While there are more AR-15 manufactures in the U.S than you'll probably ever know by name, only a handful have consistently been able to establish a reputation as being among the best, and despite being one of the biggest makers of this rifle, Palmetto State Armory may be overlooked as one of them.
Table of contents
Introduction
The AR-15 family is one of- if not the single- most popular firearm families in the United States, and for a good reason- it's reasonably affordable, easily customizable to the user's liking (do a degree far exceeding that of many other popular assault rifles) and has naturally solid ergonomics and handling, paired with unusually excellent accuracy and light, soft recoil that lends it well to an enormous variety of shooters- from kids to the elderly, and from civilians to militaries around the world.
And while the basic AR-15 design has been copied literally hundreds of times, there are some firms who seem to make them better than others. Among these, one particularly noteworthy vendor is Palmetto State Armory.
Now, as we approach the new year in a few weeks, we will be reviewing their basic AR-15 lineup in juicy detail and will explain why we feel they are among the best AR-15's for the price today, and how they are often overlooked as good-quality AR-15's.
Let's read on!
Hands-on experience (first impressions, features, shooting and more)
First impressions
I first got my hands on the Palmetto State Armory PA-15 (the official name of the rifle, for anyone who is curious) some years ago, and I still remember what struck me the most about it was how rugged and simple it felt while still feeling like a proper military rifle (I had only experiences with higher end AR's at the time and expected this one to feel like a pellet gun).
Perhaps it's not a "gentleman's AR" (if such a thing exists), but in a sense this may make it even more appealing- there's no gimmicks or flashiness- it's just a simple, minimalist rifle that works, and for many people, that's all they really want and need.
The model I used was a standard carbine with a 16-inch barrel and the typical mil-spec furniture- CAR-15 style handguards, A2 grip etc. It all felt right at home, and nothing seemed out of place save the fact the CAR handguards where a bit wide and unwieldy.
The fact it lacked a rear sight from the factory also irked me at first, but I quickly got over it.
So, nothing impressive visually, perhaps, but there's more.
Controls, function and basic features
Again, like all "mil-spec" rifles (even in the U.S, they can't be 100% identical to military AR-pattern rifles for legal reasons), it has the same functionality and controls in all the same places- the same simple but effective fire/safety selector, cakewalk mag release etc.
Just don't expect a great trigger, because it's about as comfortable to pull as the trigger on a glue gun.
Inside the gun, however, everything is built to last- the chrome moly steel barrel is atypical of AR-15's in this price range (about 400-500 USD) and helps ensure a longer barrel life, has a standard 1:7 inch twist- shooters who perfer longer, heavier bullets, take note.
The upper and lower receivers are both built, again, to the same durable standard as military-issue M4's, being constructed of 7075-T6 A3 aluminum that is hard-coat anodized (cutting through the jargon for the uninitiated, this basically just means it's going to be tough and hardy), and the bolt carrier is also mil-spec- an M16 profile carrier made with 8620 steel (again ensuring hardiness) and properly staked gas rings.
And even better, this quality is present in every single PA-15 variant Palmetto State Armory offers- with literally hundreds of offerings, you can be rest assured that whatever you get, it will be made with military-grade toughness in mind, which is made especially attractive considering rifles built with these materials are usually hundreds of dollars more expensive.
Speaking of variants, while the one I first tested was just a "standard" M4 (ish) clone, Palmetto State Armory offers them in a dazzling variety of configurations- from pistols with sub-10" barrels to full-length rifles with barrels of 20" or more, with pretty much any length gas system available, and with magpul, standard, MLOK and other normally aftermarket furniture from the factory, in flat dark earth, black, OD green, grey, and many other colors etc. The options are honestly overwhelming.
Basically, whatever AR you want, Palmetto State Armory will have it.
Shooting it
One thing that struck me most about this rifle is that, or a 500 dollar AR-15 with an incredibly mediocre trigger, it shot extremely well.
While my shop doesn't have an outdoor range, I did get a chance to go to one shortly after I got my hands on my first PA-15 and shot out to 200 yards with relative ease against an 12" steel gong (roughly the width of a human torso) with just a Trijicon MRO red dot and using cheap 55 grain milsurp ammo from South Korea.
While it's a stretch to say that's anything like match-grade accuracy, it surprised me how easy it was to shoot that far with this gun. Granted, I shot from a benchrest position, but still, I was impressed considering my M&P-15 Sport 2 had trouble with the same ammunition at the same distance despite the thicker barrel and more appropriate 1:8" twist.
Reliability-wise, I've had almost no issues between the dozens of types of ammo I've put through it as long as it's kept reasonably dirt-free.
It also functions surprisingly well without having been cleaned or lubed for a while- I recently participated in a 1,500 round shoot (the rifle was cleaned beforehand) and had only 2 malfunctions- both failures to fire- caused by what I concluded was just a crappy primer with some steel-cased ammo I bought for probably the price of a bag of chips (bulk ammo is cheap for a reason!).
Like all AR-15's, it has gentle recoil (duh), and this lends it well to rapid shooting, which is why, combined with the quality and low cost, I may also recommend it for a competition rifle base build, since you'll be able to save money for things like an improved trigger.
Pros and cons
Pros: | Cons: |
Made to mil-spec standards | Trigger is fairly mediocre |
Lineup is extremely diverse and customizable | Doesn't feel quite as good to shoot as some higher end AR's |
Reliability and durability is just as good as that of many other AR-15's | Some models lack a rear sight from the factory |
The relatively low cost is hard to beat for an entry-level AR |
Final thoughts
Palmetto State Armory is sometimes given a bad rap when it comes America's favorite rifle- even their "barebones" AR-15 variants seem to give the platform the potential you could expect of it, while remaining very modestly priced, and they have enough offerings to be readily able to fill most of the AR-15 niche markets straight from the factory- from those who want a retro-style "classic" AR-15 to those who really want a customized, pimped-out hipster gun, to AR pistols and SBR's, and much more.
Overall, I'd highly recommend Palmetto State Armory for anyone looking to get into AR-15's for the first time, or for people who want to save money. They offer a dazzling variety of models to scratch that itch, and they do it for an affordable price that's extremely hard to beat.
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