How Many Rounds Will A 400 Dollar AR-15 Last?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 มี.ค. 2024
- Join us as we put a $400 rifle to the ultimate test in this intense shooting video. We'll push this budget-friendly firearm to its limits until it begins to show signs of wear and tear. Can a cheap rifle stand up to the challenge, or will it fail to meet expectations? Tune in to find out!
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Most people don’t need a $3000 rifle. Most people need a $400 rifle with $2600 worth of ammunition.
They probably used 20k in 5.56
@@Im7heon1yone not hardly. 5.56 is like $0.45-$0.60/round.
@@MulletDestructur Still spent 3k In ammo on a 400.00 gun doing things it's not expected to do. And they weren't even upset at it. Good job PSA 👏 Test the jackel with an Fn barrel next.
People that say this don't train though.
Agreed.
Or to put it another way, if I needed to have a guy back me up, I'd rather have a guy with a $400 rifle who's put in 10x the ammo in training, than a guy with a $3000 rifle who's done 1/10th the training of the first.
5k rounds of 5.56 **full auto suppressed** is more use then 95% of folks in their life AND even if you do its warrantied for life by PSA. Outstanding performance for $300
5k is fucki nothing lol
@@Iberny3they quite literally in this video said that it is.
@@Iberny3 I've had my ar15 for about a year and have barely shot it lol, I don't think the average gun owner shoots that much
Yeah I feel entirely justified in having almost exclusively gone with PSA for my AR stuff. They fired more rounds in a couple days through that AR than I've fired my entire life. Going with PSA has allowed me to get a collection of rifles geared for different purposes/ranges and to arm other members of my family if need be. The odds of anyone ever losing a gunfight, should anyone ever get into one, due to the low cost of their AR rifle, are zero.
@@Iberny3 I shoot like 100rds/month on my AR. The guys I know shoot about the same or less.
the great thing about PSA is after 6k rounds you can spend $200 and get a brand new upper and youre ready for 6k more rounds.
They should have chemically cleaned the barrel and tested it again. I mean it's not been cleaned for 6K rounds in mostly full-auto with a suppressor. The excessive heat makes the fouling even worse and the copper residue in the barrel was massive.
This rifle is also probly sent from factory to them cherry picking is a thing
You might not even need to spend $200. I think they have a lifetime warranty...
Nah just send it in for warranty
@@Thatguy-uk4ue shipping costs money. Ffl costs money. Warranty takes time. Just go buy an upper for $200.
For context, i asked a division armorer about what is within spec for our M4's when i brough a humvee full of ones that needed to be repaired and i shit you not he said "we dont replace M4 barrels unless they are reported to have a MOA above 3". so that means we would have to have our commander state these weapons shoot more than a 3 MOA to replace the barrels.
Sounds crazy, but then you remember during WW2, rifles were considered acceptable with 4 MOA (granted that was still on the low end of the usable range back then) nowadays if you got a rifle from the factory with 4 MOA you'd be sending it back.
Id just like to point out that for the first time ever on Garand Thumb, he is reviewing an AR15 that I can afford, an AR15 for the poors, an AR15 for the peasants, and Im here for it and will embrace it. This Garand Thumb video is no longer a dream, it's a reality. From myself and the rest of the poors, WE SALUTE YOU
Except that my freedom kit didn’t come with the happy switch, so it’s a semi freedom kit…..
Didn’t he review a radical firearms ar15 a while back? That’s a 400-500 dollar rifle right there
@@ryanhamstra49 My brother in Christ--become a machinist. If you can run a lathe, a Bridgeport style vertical mill, a surface grinder, and a drill press you can make almost anything...especially if you know how to weld too.
And if you can run and program CNC you can really make anything...
100
Poor Army Rise!
$400.00 rifle, 5,000 rounds. After 5k rounds - Replacement 5.56 PSA barrel- $99 bucks. Replacement PSA nitride complete bolt and BCG - $79. 180.00 for 5k more rounds. Value leader, without question.
I just realized for $600 (400+ the 200 because ATF demands its bribe) i could get a full auto PSA AR. I fuckin love this country
By the time one would reach the 5k limit, one can easily put the money towards a better barrel and bcg.
But what if a hoard of taliban come into my town. 😂
@orbyboy123 that's only 20 range trips. That's less than a year
@@chiefkeef74 No, you're not. Any machinegun made after May 1986 cannot be possessed by civilians except those that hold dealer and/or manufacturers licenses.
You guys gained a new subscriber today. No BS review and Asian Mike with precise measurements really breaking down what’s happening to the rifle over longevity. Most gun channels do not go into depth like you guys do. Great video!!!!
I wish they had made some of the measurements beforehand for comparison.
I live in the area and have never heard of his company.
@brandomh1317 which one was Asian Mike???
