Palmetto State Armory

[ColoradoShooter77]

Maybe the term junk is a little harsh, but I'm not going to regret letting it go. I'm pretty confident this PSA rifle will be a nice, solid rifle for the money.

Pretty sure this PSA will see 2000 rounds in the coming year.

 

[Ibmikey]

As I indicated before I have two Sports but I also have about ten or twelve PSA builds using their FN barrels and top grade parts ( one Freedom SS 1/8 barrel kit) and have found both brands to be up to the volumes of ammo i put through them. The new Sport II is about the best buy for a quality entry level carbine and certainly neither brand is the too often used describer: "Junk". Would i put my Sport up against my DD in a long run shootoff? Sure but I would expect failure of some component in the Smith before the DD simply because of the levels of requirements for construction, however, i'll bet the Sport (or well built PSA) would give a darn good showing.

 

[WVsig]

As I indicated before I have two Sports but I also have about ten or twelve PSA builds using their FN barrels and top grade parts ( one Freedom SS 1/8 barrel kit) and have found both brands to be up to the volumes of ammo i put through them. The new Sport II is about the best buy for a quality entry level carbine and certainly neither brand is the too often used describer: "Junk". Would i put my Sport up against my DD in a long run shootoff? Sure but I would expect failure of some component in the Smith before the DD simply because of the levels of requirements for construction, however, i'll bet the Sport (or well built PSA) would give a darn good showing.

I think calling either one junk is stretching it a bit but both, assuming we are talking about the PS a Freedom level kits, are low end (entry level) rifles. If you understand what you are buying and the expectation levels are properly set there are no issues. For most people the PSA freedom or the S&W Sport II are going to be more than enough rifle.

I think my issue with the OP is that he thinks the PSA Freedom kit has somehow a big step up in quality which IMHO it is not. That does not mean it will not suit his needs or that he will not perceive it as better than the S&W but in reality they are pretty much on the same level again IMHO.

 

[ColoradoShooter77]

The PSA does have the better BCG and a better twist barrel, no doubt about that.

Its probably the equivalent of the S&W, with a better BCG, for $180 less money.

 

[Ibmikey]

Colorado, By "better BCG" i suppose you are referring to the Smith having a semi auto carrier and the PSA having a M-16 type. There is certainly nothing inferior in the semi, same grade of steel and testing but a little less weight making operation a llittle faster...simply limit the gas being fed and issue (if any) is overcome. Obviously engineers will take care of that issue before production.
"Better twist" is also a grey area depending on what you are shooting the 1/9 could be a better twist than 1/7 or 1/8 and for the general shooter who will shoot anything that is cheap the 1/9 is the best choice..
My Freedom is 1/8 but many are 1/7 so you would still need to be wary to get what you want. My Freedom was assembled from an upper offering that did not havve a BCG included because i do not like the entry level unit from PSA, they are fully serviceable but I have found the ni boron carrier from Aim better suits my needs. The rest of the rifle is also a bit higher level than the kit...Colt H buffer and spring, Aero lower, ALG ACT fire control group, matech rear sight, Gunfighter charging handle, Magpul furniture (ACS-L stock) etc.

 

[ColoradoShooter77]

I don't think the Smith uses Carpenter 158 on the bolt.....I believe its 9310 steel. I'll have to research the difference.

Since my problem is obviously in the upper and not the lower, if the the Smith fails again, I'll just buy another Freedom upper for $189 from PSA and call it good.

I'll just keep the bolt from the Smith and tuck the upper away as useless.

Looks like 9310 is a good grade of steel for a bolt:

http://www.steelforge.com/alloy-steel-9310/

 

[AJumbo]

This may be worth exactly what you pay for it, but my PSA pin-together with a 16" mid-length Freedom upper is chugging along just fine. I have zero experience with any other AR, so no comparisons are possible. I unboxed the lower and upper, stripped the preservative off them, lubed it up and took it to the range. Zero malfunctions of any kind. No complaints either.

I bought one with the military-style handguard, which has since been replaced with a Magpul version. Blem lower with Magpul stock (I can't find the blemish). The upper came with a Vortex 1X scope, and I added a Magpul Pro rear sight. I dropped in an ALG ACT trigger, and couldn't help but add a light. I could have found a very similar complete rifle for what I have in the "build," but I'm very happy with what I have. Next time around, I'll do a real build and use their Premium lower parts kit.

 

[Warp]

I think my issue with the OP is that he thinks the PSA Freedom kit has somehow a big step up in quality which IMHO it is not.

Completely agree

 

[PowerG]

Completely agree

Agree also. I think it's also worthwhile to wait and see what the problem is with the S&W before pronouncing it useless, from the symptoms of the malfunction it sounds like it's gonna be something pretty simple.

 

[ColoradoShooter77]

I may just keep the S&W for a shooter, I'll have $1100 in (2) AR's. That ain't bad!

If the S&W breaks again, I'll just buy an upper for it, rather than screw around with C/S again.