In the two decades since the end of the Clinton-era U.S. Assault Weapons Ban (1994 to 2004), we've watched the AR-15 platform's popularity skyrocket here in the United States. What many enthusiasts have discovered is that these semi-automatics are reliable, accurate, enjoyable to use and easily upgraded, with a variety of useful caliber options to choose from. No wonder ARs are now filling most rifle roles, including casual plinking, formal competitions, hunting and home defense.
When a particular shooting platform becomes as popular as the AR, manufacturers will compete against each other in three market place races. There's the race to the top with the goal of offering the best-of-the-best without sticker shock being too much of a concern. This is the realm of the premium models with prices of around $2,000 or more.
Next there's the race for the mid-priced catalog that, for ARs, includes options hovering around $800 and $1,200 depending on the branding, features and customization. Last, but certainly not the least, is the race to the bottom. Here folks will find the basic models and the least-expensive factory completed rifles with prices ranging from as low as $350 to just under $800. Those listed at around $500 are considered to be a representative middle ground for this particular price bracket.
Palmetto State Armory offers a variety of PA-15 carbines at affordable prices.
For those who are new to ARs, or just looking for the best bang for their buck, the important question is this: is a budget-priced AR a good investment? For this conversation, I'm going to focus on the fully assembled, factory completed guns that arrive ready to use. This is because most folks who are just getting into this platform are usually not ready to build these guns themselves.
One facet of gun pricing that can't be ignored is branding. If you want a gun manufactured by Colt's Manufacturing, Daniel Defense or Patriot Ordnance Factory, be prepared to pay more. Where the mid-priced and low-price models meet, you'll find options by well-known companies, including Ruger's AR-556 series and the recently released Smith & Wesson M&P-15 Sport III.
As we move towards the $500 price range, you'll be looking at options from companies with names that are not as familiar outside of AR-15 circles, including Anderson Manufacturing, Bear Creek Arsenal, Del-Ton, DPMS and Palmetto State Armory, to name a few. The key here will be taking the time to do your homework so as to get to know these companies and how their more budget-friendly offerings compare to various models in their class.
With a bit of patience, budget rifles can be found on sale with upgrades like this Magpul MOE stock.
Once we get past branding, what is it exactly that separates the $500 ARs from the $2,000 guns? The short answer is that they are configured to fill different roles in the shooting sports market. But let me explain what I mean. A few years ago, I took a closer look at what motivates community members to participate in shooting sports-related endeavors. That discussion touches on the differences between recreational shooting and tactical shooting, which are comparable to two of the vehicles I've driven over the years. When I was a young single guy living in the city, I picked up a four-cylinder hatchback from a friend for less than one month’s pay. It was small, making it easy to park around town, fuel efficient, started reliably and got me where I needed to go on time. It was a good little car.
A few years later, I found myself married to an outdoorsy girl who wanted to take our kids camping. By then, we owned an SUV. It came with a bigger engine, larger tires, various safety features and a gas tank that emptied much more quickly. Everything about it was more expensive. However, there was room for our gear and it took us places the hatchback never would have been able to go.
The PA-15 is built around a set of forged 7075-T6 aluminum receivers.
So which vehicle was the "right" one or the "best" one? The answer is they both were at the time. But as our needs changed, so did our cars. AR-15s are not so different. Like my little hatchback, a budget-priced AR-15 can operate reliably with affordable ammunition while generating useful levels of accuracy. Are they as fancy, durable or accurate as the premium "SUV" rifle models? No, they are not. In order to bring the price down, manufacturers use less expensive materials, manufacturing processes, finishes and simpler feature sets.
Does this make them "bad" guns? Based on my experience, I can say they work just fine for first-time buyers, hobbyists and home defenders who typically put far fewer rounds through their guns than uniformed professionals or those who use ARs as part of their work gear. Generally speaking, the bolts and barrels of mil-spec AR-15s chambered in 5.56 NATO/.223 Rem. have a working life span of roughly 10,000 to 15,000 rounds. Right now, ammunition is available for $0.35 to $1.20 per round, depending on the grade. This means a budget-priced AR owner is going to have to spend somewhere between $3,500 to $18,000 on ammunition alone in order to cause significant wear and tear to their $500 carbine.