I purchased a PSA Freedom rifle and put around 1000 rounds through it in about 2 years. No failures to feed, no jams, no worries. Solid product for the average guy.
The real hero of this video was the one who took the time to pack all those mags.
since i saw that machine that autoloads mags, i have a new dream :)
@@thecursed01My dream would be just to keep that machine operating. 😁
@@thecursed01 my dream is to be able have the money to buy all these toys
i have neither the rights nor the income to buy guns anyway. that's why it's a dream @@seymourwrasse3321
@@seymourwrasse3321
As long as it's not Sig or Knights Armament. They both fund g*n control measures in the US.
I learned 2 things from this.
1. PSA is killing it right now
2. Get a field Asian to diagnosis any weapon malfunctions
😂❤
No matter how good you are at something, somewhere there's an Asian teenager that is already way better than you at it.
Asian phill and white Mike
" and right next to me magazine holder on my duty belt is my battle Asian "
Why was i thinking the same fuggin thing pahahahahaha
I thank you for this!! My first build was a PSA Stealth 15. I built it for my son, and we have put about 500 rounds through it. It is accurate and fun. This type of testing and review makes us guys that don't do this for a living feel like they are getting a good deal on their hard earned money. I hope you do more of these in the future. This was one of the most informative reviews I have ever seen.
35:56 "you couldnt put the targets up straight Charlie?" "There circles...?" LMFAO
HAHAH I was dying at this part!
Something that most people nowadays dont seem to realize, is that mechanical combat accuracy for military rifles until the last 20 years was between 4 and 8 MOA from the factory. Between 1 and 4 MOA the rifle was set aside for sniper use. This was true for everything from Remington rolling blocks, to Mauser 98s, and to M1 Garands
The fact that a sub 400 dollar rifle is anywhere near 1 to 1.5 MOA is nothing short of amazing and a feat of modern manufacturing
Well said
Aah, back in the day when "accuracy through volume" was the norm.
@@theblitz6838
That's still the case in modern times. Crew serves are the battlefield king. Pin the enemy down while you out maneuver them or hit them with kamikaze drones.
@@theblitz6838western doctrine is fundamentally build upon fire superiority, which comes down to slinging more lead downrange then your opponent. Also one of the reasons the west went towards intermediate cartridges instead of the oldschool battle rifle calibers
I think what Colt was aiming for with the M16/M4 platforms was 3 MOA. I can’t be sure though.
Hey man, this comment might get lost but the technical review, borescoping, and gauging really made this video stand out and provide much more value above the "lemme shoot my AR15 til it catches fire" videos. Great content.
It was the best part of the whole video. Most of the time I watch these and just end up having to explain to my wife my spending of money. This time I felt like I genuinely learned something, and feel a bit better about telling my wife I spent more money.
Agreed!
Your comment will never get lost. Gobbless
If you like it go check out School of the American Rifle. Chad probably taught the Asian guy everything he did. He gauges everything and will really show you what you don't know.
Yeah love that geeky Asian Phil dude and the 411...every gunfighter should be a nerd about his tool and know wtf is going on in there...
Great video! Thank you Phil for bringing the blueprints and the science! Crazy how much that rifle took before it was done.
Perfect summation @47:49 -- Not perfect, but not bad. Great testing. If the barrel shows wear after 4K rounds then replace the it after 4K rounds. You can do that >5x before coming close to the price of the rifle this was compared to.
Great video. Keep in mind folks, this "budget" PSA upper blasted out 6,000 rounds without an adjustable gas block, run mostly full auto, suppressed, mostly dry and dirty, and it still performed pretty damn well. When used semi auto with regular cleaning and lubing you can easily triple the amount of rounds run through the upper in the video. Most people buying an AR for "just in case", hunting, home defense or SHTF will never run close to 6,000 rounds through their gun. I think this video shows that for the money, and touted as being the "working man's AR", the PSA upper did prove its worth without a doubt, actually cheap for what you get. I think this reflects very well on PSA and is great advertisement for them.
All good points! Hopefully more people see that and understand the value of cleaning and lubrication
lol, it didn't look shot out to me, needed a cleaning and replacing gas rings. who runs 6k without cleaning a barrel
I'd be curious how many people run 6k rounds in a year, much less 2 days with today's ammo prices. Thats $3k in a weekend.
Very good points. My rifles seldom get more than 100 rounds without a good cleaning.
people only hate on PSA cus its the cool thing to do... never had an issue with any
\
$400 gun survived over $3000 worth of ammo before it started falling off. That's very impressive to me. Most people who buy these will never run that many rounds.
But for me... it was Tuesday!
Ammo is cheap. Found some reloads in my dead father's basement.
Nor will they run them anywhere near this hard and fast.
@Candyman757 We had a PSA PA-15 on our gun range, and it survived a few years of abuse and many thousands of rounds from the public. We had it sent back under warranty fixed like new.
