Palmetto State Armory has made a very affordable yet still tough, reliable and well-made (albeit basic) AR-15. Even so, Palmetto State Armory has delivered one of the best AR-15 variants on the market today for the price they're offering, and honestly, it's kind of hard to beat and has few real contenders in the AR world.
Introduction
The AR-15 is often referred to as "America's rifle" for good reason- it's simple operation, abundance of spare parts and light weight and gentle recoil, among numerous other reasons, have made it a favorite of both civilians and non-civilians alike, being used as the standard-issue rifle (in the form of the M16 and M4 carbine) of our armed forces for over 50 years, and has also found a home as a common weapon carried by police officers and tactical teams.
It is continuously being made more popular with the general public every day through mass media including movies and video games, and it doesn't seem to be going away- as a fad or as a usable, reliable weapon- anytime soon, and indeed, it likely won't for decades more.
Introduce a little tinkering with the base model by Palmetto State Armory- an all-American brand that is known for being one of the most popular in the country, and you have their version of the AR-15. It's on the cheap side for an AR at around 500 dollars, but its quality stands up to AR's that are double the price point for multiple reasons, even if it isn't the absolute top of the heap overall.
In this review, we will go over why this is in detail.
Initial impressions and hands-on experience
It's whatever you want it to be- literally
Picking it up for feels and you'll notice that, like most factory AR-15 variants, it's quite the industry standard- it feels light and handy due to the typical AR-pattern furniture and materials it comes with, so you'll probably feel equally comfortable with this variant if you've shot any other AR before.
AR-15's come a dime a dozen in gun stores, and while you may not come across this specific model in your local gun store, chances are the average AR-15 will feel largely identical in terms of size and weight, so don't fret if you can't readily find one.
The "standard" model (officially called the PA-15 line) is more or less a straight up M4 clone- it comes with a collapsible M4-style buttstock, front sight gas block, A2 pistol grip, birdcage flash hider etc. without any flashy extras or modifications.
The most prominent PA-15 is the "classic" version with typical AR-15 style round plastic handguards and other standard AR furniture, although other versions including ones with Magpul furniture as well as ones with MLOK rails and other accessories installed from the factory are also currently available in force.
Models (obviously) mostly come in the industry standard .223/5.56 but they come in numerous other calibers as well, including .300 Blackout and 7.62x39 Russian. Additionally, while it may not be a huge selling point for some (given that AR's are probably the most readily customizable guns on the market), Palmetto State Armory also offers a large selection of custom AR-15's with literally dozens of different color patterns, paint schemes, rail and barrel lengths, improved triggers etc.
So, if you don't want to just get a standard "M4gery", Palmetto State Armory will likely have more than enough options for you in their aforementioned custom lineup, with over 70 unique models listed in the PSA custom AR-15 line at the time of this writing.
Old reliable...
However, even the "standard" PSA AR-15 is an exceptionally well-made rifle for such a low cost- in most respects, these are practically mil-spec firearms, meaning they are just about as close to military specifications as one can legally get for the uninitiated (it's very important to note that "mil-spec" will always be a misnomer when describing civilian-legal firearms due to various reasons).
Although not all of PSA's AR product lines share the exact same features from top to bottom both inside and out, all models including ones in the custom line share the same military grade quality and manufacturing on many key parts, including an M16-style bolt carrier identical to what our military uses in their M4's and M16's as well as mil-spec upper and lower receivers as far as I am aware.
...inside and out- for a long time
Notably, most models also feature chrome moly steel barrels- something that may increases a barrel's lifespan and is often only offered on AR's costing 800-1,000 dollars or more (nearly twice the price of the average PSA AR-15), and these barrels are manufactured to a high standard as evidenced in the words of an associate of mine who has owned a single one of these rifles for years.
He stated that they will maintain acceptable accuracy even after "about ten to fifteen thousand" rounds without barrel changes, and I'm looking forward to putting this to the test someday myself (even though I have no reason to doubt it, considering the materials used and given that plenty of other AR's of similar quality have gone through so many rounds on a single barrel and still shoot fine).
Shooting it
Speaking of function, I've gotten a chance to shoot this particular AR myself as well- I've only shot about 150 rounds out of this rifle at a local shooting range (it was a rental and hadn't been cleaned in God knows how long- I confirmed this because the bolt was slick with carbon buildup).
To my surprise it preformed exceedingly well in spite of this- I only had one malfunction with some cheap Tula steel case ammo (the problem was because the weapon had not been cleaned in probably thousands of rounds as previously stated and thus did not fully go into battery, but with the gentle application of some lube from the rangemaster it ran the same ammo flawlessly), but it otherwise preformed exactly as it should with several other kinds of ammo including Winchester and American Eagle.
All the ammo I shot was 62 grain ball. As is typical on AR-15's, the recoil is soft and easily manageable even by novice shooters and has very little muzzle climb.
Unfortunately, the range I visited didn't allow mag dumps so I couldn't get an overall accuracy report for one of those, but from slow firing, it appears to be a roughly 2-4 MOA rifle, at least at 50 yards (beyond unimpressive for long range shooters but typical for mil-spec AR's and more than adequate for home defense situations, as this is "minute of man").
It's nothing exceptional accuracy-wise in its stock form but I'm sure said accuracy would be significantly improved in either the custom models or with a few aftermarket tweaks to the base model.
So, it's a decent gun for a good price point that is reasonably well-made and does what it's supposed to do just fine. Plus, it comes in many varieties and configurations. However, it's not otherwise exceptional overall, and as an AR-pattern rifle, it's not without problems...
Pros and cons
Pros:
Very affordable
Chrome-moly barrel offers good barrel life (although as of the time of writing models with stainless steel barrels are also available)
Mil-spec internals (might) also improve reliability and overall function in some ways (and even if they don't, many people want them, although this is probably a bit of bias on my part as mil-spec ARs are a predilection of mine)
Comes in many, many different variants with a great many features, color patterns and configurations
Cons:
Still has standard AR issues (needs to be cleaned frequently, may be over or under-gassed etc.)
It's nothing new as far ARs are concerned
Final thoughts and best deals
It's certainly not perfect by any means (as nothing really is), but Palmetto State Armory still has made a good, shootable, affordable rifle for the average shooter. It's cheap, but reliable and gets the job done (whatever that may be, be it plinking or target shooting). I'd absolutely recommend it if you're buying your first AR as the price point is certainly a major plus.
As Palmetto State Armory is one of the best firms in the industry, maybe we shouldn't be surprised they made such a surprisingly solid AR-15 for the cost.
Gun Stats
Note: these stats are for the "standard" (16 inch barrel) models only
Caliber | 5.56x45 (also available in other calibers) |
Barrel Length | 16 inches |
Overall Length | 36 inches |
Weight | 6.8 pounds |
Magazine Capacity | 30 rounds (standard, many different sizes available) |
Action | Semi-automatic, direct impingement |