Prepper AR Pistol/Truck Gun Review – PSA AR Pistol

I recently added an AR 5.56 pistol to my collection of firearms. In my line of work, I do a lot of dynamic building entry and building clearing. I had been issued a SBR (short barrel rifle) by my department. But it is the old Colt A1. This one has the 10.5 inch barrel with the A1 handle permanently attached to the upper. (Click link for picture.) While it was very accurate, it did not allow me to attach things such as optics, lights, etc.

I decided I wanted to replace the upper with something that is more accessory friendly. I looked at several uppers before landing with the PSA (Palmetto State Armory) 10.5″ Carbine-length 5.56 NATO 1/7 Nitride Lightweight M-LOK upper.

I knew that I wanted a complete firearm, so that when I retire someday and have to give back the SBR, I could still use the upper. Hence I went with the complete AR pistol. (Picture to the left.)

I also knew that I did not want a barrel shorter than 10.5 inches. The 5.56 round was designed for barrels 20 inches and longer. So going to a shorter barrel I knew I will lose some velocity. 10.5 inch barrels usually lose around 400 feet per second. It’s not the end of the world, but you won’t have much accuracy success past 300 yards. Anything less than 10.5 and you run the risk of losing so much velocity that the round becomes unstable and wonky.

The barrel is 4150V chrome moly steel, and chambered in 5.56. It has a 1:7 twist rate, and has a carbine-length gas system. It is covered with a PSA 9″ Lightweight M-Lok free-float rail, and topped off with a A2 Flash Hider. This pistol came with a PSA full-auto profile bolt carrier group. While there is nothing wrong with this BCG, I replaced it with PSA’s premium nickle boron BCG. I prefer these, and they are super easy to clean.

I mentioned that the muzzle brake is a standard A2, but it is easily changeable if you want to swap it out for other muzzle accessories. Due to the shorter barrel, there is a much brighter muzzle flash than normal. And while I will eventually put a silencer on it (maybe the SAKER ASR?) I knew I needed to combat the increased muzzle flash. So while I wait the 6 to 9 months for the silencer paperwork to come in, I replaced the A2 with a Noveske Skinny Pig.

Solid M-Lok free float tube

The trigger is a standard mil-spec AR trigger set. It feels smooth and not jerky. Eventually, I will add in a Giessele, but overall there are no problems with it.

Palmetto State Armory offers this AR pistol upper on a forged lower made of 7075-T6 aluminum, and a SB Tactical SBA3 pistol brace. This brace is adjustable. (More on this in a bit.) This absolutely fit my bill, and I went with that.

SBA3 pistol brace. It’s outstanding!

I went to the range initially, and zeroed it with Federal 55 grain 5.56 ammo. I wanted to use a heavier grain ammo, but did not have it on me at the time. While I sighted in without any issues, I didn’t feel 100% confident. I returned to the range a week later, this time armed with Black Hills 77 grain 5.56 rounds. The increased accuracy was noticeable. I’m not saying that there is anything wrong with Federal ammo. But coming out of a 10.5 inch barrel, I felt like I needed to use a heavier grain round.

With the Black Hills ammo, I zeroed in at 50 yards with the Trijicon AGOC (3.5x). I also added an RMR 6.5 Red RMR Type 2 (mounted on top) which I zeroed in at 10 yards. I thought about buying something along the lines of an Aimpoint Pro instead of the ACOG. But I already had the Trijicon ACOG, and decided that having the ability to have a 3.5x option when tracking outdoors could be invaluable.

I mounted an Olight PL-MINI Valkyrie to the front end. This little rechargeable light puts out 400 lumens. It’s small enough that it does not interfere with my sight picture, and bright enough to light up whatever it is I need to see.

Final grouping I aimed at the bottom of the black ring. That is less than 1 moa.

The pistol came with the SB Tactical SBR3 pistol brace as mentioned before. The brace is 5-position adjustable, and comes with a ambidextrous QD sling socket. This is not your normal Sig brace! I absolutely love this brace, and at times have to remind myself that it is not a stock. It feels that natural. As I said before, when I someday have to give the SBR back to the Sheriff’s office, I won’t miss a step going back to the SBR3 brace.

The SBR3 brace weights a little under 7 oz, and adjusts from 6.75 inches to 9.5 inches. And yes, it is ATF compliant.

For some reason, I listed the length and weight in this article, but apparently it did not save correctly. I did not notice until someone asked in the comments section what it weighed. Anyway, with the SB3 brace the length is 28 inches and it weighs 7.2 lbs. As a SBR with a Colt lower, it is 28.5 inches and weighs 7.5 lbs.

The MSRB on this pistol is $769.99. But PSA currently has them on sale for $549.99 with free shipping! (At the time of this publication.)

FINAL VERDICT

I have always been a big fan of PSA. This is the 3rd PSA firearm I have, and like the others, it did not disappoint. The accuracy at 50 yards was sub MOA. I went all the way to 250 yards, and was hitting the AR 500 steel plates at my range with no issues. (Trijicon’s bullet drop compensators are exceptional!) There is something so satisfying hearing that ping at 250 yards!

My on-duty SBR. Colt lower, PSA upper. Love this thing!!

For $550, you are getting a quality AR pistol that is budget friendly. Whether you are looking for a fun range plinker, a solid “Truck gun“, or something to carry in the line of duty, I have no reservations about recommending this PSA 10.5” AR pistol. It’s what I carry on duty.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

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