@@SNKNostalgia You had to say dead? You couldn't just say, "My father's basement" RIP
Came looking for answers on my PSA, and you nailed them exactly. Thank you. New subscriber.
Love the weekends, always waiting patiently for my garandthumb notification! Now Micha too! 😅ever b4 him! You fella got me thru to long term relationships burning down. And learned a hell of a lot too. So many of my friends are jealous of your jobs/ and experience. N I ALWAYS learn something. I was army infantry 06'-12'. A few deployments, was fortunate enough to get a slot at armory school, so I'm always super into learning older stuff, and in love w/ the new & exciting stuff coming now & future. Incorporating what I can w/ what I have & what's coming down now! Thanks for what you bring, honest careful consideration. Hehe & you seem to dig shit I do😅 and you share it in awesome ways. Thanks fellas
“Thank you Asian Phil”
“You’re welcome, White Mike “
😂😂😂
😂😂🫡🫡
Now, that’s funny!!😂
@Bexar_Arms we need more Phil!
I was picking myself up off the floor after that one!!!! LOL
Phil was hilarious and really know his stuff.
I’m sold.
I do like Palmetto’s mission statement, “SELL AS MANY GUNS TO AS MANY LAW-ABIDING AMERICANS AS POSSIBLE.”
They say that except they won't even bother selling to MA or DC, as behind the enemy lines as these 2 are that's just not cool.
@@StevenL00MA and DC residents need to fight for their rights first.
Why would you expect them to do something illegal that can have an affect on their ability to even make guns @@StevenL00
Assert your rights and maybe they will ship there again. @@StevenL00
@@StevenL00don't blame PSA for that blame the law makers in those cities and states
Great video! I like seeing more budget friendly firearms tests. Great job guys;)
Just wanted to say you do the best comps and tests, I'm a big brandon Herrera fan, you wear the crap out, and big fan of your range and scenery, keep rolling brother, I've got a ton of pieces that I'd love to throw through your tests....
Budget firearm videos are superior top tier content
so superior i may buy a shitbox because they had fun at our expense.
Why? Just curious.
I'd be curious to see how the M&P stacks up.
@@chadherrera704cause most people can easily afford it and everyone knows the 2000$ Daniel defense is going to be good, but what about the far cheaper option? Most people don’t know
I thought I was the only one
very educational video. Thank you. Phil's insight was a great supplement.
Those close shots with the low music all mic volume😍😍 love to hear the crack in the background
For $400-500 for a rifle, 5k rounds before it starts to degrade rapidly is absolutely freaking excellent. Anywhere near 2 MOA after 4000 rounds, for a gun that wasn't being consistently cleaned, had no new real major parts changed out, AND was being shot full auto and suppressed is awesome at this price point. This gun was definitely punching above is weight.
I'm not trying to make a case that this is better than more expensive rifles, but if you have this gun this let's me know you can run it with confidence.
Thanks a ton for putting this together for everyone!
It proves that with $1500+ ARs you are mostly paying just for the brand name. There are some small innovations with feed ramps, extractors, and gas blocks that type of thing but for the money not worth it
The CEO of PSA said the quite part out loud when he revealed that the more expensive brands just charge more for their name. He stated this on a GOA podcast.
Apparently they used to or still do get their barrels from FN not sure how true that is today but my Freedom upper I got from them for like 180$ is seriously accurate and it's not free floated
@@crimsintigerx2837 so only there premium chromed lined rifle barrels are FN from my knowledge, I own a few of them and they shoot .3 groups with hand load 77g smks!!
@@crimsintigerx2837 that's mostly their higher grade guns. The lower grade guns are their own barrels as psa does have the ability to make most of the stuff in house. That being said 400 bucks for 5k rounds that's not bad. Especially when you factor in you can send it to PSA for warranty. Sure won't work in SHTF situation but if you go through 5k rounds and your still alive in that situation well you've probably picked up several more rifles along the way.
Garand Thumb“We are not here to burn this rifle down.” “Alright we are at 3000 rounds let’s continue to burn it down.”
😂
No I didn’t put my shoes on no man couch I got more common sense then that…yea I put my feet on his couch. Cocaine is a hell of a drug. - Rick James
@@raulg.6643😂
They were letting it cool all the way down after every 2-3 mags he says that at the end
@@Banefulailmentexcept we’ll see a shit ton of mags get dropped and the daylight/ clothes are the same. I highly doubt they “let the rifle cool all the way back down” the math don’t math with the timeframe
Ive watched a ton of torture tests, and most just throw a few thousand rounds down range and say 'yea it works'. This video shows how its supposed to be done. Really liked seeing the components taken apart and measured.
Nobody at the range laughs at my PSA upper on my Oly nor the two PSA pistol uppers (5.56, 300 AAC) on Andersons. I hit what I shoot at, and it goes bang every time I yank back on that lever thingy inside that loop at the bottom in front of where you hold it.
