PSA 5.56 Pistol Value?

Status
Not open for further replies.
JeeperCreeper said:
Didn't read all the replies, but that's not a full PSA.

That's a PSA lower on a BCA (Bear Creek Arsenal) upper. It's the Gen 2 side charger.

Before all the covid craziness, it was probably a $400-500 gun. Might be able to piece it with sales for like $350 since it has the most basic of furniture with no sights.

In these times, I probably wouldn't pay over $550 for it as a "fair" price to avoid shipping

Right now, those uppers are $300 from BCA.
Right now, a similar lower with the awful pistol "blade" is $190 or $200 from PSA.

So right now, brand new, you can snap that gun together for $500.
Click to expand...
Much obliged.
 
Just spoke with him and it is a PSA lower & a Bear Creek Arsenal upper and barrel length of 7.50 inchs.
He's working on a package deal with a couple extra 30 rd mags, some 5.56 ammo, and spare sites.
 
I read a few of these posts, but not all, so if somebody already pointed this out, my apologies. PSA did used to run some really good deals on these, for around $400 +/- w/BCG. Then you have the lower and brace to factor in, which would put it to around $500-$575 +/-. Ever since things started becoming scarce and the cost of materials steady on the rise, PSA did raise their prices considerably. So, all things considered, yeah he is asking a lil bit more than I would value it, but it's not really that far off MSRP. I have been seeing M&P Sport II's selling for $850-$900. They used to be $400-$500. The prices we had during the previous administration are kind of irrelevant to a degree.

But, it occurs to me that BCM and other upper tier/duty grade makers are selling their uppers for around $700. Add a lower and a BCG w/LPK you are probably right around the $1100-$1200 mark and you'll have a better quality set up.
 
DustyGmt said:
I read a few of these posts, but not all, so if somebody already pointed this out, my apologies. PSA did used to run some really good deals on these, for around $400 +/- w/BCG. Then you have the lower and brace to factor in, which would put it to around $500-$575 +/-. Ever since things started becoming scarce and the cost of materials steady on the rise, PSA did raise their prices considerably. So, all things considered, yeah he is asking a lil bit more than I would value it, but it's not really that far off MSRP. I have been seeing M&P Sport II's selling for $850-$900. They used to be $400-$500. The prices we had during the previous administration are kind of irrelevant to a degree.

But, it occurs to me that BCM and other upper tier/duty grade makers are selling their uppers for around $700. Add a lower and a BCG w/LPK you are probably right around the $1100-$1200 mark and you'll have a better quality set up.
Click to expand...
How concerned would you be with the 7.5-inch barrel?
 
ReggiesFree said:
How concerned would you be with the 7.5-inch barrel?
Click to expand...
You mean I'm terms of Reliability? Probably not too concerned, the gas system can be tuned a number of ways if you do have a problem but alot of guys here report running 7.5's with no issues. My smallest pistol is a 10.5 and it's a PSA and it's run perfectly fine with no tweaking necessary.

If you got a CHF or Nitrided PSA upper you can be fairly confident it will go the long haul. There are reports from the guy who runs Battlefield Las Vegas who ordered a pile of 10.5 PSA pistol uppers and he says they are holding up and running with the best of them. It's not uncommon for his uppers to see 10K rounds in one month in full auto.
 
I agree with previous posts to some extent. Pre-panic, that gun is $400 or less. Right now, you aren't touching that gun off a shelf for less than $900. I just completed a trip to Florida and every gun store I stopped at in TN, AL, and Fl, had Ar of various types on the shelf. Even the bottom tier guns like Del-ton, DB, and Dpms were a grand or more.
 
In short, for the guys who have been going steady with AR's for a while now, this price would be a lil hard to take given our reference points from previous years, for the guys just getting into it though, welcome to your new reference point.

I can't say for sure but I'm guessing the days of sub $400 complete AR's are gone and never coming back. Just gotta suck it up. I can remember as a kid seeing SKS's, racks upon racks of them for $90/ea. Those days are gone and I just have to come to terms with the fact that if I want one, I'm going to have to pay $600+++.

They used to be cheaper, but if you hold out waiting for a better deal, you may find that $800 was a bargain. Not to sound like an alarmist, just reality.
 
Hugger-4641 said:
I agree with previous posts to some extent. Pre-panic, that gun is $400 or less. Right now, you aren't touching that gun off a shelf for less than $900. I just completed a trip to Florida and every gun store I stopped at in TN, AL, and Fl, had Ar of various types on the shelf. Even the bottom tier guns like Del-ton, DB, and Dpms were a grand or more.
Click to expand...

Maybe in a shop you can't get it got a grand. I posted previously, in stock online, a PSA lower is $200, BCA upper is $300.

You can get this gun for $500 online, in stock, as of last night.

I'm repeating it for accuracy as OP wants to know value.
 
When you add shipping for the upper and shipping +FFL transfer for the lower, + tax, what does that bring the price to?
Cheapest 7.5" I see at Bear Creek is $277.
Shipping is probably around $20
Tax for my state would be $56 for both
Shipping for lower $20
FFl and back ground $40+-
That brings my math to $713 and you still have to buy a mag.
 
