Ordered my upper = [yay!]

[SwissArmyDad]

Super stoked.

Putting my AR together myself has been very fun, and I think we're definitely going to enjoy it once it's complete

Ended up picking this one:

http://palmettostatearmory.com/inde...mmer-forged-midlength-light-weight-upper.html

Honestly, I couldn't find a better deal in my price range that was packed with as many features as this one has:


16" A2 lightweight profile hammer-forged barrel
Forged 7075-T6 A3 upper receiver
Machine Gun Steel (4140? 4150? honestly, I probably couldn't tell the difference)
5.56 Nato Chamber
1 in 7" twist (good for heavier bullets, which I preferred since I might eventually hunt with this rig)
Double-thick Chrome-lined bore and chamber
M4 feedramps
T-marks
"F" stamped front sight block
Standard A2 flashhider
Full auto bolt carrier, Carpenter 158/MPI Bolt



Just to be clear, too, I added the BCG, the standard M16 charging handle, and FDE MOE handguards to my purchase. I've got all MOE stuff on my lower, and I love it. Looking to keep this carbine as light and fast handling as possible.

Now I've got to figure out which Iron sight I want in the back. I really Like Daniel Defense's, but I'm open to suggestions on that.

 

[Ramone]

Sweet!

I can't figure out what a 16 inch lightweight profile A2 barrel is...

It *looks* right to me (I hate the M203 notches) but A2 is (to my understanding) a heavier profile with the M203 notches, and it's 20 inches long.

 

[henschman]

A "16 inch lightweight profile A2 barrel" is one in which the barrel is skinny under the handguards, and .750" after the gas block. It doesn't have the 203 cutout because it is a midlength. Congrats on the purchase... it should be a great carbine for you.

 

[SwissArmyDad]

I can't figure out what a 16 inch lightweight profile A2 barrel is...

It *looks* right to me (I hate the M203 notches) but A2 is (to my understanding) a heavier profile with the M203 notches, and it's 20 inches long.

Here's a good picture of one, I think:

http://dsgarms.com/ProductInfo/DD-10143.aspx

I also absolutely despise the look of M203 notches, too. That reason was lower on the totem pole when it came to deciding on a midlength gas system (subordinate to wanting a gas system that operated at a lower pressure, and having a softer shooting carbine) but it certainly factored into my decision.

 

[C-grunt]

Those are nice uppers. Don't worry about the barrel quality because you bought one with a FN hammer forged barrel. Absolutely a great quality barrel.

 

[tundraotto]

PSA was a great positive surprise in every way for me - very happy

 

[SwissArmyDad]

Thanks for the positive feedback, I feel like I made a very deliberate decision, for literally around 20 or 30 solid reasons...haha!

(Some of which I only settled on a couple days ago)

I love that I had so many choices, but man, it got a bit dizzying if I spent to long researching at any one point.

I can definitely see myself getting another upper at some point, but this one should do me for a long while.

 

[SwissArmyDad]

Got my, "your order has shipped" email with tracking number, from Palmetto today!

Saweeet...

Very, very good communications standards with this company. Very refreshing in the sea of poorly run online-based outfits I've come in contact with.

 

[Fishbed77]

Very, very good communications standards with this company. Very refreshing in the sea of poorly run online-based outfits I've come in contact with.

PSA is a great company to deal with. They do get very busy sometimes, but the quality, price, and customer service have been top notch in my experience.

 

[tundraotto]

make sure to follow up when you get it!

 

[Guy_With_A_Gun]

Very nice! I have the same upper and it shoots great. You won't be disappointed.

 

[Snowdog]

I ordered the exact upper (except not the light weight) and also opted for their BCG/CH, all on the 18th.
Just got the shipping label notice yesterday but with the lead time being around 3 weeks, I figure it'll still be a couple weeks before it's test fired and shipped. This will go on my PSA lower (also MOE FDE) to complete my first AR.

The wait is killing me, but I'm told it should be worth it.

 

[ritepath]

I hope to order their 300blk upper in a few weeks...They sound like great budget uppers to me.

 

[SwissArmyDad]

Talked to my wife on my way home last night, and she casually told me that Brown Santa had dropped off a box of unusual size...

 

[HarcyPervin]

very nice! looking forward to hearing your reviews.

Brown Santa

...nice.

 

[SwissArmyDad]

Trying to decide on a rear flip-up sight at this point...Might end up buying a a cheaper reddot, though...

My wife has issues with iron sights due to a right hand/left eye dominance issue, but I don't want to buy a reddot just to buy one. On the contrary, I can buy a pretty darned good iron sight from daniel defense, magpul or troy for about the same amount of money...

 

[RCArms.com]

Trying to decide on a rear flip-up sight at this point...Might end up buying a a cheaper reddot, though...

My wife has issues with iron sights due to a right hand/left eye dominance issue, but I don't want to buy a reddot just to buy one. On the contrary, I can buy a pretty darned good iron sight from daniel defense, magpul or troy for about the same amount of money...

I have the Troy Flip-Up sights on a couple of my rifles and I am very pleased with them. Also, the Magpul MOE sights have a surprisingly nice sight picture.

Troys would be my preferred sight, but they are expensive.

Don't overlook a detach carryhandle sight either. Kinda clumky in compariason, but utterly soldier-proof and reliable in the extreme.

Don

 

[fromthehills]

I understand the excitement. I'm going to order mine today.

