My first trip to the range with the Bear Creek Arsenal BCA Grizzly 101, a buddy walked up and said, “Oh you picked up a Gucci GLOCK.” I guess I hadn’t thought of the Grizzly as “Gucci” before. After telling him they retail for around $300 bucks, he said, “So it’s a poor man’s Gucci GLOCK.” A few weeks later he sent me a picture of his own BCA Grizzly. The price, combined with its performance on the range was just too good for him to pass up.
The market is awash with GLOCK clones, ranging from high-end, to budget-friendly alternatives. But finding a custom looking, or Gucci looking clone that doesn’t cost a fortune isn’t exactly easy. At least, I didn’t used to think so.
At the pinnacle of the GLOCK clone hierarchy you find the custom, somewhat flashy models that are often referred to as “Gucci.”
Of course, each person’s version of what makes a GLOCK clone “Gucci” will vary. For me, this term is bestowed upon a handgun that has some custom features on the grip frame, slide, etc. Overall, a gun like this should stand out and even be a tad flashy.
The Grizzly 101 isn’t the flashiest gun out there, but it stands out. With a gold barrel, slide cut-outs, and custom grip texturing, it presents a compelling question: can it deliver a taste of the “Gucci GLOCK” experience without the exorbitant price tag?
Here is a quick overview of the BCA Grizzly 101, or what some may call the “Poor Man’s Gucci GLOCK.”
Features and Specs
One of the first things I noticed about the Grizzly 101 is the Gen 5 slide release on a Gen 3 handgun. Most GLOCK clones are Gen three versions, and for the most part I don’t mind this. Gen 5’s have a double recoil spring and just a little better trigger system.
But the mag release is something I was glad to see upgraded on the Grizzly 101. For whatever reason, I have always disliked the small mag release buttons on the Gen three GLOCKs. The larger square shape of the Gen 5 is much easier to push.
The second thing that is noticeable is the threaded gold titanium nitride barrel, which is visible through the slide cutouts. While it’s the barrel that gets noticed first, the cutouts (or window cutouts) are what make the gun particularly eye-catching. There is a small window on each side of the slide and one longer one on top. BCA also added some deep slide serrations on the front and back sides of the slide.
Sights and an RMR Footprint
Photo-luminescent sights (glow in the dark) come standard with the Grizzly 101 along with a removable optics plate. The RMR footprint allows for a wide range of popular optics. I mounted the Swampfox Liberty II red dot on the Grizzly 101.
When mounting the optic, I noticed BCA didn’t put front bolts (recoil lugs) only the two holes for the screws. This is something I would like to see added in the future. I’m sure this will hold the optic on just fine, but I like the addition of recoil lugs for added stability to the optic.
Frame, Slide and Barrel
The frame of the Grizzly 101 has some interesting texturing on the grip, they call “bear fur stippling.” It covers all four sides and is what I would call a medium texture, which I like. They also added a thumb rest or “gas pedal” to the side of the frame which makes your grip even more comfortable. On a side note, the cutout area for the thumb rest makes the slide takedown bar stick out a little more than it does on GLOCKs. This isn’t a huge upgrade, but it makes field stripping the gun just a little more comfortable because you don’t have to use your fingernails as much.
A small indent where the bottom of the trigger guard and top of the front grip meet add to a natural feeling grip.
I already mentioned the window cuts and serrations on the slide. The windows are just large enough to see the barrel through the slide, which looks nice when the two colors contrast. BCA offers Rose Gold, Gold, Silver, and Black for barrel options.
A 416R stainless steel barrel helps make for an accurate shooting pistol (which we will get into shortly).
BCA Grizzly 101 Specs
- Caliber 9mm Luger
- Action Striker-Fired
- Barrel Length 4.5 inches
- Overall Length 7.9 inches
- Weight 25 ounces (unloaded)
- Capacity 17+1 Rounds
- Frame Polymer
- Slide Steel with Window Cuts
- Barrel 416 R Stainless Steel, Gold Nitride Finish
- Sights Iron Sights, Optics Ready
Performance and Reliability: Where the Rubber Meets the Road
A firearm’s true worth is ultimately determined by its performance and reliability on the range. While aesthetics and features are important, a gun that doesn’t function reliably is little more than an expensive paperweight.
So far, I have only heard good things about the Grizzly line of handguns, but I wanted to see for myself. For this, AmmoToGo.com provided the following types of ammunition for the review:
- MaxxTech 9mm 124 grain FMJ
- Winchester Defender 9mm 147 grain bonded JHP
- Sellier & Bellot XRG Defense 9mm 100 grain HP
- G2 Research R.I.P 9mm 92 grain HP
Even though AmmoToGo.com sponsors a lot of our content, I can honestly say they are among the fastest ammo suppliers I’ve seen. If you haven’t used them before I would give them a try. Most of my orders arrive within 2-3 days after my order is placed.
On the range
After I zeroed the Swampfox Liberty II optic, I started out at 10 yards and ran some drills. I like to do this so I can get a feel for how the gun handles during mag changes, holstering, etc. I encountered one issue, which was the magazine would fall from the gun after the last round was fired.
After this happened a third time, I switched mags and it never did it again. I could not see anything wrong with the KCI mag that came with the gun, but it would not stay in the gun on the last round. Even though the other provided mag worked correctly, I started using GLOCK OEM and Magpul mags after that.
When it comes to the trigger, the Grizzly 101 did great. I couldn’t really tell a lot of difference between it and a stock, GLOCK trigger. It had a short reset and crisp break which is always a good thing.
Even though the Gen 3 models use a single recoil spring, the recoil on the Grizzly wasn’t bad at all. When doing the Bill Drill, I was able to shoot about the same with it as I do my GLOCK 17.
To test its accuracy, I moved the target out to 30 yards. I used a hand rest as I’m not the best long-distance shooter with a handgun. It kept a good grouping, especially for such an affordable gun.
The Verdict
Overall, I was very pleased with the look, feel, and performance of the Grizzly 101. I can’t say it shoots better than any of the other GLOCK, and GLOCK clones I own, but it does just as good.
Most people I show this gun to assume it is much more expensive than it really is. BCA did a great job at their quality, and craftsmanship of this gun. I haven’t fired it yet with a suppressor but that will be a project soon.
The Grizzly 101 fits in all of my Safariland holsters perfectly except for the ones without an open bottom. Because the barrel is threaded and sticks out, it will not fit in holsters with a solid bottom to them. I ended up using the Safariland BALLAST holster because it has a square cutout at the bottom for the barrel to stick through.
So, if you are looking for another GLOCK style pistol and want something that looks a little more high-end without the price tag, try the Grizzly 101. It retails on their site for $295.
pass.
Yep, pass here too.
I’m not a real big ‘gucci gun’ fan anyway. Some of them are kinda attractive in some weird way, but most turn out to be garish and stupid looking and (to borrow a phrase) ‘something only a mother could love’.
About the only sort of ‘gucci’ thing I have put on our guns was an anodized red-white-blue hand guard for my wife’s range rifle and I did a lower in rose gold for her on another rifle (she liked the rose gold of the Sig P365 Rose series of pistols, and has one of those).
“pass.”
$300 is a decent deal for someone with not a lot of money.
That’s the price alone for an aftermarket Glock clone slide and barrel, and you get the rest for free.
I’m not in the market, but I hope they thrive for someone looking for a HiPoint upgrade…