Not too long ago Ammoland Editor Duncan Johnson and I went to visit Palmetto State Armory’s numerous facilities. If you haven’t read the two posts about our visit, make sure to read both Part 1 as well as Part 2. As a part of our tour, we were allowed to build our very own Palmetto State Armory AR-15 in their assembly facility under the watchful eye of PSA’s top engineer.
What made me use some of the parts that I did? I had to use what was available, what was going to work with the 16″ Stainless Freedom barrel, and what I liked on a rifle. I also went with a slightly unconventional optic setup because, frankly, I wanted to try it out.
Optics
Let’s get the optics out of the way first, shall we? I selected a Vortex Strike Eagle 1-6 scope since I am rather familiar with the optic. I have one in a Warne mount just like this one on a beater rifle that I often reconfigure for reviews and another on the Ruger Gunsite Scout that I wrote about in my quest for the perfect truck gun as well as the review of the Gunsite Scout.
While it isn’t the optimal scope, it is cheap and effective. Zeroing the rifle is easy. It has an illuminated reticle, and magnification adjustments are easy. The easy-to-use BDC made shots out to 400 yards easy but spotting impacts was hard at times. The glass isn’t as clear as I would prefer and the reticle, while easy to acquire, is rather large and can cover an impact at longer ranges.
Where things got a bit untraditional is the addition of a Trijicon RMR RM 06 on a Magpul 45-degree M-Lok mount. This isn’t the most ideal setup for a 45-degree red dot, but it was what the Palmetto State Armory store had in stock at the time. While I didn’t really have a need to transition from magnified optics to a red dot quickly, I really wanted to see if those weird 3 gun guys are onto something.
While it was much faster to transition from near targets to further ones, I will say that I found the additional sight overkill for recreational shooting. I kind of expected that outcome and have since relocated the Trijicon RMR to a pistol, but I am really glad that I tried it out. Should I start shooting two or three gun, the dual optics setup would absolutely be worth revisiting.
Live Inventory Price Checker
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PSA PA-15 16" M4 Phosphate 5.56 NATO 1/7 Classic AR-15 Rifle with 13.5" Lightweight Hex M-LOK Rail, FDE | Palmetto State Armory | $ 859.99 $ 489.99 |
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PSA PA-15 16" Nitride M4 Carbine 5.56 NATO Classic AR-15 13.5" M-Lok Railed Rifle | Palmetto State Armory | $ 959.99 $ 479.99 |
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PSA PA-15 16" Nitride M4 Carbine 5.56 NATO Classic AR-15 13.5" M-Lok Railed Rifle | Palmetto State Armory | $ 959.99 $ 479.99 |
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PSA PA-15 16"Nitride M4 Carbine 5.56 NATO MOE EPT AR-15 Rifle, Black | Palmetto State Armory | $ 949.99 $ 499.99 |
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Upper Receiver
As I said earlier, the 16″ stainless steel Freedom barrel was the one factor that I didn’t choose myself. While we were at DC Machine, those were the barrels that were just coming off the line, and Josiah wanted us to see how our barrels were made. I am entirely happy with the 16″ stainless option since it checks all the boxes, a midlength gas system, a 1:7 twist rate, and is chambered in 5.56 NATO.
The flash hider is an A2 like PSA uses on just about all of their uppers and rifles. While I might have gone with a brake, the A2 is functional, and few other muzzle devices do as good of a job suppressing flash for as cheap as the A2 is.
The handguard choice was easy. Both Duncan and I chose the 15″ lightweight M-LOK rail. The rail has a Picatinny rail to accommodate BUIS as well as a small section just forward of the upper receiver.
I found the barrel nut design rather interesting. My go-to rail is normally a Geissele MK8 13″ or 15″, depending on barrel length. One of the things I really love about the Geissele rail is the barrel nut, which is very similar to the PSA barrel nut.
Not only do I really like rails that secure with a pinch method, but installing the barrel nut is super easy since you don’t need to time it to the gas tube. Sure, there are other benefits, but there is still a ton to cover.
We used a forged upper receiver that was milled in the DC Machine shop, just like the barrel. As a part of their assembly process, PSA fits the forward assist and dust cover before it makes it to the assembly tables.
The charging handle is a standard mil-spec unit. While functional, it isn’t my first choice and will likely be replaced at some point with a BCM Gunfighter handle or a Radian Weapon Systems Raptor.
I am rather impressed by Palmetto’s Premium full-auto bolt carrier group. The staking on the gas key was done well. The machine work is on par with more expensive BCGs that are twice what you can get one for normally, and it has a Carpenter 158 bolt that has been HPT/MPI tested, chrome-lined carrier, and gas key, and even uses the correct grade 8 bolts.
