To me they feel VERY close. The NRX feels a little more crisp in the tip but not necessarily "stiffer"..... but it may be the graphite quality, not the action. The NRX may get to the backbone quicker. I say "may" because they are very close I havent had the BCR in almost a year, but did fish it a bunch. For applications specific to these rods, they fish the same baits without a noticeable difference in effectiveness, IMO, other than the weight and blank quality difference.