Running so much suppressed and auto without proper maintenance (clean and lube) is way beyond what 99% of shooters are ever going to put an AR through. As a certified armorer I am impressed. I've been using PSA parts in good, affordable builds for years.
yup for sure
Yes, lubrication is the killer for many parts as in lack of. I've seen top name brand AR's fail due to lack of lubrication at times within a magazine of ammo. Many times with brand new M16a2 and then later with M-4 carbines. Just from zeroing then jamming up on qualifications. That is 12 rnds to zero then 40 for qualification. Many didn't "want the rifles to get dirty" when I would be running qualifications ranges I would have a few 1 qt spay bottles of CLP then douse the bolt carrer down with a generous spray. Something I learned from shooting M2 50 cal back during "Cold War time" in Germany. Damn I'm old now after having been issued M16a1 though M4a1.. 😳
Just curious .. how are they getting a full auto version?
@@zx7-rr486 I'm not 100% sure, but it could be a forced reset trigger. They might have said how they did it, but I just wasn't paying attention
@@zx7-rr486 I believe you can get a stamp for it. Pretty sure if you're military, it's easier.
As a machinist of 27 years, i appreciate Phils perspective. Getting actual numbers for the tolerances, really puts the wear into perspective. Thanks dudes, another awesome vid!
Happy to have been invited out and bring tools out to put some numbers on parts!
@@Bexar_ArmsI’ve been wanting one of your BCGs for so long why are they sold out 😭
Trailer park psa m4 won lol
@@mariodcreatorgaming8236 I got C158 BCG’s in stock right now!
Should check out School of the American Rifle. He does a really good job of gauging rifles.
Damn good video!! Hit on the subject I have been tuned into for years! Definitely helped make decisions on future purchases…
Wow you guys really dug deep on this one. Great job!
So what I’m hearing is buy more PSA rifles. You can own 7 for the price of a “real” rifle. With proper maintenance, fired unsuppressed, and semi-auto these rifles will last. A lifetime warranty included, American made rifle for everyone is exactly what we need.
Yeah that works until you get 4 out of those 7 rifles being pieces of trash from the factory.
PSA still has major issues with QC, I agree with garand thumb in saying I like where PSA comes from but it's not particularly something that's viable, especially when you can get a SOLGW or BCM stripped lower and build it yourself for the same price range.
That’s pretty much what I’m hearing. With proper maintenance, like you are required to do in the military, it should last a regular person a lifetime... even in SHTF scenario.
@@meshuggahbingus8260 Have you been in the military? These rifles, especially with a regular maintenance schedule, will last and do better than the typical military rifle.
Or buy 4 Diamondbacks.
What you heard was it is almost decent...
Micah: "You couldn't even put the targets up straight Charlie?"
Charlie: *"They're circles"*
i laughed for a solid min because of your comment 😂
One of the things that budget manufacturers get criticized for is that they usually secure their gas blocks with set screws rather than pinning. PSA being one of those companies that uses screws on AR-15s. We can all agree that pinning is a more secure method and provides a secure mechanical connection to the barrel. But contrary to the “internet experts” this video shows that using set screws can be durable and can hold even under sustained full auto fire. I mean if you listen to the internet, with all the vibration, barrel whipping, lateral forces from the recoil and heat that gas block should have fallen off half way through the test.
If the gas block is under the hand guard, the barrel is dimpled, the gas block and barrel journal is with in spec and installed correctly, the gas block will stay put very well...
Great video, would love to see y’all test their new Sabre Billet (or forged) would love to see the quality difference from the same company. Cheers and stay safe boys.
Mike's not pregnant but he always delivers
He’s a shooter of targets and seed
Bro got big. I need to work out
So he is Gynecologist
@@Grey_Fox_Six his dad advice a couple months ago "get ape shit fuck jacked" really stuck with me and it helped me get back in the gym.
$3000 worth of ammo through a $400 upper. Hard to argue with the value there.
$300 upper. $400 Rifle (according to them).
$500 on sale from what I saw for the rifle.
@@brendanberry7403 - I have never seen an AR cheaper than that $500 mark (retail). Which means the retailer/ FFL is making 50% of that at least I would guess.
DB15 is 450.00 .
And I challenge any ANY Gucci gun 2500.00 plus. To the exact same challenge with the exact same shooting conditions. No cleaning,suppressed,full auto etc. Bet it doesn't last either.
Where do you see them for $450? Found an online site for $470 but it’s not counting their $20 handling fee, shipping and then the FFL fee. That can be $20-100 depending on where you go.
I see they have a rural king exclusive, so not sure if you mean them if they discount them that much. Closest one to me is about 40 miles away so I typically forget they exist lol. They show $650 right now which is what I paid for my M&P.