Last edited:
I never had the urge for one of the pistols until uncle sugar got a hard on for them so I said to myself, how can I do the most monetary damage while upholding my right to keep and bear arms? I'll use my uncle joey check to buy one of these evil pistols AND if they do pull the NFA trick requiring a TAX FREE registration, no biggie to me as NFA branch knows me quite well already.

Bill
IMG_0311.jpg
 
Hugger-4641 said:
So it will still be $675 or more after you add tax, shipping, FFL, and back ground.
Click to expand...

I just did the math.

BCA: $277 free shipping
PSA: $200 with $17 shipping (ignoring blems for $170 with free shipping)

That's $494 for the physical gun shipped.
FFL fees in my area are $10-35. That's pretty standard for the 4 states I've lived in.

Taxes, if you need to pay, should be under $30 for 6%.

So grand total should be right around $550, give or take.

Not the "over a thousand" , not the $713, or $675 that you then dropped it to.

I don't mean to be a jerk, but when you give someone advice on price, it's better to actually look at the items involved.

It's ok to say you over estimated. But by continuing to throw out numbers to try and justify over-paying, it's bad advice. Gonna add gas prices to drive to the store next? What hourly rate of your time will you charge? If that's the case, I'll sell you plenty of my stuff for your prices

If OP wants to pay high for charity that's one thing. But it is the cheapest, and still available, AR pistol someone can get.
 
I don't know what PSA lower you looked at, please provide a link because the pistol lower that he has is listed at $299. The Bear Creek upper he has is $277. Taxes on that in TN is $56, your state may differ. Shipping for the upper or the lower will be $20 each or about $30 if you could buy them together. FFL is $35 to $45 around here, depending on the FFL. Background is $10 in TN. That come to $717 plus or minus a few dollars depending on actually shipping cost or taxes.
You are welcome to your opinion but don't try to mislead people telling them they can have that gun for $550 because that is blatantly false.
 
Hugger-4641 said:
I don't know what PSA lower you looked at, please provide a link because the pistol lower that he has is listed at $299. The Bear Creek upper he has is $277. Taxes on that in TN is $56, your state may differ. Shipping for the upper or the lower will be $20 each or about $30 if you could buy them together. FFL is $35 to $45 around here, depending on the FFL. Background is $10 in TN. That come to $717 plus or minus a few dollars depending on actually shipping cost or taxes.
You are welcome to your opinion but don't try to mislead people telling them they can have that gun for $550 because that is blatantly false.
Click to expand...

Black, stealth lower, a2 grip, KAK brace. $199. $17 shipping.

https://palmettostatearmory.com/psa...shockwave-pistol-lower-no-magazine-black.html

Addendum: Alabama sales tax, where the OP is from, is 4%. Even less than I quoted even if they charge online sales.

I'm stating things that are verified. Not opinions, friend.

You're saying things such as "you ain't touching that thing for less than $900", then when proven wrong, double down, change your numbers, and then say I'm stating opinions.
 
Last edited:
JeeperCreeper said:
I just did the math.

BCA: $277 free shipping
PSA: $200 with $17 shipping (ignoring blems for $170 with free shipping)

That's $494 for the physical gun shipped.
FFL fees in my area are $10-35. That's pretty standard for the 4 states I've lived in.

Taxes, if you need to pay, should be under $30 for 6%.

So grand total should be right around $550, give or take.

Not the "over a thousand" , not the $713, or $675 that you then dropped it to.

I don't mean to be a jerk, but when you give someone advice on price, it's better to actually look at the items involved.

It's ok to say you over estimated. But by continuing to throw out numbers to try and justify over-paying, it's bad advice. Gonna add gas prices to drive to the store next? What hourly rate of your time will you charge? If that's the case, I'll sell you plenty of my stuff for your prices

If OP wants to pay high for charity that's one thing. But it is the cheapest, and still available, AR pistol someone can get.
Click to expand...

I stand corrected on the lower, I looked at the wrong one. I am not corrected on the shelf prices, I look at them every week.
I will take you up on your offer; you buy that gun for $550 and I'll meet you any where in TN and give you an extra $50 for your trouble, even $600. Bring reciepts for the new parts, not one you've already got.
 
Hugger-4641 said:
I stand corrected on the lower, I looked at the wrong one. I am not corrected on the shelf prices, I look at them every week.
I will take you up on your offer; you buy that gun for $550 and I'll meet you any where in TN and give you an extra $50 for your trouble, even $600. Bring reciepts for the new parts, not one you've already got.
Click to expand...
Nah, I'll sell it to you for your first quote of at least $900. I'll even give you your discount, at $850.

Regardless, I gave you the recipe to get that gun in Alabama for $550, you don't need me.
 
Lol, I didn't think you would back it up. But the offer stands.
I don't know what numbers I supposedly changed or doubled down on, my posts explained my numbers pretty clearly, except I did look at the wrong lower.
At any rate, you are correct, it is one of the cheapest AR-s available right now. If the Op wants to go through the trouble of ordering it himself, he can get it for less than that $800 he was asked He won't get it off a shelf for that.
 
