The Generation 3 Glock series is on its way to competing with the M1911 for the most reproduced handgun on the market. I’ll give PSA credit for starting the trend with the Dagger.
Post-Dagger, the gun world exploded in Gen 3 Glock clones. Even companies that traditionally only ever made rifles are diving into this territory.
Bear Creek Arsenal entered the realm of Gen 3 Glock clones a couple of years ago with the Genes1s pistol. The company recently released a second generation known as the Genes1s II pistol.
Bear Creek Arsenal provided this gun for review, and when I heard it arrived, I expected it to be a normal polymer-frame Glock 17 Gen 3 clone. The original Genes1s series was just that. Reportedly, they were solid pistols but didn’t break the mold.
However, the Genes1s II does more than break the mold, it redefines it. The Genes1s II isn’t a polymer frame gun but an all-metal design, a unique feature that sets it apart.
I like all-metal guns, so I was pleasantly surprised. The gun has that high-tech Gucci Glock look, with lightening cuts on the slide, a threaded barrel, and an optics cut.
The metal frame grants the gun a unique look and feel. That cold metal quickly reminds you it’s not just another plastic fantastic. At $449, BCA has produced a modern all-metal firearm that will catch any firearm enthusiast’s eye.
An In-Depth Look At The Genes1s II
Upon closer inspection, the Genes1s II uses an interesting frame design. It features a two-piece frame, and the frame is held together through the use of Allen head bolts.
I’ve never seen a metal frame made this way. I do have some questions regarding long-term use. Things that screw down on guns eventually come unscrewed a lot of the time.
I’d imagine a generous helping of Loc-Tite was applied to keep this from happening, but I’m not going to be the one to start twisting screws. Instead, I applied some slight witness marks on a few of the screws to observe if there was any movement during testing.
The magazine release is also metal and listed as ambidextrous. In reality, it’s reversible. You have to unscrew it via an Allen wrench and reverse it. It’s also, oddly enough, tan versus the rest of the gun’s all-black finish.
BCA spared us from the Glock single-slot pain in the bum rail for a true Picatinny rail.
Across the top, we have an optics cut that fits a Trijicon RMR. The gun comes with metal sights and a big three-dot design. Three big green circles stand out well and are already better than stock Glock sights by being metal.
Genes1s II Reliability
Bear Creek Arsenal built the Genes1s II off the back of a reliable firearm with one of the best reputations in the world. As a company, BCA has a reputation for affordable sport or hobby-grade AR-15s. With BCA’s reputation meeting Glock’s, I was curious to see how well the gun performed.
BCA includes a KCI magazine with the gun. I have many Glock magazines, but I mainly used the KCI magazine for testing to best represent the Genes1s II package.
I did try other Glock magazines just to confirm compatibility. Magazines from ETS, Glock OEM, and Amend2 all worked fine with the gun. I’m betting that reliability is a big concern for a lot of people reading this.
The good news is that it’s a reliable firearm for the most part. I had one odd issue that occasionally occurred with a fully loaded magazine. The full magazine had to be inserted into the gun with the slide closed to get this even to occur. Every so often, when I racked the slide under these conditions, it wouldn’t fully chamber the first round. The slide would stick, and a slight press would send it home.
Other than this occasional oddity, I had no reliability issues. I used some remanufactured ammo that failed to fire, but it also wouldn’t fire in another 9mm handgun, so it’s likely a bad primer. Other than that, the gun worked remarkably well with no major reliability complaints.
Also, no bolts loosened either according to my witness marks.
Genes1s II Accuracy
I just used iron sights for testing. A red dot would have improved my accuracy and speed, but I didn’t feel too bogged down by the iron sights. The huge dots on the gun are easy to see and stand out well. The sights are massive, as are the green circles.
The Genes1s II rings steel and shoots true. At 15 yards, I had no problems maintaining groups at right around three inches. At 25 yards, I could keep my shots inside a paper plate.
The sights are eye-catching and help you shoot fast and get on target quickly. One benefit was how easy it was to track the front sight and keep the gun firing quickly and accurately. My only accuracy problem came from the big front sight obscuring targets beyond 25 yards.
The trigger is Glock-like but also different. It feels like it rolls rearward a bit, almost revolver-like to a slight degree. We still get that consistent striker-fired break, a pull of around 5.5 to 6 pounds. It’s not remarkable, but it’s fine. You won’t get Glock finger from the trigger rubbing you.
Anytime you mix a full-sized gun with 9mm, you know to expect pleasant recoil. It’s no different here. The gun’s metal frame lacks some flex but adds some weight. This creates a recoil impulse that’s mild and easy to control.
Ergonomics
The BCA Genes1s II has an interesting set of ergonomics.
The magazine release is superior to any stock Gen 3 Glock. It’s big, easy to hit with your thumb, and perfectly placed. Dumping magazines and reloading can be done swiftly, and you’ll be back in the fight before you know it.
I’m in love with the slide lock and release. It’s got a ledge that’s easy to utilize as a lock or release. It’s also not pinned down by a thumbs-forward grip on my gun. When I shoot Glocks, it might as well not even feature a slide lock because my thumb pins it down.
If you thought the Glock series had a blocky grip, the Genes1s II outdoes it. The metal frame creates a wider grip. It feels a bit large, even for my hands. That’s the biggest ergonomic downside. It won’t work well if you have smaller hands.
I do appreciate the slight overhang, which protects my hand from slide bite. That was another issue I had with the Gen 3 Glocks.
Is The Genes1s II For You?
Bear Creek Arsenal states it has some holster compatibility with the Glock 17. I imagine ‘some’ being the keyword, but it’s certainly going to be one you’ll need to experiment with to ensure it works for you.
Glock is known as the first successful polymer pistol. I find it amusing that someone decided that’s great, but let’s make it metal. Bear Creek Arsenal went a different route with the Genes1s II. I can appreciate taking a bit of a risk and going with something a little less conventional. The gun has a few minor flaws, but for $449, it’s a pretty good deal.
Finding any all-metal American-made pistol for even near that price point is tough. If metal calls your name, this one might be worth a second look.