What a great video. It's now confirmed what is expected out of PSA's bottom tier 16" barrel and BCG. I bought one of their 16" rifles with the OD MOE furniture for $450 a few months ago. Its a beautiful back-to-basics rifle not loaded with accessories and camo spray paint. Every law abiding American should own one.
>full auto
>silenced
>near freezing temps
>no cleaning in ALL the 6K+ rounds
Yeah I'd say that that's the stress test and 95 percent of the users won't do since they would at least clean it and lube it every 1k.
How is he rocking full auto? Or at least simulating it?
he most likely has an ffl and was able to alter it@@shalafi71
@@shalafi71Just buy a full auto lower.
How and where?@@lizardpeter
@@Karmaplays824 Many states in the USA. Just search them up online and look for auctions.
So what I'm hearing, "A PSA rifle will kill "something" just as well as someone's $5k Gucci gun."
Yea
Yes. We’ve been getting ripped off on the $1,500-$2,500 guns.
That and some Gucci companies *cough H&K cough* have absolutely dog shit customer service
@@king_tv2204 HK hasn't put a modern firearm on the US market for like 40 years
@@generalgreevus8773 hk 23 made in the 90s but yeah seem a few people that had some issue with it on gun pages, said they’re shit people and say it’s something they did is why the gun is broken
I like that there’s no hate to the idea of buying what you can afford. I just got my first, an Anderson AM15 utility, threw some stuff on it, bought 1k rounds to get me started. I’ve shot it twice now, and I love it. My thinking is that I keep hold on to the lower, grips, red dot, sling, etc, and eventually upgrade my upper and internals. I had to start small to see if it’s truly something I want to get into, and found out I love it 🫡 I already knew I loved guns though, and was more familiar with handguns
I learned a lot on this one, especially about the inner workings and wear specs of an AR bolt assembly.
This rifle NEEDS to be good. Having something like this available for the price is the whole point of the 2A
And PSA's CEO said that's his purpose and he is an awesome man for that! My super hero!
It is good. People who think budget AR's are bad are like people who buy a Toyota camry and drive it into a pole and say "oh no it doesn't work anymore, I guess it's just a bad car". Take care of it same way you'd take care of any gun and it'll run how you need.
@@nateburns5933yeah, he claims to make the best for the cheapest price. He knows the price of all the parts at factory price. He just isn’t price gouging everyone
The 2A does not cater to poors.
Worth every penny.
I took a rather expensive shooting class from a school we see on TH-cam all the time. The 1st instructor informed me that most people that come here don't bring a 500 dollar rifle with a 300 dollar scope. I told him, "I did." I shot better than 80% of all the other students, and never had an issue with my equipment. Two 5,000 dollar guns broke down, and one 7,000 gun broke down.
For the final exam of the run and gun on multiple targets, I was the only one to clear the course with no misses. I'm in my early 70's and my suggestion is, purchase a less expensive gun, and spend the money on ammo and practice time. Practice, practice, practice.
From what I've experienced, the average guy who isn't competing in target shooting of some kind can't shoot as accurately as their equipment will allow, regardless of what they spent on the rifle.
Its funny how often i tell my customers to spend a few hundred bucks less on a gun and doing the same on the scope and reinvest every cent into ammo and train with it, and how nearly noone ever pays attention to it.
Instead they buy extremly expensive firearms that rarely see 400 bucks worth of ammo.
I had a very similar experience with a traveling seal instructor a few years ago. Of course he has 20/20 vision. When he looked through my budget LVPO, he just about had a heart attack. I have very bad eyes and wear corrective lenses, so of course it was all blurry for him. He really kind of shit on my optic package right there in front of me. But later in the class, I was able to shoot a cleaner run that almost everyone else with way more name brand gear.
@@saltyexxer8253 yup. In my experience, for some reason, people struggle more with producing accurate rifle fire than they do with pistols. I've seen it in classes and in competitions. It's a strange phenomenon.
@uwesca6263 a close friend was spending emergency prep funds on his shooting setup a little while back. His wife had blessed it, so it was rare. He had a stash of ammo and a kitted out long gun. When asking me what armor he should buy with his 1k, I advised him to go take a rifle class first. He has no real-world experience at all. Did he listen to me? Nope. Bunch of armor gathering dust in his closet. He never wears it and still hasn't learned to run his rifle. People think they can buy skill too often.
Man. What a great video! Thanks!
As someone who can't afford boujie ar-15s. $400 for an ar-15 that had no malfunctions until after 3k+ rounds. That sounds like the best deal I've ever heard
Asian Phil is definitely a good addition. The tech breakdown was very informative. Bring him on whenever you do a serious detailed analysis of a firearm.
I would argue that the barrel is not shot out because It isn’t shooting keyholes yet. That thing had a ton of carbon fouling in it. I think if all of the hard carbon was removed and the barrel was stripped to bare metal that it would shoot better than 5” or 6” groups. Maybe I’m wrong, but I’d love to give it a go.