As I just mentioned, the bolt is made from the correct steel for a mil-spec bolt, Carpenter 158. PSA also shot peens the bolt, has it mag particle inspected, and high pressure tested.
Digging into the bolt a bit further, we find a black insert extractor spring and a black o-ring to help with extraction.
Lower Receiver
We started with a standard stripped Palmetto State Armory lower and lower parts kits minus the trigger. I chose to go with a MIAD 1.1 grip since that is what is on most of my rifles and I really like the ability to use the slim panels without the A2 finger groove. The oil bottle in the grip is also nice to have at the range since I almost always forget to replace the oil in my range bag.
The reason I went with the lower parts kit without the trigger group is so that I could use the excellent nickel boron two-stage trigger Palmetto State Armory. With the first stage weight being 1 3/4 pounds and the second stage being the same, total trigger pull weight is 3.5 pounds.
The reset is nice and positive, and while there is a touch of creep as the trigger breaks, it is well beyond my expectations for a trigger that routinely sells for right at $100.
Since commercial receiver extensions are the work of the devil, we fitted a mil-spec tube made by PSA. I used a standard end plate and castle nut since those are perfectly adequate for my needs, I never use any of the endplate QD sockets on any of my other rifles.
The stock is an old favorite of mine, the Magpul CTR. I really like the simple, no-nonsense design, and the lock makes it feel a lot more substantial than many other stocks on the market. The CTR has been one of my go-to stocks since its introduction and will likely continue to be a favorite of mine.
Another thing that I do to all of my rifles is a Magpul MOE trigger guard or something similar. Since PSA has MOE trigger guards by the box full, there was no reason to not install one on the rifle.
How did it shoot?
While I don’t have thousands of rounds through the rifle, I have had a chance to put several brands of ammo through the rifle, putting the round count in the 450 to 500 round range. The reality is I just don’t go to a rifle range enough to get the round count up higher to see how my build will hold up in the long run.
The rifle has digested 55-grain, 62-grain, 75-grain, and 77-grain brass case ammo and even a bunch of steel case garbage ammo without a problem. The recoil impulse feels like an AR but a touch softer than a standard carbine gas system rifle, thanks to the mid-length gas tube.
When shooting the rifle for groups with a few types of ammo, I found the IMI Razor Core 77-grain load to shoot the tightest groups at 100 yards. The best I was able to eke out of the rifle using one of the new Magpul bipods and a rear bag was 1.614″. The worst performer was predictably the 62-grain xm855 with a 3.241″ group. If you aren’t impressed with 1.53 MOA out of an upper that can be had for under $300, I don’t know what to tell you.
Conclusion
I am super happy with how the build turned out, the only thing I have changed about the rifle is I removed the RMR. There just wasn’t a need for the second optic on a rifle that is going to almost exclusively be shot from a bench at 100 to 200 yards.
If I end up changing anything else on the rifle, it is going to be the standard mil-spec charging handle and the mil-spec selector. I would probably go with the Radian Raptor and the Talon selector, both are go-to parts and are installed on just about all of my non-clone builds.
Learn more about Palmetto State Armory’s product lineup on the PSA website, and don’t forget to check out their Daily Deals section. Sometimes it can be hard not to buy one of their deals.
About Patrick R.
Patrick is a firearms enthusiast that values the quest for not only the best possible gear setup but also pragmatic ways to improve his shooting skills across a wide range of disciplines. He values truthful, honest information above all else and had committed to cutting through marketing fluff to deliver the truth. You can find the rest of his work on FirearmRack.com as well as on the YouTube channel Firearm Rack or Instagram.
PSA does what no other manufacturer does. Puts affordable, customizable, rifles within reach of American citizens who may not otherwise be able to afford them. PSA has done a wonderful job with the AK. I do not doubt there are people who have had trouble with customer service, but I am not one of them. All the uppers and lowers I have built using either all or part PSA stuff can hit steel out to 3 or 4 hundred yards…..Way past where most people including myself typically shoot. A perfectly serviceable rifle for around 600 bucks, not a bad day.… Read more »
This review pretty much sums up the typical AR platform build from Palmetto State Arms. If you are planning to build a good AR rifle, go to Palmetto State Arm’s website daily and check their blemished parts for good deals. PSA evidently has some very stringent quality control requirements because you will be surprised at what they call a blemished piece. Even still, their prices on quality bolt carrier groups and triggers cannot be beat.
I echo what Don just said. I’ve been doing business with PSA for a while and their “blemished” parts always amaze me. Bought a blemished upper, went over every square inch of it and couldn’t even find a minor scratch or area when the finish failed to be perfect. My brother then went over it and, like me, couldn’t find anything. I have no idea what they classify as a “blemish”.