This carbine ships with an adjustable forged A-frame front sight that supports a bayonet lug and a sling loop.
What can one reasonably expect to get with a $500 AR-15 these days? It's been a while since I looked into available options, so I started my research from scratch. Looking through several online round-ups of budget-priced ARs posted over the last three years, one company cropped up in nearly all of them, usually in first or second place, namely, Palmetto State Armory (PSA). Along with these roundups, there are also a fair number of folks praising PSA's rifles for being well made, reliable and sporting desirable feature sets. And so, I let my fingers do the walking over to the PSA website.
This company's catalog of complete AR rifles is expansive along with all of the factory-assembled upper receivers, built-out lower receivers, parts kits, trigger upgrades and ammunition. PSA is also known for offering deep-dish discounts for its products from time to time, so it's worth stopping by the site to see what's on sale. The goal for this evaluation was to find a complete, ready-to-use rifle with a likable set of features for as close to $500 or less as possible.
A Swampfox Arrowhead 1-8X 24 mm scope was used for all formal and informal testing.
As I'm writing this, there are basic PSA-brand, PA-15 carbines listed on the website for as little as $440. But I looked around a bit more until landing on the Model 51655142549, which was marked down from $799 to $499 at the time of writing. This is a 16" barrel 5.56/.223 Rem. PA-15 carbine outfitted with Flat Dark Earth (FDE) Magpul MOE polymer furniture, including a six-position adjustable shoulder stock, storage compartment pistol grip and the M-Lok slotted handguard.
The mil-spec flattop upper and lower receivers are forged from 7075-T6 A3 AR aluminum and treated with a hard-coat anodized finish. The M4-profile barrel is made of 4150V chrome moly vanadium steel with a nitride finish and a 1:7 rifling twist rate. The muzzle is fitted with a removable A2 flash hider. The carbine-length gas system is capped off with a forged F-marked .750" front sight base with a height adjustable post, a bayonet lug and a forward sling loop. A polymer Magpul MBUS folding rear sight is included.
Mission First Tactical now offers its translucent Extreme Duty magazines in a variety of colors.
The Carpenter 158 steel bolt is set into an 8620 steel bolt carrier assembly with a staked gas key. The buffer assembly rests inside of a 7075 T6 Aluminum mil-spec buffer tube. The controls, forward assist and ejection port cover are all mil-spec. This model ships with a PSA mil-spec single-stage fire control group installed and one 30-round Magpul PMAG 30 magazine. This gun passed all its bench checks with flying colors right out of the box. All it needed was some lubrication and some ammunition to be ready to shoot.
The one modification that every budget AR buyer should plan on is a trigger group upgrade. The factory installed, single-stage mil-spec triggers usually found in these guns are reliable but have a trigger pull weight anywhere from 5 lbs. to 9 lbs. with a gritty feel. They get the job done but are not all that enjoyable to use. Some folks will balk at making this change to their gun because some drop-in units can easily cost $150 or more. But more budget-friendly options are available.
The PA-15 operated reliably throughout the course of testing.
In years past, I've installed PSA's Enhanced Polished Fire Control Group (EPT) trigger upgrade, which is listed for $70 but can be found on sale at times for $40. The EPT is a single-stage trigger with well polished contact surfaces and a nickel finish. One of them that I worked with provided a smooth, creep- free trigger pull of 5 lbs. 14 oz. once the rifle was broken in. Although it was not the lightest possible, it was definitely a big improvement and worth the relatively modest investment.
But when I checked in with the PSA team for this project, they let me know they had a new trigger they thought I might want to try. Dubbed the Sabre Claw, it’s a two-stage trigger with a listed price of $90. This M4 profile trigger is treated with a black diamond-like carbon (DLC) coating for increased durability and lubricity. Designed for improved precision and control, the description says the trigger pull weight should consist of a roughly 1 lb., 8 ozs. first stage followed by a 2 lb. second stage for a total trigger pull weight of 3 lbs., 8-ozs. to 3 lbs. 12 ozs.