Edit: After stripping the barrel I’d also change the springs, add new gas rings to the bolt and let ‘er buck! Pros to PSA for making an affordable product for the 2A community. Thanks GT Team for the excellent video!
Car engine wear in normal exopatation and race is not the same.Racing burn engines for one hour.For some taxi driver same engine can last half bilion miles.Same thing is with gun barrel.They does not wear,they burn.If that barrrel last 5000 rounds in these extreme fulll auto test,that barrel would last 100K rounds for some hunter who shoots cold barrel mostly.
@@smithsmithersen1646
I wouldn't even worry about lifespan on a home D system. I'd worry about reliability and size. Bigger hurts reaction time in all sorts of ways.
If you're in Korengal Valley, you take something that engages 600 yards. If you're in your house, you take a PDW, imo.
The carbon is a problem but maybe not as much as the copper fouling when it comes to accuracy. There was so much copper in the barrel oxidizing it turned blue. So if they used some very serious copper remover and cleaned the snot out of it there is a good possibility the accuracy would have improved dramatically over the last group. I don’t care how expensive the upper costs if it is full of carbon and copper it isn’t going to group well at all.
Very true @Madhatter
I was very impressed with the extreme conditions this barrel was put through. I have the nice stuff too. But I put the Freedom barrels through hell 😂. A second video with the copper fowling removed would be very interesting to see.
It was a good video… until
The end. Maybe try cleaning the damn thing, then run it again.
Amen to this. I’ve had budget rifles in the past and that’s no problem. You work your way up . I upgraded to a BCM and I will never go back, but I never forgot my roots!
The full auto suppressed mag dumps give me The Division flashbacks and how much it took to kill enemies
That game sucked lol.
Phil is a phenomenal addition to the channel. He did an incredible job, and the comedic chemistry between Garand Thumb and Phil is amazing. More of Phil on the channel, please!
Nah
@@Porch412 no likey asians? Me love them long time lol
Bro when Mike goes, "thank you, asian Phil" he hit back instantly with, "You're welcome white Mike" sealed the deal. He was super insightful. Loved the info.
Yea no…. That was way too much
@@randysalvaje512you got soft hands brother
Give props to PSA for making a $300 complete upper that could handle 6k+ rounds. What kind of makes me scratch my head is that assumption that a "base" complete upper is a shameful thing to have. If this is yous SHTF gun, be glad you have a good, long lasting upper that can delivery rounds on target. Sure, it's nice to have a $1000 upper, but if you brag about having it and never use it, well now, that $1000 upper is SOMEONE else's. Oh, and a simple fact that you can make that upper last a lot longer with an upgraded BCG made of high quality components and print better groupings with proper cleaning of the barrel as well. Not too many of us viewers have the access to an *ahem* "super-fast smei-auto" lower to report back what we find. Buy what you can afford to defend you and yours and train with it.
Damn straight, 100% agree
Yep I agree with you 1000%
If i were privileged enough to I would legit have my fancy range gun and a couple of these for SHTF. Good to have a spare and for 300 bucks that is mad cheap. I just bought a straight pull (laws suck here) and it cost me close to 2.5k USD for the upper and lower combined.
I'm just really confused why SOMEONE is so important. Seems like a weird part of the sentence to shout for emphasis.
You could honestly just spend $25 on a solgw bolt upgrade kit and and be good to go. I’m honestly impressed.
this was one of the most fascinating videos ever. delving into the machining specs was awesome
Yup, he is a good imitator of Chad from the School of the American rifle..
with a price point of 300 bucks and full build rifle costing about 450? you can afford to buy 5 or 6 of these rifles for friends and family when you need them. and still be able to buy ammo. rather than 1 or 2 high end rifles and some ammo. i think that was the intention of PSA's founder. getting affordable rifles in the hands of Americans. and making it ' in common use' . i think is a beautiful thing and i support PSA 100 percent.very nice test and measurement. it teaches everybody the inner workings of an AR.
💯
@hk93shooter Just stop. Stop repeating that "common use" nonsense invented by SCROTUS. Shall not be infringed means shall not be infringed, whether "common use" or not. F Scalia, F Thomas. And F clowns who lie about Heller and Bruen being "big 2A wins" when they actually uphold infringements.
“Who are the militia? Are they not ourselves? Is it feared, then, that we shall turn our arms each man against his own bosom. Congress have no power to disarm the militia. Their swords, AND EVERY OTHER TERRIBLE IMPLEMENT OF THE SOLDIER, are the birthright of an American…[T]he unlimited power of the sword is not in the hands of either the federal or state governments, but, where I trust in God it will ever remain, in the hands of the people.”
-Tench Coxe, The Pennsylvania Gazette, Feb. 20, 1788
Why the fuck would I buy rifles for ‘friends or family’? If they don’t already have their own, they’re just a liability.
