I'll say that my experience differs from you. I replace the springs in my PSA bolts at 5k rounds, as a rule. I've done it four times and am coming up on a fifth. None have failed, just been replaced.
Not everyone's experience is going to be exactly the same, but if you do some research, you'll see on various forums where shooters have been having problems with their ARs that can be traced directly back to the extractor spring and that includes BCM. Very few, if any, have been ARs with Colt extractor springs. It's a trend that mirrors my personal experience.
Putting stock in Molon is almost a litmus test for people who shoot casually and don't delve into some shooting discipline. For example, Molon tests one load and judges a barrel based on that. Do you know of any other serious shooter that does that? Certainly no competitive shooter. Molon has done a handful of other things that dime him out as an internet expert, like testing accuracy at 50 yards and multiplying that group size to simulate distance, using the same stainless 223 barrel for several years with no loss in accuracy, or responding to criticism like a little brat.
Molon's methods are scientific and the results well documented. He is meticulous and his methods are repeatable. If you've ever worked with people like Molon, you'd know his personality traits are to be expected. A researcher acting like a brat does not mean the results are wrong.
I've seen plenty of ARs that eject in the 2 o'clock range but run 5.56 ammo, extract just fine and don't break extractors. They aren't over gassed.
Ejection patterns are not a reliable indication of proper gas flow. Experience with tuning ARs has shown that the lock back test is a far better method.
Here is common AR myth, that buffer weight significantly changes the function of an AR. The total moving weight on an M16 BCG with a Carbine buffer is about 14.5 ounces. Step up to an H buffer and you are looking at 15.3 ounces, or, a whole 5% weight increase. Jumping "all the way up", so to speak, to an H3 buffer nets a 17% weight increase over a carbine. Many ARs will run any buffer weight the user wants to put in there, but have zero problems running 5.56 ammo with a carbine buffer.
I'm not claiming buffer weight significantly changes the function of an AR, but it is important. A lighter reciprocating mass is more likely to have bolt bounce because carrier speed needs to be increased to make up for the loss of mass to maintain the right momentum. As there is a specified carrier speed as expressed in rounds per minute and as there needs to be a certain amount of momentum to ensure proper function, there is also a proper range of reciprocating mass. After decades of testing, Colt has determined what buffer weight delivers the greatest span of operation and with what gas port diameter. In an M4 type carbine, that buffer is the H for semiauto and H2 for fullauto.
It is rare to see an AR actually choke up. If you've got a PSA that can't run 5.56, I'd like to see a video of it.
This supports the opening statement of my earlier post- Few pay attention. I never said a PSA won't run 5.56 spec ammo. In fact, the PSA carbine I had came with a stainless steel barrel that, as best I could tell, came from Wilson. All evidence showed the barrel had the right size gas port and once I got the extractor spring replaced, ran fine with the proper H buffer, until I tried Wolf ammo. Switching to a carbine weight buffer fixed that problem.
ARs do occasionally choke, but once sorted out, they run fine.
Sample of one, right? I'm not saying I don't believe you, but any random collection of AR parts isn't going to always fit together. What did PSA customer service say when you contacted them about the faulty part?
I never contacted PSA about the problem for two reasons. First, it was a minor problem that I could fix myself. It didn't affect function and once the castlenut was tight and the RE properly positioned, I didn't think about it again. Second, it was early in my AR building experience and I thought it was normal. It was after working on a Colt that this small detail came to my attention.
If I had brought it to the attention of PSA, I'm confident they would have taken care of it. I've had nothing but good customer service from PSA. They were pleasant and prompt in dealing with a feed ramp issue I had with one upper and when it turned out another upper I ordered was out of stock, they offered me a better, more expensive upper at no extra charge.
Okay, here is my challenge, and I'm pretty sure I've extended this to you in the past. Take everything you just said, and put it into doing a video showing something with your Colt AR that can't be done with my PSA. I'll do a video too. It shouldn't actually be that hard, since you did mention accuracy after all. That's where everything you said would go from talk to reality.
As I said-
Once a PSA or other brand of AR is sorted out (usually the extractor spring) there is little, if anything, a Colt can do that the PSA cannot.
No video needed. I talked with a well respected firearms instructor who has a PSA carbine topped with Primary Arms Advanced red dot. He said that while he wouldn't recommend either to carry to war, he found both to be surprisingly reliable and that neither have ever given him a lick of trouble. He has run that combination hard in drills and uses it to loan to students and it's held up. I'm not in the "PSA is Garbage" camp. But my experience has been that PSA ARs (among others) often require a detail or two to be sorted out before can be trusted to run without a hiccup and once sorted out. That's the beauty of an AR. Once a basic understanding of how an AR functions is achieved, it's easy to sort out any problems that crop up.
I ran my PSA hard and put several thousand rounds through it. Except for the extractor spring, it never let me down. I was quite happy with it. It's just that I'm happier with the Colt.