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Old August 29, 2021, 12:00 PM   #1
ninosdemente
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PSA AR Pistol

I am in the market for an AR pistol but still trying to decide if .223 or 5.56. Guess I can't go wrong in either route. Also have been contemplating on 300 black out but ammo is not cheap. Also thought about one in 9mm.

I have been getting emails from PSA on blemished ar pistol. Interested in getting one. I don't have any experience with this company and wanted to ask those who have what you think of the company. I am open to other suggestions but want to stay under $1,000. Main use is for range.

I was looking in building one but may spend more and don't have the experience/tools in building one.

Any help much appreciated. Thanks in advanced.
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Old August 29, 2021, 12:19 PM   #2
Screwball
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Get a pistol kit, and order a stripped receiver… you save money on tax. Pistols have a 10% tax added into the price. Not hard to build a lower. I would suggest getting the PWS end plate/castle nut. Just easier than staking the castle nut.

https://www.opticsplanet.com/primary...unt-plate.html

People have issues with the bolt catch pin and the trigger guard. They make beveled punches for the bolt catch pin. Sometimes the front takedown pin can be a pain. There is a tool for that.

Personally, most of the PSA kits are good. Be warned, if you get a front sight block… it may be canted. If it is excessive and your rear sight is all the way to one side, let PSA know and they will fix it. They did on my 11.5” pistol.



5.56mm verses .223… go 5.56mm. Only exception being .223 Wylde (works well for both rounds). You don’t want to shoot 5.56mm in a standard .223 gun.
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Old August 29, 2021, 01:28 PM   #3
44 AMP
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wrong forum. Moving to semi auto HANDGUNS...
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Old August 29, 2021, 02:07 PM   #4
GeauxTide
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I went with the 45acp and an 8" barrel. Blowback design means no gas system. Takes Glock mags and a 23 round after market. The report of a rifle round in a 10", or shorter barrel, will cross your eyes.
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Old September 1, 2021, 03:50 AM   #5
vkeith
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PSA is GTG. Their QC has improved significantly from the early days of the low-end PTAC issues.

I have bought multiple kits and complete uppers from them and have not had any issues other than my PA10 in .308 doesn't reliably cycle Tula steel case ammo.

As far as caliber goes, below 10.5" barrel length, the velocity loss of 5.56/.223 becomes significant, and accuracy can suffer.

.300AAC is much more expensive unless you reload but it is better suited to shorter barrel lengths and really shines when shot suppressed with subsonic ammo.
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Old September 15, 2021, 06:13 PM   #6
FairWarning
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.300 BLK hands down over 5.56 with such short barrel lengths.

.300 BLK was design to reach near optimum performance around 9-10" barrel length, while 5.56 is neutered and loud.
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Old September 16, 2021, 06:40 AM   #7
PzGren
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I ordered a complete upper in .300 BK from PSA and it arrived fast and I did not find any blem. I also ordered a complete rifle lower and they charged my credit card nine days ago but I still have no order update. I have contacted them three times over their help messaging system without an answer and was on hold for 38 minutes when I had called them yesterday.

While prices and quality are good, their customer service is absolutely lousy.
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Old September 23, 2021, 05:59 AM   #8
PzGren
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A little update. I had sent two more messages to PSA and had tried to call them again for a statues update two weeks after placing the order. I was waiting for over half an hour without being able to speak to somebody but next day had an email that my lower had shipped and was scheduled to arrive next day. There was no tracking info included.

The lower arrived yesterday and is looking good. I have other PSA ARs and the quality is good for the price but the customer service could be improved.
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Old September 23, 2021, 02:15 PM   #9
rickyrick
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An AR pistol in 5.56/.223 are fun as heck, but obnoxious too.

I finally moved to .300AAC and it is even funner now.
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Old September 24, 2021, 04:31 PM   #10
Willie Lowman
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I have experience with 10 and 8 inch barreled 5.56 rifles. I honestly can't stand them without a suppressor. Some people like that massive muzzle blast but I am not one of them.

.300 Blackout or a PCC in that barrel length is much more pleasant to shoot.
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Old September 24, 2021, 10:06 PM   #11
Wharf Rat
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For someone who knows nothing about rifles other than 22 or 308, has had 12, 20, and 28 gauge shotguns since 12 years old, and recently gotten into hand guns, can someone elucidate the difference for me between a 5.56 and a .223? I'm just curious and trying to learn. I never got into that side of guns. Or at least not yet.
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Old September 25, 2021, 07:42 AM   #12
TunnelRat
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I have an 11.5” SBR. I honestly don’t find it obnoxious with a standard A2 flash hider. It’s not as reliable as a 14.5” or 16”, however, at least my example (which is a BCM complete upper).


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Old September 25, 2021, 11:46 AM   #13
dogtown tom
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Quote:
Wharf Rat ..... can someone elucidate the difference for me between a 5.56 and a .223?....
Everything you ever wanted to know about .223 and 5.56
ammunition or double your money back.*
https://www.ar15.com/ammo/index.html



https://www.ar15.com/ammo/project/hist_diff.html
Quote:
Q. How can I tell if a round is SAAMI, US military, or 5.56 NATO Mil-Spec?

In the 1950's, the US military adopted the metric system of measurement and uses metric measurements to describe ammo. However, the US commercial ammo market typically used the English "caliber" measurements when describing ammo. "Caliber" is a shorthand way of saying "hundredths (or thousandths) of an inch." For example, a fifty caliber projectile is approximately fifty one-hundredths (.50) of an inch and a 357 caliber projectile is approximately three-hundred and fifty-seven thousandths (.357) of an inch. Dimensionally, 5.56 and .223 ammo are identical, though military 5.56 ammo is typically loaded to higher pressures and velocities than commercial ammo and may, in guns with extremely tight "match" .223 chambers, be unsafe to fire.

The chambers for .223 and 5.56 weapons are not the same either. Though the AR15 design provides an extremely strong action, high pressure signs on the brass and primers, extraction failures and cycling problems may be seen when firing hot 5.56 ammo in .223-chambered rifles. Military M16s and AR15s from Colt, Bushmaster, FN, DPMS, and some others, have the M16-spec chamber and should have no trouble firing hot 5.56 ammunition.

Military M16s have slightly more headspace and have a longer throat area, compared to the SAAMI .223 chamber spec, which was originally designed for bolt-action rifles. Commercial SAAMI-specification .223 chambers have a much shorter throat or leade and less freebore than the military chamber. Shooting 5.56 Mil-Spec ammo in a SAAMI-specification chamber can increase pressure dramatically, up to an additional 15,000 psi or more.

The military chamber is often referred to as a "5.56 NATO" chamber, as that is what is usually stamped on military barrels. Some commercial AR manufacturers use the tighter ".223" (i.e., SAAMI-spec and often labeled ".223" or ".223 Remington") chamber, which provides for increased accuracy but, in self-loading rifles, less cycling reliability, especially with hot-loaded military ammo. A few AR manufacturers use an in-between chamber spec, such as the Wylde chamber. Many mis-mark their barrels too, which further complicates things. You can generally tell what sort of chamber you are dealing with by the markings, if any, on the barrel, but always check with the manufacturer to be sure.
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