Recover Tactical BC2 Grip Rail System for Beretta Pistols
We have these coming to the store!!!
Recover Tactical BC2 Grip Rail System for Beretta Pistols
Posted by Greg Apgar on Wednesday, February 4, 2015
I recently picked up the new BC2 “grip & rail system“ from Recover Tactical. The BC2 fits Beretta M92FS/M9 pistols and provides owners of models without accessory rails to mount lights and lasers without difficult or costly gunsmithing. The BC2 incorporates the rail, grip panels and a trigger guard housing into a two-piece shell that is assembled around the pistol frame using the grip screws and two small machine screws and nuts. When assembled, the glass-reinforced polyamide housing encloses the pistol’s entire frame except the front and back straps of the grip. There are cutouts in the appropriate places to allow normal operation of the slide release and take-down lever.
In the past, I have considered other “no gunsmithing” options for adding accessory rails to older pistols. Most were flimsy-looking affairs that seemed to me like little more than bent trigger guards waiting to happen. So, when the BC2 and its predecessor, the 1911-oriented CC3, recently came to my attention, my interest was piqued.
Recover Tactical is an Israeli company headed by weapons engineer, Tamir Porat. Porat also heads up Versia Military Design, an engineering and design firm located in Tel Aviv. Porat and Versia were responsible for designing the Tavor TAR-21 bullpup assault rifle, currently in service with the Israeli Defense Force. The Recover BC2 is manufactured in Israel as well as having been designed there.
Before ordering the BC2, I read several reviews of the Recover CC3. When it was introduced, nobody seemed to know quite what to make of it. As is so often the case with injection-molded plastic aftermarket firearm accessories, the CC3 ran the risk of being just another hokey “tacticool” piece of nonsense. The reviews turned out to be surprisingly favorable, however, so I was pretty optimistic about the BC2 when I placed my “order” (it was actually one of the first items on my Christmas wish list.).
When I first unpackaged the Recover BC2, I was surprised at how light and thin the whole product is. I was initially concerned that the openings for the slide release and take-down mechanism would compromise the strength and rigidity of the assembled product but I decided to withhold judgment until I had a chance to actually assemble it.
Once the holiday festivities had died down a bit and I found a few spare minutes to evaluate my gift a bit more thoroughly, I ended up with a somewhat mixed opinion of the Recover BC2.
First of all, I was able to assemble the BC2 to my M9 pistol quickly and without incident. It takes a bit of finagling to get all of the holes lined up and the screws started, but not unreasonably so. I don’t think the whole process takes more than about five minutes. The pistol’s original grip screws provide most of the support for the assembly, and the triggerguard and rail sections are held together with two blackened steel socket-head cap screws and hex nuts. The nuts fit into hexagonal recesses in the molding and the cap screws have the same size socket as the M9’s factory grip screws. This allows the whole assembly process to be completed with only the included Allen wrench.
When fully assembled, the BC2 seems to be plenty strong and the rail section doesn’t seem to flex any more than the polymer dust cover on my second-generation Glock 17. I don’t currently have a good quality light from SureFire or Streamlight, but with an older Chinese unit mounted, the BC2’s rail placed the beam of light where I could clearly see the pistol’s sights.
The Recover Tactical BC2 does make the M9 a bit more bulky where the rail is located, but it doesn’t increase the pistol’s overall dimensions. The grip panels are about the same thickness as the factory grips. The grip texture, an aggressive combination of “terraces” and raised “cubes” or pyramids, provides positive control of the pistol during firing.
Unfortunately, with the BC2 installed, the added bulk in the nose area of the pistol rules out carrying it in most holsters designed for the Beretta 92FS/M9. I consider the Beretta a little large for concealed carry, and when I do carry it, I usually do so in the USGI M12 holster. Despite the M12’s rather generous proportions, the M9 will not fit into it with the BC2 installed. Recover has stated that they have worked with Israeli holster manufacturer, Fobus, regarding the CC3 and intend to introduce their own holster in the future. I can only assume that the same applies to the BC2.
Overall, I found the Recover BC2 to be a well-thought-out design — but, as I alluded earlier, there are a few shortcomings I must address. First of all, while the BC2 is designed to allow normal operation of all operator controls, the cutout for the slide release lever was a bit too shallow on my example. It applied sufficient pressure to the lever to prevent its locking the slide open after the last shot. I was able to correct this problem quickly and easily by relieving the area with some 200 grit sandpaper, followed by 1000 and then 2000 grit to smooth the surface.
The grip panels on the BC2 were also a bit too long. They extended about 1/32” below my M9’s grip frame. This condition was also easily corrected with some careful sanding.
Another problem, which is not so easily corrected, is the fact that the grip panels are slightly warped. At the heel of the butt, the grips pull away from the frame slightly, not enough to cause an ergonomic or operational problem but they do leave an unsightly gap (see photo).
The last issue I have with my Recover BC2 is purely cosmetic. Both the BC2 and CC3 are available in four color schemes: black, desert sand, olive drab and, for an additional cost, digital camo. I ordered my BC2 in desert sand, and while I did receive that color, the two halves of the assembly are distinctly different shades. The difference is fairly dramatic (See photo.). At first, I thought perhaps I’d been sent an olive drab left half and a desert sand right half but after examining many online photos, I’m pretty sure that both halves are supposed to be desert sand. The difference is only really visible when the pistol is viewed from below and it’s not enough of a problem to send the product back to the manufacturer but this is a quality control issue that should be addressed.
I’m willing to give Recover Tactical a pass on the rather minor issues I’ve already enumerated regarding this product. The BC2 is a very new product, having just been introduced in November of last year, so one might reasonably expect a few “teething problems” on early examples. I have some professional insight into just how difficult it can be to get molten plastic to do exactly what you want inside an injection mold. Recover have stated publicly that they are working to address some problems with the BC2, particularly regarding its incompatibility with Italian-made 92FS models.
I have no reason to think that Recover Tactical will not get these problems resolved and I have no intention of sending my BC2 back for replacement. I am going to keep it installed on my M9 for the foreseeable future in order to conduct some more rigorous field testing. From what I have seen of the BC2 so far, I am expecting it to perform satisfactorily. If there is sufficient interest, I will post a follow-up report after I’ve had a chance to really put it “through the ringer.”
The Recover Tactical BC2 and CC3 are available through several major retailers as well as directly from CampCo, Recover’s official worldwide distributor. Recover’s website prominently advertises a “Lifetime Warranty*” at the top of every page. The official “Refund & Warranty Policy” page, however, states “We are happy to offer our customers a full guarantee against defects in materials and workmanship, for one year from the date of purchase.” I can only assume that they will replace defective products after one year as well, albeit with a somewhat diminished level of happiness.
My overall impression of the Recover BC2 is that of a product still in the “market testing” phase. It seems like a good design that may be well on its way to becoming a great product. It’s hard to predict if these “grip & rail systems” from Recover Tactical will find a toehold in the fickle American firearm accessory marketplace. Most current production pistols, including the iconic 1911 Government Model and Beretta 92, are available from the factory equipped with integral accessory rails. On the other hand, there are an incalculable number of older pistols, already in circulation which might benefit from just such an upgrade.
Contact Information:
Recover Tactical
C/O Campco Inc.
4625 West Jefferson Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90016
Customer Service Email: service@recovertactical.com