@@andrews2990 you should listen to Mike, at the end of his videos, when he talk about people adopting some shitty mindsets.
@@andrews2990terrible mind set. if you never got in to guns you’d be a liability too. Pass down knowledge and experience…
PSA is simply doing gods work. Arming the common man with a rifle that in almost every aspect will never make it to this round count yet it can still handle it.
It me. I’m common man
Very good for what the future holds.
Exactly, and they are running it with very adverse conditions, and it held up for that many rounds. PSA gained a fan boy today.
Very awesome to hear all the technical things with BCG
Gotta love Charlie coming in clutch with the "SDI" meanings. This one was an insta-classic.
In a civilian self defense situation if you're laying down auto suppressive fire, Things have severely went left and most definitely "HIT THE FAN"
that's the whole fucking point
Thanks Biden
@@lithium1770yeah you gotta explain everything nowadays to toddlers.
yes thaat would mean the fecal matter has hit the propeller.
Thats why the 2nd Amandent was written.
@@lithium1770right?
Love the pairing of a $1,200 optic for the $400 rifle.
Well with the mount and red dot your like 2k lol
Optic should always cost more than your rifle.
Like it should be
@@rustymacshackleford6276Says who?
@@wishuhadmynamehard of reading? He just did
Also looks like someone has been bulking! Kind of a surprise as someone who skips around your vids, but I respect the gains my man. love the channel, love the content, please keep it coming!
My first AR (and the only one i have now) is a flat top high standard i paid like $700 for about 18 ish yrs ago. It wore a slide stock for a couple 2 or 3 K rnds along with another K or 2 of just shooting regular and it will do 1" 3 shot groups at 100 yds with the reflex sight thats on it. By the time i fixed up the flat top with sights and stuff i prob had $1000 in it. Also the sights been there the whole time and its cheap too. I paid like a buck twenny for it and it still works great too.
Id rather have 2 $1000 guns than 1 $2000 gun
Seriously worthwhile work for the audience. If every house in my neighborhood had a PSA and 3-4 mags of ammo, and they've only been to the range a couple times and put a couple hundred rounds down range, I'd feel a lot more comfortable than if only one or two houses had Daniel Defense run by former operators. Realistically, none of us are ever going to need 5000+ rounds to defend ourselves. We might need a few dozen rounds in home defense or to escape a riot, or several hundred under WROL. A 5000 round life is probably going to be plenty to get basic proficiency and ability to survive long enough to make one's way to a place with better weapons.
Most veterans that I know... mostly use PSA builds... for the price... they really don't care... It works....
This. Outfitting 5 men in my family with a basic red dot and 7 mags for a little bit more than money than JUST a Daniel Defense or other Gucci ARs is a win. Reminder, this is PSAs cheapest offering...6000 rounds cost $2500 or more depending on what you buy. Sometimes quantity is better than quality.
Like Stalin said, sometimes quantity has a quality all of its own. @@Vicarium
What's the rules of a gunfight?.
1, Have a gun.
2, Bring your mates who have guns.😁
Plus two is one and one is none.
So $400 PSAs will do the job.👍🏻
And in a real world defensive shooting your gun will be in evidence for a while....
And even with that, if you have replacement parts on hand for everything consumable on it, you're going to he fine for a good while.
White Mike & Asian Phil sounds like a dope rap duo stage name.
Dropping our EP soon ™️
lol sounds dorky, don’t go there
I'm an Asian Phil, hey!
@@mastershaw3094 no it doesn’t, it sounds awesome
@@mastershaw3094 you’ve obviously never heard of the legendary MC Miker G and DJ Sven.
So, go to PSA and buy 4 maybe 5 AR's for the price of one high class AR. Most will NEVER wear out their PSA upper if you just clean and oil it every now and then. Great video guys!
This is the best most comprehensive torture test video I’ve ever seen. Would love to see a whole series dedicated to this kind of analysis
That rifle was doing 1moa after 4k rounds and much of that was full auto. That’s more than 99.9% of any AR-15 will ever see, and frankly freaking insane.
Yeah and beat to ish with zero maintenance. I’d bet most guys at least run a few patches through the barrel after a few range trips and drop some lube in there.
@@Reviews4fun1yeah, I was pretty much raised on the mindset of not cleaning your firearm after a range trip being like not wiping your ass when you use the restroom. Only exception I make is when I only shoot one or two rounds during a hunting trip or similar situations. I do agree that the upper used in the video saw way more abuse than the majority of AR's will ever see.
That being said, if you were to go the build route instead of buying a complete rifle, you could buy PSA stripper lower and upper receivers and use the money saved from not buying premium brand receivers to invest in better quality barrels, BCG's, etc where having better quality parts would be more worth the extra money spent.
