PSA AR 15 lower - what's next?

Get a barrel with a wylde chamber 1:8 twist.

The 1:8 , Wylde chamber is supposed to be a "universal" barrel which should give good results with a wide range ammunition types and bullet weights -though not technically correct for a M16A2 clone. My daughters rifle uses an 18" Wylde barrel and it has proved very accurate.
My Colt Match Target is very similiar to the M16A2 and uses the original 1:7 20" barrel. Its one of my very favorite rifles.

Fixed carry handle upper receivers tend to be a little pricey these days since their isnt that much demand for them. You can probably save $100 or more if you go with a railed flat top upper and pop a removeable carry handle on it- assuming you can live with the looks.

Check out Brownells.

https://www.brownells.com/.aspx/bapid=606/ClientPage/brownells-retro

What lower did you get? I have an A2 style PSA lower with fixed stock and a M4 style with adjustable stock.

Also, make sure to get a barrel that already has the front sight base installed- drilling the holes for the pins is a job best left to a gunsmith.

Charlie Martinez said:

What is the difference between the Wylde chamber and the others?

Do you recommend assembling an upper or buying the entire enchilada?

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The wikipedia listing explains it well.
As far as complete upper vs build your own, meh. Tightening the barrel nut (D-ring) on an A2 build requires a special nut wrench and a chamber holding fixture, and another tool to install the handguards unless you have a strong assistant to pull the ring down while you pop in the guards.
On the other hand, these arent bad tools to have if you plan on maybe building or servicing/ modifying more ARs.
They are like Pringles, once you pop, you cant stop.....

Knowing exactly what you want as far as the upper goes will help.

Do you want a fixed front sight?

Carry handle upper or flat top upper?

Free float handguards or A2/M4 style?

Finding a fixed carry handle upper is going to be hard right now. You have basically three choices here; A1 upper, A2 upper, or C7 upper. Unfortunately all are very limited in availability. Though this is the route to go if you want an A1, A2 or C7 clone.

Flat top uppers are cheap and easy to find. Plus you then have the option of using pretty much any type of optic you want.

Barrels with a fixed A2/M4 front sight base can limit you on types of handguards and types of optics. If you are unsure of what type of optics or sights you want, then I suggest a barrel with a low profile gas block and free float handguards.

As far as the chamber goes, you have the .22 chamber, 223 Wylde chamber, and 5.56 chamber. Here is a good link that explains the differences: https://www.pewpewtactical.com/223-vs-556/

Most of the barrels with a 5.56 chamber will be either 1-7 twist or 1-9 twist while the 223 Wylde will have a 1-8 twist. And unless you are building a high precision rifle to shoot super tiny groups then the twist rate won't matter much.

Next question. Do you want to buy a complete upper or build your own? Do you have the tools necessary to build an upper? Tools will add to the cost.

Palmetto State Armory (PSA) has some good deals on complete uppers if you want to just buy one. Make sure to check to see if the uppers come with a bolt carrier group and charging handle.

PSA 223 Wylde uppers. https://palmettostatearmory.com/ar-...s/railed-uppers.html?caliber_multi=.223+Wylde

PSA 5.56 uppers. https://palmettostatearmory.com/ar-...rrel_length[1]=18"&upper_barrel_length[2]=20"

As mentioned, the 223 Wylde chamber will work with a wider variety of bullet weights.

Charlie Martinez said:

What is the difference between the Wylde chamber and the others?

Do you recommend assembling an upper or buying the entire enchilada?

Click to expand...

I got the complete PSA uppers. I could wing it and put the lowers together from kits but the upper is where the magic happens. I didn’t have the equipment and didn’t want to chance messing it up.

I got the PSA 20” premium CHF upper for the fixed stock lower to make an M16 A4 style with removable carry handle sight. The 20” CHF upper has the old style front sight post and round hand guard. The fixed handle/rear sight uppers are harder to find but they’re out there.

I got a flat top upper with a 16” barrel for the adjustable stock lower. The upper came with flip-up sights and I pulled a scope off my 30-30 and put it on the 16” upper. It works way better there than on the old 30-30.

Also both uppers I got have 1 in 7 inch twist rates. I haven’t found them lacking in accuracy with lighter bullets and they shoot heavier bullets well too.

If you get a 16” upper I would recommend a mid-length gas system. The other option is a carbine length gas system and the gas tube is shorter. I find the mid length system shoots just a little smoother though the carbine system might be more reliable if you shoot steel cases ammo. Either will work if availability becomes an issue.

A lot of good advise here. With the understanding that I’m much the same boat as you…. I would suggest you embrace the here and now.

nothing wrong with 16” barrels on a handy carbine. I’ve very much made the same decision on my utility AR’s… they are 16’s. I did blow it out on my DRM rifle build… I went to an 18” heavy barrel. Yes, I still have my 20” H-Bar.. and it’s a fine rifle, but I wouldn’t want to carry it on patrol. If you want a target rifle, or you just insist on an M16/A1/A2 replica, you don’t really need the 20” otherwise.

I’ve had good luck with rifle kits from PSA and assembling the lowers myself on their stripped lowers. The selection is wide open on uppers. It’s just limited by your budget and availability. Lately I’ve had a hankering for an 18” DMR style myself.

My 5.56 chambered rifles shoot 223 fine. The only reliability issue I’ve had was steel cased ammo in a mid-length gas system on a 16” barrel and a couple of hand loads. I overlook the hand loads as that was most likely my reloading ability. Otherwise I’ve had no issues. Stainless or nitrided steel is fine, as is my chrome lined 20” barrel. Stainless has a little more accuracy potential but you’d have to shoot it to see.

