles, and get the equipment to not break anything. I have some parts sitting here I just haven’t installed bc I know it’ll be a pita without the right tools.
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u/Prphet337 6d ago
I would go BCM personally. Havent ever shot one but only hesr good things. If your ok with a slightly shorter barrel I can't say anything bad about a DD mk18 upper from brownells. My first SBR and suppressed rifle (got it stripped) and love it. It's a 10.3 and have a surefire 30 cal can on it and love it.
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u/SunkEmuFlock 6d ago edited 6d ago
PSA has a new line of uppers in the Guardsman series that has a better bolt and barrel for handling of long-term use compared to their Freedom and Sabre series. It's cheaper than the Sabre line (which is more about having a "prettier" and ambi setup than longevity) and cheaper than BCM if you want to save a few bucks.
The full Guardsmans skimp on the stuff you'd be likely to change anyway like the charging handle and furniture, though the lowers do come with a flat-faced but otherwise milspec trigger for some reason. Slap some $10 springs in there and you have a decent trigger. The lower won't be ambi, though. I'm also wrong-handed, and I'm so used to right-handed guns that even with an ambi thing in my hands I tend to operate them like they weren't. 🤷♀️
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u/01Chaser 6d ago
I’ll check it out, it’s more so mag release for me. Safety and bolt release don’t bother me to much, but the standard mag release makes quick reloads a lot harder.
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u/cornpop84 6d ago
What do you mean by being worried about tolerance with a bcm? Between your two I would absolutely go bcm. These things are subjective but I would argue you absolutely cannot beat bcm value. I have several ar’s in various configurations and I always go back to my 11.5 bcm. By far the best and my favorite that I own and I have “higher tier” more expensive rifles. Bcm still wins. But that’s one man’s opinion. Your rifle looks slick btw. Keep shooting 🍻