Bear Creek Arms (BCA ) just announced a new pistol, this time chambered in .380ACP.
The BC-102 will be available as a complete handgun, or the barrel and slide will be offered separately as a conversion for existing 9mm guns.
BCA BC-102
The new BC-102 is BCA’s Glock 19 Gen 3 clone, but chambered for .380ACP. The pistol features a 15 round magazine capacity and a barrel made of 416R stainless steel with a stainless steel finish.
The barrel has a 1:16 twist rate, is non-fluted, and comes non-threaded. The 102 is made in the USA and has an MSRP of just $344.99.
If you already own a 9mm BCA BC-102 you can get the conversion kit which consists of a slide, barrel, recoil spring and .380 magazine for just $224.99.
Although Bear Creek doesn’t mention it, I would imagine this should work on any Gen 3 Glock or similar clone as well.
Why Do I Want a .380 Glock 19?
Well, you may not, but I kind of do. Larger frame .380’s are becoming popular in the past year or so, and there are reasons for it. While you certainly can have a more powerful round in a smaller frame, the .380 makes for a very easy and pleasant gun to shoot. I find them fun to shoot, but for folks, it’s a necessity.
If you’re recoil sensitive, a soft shooting .380 might be the difference between you using a .22 or the .380. While a 9mm is certainly better for defense, I don’t think anyone would disagree that a .380 with a good defense load is a heck of a lot better than a .22, no matter what load you use. Or it could be the difference between having a gun at all.
.380 Magazines
It looks like BCA is shipping both the gun and conversion kit with dedicated .380 mags. You can actually use 9mm mags as well, which I learned from my weird ass .380 Hobbit PDW, but dedicated .380 mags are better. Glock and ProMag both make .380 mags in a variety of capacities. I know folks often shy away from ProMags, but I’d heard that their Glock mags actually work well. I ended up getting some 25-rounders for my PDW, and they’ve worked fine. Factory Glock 25 mags are out there, though, if you feel more comfortable with those.
A Glock 19 sized .380 isn’t for everyone I know but I think having some easy to shoot, low recoil defense guns available is a good thing. They’re pretty fun to shoot, too. Plus, you could start with a BC-102 in .380 if you’re a little recoil-shy, and add a 9mm barrel and slide later as you get more experienced and comfortable. I’m probably going to try one of these, or at least the conversion kit, eventually. If nothing else, it’ll be good to match up with my PDW.