I am very leery of PSA but w/ BCM being out of 20’ uppers and me being impatient I have begun researching PSA’s 20" offering. Does anyone have hands on experience with these uppers? On paper they look great but (call me skeptical) I don’t trust PSA farther than I can through them.
I dislike the BCM billboard on their uppers (especially for clone builds) so on the positive side, this upper has that going for it.
[i]Barrel: A proprietary blend of Hammer forged chrome molly vanadium made by FN that is referred to as “Machine Gun Steel” by virtue of its use in FN’s M249 and M240 weapons. The hammer forging process work hardens the steel, making it more durable. In addition, the chrome process for the bore allows for a lining almost twice as thick as a standard M16 for enhanced durability. Chambered in 5.56 NATO, with a 1/7 twist, M4 barrel extension, and a Rifle gas system. A2 style profile is Mil-spec phosphate coated, MP and HP tested. Barrel is finished off with an F-marked front sight post with sling swivel, and A2 flash hider.
Upper: Forged 7075-T6 A3 AR upper is made to MIL-SPECS and hard coat anodized black for durability. Featuring machined T marks, and a mil-spec finish. These uppers are made for us right here in the USA by a mil-spec manufacturer.
Bolt Carrier Group & Charging Handle: This 5.56mm Full-auto profile Bolt Carrier Group was made AR15 and M16 rifles and carbines. Made by a mil-spec contractor, these feature a Carpenter 158 Bolt, and a full profile chrome lined carrier.
Bolt is made of shot-peened, Mil-spec Carpenter 158® steel. Gas key is secured with grade 8 fasteners and staked. Bolt carrier is parkerized outside and chrome lined inside.[/i]
Ive built 2 guns with them and their “premium” BCG’s. No issues, although one gun only has about 100 rounds through it and I dont know about the other one(helped my buddy build his out).
Handguards were on there TIGHT(never had 2 piece hand guards that were so tight before). Barrel looked to be good to go from my simple visual inspection. Took a bit to get the bores clean as they were pretty nasty from machining/packing grease. One of the barrels appeared to have a small burr at the gas port, but a few passes with a brush cleaned it right up.
For the $360 I have into the upper and BCG I cant complain since for me its just a plinker with a detachable carry handle on it. I havent shot groups with mine, but it zero’d up just fine.
FN barrels are arguably one of the best hammer forged BBL on the market. People are getting 1 MOA and better out of them. My Noveske N4 that I got in 2011 that’s nearing 18K rounds can pull a .8inch group at 100yards
I looked at the specs of the PSA. They are iffy, at best. They have “premium” and “CHF” and some other label they like to use.
I have a BCM M16A4 clone with a TA31RCOA4. I hate the BCM billboard on the side, but I shoot my guns and didn’t want to deal with the hassle of a problem child PSA build.
If you just want to put 1000 rounds a year out of it, and don’t plan on shooting to 500+ yards, I don’t see what the issue would be buying a PSA. I would.
Are you saying Noveske and PSA barrels are equal quality because they are sourced from the same supplier?
I guess Ferrari and Ford are equivalent because the aluminum they use comes out of the same earth.
It will be a shooter and treated/used as such so I can def get over the goofy BCM logo. If BCM had their 20" in stock this thread would not exist. If it wasn’t clear enough in the OP I pretty much despise PSA and avoid them at all costs. I am not a close minded person though and if I’m missing out on a good product I am willing to test the waters.
I never understood this logic either. Perhaps it is just a misunderstanding at the consumer level. Perhaps he knows what he’s talking about and knows something I/we don’t. FN makes the barrels- awesome. They make them to PSA’s spec- awesome level now questionable to me.
Then wait for BCM. They just ended their free BCG sale so I’m sure they’ll be stocking up on inventory now.
In not a metallurgist, so I can’t comment on anything in that regard but I have personally seen some really screwed up Assemblies out of PSA. Loose barrel nuts, off center FSBs, etc
I most likely will be waiting. Again, I only created the thread to see if I was waiting in vein for a similar (or even identical) product. I know BCM is great but I don’t have the rah rah love for them that some do. I have the rah rah love for Colt and they have forsaken me with their A4.
Everything you just mentioned is non spec related though. Either way, not looking to butt heads, thanks for your input.
PSA will also take care of you if there is a problem. My 20 inch CHF PSA was an absolute tack driver and was as reliable as any other well known brand ive run in the past.
Couple of years ago I built what I considered my dream build. DD S2W 18" barrel, Mega upper and lower, Samson Evo rail, LMT enhanced bolt with regular carrier, BCM large charging handle, Springco buffer spring, SSA-E trigger, Leoupold 2X9, Magpul CTR-L stock, Ergo Grip, etc.
I made the mistake of ordering my lpk and buffer tube from PSA, thinking WTF, they can’t screw that up. I still get pissed off every time I feel the grit when I pull back the charging handle compared to my other rifles. Even grittier are the take down pins.
I don’t care who the manufacturer is, if it’s made to PSA specs IMHO it’s shit.
Bought a complete rifle from them 2 years ago. Seemed to be terribly over gassed and has a terribly canted sight. Didn’t bother with calling them…I sold it.
Decided to give them another chance for a cheap build for the wife. Used their premium moe m4 kit. Everything appears to be perfect with this one. No canted sights, not horribly over gassed, etc. Functions fine with the limited shooting that’s been done with it.
Good to see the PSA hater-ade is still alive and well. I’m a big PSA myself with 2 PSA Barreled uppers, 1 PSA lower, 2 more lowers using PSA lpks and my competition gun using mostly PSA parts. Both my PSA uppers shoot consistent 1.5 moa, 5 shot groups. I’ve got thousands of rounds through my PSA Premium Mid-length (which is also my patrol rifle for work) and my competition rifle. Most accounts of bad PSA experiences are either second hand or from the 2011 time range. My first experience with PSA was in 2013 and the worst thing I’ve ever suffered is long shipping times.
I’d be surprised if you were unhappy with a PSA Premium of CHF upper. Even with that said, the only reason to buy a 20" upper is because you want the front sight base. Outside of that the selection is far too limited compared to the wealth of 18-20" barrels out there. I’ll shoot moa with match ammo and 1.5 moa with bulk reloads all day long with my 20" upper. Far better to build from scratch than choose from limited factory options, unless plastic handguards and a front sight base are exactly what you want.
The general consensus with PSA here is buy them or don’t. Most people that have built rifles with their uppers seem to be happy with them, myself included. I personally run a BCM bcg in mine however. Are their better options? Yes. But I don’t feel bad about my 14.7" CHF middy upper. I’d personally trust my life to it.
