After many years of watching the ridiculous pricing on various rifle platforms I finally found a deal that offered most of what I required at an unbeatable price. Some of you may have seen the PSA Freedom MOA AR carbine on PSA daily deals recently… Well I bit. Still waiting for it to arrive at my local FFL (which I understand they are known for, the wait that is). And while I realize this isn’t the faciest hotrod rifle out there, it seems to be a solid piece.
Anyways, its primary use will be recreational target/plinking with a requirement to be available for HD and such. It comes with a f-marked front A2 sight along with Magpul MBUS rear sight. I fully intend to utilize the stock sights during break in and to get used to them but I’d like to hear some discussions about good multi-purpose sights. I like the idea of a low to no magnification red dot but if I ever have to grab it for HD would be concerned about the extra step of turning it on. I come from a pistol and shotgun background and have NEVER run optics or other whizbang gadgets and am partial to keeping it simple.
Thoughts on eschewing red dot type optics for HD use? What sight setup would be recommended? The carbine has a flattop weaver rail with f-marked A2 front sight. Keep stock sights? Replace front, rear or both? I’m very new to the AR and have done lots of reading but have lots to do still… Can’t wait to start putting rounds down range!
RDs are quick and precise, unless you have severe astigmatism- which effectively turns the dot to a blob/starburst or comet.
With your new setup you might consider the Primary Arms RD with a co-witness or lower third mount, which enables use with FS.
The PAs RD has a 2 minute dot, they have held up to abuse on a couple of my beaters and they are inexpensive.
If you do not want to have to deal with turning an optic on and off, here is the one for you - the HOLOSUN 403A. It has an auto wake feature that automatically turns on the scope when it is moved and an adjustable 8 hour auto-shutoff. I have one on one of my ARs. It cannot be any simpler to use.
Maybe NEXT time I’ll take out a second mortgage but for today I just want a decent rifle at a decent price. At what point would my personal expenditures meet your approval?
Don’t mind at all sharing (especially in light of the pricing over the last few years). It was the public special on their website, $459 shipped. Hell of a deal compared to what some people I know have paid recently (even for lesser guns). While I’m 100% confident that an experienced AR builder could do better with less that is one thing I am not.
Edit: This is the Freedom M4 with the Magpul MOE furniture. Not fancy but specs look usable. Listed price was over $700.
Check out some YouTube videos on red dots. That may also help you and screw what Iraqgunz said. Get what you like and can offered. We are here to help and not put people down based on their budgets.
Again, unfortunately, had you logged on today, you would have seen the post right here about an Aero Precision for $499 plus shipping ($11 to me in NC when I checked earlier) and that would be a much nicer rifle for about $50 more. No Magpul furniture but standard Magpul furniture can be had cheap on the second hand market. Hell I’d bet there are enough nice folks on this and a few of the other forums that they would send you their Moe handguards, grips, and maybe a Pmag or two with the right approach or attitude for free.
At the end of the day, it is your gun and you have to shoot it. And also, as you stated, potentially rely on it for you and your family’s life. I have a PSA pencil upper (with BCM BCG, though) and it has ran well.
You are missing the point oh Exalted One. He bought a cheap PSA rifle that will have ZERO value other than to him. So overthinking the red dot or buying a 400.00 Aimpoint serves little purpose.
We are not here to help people “Get what they like and can afford.” Fixed your spelling.
We are here to help people make quality choices and not buy bargain rifles that aren’t on the same level as rifles that cost little more. Why buy PSA when known quality products cost just a little more?
Saving up to buy quality instead of just buying what you can afford is good advice; especially since OP said it may be used for HD. On a forum populated with knowledgable members that train frequently and most likely have served means we are not here to validate purchases that could put someone’s life on the line due to poor quality.
Dang, you guys are harsh lol. Talk about inducing buyer’s remorse!
OP, when you get your AR, take it to the range and sight it in. Put a thousand rounds through it and if it goes bang every single time you pull the trigger then guess what…you have a great rifle – no matter what anybody here says.
Primary Arms Advanced Micro Dot is also made by Holosun, has the same battery life and durability, motion detection, etc, but does not require you to take the micro off to base to change the battery. They also have the option of getting it with their ACSS reticle. The torture test a publication did on it proved it is very durable and can take some heavy abuse.
You bought a rifle that is made for the range. It is a good range rifle. I wouldn’t get defensive about your decision. IG is making a RDS recommendation based on your logic for purchasing the rifle. The reality is that PSA is not known for consistent quality and reliability. Using it for an application other than the range is unadvised.
It is a good choice if it is simply for fun. It is a poor choice for serious use.
Shoot and enjoy it!
I dont own a psa rifle but a really good friend of mine bought a psa ar10. I tried to talk him into something a little higher end but he didnt want to drop alot on something that was going to be specifically used as a hog gun. And i dont ane him, our set up is hard on stuff. He got it in and we took it to the range and ran ab assortment of ammo from cheapest to a few hunting rounds, no match grade, through it without a hiccup and had tight groups. The build quality on this one was good, i cant comment on the long term quality of the small parts but they looked good and everything was where it should be. My only real complaint is the ugly roll mark. Now this isnt a going to be used for hd ever, Its sole purpose is to be thrown into a 60s model jeep and get beat to hell and shoot hogs. And it has worked great for that. Maybe he got lucky, idk. But if you just want an ar to get the bug out of system, throw a cheaper red dot on and put 1k rds or less a year, then it should fit your needs very well. if you get more serious about it, put it up and get something else that fits your needs then.
I have a couple of Aimpoint Micros and I never have to turn them on or off. In fact, neither of them have an off switch.
Buck91, that PSA is going to need a new extractor spring after a few hundred rounds. It also comes with a carbine weight buffer which is a bit too light. You’ll need to replace it with an H or H2 buffer
I’ll also recommend the Primary Arms Advanced Micro Dot. You can get one for $170 and a cheap mount for $30 on Amazon. Battery life of 50,000 hours so you don’t have to worry about having to turn it on in an emergency. Just leave it on and replace the battery every few years. It should be good enough for a range rifle.
Thats the plan! I have a few other HD options that had passed this test with flying colors (assuming we avoid WWB in 40s&w!) so it’s not like this is my only option. Just my first AR.
