Firing the hefty .308 Winchester round, this AR variant is no slouch. It's firing a powerful and accurate round in a light package, but Palmetto State Armory- a famed company in the firearm industry- has made it well worth it's modest price.
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Introduction:
The AR-10 has a notable history in its own right- even before the AR-15 came into existence, another, more powerful rifle firing the then brand new 7.62x51 NATO round, known as the AR-10, was created by American machinist Eugene Stoner, and shortly after its genesis, it was entered it into a competition on behalf of the United States Army for the purpose of issuing a rifle a rifle which could replace the venerable M1 Garand. Although it ultimately did not make the cut to become the standard service rifle (this title instead going to the M14 rifle), it nonetheless managed to make an impression in the world of firearms that continues to this day- and eventually, AR-10 pattern rifles would indeed make their way into military service in both the U.S and elsewhere (e.g. as the MK11 Mod 0/SR-25 rifles, although they are not identical to the original AR-10).
Now, nearly 70 years after its mid-1950's inception, its decedents continue to serve military users across the globe, as well as civilian users domestically. Today, we will be reviewing one such rifle made by none other than Palmetto State Armory (who we have featured before several times in this blog) that manages to really give you good bang for your buck in the modern incarnation of this excellent firearm.
Initial impressions and hands-on experience
I first came across one of these fine rifles in a local gun store a little over a year ago, and I had actually never seen an AR-10 variant in person before at this time. After picking it up to inspect it, I noticed it is, more or less, identical to a standard run-of-the-mill AR-15- it's just chambered in .308 Winchester. It still has all the same features (Dust cover, rear charging handle, bolt release, collapsing stock etc.) as other ARs, and although the one I picked up had a mid-length gas system (most common stock AR-15's have carbine-length gas systems), it was otherwise very much like an AR-15- again, just a little beefier.
I was fortunate enough to get a chance to shoot the thing as well. It handles and feels, again, very much like a standard AR, just scaled up for the thumping .308 Winchester round. I fired around 180 rounds my first time with it (and several hundred more since) and it's not a gentle beast- because of the very light frame (I couldn't find the exact weight but was told it's about 7 pounds empty) it has pretty hefty recoil, and although it's not unmanageable, it's more than a novice shooter could comfortably tolerate for an extended period, I'd imagine.
Function wise, however, it's also very much like its smaller cousin- its reliability is decent- while I haven't counted the exact number of malfunctions I've had with this rifle, I'm fairly confident it's in the neighborhood of 5 or 6 total out of probably 1,000 or more rounds fired- all ammo I shot was cheap 147 grain ball. Additionally, I am planning on using my friend's to test it with match grade ammo at longer range sometime (although considering this gun also comes in 6.5 Creedmoor so I may just buy one chambered for that instead due to the round's better ballistic coefficient- and thus suitability for long range shooting- than the .308). For me at least, this rifle will certainly do its basic job just fine. Just make sure you regularly clean it, and it should function as it's supposed too.
So, from picking it up to dumping at least 1,000 rounds in total through it over the course of several firing sessions, it's left an impression on me as a pretty solid rifle. It's not classy or exceptionally accurate, but it does what it's intended to do just fine, and Palmetto State Armory offers several variants of this rifle as well- some have longer barrel lengths or barrels made of stainless steel, some come with optics installed etc. It's really quite nice of PSA to do this and it certainly means finding a stock AR to suit your specific needs (e.g., hunting or long-range shooting) shouldn't be too hard. And to boot, most models are in the neighborhood of only 1,000 dollars- significantly cheaper than many other AR-10's I've looked at (many run anywhere from 1,500 to over 4,000 dollars- especially from high end manufacturers like Lewis and Tool or Knight's armament).
One other thing I did find out about the rifle shortly before writing this review- it's of minor mention only, but apparently it does not come with rear sights installed (this was according to someone at the store who I spoke too and could be because the manufacturers wanted the option for buyers to install whatever they want right away without having to remove anything), but in any case, it shouldn't be an issue given than most iron sights cost 150 dollars or less.
Which leads us to the pros and cons...
Pros and cons
Not a perfect rifle by any means (can anything even be perfect? I'd wager not) but it's still pretty damn solid and impressive. That being said, here are the pros and cons I'd attribute to this rifle:
Pros:
-Standard AR functionality means most shooters should be able to use this bad boy with ease
-Light weight, direct gas impingement system gives it a smooth action that's softer on optics than piston-based systems
-It's well priced and can be turned into a precision rifle with minimal modifications
Cons:
-Recoil. It is definitely toward the upper limit of what most shooters can comfortably handle (around 17 foot-pounds) due to its lightweight polymer frame.
-Not fully ready for the range out of the box- meaning it's lacking rear sights (and on some models the front sights aren't there as well). Might not be a huge deal to some, though.
The final verdict, best deals and gun stats
So, is it worth the price point of around 1,000 dollars? I'd argue it is. Palmetto State Armory regularly pumps out quality products and their AR-10 line is just another success story for them. It's nothing absolutely fantastical that'll change the way the industry works or anything like that, but it does what's it's intended to do perfectly- which is work and be customizable for the average consumer at a decent price point. If you are looking to buy an AR-10- especially if you are new to the platform, I'd highly recommend this model in particular as it'll give you great value and a relatively easy learning curve.
Of course, Palmetto State Armory sells them on their webstore, and given that they come in multiple variants, I've linked their entire product line down below:
Gun Stats:
Caliber | .308 Winchester (some models are chambered for 6.5 Creedmoor) |
Barrel Length | 16-20 inches (depending on model) |
Overall Length | 32-39 inches (depending on model- 16-inch barrel, 20-inch barrel, collapsing stock etc.) |
Weight | ~7 pounds empty |
Magazine capacity | 20 rounds standard |
Action | Semi-automatic, Direct impingement |
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