Sorry for the derail, but does someone new to the platform a. want to start with a 5.56 pistol, and b. want to start with a non-standard system? I would recommend starting with a relatively standard carbine, so everything is interchangeable. A carbine will be more accurate, quieter and less likely to be impacted by future legislation that we hope never to see.

I have also been told that most silencer manufacturers recommend 10+" barrels. And I see now that price has dropped and the pot has been sweetened. I recommend a bit of triage for the OP, to separate what is intrigue on something new to him, what he plans to do with it long term, and if he would not be better served by a charitable act that does not involve gifts with strings.
 
rust collector said:
Sorry for the derail, but does someone new to the platform a. want to start with a 5.56 pistol, and b. want to start with a non-standard system? I would recommend starting with a relatively standard carbine, so everything is interchangeable. A carbine will be more accurate, quieter and less likely to be impacted by future legislation that we hope never to see.

I have also been told that most silencer manufacturers recommend 10+" barrels. And I see now that price has dropped and the pot has been sweetened. I recommend a bit of triage for the OP, to separate what is intrigue on something new to him, what he plans to do with it long term, and if he would not be better served by a charitable act that does not involve gifts with strings.
Click to expand...
Two very good points there, Rustcollector:
1. The pistol gas system is not the best introduction to Ar platform. Carbine is probably the best. Any study on this or other forums will back that up.
2. If the friend in question is humble enough, an outright gift might be better than the headache of a temperamental gun that you didn't really want. But some folks I know would never accept outright help in that fashion.
 
ReggiesFree said:
Hey Studs,

A guy I know from church is desiring to sell this gun, yet I'm lost as a goose in high wind on this type of firearm.
His family suffered quite a bit from the tornadoes a couple months back and trying to make ends meet.
Click to expand...

Offer him $650 cash and leave yourself room to go up-to $700 and you've got yourself a good deal for a good cause.

PSA makes good stuff. I'm not saying that because I know the owners or because they started right down the road from me .... but because they genuinely make good stuff and stand behind their stuff.

Also, prices have gone down some, over there, in the past few weeks. In November that pistol was going for $1000.00+.

I don't mind lightly used firearms, especially in today's world, because typically they've already been broken-in and that might save you four or five hundred dollars right off the bat given today's ammo prices.

That looks like the 9.5" pistol .... you can easily coax 2300+ fps out of that with a 55 grain or 62 grain projectile .... and that'll kill yotes all day long like butter.

I run 69-80 grain pills out of my 11.5" MCX Virtus at anywhere between 2400-2500 and a lot of damage is done to soft tissue at that velocity.
 
Hugger-4641 said:
.....FFL is $35 to $45 around here, depending on the FFL. Background is $10 in TN. .
Click to expand...
1. You need to find a better FFL.
2. Background check fee? Not in Free America, we use FBI NICS a toll free call, no fees to dealer or buyer.
3. As has been pointed out multiple times, PSA has several ways to buy a sub $700 AR pistol or rifle.
4. If you have to drive a toll road to get to your dealer, forget your wallet, turn around to go back home make darn sure you add in the cost of tolls so you can exceed $700.:rofl:
 
He's not out of line with his price, but he is in the panic pricing realm. With inventories starting to return, however, you can buy a cheaper AR directly from PSA.

For instance, PSA has this pistol kit for $449.99 at the moment.
https://palmettostatearmory.com/psa...t-battlelink-pistol-kit-olive-drab-green.html

And they have this carbine kit for $359.99.
https://palmettostatearmory.com/ble...to-1-7-phosphate-classic-rifle-kit-black.html

Just add a lower and a Magpul rear sight or optic, and you're in business. These are 100% PSA guns, too. I personally wouldn't touch anything from Bear Creek.
 
From the PSA website today I could order a complete upper and lower for $551 shipped from their Daily Deals. My FFL charges $15.00 for the transfer. Below is a link where the barrel length was discussed. After many tests my agency decided 10.5 inches was the minimum barrel length for reliability. I have had multiple AR pistols and the only one to give me a problem as a 7.5 inch PSA pistol. I have one with a 8.5 inch barrel and it runs like a top. The rest of mine are from 10.5 to 14.5 inches and all have been reliable.

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...actical-barrel-length-for-223-5-56-ar.854381/
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

whatnickname
  • Locked
Which AR 15 is the best value for the money?
2
Replies
26
Views
3K
12131
1
N
  • Locked
Kids: Anyone feeling Charitable? Please read. Not for me but for some other kids.
Replies
5
Views
551
reddogIII
R
Quoheleth
  • Locked
Price help for widow
Replies
9
Views
717
Jim K
J
F
  • Locked
Anthropologist Looks At "Gun Culture," Non-stereotypical
Replies
13
Views
1K
Partisan Ranger
P
JackBurtonJr
  • Locked
Is the damage to society from the misuse of guns worth the freedom to have guns?
2
Replies
45
Views
1K
Robert
Robert
Back
Top