Here's my deal, though, and open to opinions. I was going to do the full build, but after communication with a really helpful guy, I may go with the full upper assembly, barrel and all from Centurion. See, I can get the 14.5 with the Battle Comp pinned. Here's the other deal. I am in contact with this guy through Gunbroker, but this is an aside from there. I can save a couple hundred dollars, under Centurion's site, but a little nervous throwing this type of coin out there without some sort of safety net. Like I said, this guy has been extremely helpful in getting all this stuff together, and seems very sincere. I'd just like some sort of comfort knowing that my stuff will show up.

Spend about $200 more, and ditch the guy that has been so helpful, for a little more piece of mind? Or go for it,and hope for the best?

 

[Snowdog]

I think it's interesting that we both bought a nearly identical PSA AR with the same MOE furniture of the same color at roughly the same time and both researched optic options so our wives (who are both right-handed, left-eye-dominant) could comfortably use them.

I might have to give my mother a call and ask if I have an unknown twin somewhere. LOL

Seriously though, I also looked around for iron sights and some form of optics for my wife. I took a sightly different route and purchased the following (while trying to keep it on the cheap):

Detachable AR-15 A2 rear sight.

ProMag AR-15 Bayonet Lug Picatinny Accessory Rail


LaserLyte Sub Compact Version 3 Red External Laser Sight Aluminum Matte


It turned out well for the intended use (home defense) and my wife warmed right up to the laser. The rear sight really impressed me as to it's construction (absolutely solid). I still need a sling for it, but that's in the works a well. I plan to test for function either today or tomorrow.



I've always liked the looks of the A2 sight sans carry handle ever since spying one in a gun rag years ago. They probably aren't as practical as the Magpul fold-down sights I almost purchased, but I like 'em.

Down the road someday, I might consider a red dot for it, but considering the number of home improvement projects currently underway, it might be a while yet.

 

[SwissArmyDad]

I think it's interesting that we both bought a nearly identical PSA AR with the same MOE furniture of the same color at roughly the same time and both researched optic options so our wives (who are both right-handed, left-eye-dominant) could comfortably use them.

I might have to give my mother a call and ask if I have an unknown twin somewhere. LOL

LOL - that's freaky! Honestly, I've always felt like I had more siblings than I was being led to believe...

I appreciate the info on your setup, and quite honestly, I love the look that you have going. Definitely going to seriously consider all those choices.

 

[Rail Driver]

Detachable AR-15 A2 rear sight.[/URL]

Be very gentle with that rear iron sight, Snowdog. I had one on my last AR-15 and it came apart on its own within the first 30 rds fired from the gun. CTD replaced the sight at no charge to me, and the second one broke after a few more mags through the gun. I also could not get the rear sight to hold zero well enough to sight the rifle in properly.

When it comes to AR-15 accessories, you DEFINITELY get what you pay for.

I'm using ARMS-71L flip up sights on my Spike's middy, and they're both high quality and solid. My ONLY complaint with them is that they were $80 for front and rear (though you can get the rear only for $40 or so)

 

[Snowdog]

Thanks for that heads-up, Rail Driver. Good to know before I toss the receipt. It feels very substantial... but then again, so does a bag of flour.

 

[SwissArmyDad]

Thanks for that heads-up, Rail Driver. Good to know before I toss the receipt. It feels very substantial... but then again, so does a bag of flour.

lol.

 

[Snowdog]

SwissArmyDad, have you had a chance to test out your PSA AR yet?

I had the pleasant experience doing just that this morning. I function fired around 80 rounds of XM193 while dialing in the rear iron sights. It took and held a zero fine and still seems quite solid, so I think I got a good one. Time will tell, I guess.

After working on the iron sites, I dialed in the laser. I was surprised that it wasn't simply a two-step adjustment: elevation and windage. It was actually several steps, culminating with adjusting both the windage and elevation at the same time.

However, I followed the instructions to the letter and it's now zeroed and holding the zero perfectly so far. After another magazine of XM193 to function fire and play the laser (which was far more fun than I was expecting), I had the wife give it a shot.
She doesn't take a shine to firearms in general and I practically had to drag her by the hair to come along (reminding her that she's the only thing standing between a home intruder and our 3-year-old daughter when I'm not home did the trick, as usual).

And as usual, she surprised/impressed me with her competency. Not only did she master the controls effortlessly, but she handled the rifle wonderfully while using the laser.

Below is one of her targets. She fired 7 rounds at this one at 15 yards using the laser (rifle shouldered but not using iron sights). Firing about one shot a second, as fast as she was willing to fire, she kept them all in the black using Hornady 60gr TAP. Most of her targets were equally as good using XM193.

I was getting these groups without effort at 25 yards (or smaller) with the iron sites, but considering this is now our HD rifle, such 15 yard groups (for her) is plenty good enough, I think.


The cartridge and pulled TAP bullet are there as eye candy to distract from my poor photography skills.


It's nice to know that even though my wife doesn't particularly enjoy shooting, she's usually quite good at it.

In every aspect, I am very pleased with this PSA carbine and would do it all over again without hesitation. The trigger was much nicer than I was expecting as well (noticeably nicer than the rental Bushmaster I was using while mulling over whether to own an AR). Function was 100% all around and almost as importantly, my wife actually said she liked it!

 

[ritepath]

I should receive my PSA moe lpk kit this evening...I hope to top it with a PSA 300blk upper. The only thing I ordered different was a noveske QD end plate adapter and hex bolt for the grip.