Glock clones abound. And why not? Glock produces arguably the most successful handgun line ever. These clones come at every price point, from budget to Gucci. Glock clones are so ubiquitous that companies need something to set them apart from the others, and Bear Creek Arsenal has done that.
The Bear Creek Arsenal Grizzly is a surprisingly nice gun at an almost unbelievable price point.
Bear Creek Arsenal based the Grizzly on the Gen 3 Glock 17. The Grizzly is even compatible with Gen 3 Glock parts and fits Glock 17 holsters (be aware that the rail is a little bigger than most Glock models so it may work better with light holsters or GLS). It also accepts Glock 9mm magazines, though the gun ships with two polymer 17-round KCI mags.
The Glock influence is readily apparent, but the Bear Creek features make the Grizzly stand out from many competitors. Let’s start with the Grizzly’s specifications. We’ll focus on the model that Bear Creek sent me, but other options are available.
Before we get into this, I want to be clear that I like this gun, but I am in no way implying that it is the Glock 17’s equal. I will address that in the conclusion. But I don’t want the reader to get the wrong impression about why I think there’s much to like about the Grizzly as we work through it. Onward.
Bear Creek Arsenal BCA-101 Grizzly Specs
- Caliber: 9mm Luger
- Capacity: 17+1
- Overall Length: 7.75 inches
- Barrel length: 5 inches
- Weight: 1.43 lbs. (22.88 ounces)
- Slide and Barrel Material: 416R Stainless Steel
- Barrel Finish: Stainless Steel
- Optic Ready (Trijicon RMR Footprint)
- Photo-Luminescent Front and Rear Sights
- 4-Slot Picatinny Accessory Rail
Bear Creek Arsenal Grizzly Features
The Grizzly has some nice features, top to bottom, so let’s go through them.
Slide and Barrel
The Grizzly’s slide was the first thing I noticed when opening the box. The barrel’s stainless-steel finish pops through the factory window cuts on the top and each side. The windows are beveled for a nice look, and they shave two ounces off the pistol’s weight compared to a standard Glock 17. The windows will also aid heat dissipation as you run the gun.
Large, deep front and rear serrations make slide manipulation easy even before adding an optic — far superior to the standard Glock serrations. The optic cut has an RMR footprint, allowing a wide range of optic choices. The optic cut, however, is a bit different than what I’m used to. There’s no plate on which to mount the optic, and the screws go directly into the slide itself. Either way, my Meprolight MPO Pro F red dot mounted solidly and maintained its zero with no issues.
The iron sights are nice too, and better than the Glock’s. The Grizzly features metal sights compared to the Glock’s polymer, and the rear is windage-adjustable. The sights are a three-dot design with large bluish-green photo-luminescent dots. The dots don’t jump out at you like tritium, but they are easily picked up in low light and darkness.
The slide and barrel are both machined from 416R stainless steel, the highest grade available. The slide has a durable nitride finish. As noted, the barrel’s stainless-steel finish really looks good through the slide windows.
The Frame
The polymer frame has the Glock grip angle, as you’d expect. But the grip features Bear Creek’s signature “Bear Fur” stippling, which I really like. I’m very particular about how a grip feels, so I was surprised by how much I like it. And it does resemble a bear’s fur. The frame also has two “Bear Fur” textured index points just forward of the takedown tab, which is just like a Glock’s
The grip has thumb grooves on each side that I think are a bit more comfortable than the Glock’s. There are slight finger grooves on the grip’s front, but they’re so understated that I barely noticed them. Finally, the Grizzly has a four-slot Picatinny accessory rail, as opposed to the proprietary Glock rail. The Grizzly definitely wins there. Finally, the flared mag well is a nice touch and aids mag changes.
The Controls
The trigger has the blade safety we all know. The serrated, rectangular magazine release button is larger and more easily acquired than the Glock’s, in my opinion. The slide release is essentially the same, if just a touch longer than the Glock’s. Neither the mag release nor slide release are ambidextrous.
The takedown tab is identical to the Glock’s and the disassembly process is the same. The Grizzly breaks down and goes back together smoothly.