This model proved to be compatible with a diverse mix of magazines.
I went ahead and installed the Sabre Claw trigger for the range test. The first stage was so short and clean that you might miss it if you're not paying attention. The second stage felt just as clean and nearly as light. A Wheeler Engineering digital trigger gauge can't separate the stages, but it did read a total trigger pull weight of just 3 lbs., 2 ozs. Based on my time at the range, the Sabre Claw can comfortably compete with precision triggers I've tested that cost twice as much.
For the informal and formal testing, this version of the PA-15 was topped off with a second focal plane Swampfox Arrowhead (ARH18241-GB; $395) 1-8X 24 mm scope with the Guerrilla Dot BDC glass etched reticle illuminated by dual green emitters. It was mounted to the rifle using a Swampfox 7075 aluminum Freedom Mount (FMC-30-M; $124). Now, I recognize that this optic’s set-up costs more than the carbine, but I used it on purpose. I've worked with the Arrowhead before with positive results and knew that it would not get in the way of showing off this gun's accuracy potential.
Test ammunition included Hornady Black and PSA’s in-house AAC loads.
The PA-15 operated flawlessly with all of the magazines tested, including recently released Extreme Duty translucent 30-round magazines from Mission First Tactical, which are available in various colors. This company is also offering a new polymer magazine coupler sized for the Extreme Duty models. Other magazines included a Global Ordnance steel model, discontinued aluminum Surefeed boxes and the PMAG shipped with the carbine. There were no gun or ammunition related issues either. The controls operated smoothly and cleanly with the Sabre Claw trigger contributing to enjoyable target shooting.
For the formal 100-yard, bench-rested accuracy testing, PSA sent along two of its in-house Advanced Armament Company (AAC) 5.56 NATO loads. Topped with Hornady projectiles, they included a 55-grain full-metal jacket and a 77-grain open-tip match round. DoubleTap Ammunition's .223 Rem. Long Range Match 69-grain hollow-point boat tail load rounded out the test set. Here are the results:
In regards to accuracy, the rule of thumb for merely adequate mil-spec ARs in this caliber would be five-shot groups under 3" at 100 yards. Mid-grade guns should be able to keep groups hovering around 2", while precision rifles are expected to punch out groups at or below 1" with at least some loads. The 1:7 rifling twist rate is intended to stabilize longer, heavier bullets, so it’s not always a good fit for lighter projectiles. In this case, the PSA PA-15 printed a best group of 2.15" with an average of 2.29" with 55-gr. bullets. Not bad but nothing to write home about. However, 69-grain and 77-grain loads' group sizes tightened up noticeably with five group averages of 1.84" and 1.88" respectively.
This particular carbine’s best group of 1.64” was printed using the 77-grain AAC load.
At times it can seem like there's a good deal of pressure within segments of the shooting sports community for its members to seek out and purchase the "best" models available. But sometimes the best carbine on the market is the one that we can afford. Budget-priced models like the PSA PA-15 can be reliable, useful and enjoyable without having to shell out top dollar to own one. And if, down the road, you find that you need to trade in your hatchback for an SUV, you'll find dealers who will be glad to provide you with an upgrade.
Palmetto State Armory PA-15 Specifications
Manufacturer: Palmetto State Armory (PSA)
Action Type: direct-impingement, semi-automatic, centerfire rifle
Chambering: 5.56 NATO/.223 Rem.
Barrel: 16" 4150V chrome-moly vanadium steel; M4 profile, Nitride finish, A2 flash hider
Receivers: forged 7075 T6 aluminum; matte-black hard coat anodized
Magazine: polymer; 30-round detachable box
Sights: adjustable; Magpul MBUS rear, A2-style front
Trigger: Saber Claw 2-stage ($89.99); 3-lb., 2-oz. pull
Overall Length: adjustable; 32.5" to 35.75"
Drop @ Comb: 0.5"
Drop @ Heel: 0.5"
Weight: 6 lbs., 7.5 ozs.
Accessories: owner’s manual, lock
MSRP: $800