I wouldn’t worry about a Wylde chamber unless you know you want an 18” stainless SPR type barrel. Then they are more common. Both mine are standard profiles so I can’t help there other than to say shorter thinner barrels are lighter.

This is my lightweight carbine... I built the lower, and bought a completed RRA upper to my specifications. It's a 16" midlength gas with 1:8" rifling. In it's current form, it weighs just at 6.5#'s (it's different now than the photo.)



That's it, below my 20" H-Bar Colt. I've since swapped the shorty A1 stock out for a standard slider... it just makes sense, and it probably shaved an ounce or two.



Simplicity is it's own reward, sometimes.

As far as rifling... 1:7 can get you into trouble, sometimes, with lighter bullets. My Colt is 1:7 and does not like 55grn FMJ's, my 1:8 carbine doesn't really care what I put in it. All of my AR's are 5.56mm chambered, I've never had a problem.

I’ve not tried it but I’ve looked at the PSA KS-47 really hard a few times. However it is not a standard lower or upper and will not work with your current lower. It’s a AR-47 or AK-15 however you want to describe it and uses AK magazines.

I’ve heard mixed reviews on the 7.62x39 uppers on standard AR-15 lowers but never tried one myself. My perception is they aren’t terribly common and getting a good one is kinda luck of the draw.

I hand load 90% of my ammo and use 223 specs. It’s been extremely reliable so far and as accurate as I can be. I hear 5.56 is rated for higher pressure than 223, but I don’t take chances normally. Mine are 5.56 chambers, so will handle any load I run through it.

JShirley said:

Woah, woah, woah. If you want reliable, you shouldn't be looking at the original configuration, which (due to several changes like powder source) established the stigma of unreliability that took the platform many years to break.

Get a 16-18" barrel with a 1 in 7 or 1 in 8 twist, avoid the overlong A2-length stocks- A1 or Magpul Fixed Stock work great- get some good sights, and call it a day.

I personally would go for a removable carry handle stock, so you'll have more options for the day when you inevitably need an optic.

John

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That Magpul stock looks nice. I’ve been pondering a fixed stock for my DMR (Discount Marksman Rifle). Will it fit over a standard buffer or do I need a rifle length one?

JShirley said:

I personally would go for a removable carry handle stock, so you'll have more options for the day when you inevitably need an optic.

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OP, unless you just want to rock it old skool, do NOT get a fixed handle upper. I bought my Colt in the early '90's because that's all there was back then... of course, they shortly came out with the detachable 'convertible' about a year later. I don't mind it, because I shoot irons 95% of the time, anyway, and all my other AR's are flattops.

I actually prefer irons. I have folding Troys on my LW carbine (as seen in my previous photo,) but I've also built some with other detachable sights, like the Daniel Defense A1.5 fixed aperture...



... but there are really endless combinations. Figuring out what you want is about 75% of the battle.

DMW1116 said:

I’ve been pondering a fixed stock for my DMR (Discount Marksman Rifle).

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Check out the Magpul UBR stock... it's the one I put on my DRM. It slides out from under the cheekpiece... so your sight alignment is always the same, and you don't pinch your whiskers like you can with a normal slider. Yes, it's a little heavy, but it balances with the rifle very well...

Horrible photo... sorry.

Charlie Martinez said:

This is going to be my one and only AR and I do not hunt. My only requirement is that the rifle be light, easy to maneuver and near 100% reliable with the widest variety of commercially available.ammo. That criteria led me to the original battle rifle configuration. However I am learning a lot here and I'm not going ignore improvements that have been made to the original. Things are beginning to come together.

So far barrel length in the 16"- 18" range is acceptable. The carry handle is beginning to lose its appeal if it limits future options for better sights and optics. Finally it appears that the Wylde chamber with 1/7 twist is best suited for all kinds of 5.56/223 ammo?

I see some barrels are stainless steel and range from tapered to heavy. Any thoughts on that?

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This may not make for the lightest build out there but mine regularly shoots sub 1 moa 10 round groups using my handloads and shoots 2-3 moa with bulk ammo. https://palmettostatearmory.com/psa...er-with-mbus-sight-set-bcg-ch-5165448415.html

Charlie Martinez said:

My buddy (Vietnam combat vet) says he shoots both 223 and 5.56 from a 5.56 barrel but the reverse is not possible. He also says that he built an upper chambered for the 7.62X39 and that it works with the AR lower. He likes it a lot because aside from preferring the 7.62 over either 5.56 or 223 (he was a tanker and preferred the SKS over the M16) he shoots it more because ammo is cheaper. The magazines are different.

Any thoughts on this?

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Concerning the 7.62 upper, I've had at best mixed experiences with magazines but I will say that on average they do tend to shoot smaller groups with bulk ammo.

Vietnam vet here. I would like to have a M16A1 like I was issued but it is more practical to have a modern AR with adjustable stock and 16 inch barrel. My best is a DEL-TON in 5.56 and mid-length gas system. I also have a PSA that shoots well but I had to upgrade some parts on it. Also a flat top upper gives you optics options as most people prefer scopes now. I had a government profile 20-inch rifle it was accurate but it was heavy. I early issue ones were much lighter. For target shooting .223 is the best in my experience. 7.62x39 should have a curved magazine that doesn't fit an AR very well. The rounds are fatter and more tapered. But they are fairly common. Since an SKS is longer, heavier and not full auto among other things an odd choice for a tanker. But some of my friends did have captured weapons.