Running the Bear Creek Arsenal Grizzly
All those features are great. But they’re ultimately meaningless if the gun doesn’t run. My co-testers and I have 460 rounds through the Grizzly, which is about my usual test number.
The tests were conducted over two range trips. We fired 250 rounds of 124-grain Igman FMJ, 200 rounds of 115-grain Sellier & Bellot FMJ, and 10 rounds of 124-grain Federal Hydra-Shok JHP. The Igman rounds were generously provided by Global Ordnance, and we thank them for their support.
Reliability
If you’re going to clone a Glock, the gun better be reliable. Glock’s reputation was built on the undisputed fact that their guns run. Even most Glock haters acknowledge that fact. But 460 rounds aren’t enough to establish long-term reliability, that only comes thousands of rounds later. Still, I can report that the Grizzly chewed through those 460 rounds without a hiccup.
We fired slow, measured shots and we ran drills. We mag-dumped it a couple times. We induced malfunctions with snap caps and LiveFire Level 3 Malfunction Rounds. The gun performed flawlessly, and we enjoyed shooting it.
The KCI magazines were up to the task, giving us no problems at all. We also tried a couple of Glock mags in the Grizzly. They fit perfectly and the gun ran.
Shootability
The Grizzly feels and shoots like a Glock 17. No real surprise there. But many of its features are more shooter-friendly than the standard Glock. The photo-luminescent iron sights are better, in my opinion, if for no other reason than they’re all steel.
The grip is the grip. You either like the Glock grip angle or you don’t. I generally don’t, but it’s not a huge deal once I adjust. I prefer the Grizzly’s Bear Fur stippling to the Glock’s, but that’s a personal preference, nothing more.
My two co-testers and I, one of whom is a “Glock guy,” think the Grizzly’s trigger is better than its Glock factory counterpart. It’s not exactly crisp, but it eliminates a lot of the Glock’s mushiness, and the 6-lb. break is cleaner. The reset is fairly short, though a bit longer than on my Walther PPQ, which has the best trigger I own.
The larger magazine release is a plus. The Glock mag release is fine, but the Grizzly’s has more area and it ejects the mags smoothly. The slide release is very stiff, though it functions as it should. It may loosen up with time, but I found myself manually racking the slide instead of using the slide release.
Accuracy
The Grizzly was accurate for all three of us, though I don’t shoot Glock-style handguns as well as I should. I use the grip angle as an excuse, but whatever. I should shoot better.
We had no problems ringing 6-inch steel plates at 10 yards and playing on the dueling tree. We took the Grizzly out to 25 and 50 yards a few times, scoring on the 12-inch plates more often than not, though none of us are precision shooters at that distance. The Grizzly did its job provided we did ours.
Final Thoughts on the Grizzly
The Bear Creek Arsenal Grizzly is a nice gun. We all liked it. It mimics a proven design and even upgrades some of the controls and features. It ran reliably and well in admittedly limited action. I believe the Grizzly is a viable option for shooters on a budget, especially for those who perhaps shoot less than they should.
The obvious elephant in the room is long-term durability and reliability. We can also throw in reliability in poor conditions like rain, snow, dirt, and mud. The Grizzly is built to Glock 17 specs with quality materials, and the tolerances look about the same. I can’t speak to the quality of the workmanship, though it looks good to my inexpert eye. But the Glock has actually done it all, and done it well, since 1980. The Grizzly has not. Suggesting that the Grizzly is better than, or even equal to, the Glock 17 would be absurd. The track record simply isn’t there.
Don’t let the Grizzly’s very attractive $295 MSRP fool you. This is a feature-rich gun, and it will serve most average shooters well. I appreciate that companies like Bear Creek Arsenal produce quality products that most people can afford. I was there once myself. My first two handguns cost less than $400 combined.
I like that folks with less disposable income can get a decent handgun for protection or just the enjoyment of shooting. The BCA-101 Grizzly is one of those guns. I think it’s better than decent, and a fantastic value. You get an awful lot for that $295.
And it takes Glock mags. What’s not to like about that?