Aside from that their service is first rate. They are one of the few businesses I have no reservations recommending without hesitation.
I had a spare lower laying around looking for finishing. I purchased a PSA 8.5″ 300 BLK upper pistol kit with the PSA lower kit. After a quick bore sight, with a red dot I had laying around, off to the range I went. The stock single stage trigger with the PSA upper kit is AWESOME, clean crisp, zero over travel, and short reset. As good as my more expensive trigger groups. Accuracy from standing at 35 yards was good, good enough to do what it’s suppose to do, poke holes in things.
There’s Patrick. I wondered where you were. Missed reading your stuff at another place. I like PSA as well. I’ve had good luck so far with everything I’ve bought from them. A tasty little AR9 is on my mind. You can buy some better parts out there for WAY more money. They’ve got the best value going on many things. Watch their sales, blems, and half-builds. It’s surprising what they offer. I’ve not checked in the last few days, but you could get a base AR10 for around $400. Unreal.
I built one of those nasty little ar9s I love it we got the 4 inch barrel and a 80 percent receiver for glock mags it sings
LOL! Yeah, I am everywhere these days. You can find most of my stuff on https://www.firearmrack.com as well as here on Ammoland, RECOIL Web, and sometimes The Truth About Guns.
No way possible you can order ALL the upper parts to build that from PSA for $300.
I have a PSA 11.5 pistol and it has been a solid performer. The EPT trigger rivals drop in trigger packs. The issue for me was with PSA administration. Fought with them for 2 weeks because my LGS moved literally across the street. They showed me the fax confirmations of them updating their location with PSA. PSA finally shipped after I started demanding free shipping but shipped to the old address. The UPS driver is of course more on the ball than PSA and delivered to where it needed to go. Even now as I write this, a YEAR later… Read more »
The shot grouping should have been tighter at that range. I’ll leave it at that.
Maybe. The reality is we are talking about a $300 upper that is shooting as well as uppers that cost two to three times that much 10 years ago with mil-spec ammo. I did discover that the bipod attachment nuts were contacting the barrel when it flexed as the bullet was being fired. The slimline handguard isn’t exactly designed to have a bipod loaded up the way I do when shooting for precision. I noticed the same thing on a PSA 6.5 Creed that I am testing right now after the article published. But back to my original point, it… Read more »
Sounds good to me, I’d like to have one with a .243 cal barrel, to me that would be the ultimate AR I’d call it the AR 18. Hawkeye
I just finished a build of a PSA 10.5 INCH pistol. First time ever built an AR even though I have 4. Anyway I used an Aero stripped lower. I removed the AR round handguards and put Magpul 7 inch on it with hardware both sides for add ons and a slant grip. When started build lower I went YouTube and found a video that seemed ok. Had some minor probs but in 30 minutes had mag release, bolt release and pivot pin in and went to bed. Have insomnia so got up at 1am and back to workshop. Finished… Read more »
AR stores are a dime a dozen, half of them now selling parts mfg in China. I used to consider PSA a cut above, next to Brownells, MidwayUSA, and my favorite, Primary Arms. However, their quality has slipped and there is no longer any customer service. The most recent and final issue I have with them is I bought a $75 PSA 2-stage trigger that does not work. I tried to call them but now they just direct you to file a customer service request online. So I did. After a week I got an email asking for more information,… Read more »
This company is disgraceful. Absolutely non-existent customer service. I take that back, arrogant and condescending customer service. So I give you my money, you fail to confirm whether you actually mail the package. Then tell me that “if we created a label, then we put the package together”, but refuse to confirm if the package was physically created. UPS had no problem in confirming that they did not receive the package. These guys kept talking around in circles, never admitting that it was possible that they created a label and forgot to put the package together or possibly misplaced it.… Read more »
The one thing I took away from this article, besides the recommendations on parts, is the bad accuracy from the XM855 ammo. I bought 1000 rounds of this stuff back about 4 years ago, right before I bought my first AR. My rifle has a Nikon P-223 fixed 3 power scope and I was having a lot of trouble getting any kind of a “good group” at the range. My rifle has a typical 1-8 twist M4 profile barrel and I was blaming that, the stock trigger and the scope for my lousy groups. Thanks for confirming that my suspicions… Read more »
Whoa – just reading through the comments and some are over a year old.
This is a recycled review to drive people to purchase at PSA and Ammoland gets a commission.
This is like listening to Nancy Pelosi and old news.
Well, that was unnecessary, Butthurt much?
I read that Ammoland has a financial agreement with PSA.
When we link over to purchase from PSA, Ammoland gets a commission.
That stops all credibility on a review.
Yep. Butthurt.
Click-through revenue is typical for a website like this – how did you think they make money? Is making money wrong? Did you think this was some kind of charity?