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Thread: What do you like or hate about (insert brand)'s AR?

  1. #91
    Quote Originally Posted by Nephrology View Post
    PSA rifles seem to be very hit or miss. Either it will fail miserably inside the first 500 rounds, or it will be a reliable beater. If the gun is for personal protection, there are better choices.
    Yea, that's kinda where I thought they might be (still). I purchase their stripped lowers and build with them, but I have no experience with their completed rifles or uppers.

    Meanwhile, BCM, Colt, and DD, are well within my wheelhouse but finding an 8-9" 300blk upper for a pdw seems like unobtanium for the most part minus PSA offerings (which I can take as a clue), but they do sell out as well.

    "Influencers going to influence", so you can't trust Youtuber reviews a whole lot, and most seem to be older reviews anyways. I was wondering if there was any other end user feedback on here, specifically with higher round counts.

  2. #92
    THE THIRST MUTILATOR Nephrology's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Not HighSpeed View Post
    Yea, that's kinda where I thought they might be (still). I purchase their stripped lowers and build with them, but I have no experience with their completed rifles or uppers.

    Meanwhile, BCM, Colt, and DD, are well within my wheelhouse but finding an 8-9" 300blk upper for a pdw seems like unobtanium for the most part minus PSA offerings (which I can take as a clue), but they do sell out as well.

    "Influencers going to influence", so you can't trust Youtuber reviews a whole lot, and most seem to be older reviews anyways. I was wondering if there was any other end user feedback on here, specifically with higher round counts.
    I have a PSA 11.5" 5.56 upper I got for cheap on black friday. It has been fine for the first few hundred rounds, but I haven't shot it enough to really give you a solid opinion. Seems fine to me I guess? I swapped out the PSA BCG for a Toolcraft, for what its worth.

  3. #93
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    Quote Originally Posted by Not HighSpeed View Post
    Where and does PSA fit in with this discussion? I ask because it seems to be the acceptable 300blk out PDW upper in place of the rattler or MCX?
    It depends.

    Current PSA stuff is better and more consistent than much of their prior stuff as they now make some stuff in house (such as their own barrels) but assembly can still be hit or miss.

    Originally PSA made their reputation on what later became know as the PSA premium line with FN produced CHF barrels and good assembly.

    As they grew, assembly problems became an issue and supply chain issues lead to four different grades of PSA guns and components, particularly post-sandy hook:

    PSA premium as described above

    Standard “PSA”

    “PSA Freedom” series

    PTAC

    The Freedom and PTAC lines were essentially a mix of the cheapest foreign made parts and parts rejected by other makers due to QC. These were compounded by assembly issues.

    I would buy only buy new or verified PSA premium for serious use. I would buy new PSA for range / training use but it would need to be well vetted to be considered for anything else.

    Used PSA, Freedom, PTAC - no thank you.

  4. #94
    Now that more than one person has chimed in so I don't look like Mr. Eager Beaver always running in to bash PSA, my experience with them over the course of several years, including the "premium" line, with second and third and fourth chances given, is hard pass. I admit to having worse luck with them than most, but it's enough to sour me on them for good. All I have left from PSA are two stripped lowers, one that I've had since 2012 and the other was purchased in like 2017. If there really is a full on panic come November, my plan is to sell them at a ridiculous profit to some dope who failed to plan ahead.

  5. #95
    Quote Originally Posted by Casual Friday View Post
    Now that more than one person has chimed in so I don't look like Mr. Eager Beaver always running in to bash PSA, my experience with them over the course of several years, including the "premium" line, with second and third and fourth chances given, is hard pass. I admit to having worse luck with them than most, but it's enough to sour me on them for good. All I have left from PSA are two stripped lowers, one that I've had since 2012 and the other was purchased in like 2017. If there really is a full on panic come November, my plan is to sell them at a ridiculous profit to some dope who failed to plan ahead.
    Don't feel too bad, I've been that way with DPMS, Bushmaster, etc. More than once I've been called an AR brand snob.

