Questions about PSA

[churchmouse]

Lol
Yeah..u don't wanna make someone with a Colt..DD etc...feel like that in the fantasy door kicking operating world and zombie apocalypse scenario that your PSA rifle at half the cost almost with an FN sourced and MPI/HP BCG wouldn't handle whatever u throw at it the same as said DD and Colt rifle.

We all have opinions.
We can all share them.
I tend to disagree with yours for many reasons from personal experience.
I have had and have seen trouble with these rifles from the quality of the parts used. I put them in the same bracket as other inexpensive firearms. They are inexpensive for a reason. They are a dice roll in that you are more apt to get a turd.

If you have good ones then run-em. Run-em hard. Enjoy them. Enough of us have had negative experiences with them to form these opinions.

And to "All" who are leaning towards the lines.....ease up just a bit please. People are starting to talk.

 

[Blakec221]

I have 2 16” 223 uppers and a 10” 300 blk out with no issues at all. Some AR snobs might turn their noses up to them but they serve there purpose. Several coyotes have fallen at the business end of them. The best thing you can do to any AR is a good quality trigger.

 

[Blakec221]

Geesh I skipped a page before commenting and didn’t see how controversial this page had gotten. So before I get crucified by the “AR snobs” mentioned above let me clarify. There is certainly a quality difference between a PSA rifle and some of the higher end rifles. I’m not a range guy so none of my firearms will likely see more that a couple thousands rounds in my lifetime so I’m completely ok with the half priced lower quality beater gun. I use my 223s for coyote hunting, one with a scope and one with thermal and neither have ever missed a coyote although I have missed a few.

 

[elkhunter2018]

I've have a different 16" PSA upper than this that I've had good luck with on my coyote rifle. It is a great value for that sort of use.

 

[blue2golf]

I won't knock the high-end ARs. High price should get you superb performance.

That said, I won't knock a fella who makes an effort. Most folks can't afford multiple thousands of dollars for a high-end AR, stacks of ammo and mags, plus regular stints at a good carbine training site. (Plus a gym membership, bunker, and food and water stockpile, body armor, etc....the list gets long and expensive.)

Buy that Del-Ton Sport II, or Ruger AR556, or S&W Sport II, or PSA Freedom carbine, etc...get some ammo, a few spare mags and practice with it every now and then. Keep it clean, have a few days water and food on hand, pay a little attention to the world around to stay aware of what's going on and you'll be ahead of most Americans who can't keep their nose away from their smartphone.

 

[MCgrease08]

I have built one PSA rifle kit. It punches holes in paper and will work as a home defense/beater rifle. I probably won't shoot more than five hundred rounds thru it in my lifetime, so it should last. No need for an expensive gun if a cheap one works for what I'm using it to do.

Seriously?

 

[Cerberus]

Actually, I’d like to know if you really think that you’re correct? If you’re really blind, then whatever, but if you really think what you said is true, I challenge you to put up or shut up? I will bring my LMT and BCM, you bring your whatever’s, I’ve got a couple thousand extra rounds of 5.56 that will most likely prove you wrong..?

Bring that extra ammo on down to Versailles some time and I'll run my A2 against yours. I will warn ya. My parts were made by government OEM contractors and they have been speced by me. I just didn't buy them in brand packaging.

 

[bwframe]

Sounds like a showdown.

Whose gonna run the video of this and post to YouTube, so we can all see the outcome?

 

[Steeler]

I just ordered a PSA freedom m4 nitride upper and a ctr lower with the hpt mpi bolt. It's tough to snag exactly what you want from them sometimes.
I would find exactly what I wanted but by the time I get it all picked out and in my cart, it would show out of stock. Grrr!
That's ok, I wanted the EPT trigger on the lower but I'll upgrade that later.
I don't give a hoot if others want to knock my decision, but for under $450 for everything after tax you can't beat it.

 

[Tonybnw]

I have a PSA upper on my ar with a fostech echo trigger... I ditched their ****ty muzzle brake and put a tank brake on it and I can do 30 round mag dumps in under 6 seconds with no problems

 

[farmerdan]

I bought a heavy barrel 300blk complete upper and I have an Ingo lower with a larue MBT trigger and I had some problems with a couple of my mags so I bought some 300blk pmags and it's all good now.

 

[lawyers guns and money]

I like my psa freedom rifle. $400 out the door is hard to beat. Sure I'm not going to put thousands of rounds thru it. A little range time practice and just the one that I might have too someday.

 

[Vigilant]

I have a PSA upper on my ar with a fostech echo trigger... I ditched their ****ty muzzle brake and put a tank brake on it and I can do 30 round mag dumps in under 6 seconds with no problems

????

 

[Vigilant]

Bring that extra ammo on down to Versailles some time and I'll run my A2 against yours. I will warn ya. My parts were made by government OEM contractors and they have been speced by me. I just didn't buy them in brand packaging.

Just getting back to this comical thread. So you’ve got an “in” with a .gov manufacturer that allows you to “spec” your parts for one rifle?

 

[thompal]

Just getting back to this comical thread. So you’ve got an “in” with a .gov manufacturer that allows you to “spec” your parts for one rifle?

I have to wonder if they, too, are selected by lowest bid.

