Hello, I'm mtdawg169 and I'm a parts snob.

[NorthGeorgiaHunter]

Gentlemen,
I have found this thread to be very interesting and informative. I'm not a gunsmith or AR builder but I do like the design. The information on this thread supports some of my suspicions. While I have a cheap PSA, I put much more faith in my Colt for reliability. I'm going to put the PSA through its paces in a carbine course later this year. I think I'll keep the Colt close at hand as a backup. As a matter of fact, I think I'll continue to add to the Colt heard. Maybe even an HK if the economy keeps growing!

 

[jeffk14]

https://www.ar15.com/forums/t_3_118...__and_how_they_have_handled_on_our_range.html



Speaking of which, that thread above is actually pretty damn entertaining. The OP pulls no punches and has been truthful to a fault thus far, but hey he is running s business and it's about the bottom dollar. It has many a fan boy's panties in a wad. I suggest anyone who is remotely interested to read it. It helped put my mind at ease on several parts I considered using or had in the past. Once you get deeper in you start seeing the results for PSA even which was entertaining.

I've lost an hour or two in that thread as well. The funny thing is how often that thread has been referenced on other boards. Often, when the results reported by Henderson Defense don't line up with a forum's dogma (cough, cough) m4carbine (cough, cough) those results are dismissed for, sometimes, quite amusing "reasons".

Don't get me wrong, I don't really have anything against m4carbine, other than the overzealous critiques of anyone praising their experiences with a brand outside the "chosen 4" (Colt, BCM, Daniel Defense and Noveske). It's understandable I guess, since the site owner primarily sells those brands, pretty much in that order. Maybe I'm just pouting though because, I have showed up over there drunk before, peed in the pool and threw up on some of the other "guests". I didn't get banned but I do gots points on my "dribbin' licenses".

 

[Omega]

Ive lost hours of my time in this.... Just wanna say thanks to all that have added to the wisdom in this thread

 

[Xcaliber]

;-)

 

[TapcoFan]

There are two rifles that I've put a decent number of rounds through, and it's interesting to see how they are wearing. One rifle is a PSA premium upper, BCM bcg, and Spikes lower. The other is a Plum Crazy II lower with a PTAC upper. The only real wear on the higher end rifle is that some of the anodizing has worn off where the upper and lower mate - that's it. The bargain bin rifle started having FTFs last weekend and is actually in pieces on my work bench. Yes, it's anecdotal evidence, but it's an observation rather in line with what's been discussed in this thread.
I think the PSA stuff used to be a better deal than it is now.

 

[mtdawg169]

;-)

What the hell do you think that proves exactly? That the owner shot some bad ammo through it maybe? I'm not sure how this relevant in any way?

 

[CQB27]

What the hell do you think that proves exactly? That the owner shot some bad ammo through it maybe? I'm not sure how this relevant in any way?

Maybe he is trying to say that all things firearms, under the right conditions and/or from prolonged use eventually fail? I really don't think that's his point, but just in case it is I will help him along with another other pic of gun failure:

Broken front trunion......not catastrophic....but from prolonged use:

Now that's done......back to the more civil discussion.

 

[mtdawg169]

Maybe he is trying to say that all things firearms, under the right conditions and/or from prolonged use eventually fail? I really don't think that's his point, but just in case it is I will help him along with another other pic of gun failure:

Broken front trunion......not catastrophic....but from prolonged use:

Now that's done......back to the more civil discussion.

Absolutely true, anything can fail. But I would hate to see this thread derailed with drive by troll posting. Especially if it's an unsubstantiated attempt to deride a known good manufacturer.

If that picture represents an actual failure of the gun, post up the details and let's discuss it. But I'd bet dollars to donuts, that failure was an ammunition issue and not relevant to this discussion.

 

[TapcoFan]

If that picture represents an actual failure of the gun, post up the details and let's discuss it. But I'd bet dollars to donuts, that failure was an ammunition issue and not relevant to this discussion.

Here's the original thread: http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=1311756

It's a Colt Expanse range rental gun with 10K+ rounds through it and consensus is that a bad round caused the KB.

 

[CQB27]

Here's the bottom line on PSA. Manufacturers all over the industry have tried to figure out how PSA sells guns for so cheap. And the math does not add up. They know what those parts cost because they buy from the same sources, at the highest volume tier & cheapest pricing available. Yet, PSA can sell a gun and make a profit for less money than it costs another company to just acquire the unassembled parts? It's just not possible. The ONLY answer is that they are buying the scrap parts that other manufacturers have rejected or did not meet the minimum standards allowed. For the OEMs, the option is basically, sell it to PSA or melt it down and start over.

At least that's my theory, anyway. No one in the industry will come out and call a spade a spade. No one wants to name names because there's still a degree of Industry Courtesy. It's a dirty little secret. But that is the only way the PSA business model can possibly work.

I had a guy on the range yesterday with a new from the factory PSA Flat Top 16 inch M4 profile barrel carbine. He brought it out to zero it for an upcoming patrol rifle course he will be attending on the 27th. After he was done zeroing it and shooting it a little I was giving it an "once over", mainly because I haven't dealt much with PSA rifles.....and I had this thread spinning in the back of my head, lol.

First thing I did was push out the pivot pin and shotgun the upper. The next thing I did was pull the charging handle to remove the bolt carrier assembly and WOW, was that way harder than it should have been. I quick look at the portion of the gas tub that extends into the upper receiver and mates with the carrier key....and there it was, the most misaligned gas tube I have ever seen. It was so misaligned that the old bolt carrier only test to check for gas tub alignment/misalignment had the stripped bolt carrier stopping dead....like hitting a wall....when it contacted the gas tube. I didn't have a chance to take a pic of it, but he is bringing it back for the patrol rifle course on the 27th and I will snap a few pics before I realign the barrel nut and relieve the wayward gas tube. I also didn't note which version/model of PSA M4 he has, but I will figure that out too and post it.

Finally, the PSA AR did function fine during the 100 or so rounds it was fired. I think that may be more of a testament to the functioning power of M193 5.56 ammo than anything else though.