  6. #96
    Quote Originally Posted by rob_s View Post
    But if you want to know what made for a good commercial AR 10 years ago, here you go.
    BOLT CARRIER GROUP
    BARREL
    RECEIVER EXTENSION
    I do not have any quality name brand rifles but my most recent iteration of my kitchen table parts gun has a BCM barrel and a BCM Bolt Carrier Group, seems like those two components carry a lot of the characteristics that tend to be, or not be, quality.

    ETA:
    Quote Originally Posted by Not HighSpeed View Post
    Where and does PSA fit in with this discussion? I ask because it seems to be the acceptable 300blk out PDW upper in place of the rattler or MCX?
    I bought a PSA pistol lower with two uppers, 5.56 & 300BO, mainly to make up my mind on the whole PDW/Pistol idea, by shooting them. This was before the P-F lather up about 300BO PDWs in backpacks, and realistically if there was not an option where I could put something together for $179 + $129 + a BCG I had and a $129 SIG red dot I wouldn't be willing to commit the additional investment just in order to evaluate if I thought I can shoot them well enough to bother. I wouldn't have spent $1500 just to see if I could hit something, now I know. Also the probability in my situation that I will actually need to use it for defending myself is probably on par with winning the lottery and getting struck by lightning at the same time. Once I put a few thousand rounds downrange with my PSA stuff I will be able to decide if I want to ante up for a quality PDW, and by then I will know if maybe they can be trusted in a pinch. But I wouldn't start there for a primary rifle for somebody that only has one, unless the shelves are bare.
    Last edited by mmc45414; 08-02-2020 at 04:56 PM.

  7. #97
    Site Supporter rob_s's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by mmc45414 View Post
    I do not have any quality name brand rifles but my most recent iteration of my kitchen table parts gun has a BCM barrel and a BCM Bolt Carrier Group, seems like those two components carry a lot of the characteristics that tend to be, or not be, quality.
    IMO the two things you’re looking for in an AR are reliability (will it go bang) and durability (how many times will it goes bang). Jeff Cooper said something like “only accurate rifles are interesting” but (a) no amount of accuracy can overcome low reliability and durability and (b) these days most guns will outshoot their owners even with the shittiest ammo on the shelf.

    Reliability and durability are primarily functions of bolts and barrels IME, barring stupid shit like really cheap lowers or LPKs or just bad luck with faulty parts or tolerance stacking.
    Does the above offend? If you have paid to be here, you can click here to put it in context.

  8. #98
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    Quote Originally Posted by rob_s View Post
    IMO the two things you’re looking for in an AR are reliability (will it go bang) and durability (how many times will it goes bang). Jeff Cooper said something like “only accurate rifles are interesting” but (a) no amount of accuracy can overcome low reliability and durability and (b) these days most guns will outshoot their owners even with the shittiest ammo on the shelf.

    Reliability and durability are primarily functions of bolts and barrels IME, barring stupid shit like really cheap lowers or LPKs or just bad luck with faulty parts or tolerance stacking.
    People on the internet would poo-poo all over an AR if it was "only 4 MOA" but for most people in the overwhelming majority of self defense cases 4 MOA is more than good enough.

  9. #99
    Site Supporter Cool Breeze's Avatar
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    Well 2 trips to the local gun store and nada. Anyone have any tips on finding a halfway decent rifle (like those discussed in this thread)? It seems like gun stores and online are barren. I know, I am about 3 months to late but I thought I would ask anyway. Where do you all go online? Are you setting up alerts for everything?

  10. #100
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cool Breeze View Post
    Well 2 trips to the local gun store and nada. Anyone have any tips on finding a halfway decent rifle (like those discussed in this thread)? It seems like gun stores and online are barren. I know, I am about 3 months to late but I thought I would ask anyway. Where do you all go online? Are you setting up alerts for everything?
    You can build one out of readily available quality parts pretty easily. Brownells for Colt or SOLGW LPK, LaRue trigger, take your pick lower/upper receiver (I’ve been able to find just about anything stripped). BCGs are also readily available from BCM/DD/etc. Barrels are about The only thing I’ve had trouble sourcing, but if you aren’t too picky and just want a standard 16”, I’m sure you can get one easily.

    There are also a variety of 14.5 uppers in stock at BCM if you are willing to go that route.

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