 

[PinoyJedi]

I have a PSA upper on an Anderson lower and it’s ran like a champ. I have had to replace the gas rings on the BCG, and added Magpul furniture but have had no issues.

 

[Usmccookie]

I don't think anyone here (ar snobs) has an issue against folks who have PSA, Anderson's, etc rifles. They are what they are. It's the PSA snobs that suck. If you get a rifle that runs, great run it. There is a difference between a bcm, dd, lmt and a PSA, del-ton, mpII.

Warning,weird analogy that makes sense to me.
I have a pair of calvin Klein's I wear on date night. They look nice. Super comfy in all the right spots. But they're pricey...
I usually wear hanes, they get the job done and I pay 25% the cost... but they wear out and stretch quick. They don't do as good as the ck's on date nights, when it matters.

 

[Vigilant]

I have a PSA upper on an Anderson lower and it’s ran like a champ. I have had to replace the gas rings on the BCG, and added Magpul furniture but have had no issues.

Define “ran like a champ”. 1200 rd Carbine class, or 50-100 each weekend since you built it, or...? I’m just a random dude who got paid by your tax dollars to make sure the Mother platform was always running. It’s the age old JAGA argument, mine is JAGA the other guys’, but cost less. Parts is parts after all. There are MANY, more qualified guys than me that will tell you that’s BS. You know, the guys that spend their lives traveling from state to state, town to town, teaching these Carbine courses, that will tell you, your **** is ****ed up, it WILL NOT “run like a champ” when it comes down to RUNNING it. But, I digress, and have tired of the JAGA, “lowest bidder”, have no clue crowd. Buy whatever you can find the cheapest, and continue convincing yourself it’s JAGA a 6920, BCM, LMT, etc. Just do the interwebz a favor, when it doesn’t “run like a champ”, don’t revert to the interwebz with a cryptic thread saying “ I just built this rifle out of parts from all over, and I can’t figure out why it don’t go bang”. Buy what you will, the race to zero is in the final stretch.

For clarity, I’m not harping on you PinoyJedi, just the overall crowd.

 

[PinoyJedi]

Define “ran like a champ”. 1200 rd Carbine class, or 50-100 each weekend since you built it, or...? I’m just a random dude who got paid by your tax dollars to make sure the Mother platform was always running. It’s the age old JAGA argument, mine is JAGA the other guys’, but cost less. Parts is parts after all. There are MANY, more qualified guys than me that will tell you that’s BS. You know, the guys that spend their lives traveling from state to state, town to town, teaching these Carbine courses, that will tell you, your **** is ****ed up, it WILL NOT “run like a champ” when it comes down to RUNNING it. But, I digress, and have tired of the JAGA, “lowest bidder”, have no clue crowd. Buy whatever you can find the cheapest, and continue convincing yourself it’s JAGA a 6920, BCM, LMT, etc. Just do the interwebz a favor, when it doesn’t “run like a champ”, don’t revert to the interwebz with a cryptic thread saying “ I just built this rifle out of parts from all over, and I can’t figure out why it don’t go bang”. Buy what you will, the race to zero is in the final stretch.

For clarity, I’m not harping on you PinoyJedi, just the overall crowd.

I don’t claim to know everything when it comes to ARs, this was my first build and I will admit I did want to save money on it.

By run like a champ I mean every time I’ve taken it to the range or my friends farm it’s eaten up any ammo and I’ve not had any failures, I’ve had it for a little over 2 years now, and probably run about 50-75 rounds every other week.

I replaced the gas rings because when I broke it down one of the rings was broken.

I want to build another taking my time to select the parts that I want, but that will come with time.

 

[thunderchicken]

Ok, I'm going to dip my toe into this conversation regardless of my lack of AR experience.
2yrs ago I set out to do my firat build. I picked up a lower and LPK and ended up losing interest. Sold the parts to a friend. Then last year about this time with all that was going on following the FL school shooting, I decided to pick up a stripped lower. I figured what the heck maybe I will build an AR. About 6 mos ago, I decided I wanted to go ahead and build a low - mid range AR. I picked up a Mil spec buffer/stock kit from Blackhawk, PSA lower parts kit. I am looking at their complete uppers but haven't decided yet. Everything I am buying for this build will be Mil Spec, regardless of manufacturer. Again the intent is to keep it low-mid range.
Perhaps I lack the foresight to imagine what the proverbial zombie apocalypse would look like. But, I'm a realistic person and I accept that I have some physical limitations and will never perform on any battle field the same as someone younger, leaner and better trained. I always say I'm getting to be like a tank with a broken track. I may lack some mobility but my turret still turns and my cannon still fires true. In a SHTF scenario, I don't have any land outside the city to bug out on. So we would simply have to wing it. How long we might last depends on an unimaginable number of circumstances I don't care to overly imagine.
I say all that to express, if the SHTF that badly, or I survive some unimaginable battle there's a good chance I could find spare parts or a higher end gun to pick up.

So my question goes back to this. If an AR is built with ALL Mil Spec parts shouldn't it in theory perform as well as an actual GI issued AR (aside from select fire)?
I don't want to build a P.O.S. but what would constitute good enough?
Regardless of brands what spare parts should someone have on hand to get an AR back up and running? I mean what is most likely to fail?

As a racer, I know there is always a weakest link in the proverbial chain. But I also understand you get what you pay for