"You couldn't even put the targets up straight Charlie?" Charlie "They're circles" 🤣🤣🤣
Underrated comment
Exactly 😂😂😂😂
"Hilariously acceptable" that was amazing
Fantastic video as usual from the best guntube channel out there!
We need more Phil on this channel. He's a warehouse of technical knowledge combined with the personality of a truly nice guy.
Kudos to PSA for building a rifle that almost anyone can afford and still run without thorough maintenance for more rounds than most AR's will ever see in a lifetime.
I think if maintence was done more often it would have done ever better!
yes more Phil, I learned so much in this one
@@buckaroobonsi555and that's the thing, you'd HOPE people do more maintenance than this, so it definitely leans on the extreme side of tests. BUT. there are guns that hold up under worst torture. So it's a good area to explore durability and abuse in a short amount of time
All this Phil knowledge is simply school of the american rifle knowledge transfers from shad. You'd think they'd give a shout out
I have worked with the M16/AR15 platform for over 40 years " 22 of those years U.S.M.C." . This platform is a gas operated metal on metal reciprocating machine, it was designed to be operated under a cleaning & lubrication schedule of 500 rounds maximum between cleaning and lubrication. Any test that does not include the maintenance schedule is negligence and causes premature wear and shortens the life of the platform . Not following the maintenance schedule invalidates the durability test . But if the maintenance schedule is followed it would take a series of 2-3 videos for the test and probably several thousand more rounds of ammo " I get that , and understand why they cut the maintenance out ". I don't own a PSA rifle , but from this video they seem like a great American minute Man rifle , that if maintained would last many thousand rounds. Take care of your rifle , and your rifle will take care of you.
Damn straight it will take care of you back.
[Filthy 14 has entered the chatroom.]
I was in the Air Force for 10 years. They issued me a hotel room key before they issued me an M-4 or M16. But, as a gun nerd, I agree with you. This PSA gets a pass if you’re on a budget in my book. Clean it, add the proper amount of CLP, and you’ll be good to go.
Hey Marine, from another Marine, it is a RIFLE, not a F^&%king Platform. LOL. Otherwise I totally agree with you. I have an A1 variant, semi auto only that I hahve fired many rounds through, but I clean it thoroughly after each range session. Most I put through it at one time was 648 rounds. Not one hang up during that 648 round session. PSA makes an outstanding product for the price point, been using them for years...
My A1 variant is not PSA but my A3 is. 20 inch barrel.
@@josephdixon1827From a Marine Dixon to another Marine Dixon, wassup
Back in 2017 I bought two 16" AR-15 Complete Rifle kits for $250 each and 2 Anderson stripped lowers. Those are two awesome cheap economy blaster's that shoots tight groups. I must admit that I love the cheap builds too.
Wow I haven’t watched Garand Thumb in a few years and he was crazy jacked now!!!
PSA Sales are going to increase from this video alone! I mean for $300 you can't beat it! keep a bolt rebuild kit in your go bag or just an extra bolt, lube and cleaning supplies and you're golden!
Heck yeah! Shoot, just run the Magpul grip insert that holds a spare bolt and firing pin and then tuck a little mini ziplock bag with some springs and pins in it…. You’d be golden!!
Yeah I’m kinda mad I hadn’t got one before seeing this. Damn thing’s gonna start climbing by week’s end
Yep
That's the reason for the video 😉
Yeppers, and consider it's usually recommended that you carry replacement BCGs for your TEOTWAWKI plans regardless of the make of your rifle or carbine. I don't remember this being a thing until 16" barrels became all the rage, I imagine you'd have less need of repl. parts with a 20" rifle.
Now to make the test complete, do the same thing with a "good" AR-15 upper.
Exactly that's what I feel was missing from this video. Granted, they can't do every rifle, but doing the same thing apples to apples with the PSA then a "mid" upper, then premium upper would have been more illuminating.
Amen.
Whats a good upper? I want to build my own and i need a list of parts ill need. Does the lower even matter? Which parts would you choose to build a nice ar 15?
@@scripteazeDepends on how you define “good” and the type of ammo you’re shooting. For a complete upper, there are tons of premium uppers from the likes of Daniel Defense, Bravo Company, Knights Armament, and the list goes on… Colt would be considered mid-end. Much of it depends on things like barrel twist rate, depending on the grain of the bullets being sent, suppressed vs not…… Too many variables in the equation. That’s why custom builds can be tricky. If you’re just going with your run of the mill mil-spec 55 or 62 grain ammo, then you’re often not getting the benefit of some of the more expensive upper setups.
Edit: The lower takes far less abuse so, you can go much cheaper. However, your tolerances with how the upper mates with the lower can come into play that can factor in many ways. Some may fit loose and have wobble and improper fitment with the upper. This can bring forth some issue when having Frankenstein builds. Sometimes it’s best to buy a decent mid grade complete rifle and, upgrade things like the trigger group, bcg, and barrel, buffer tube/spring to the specs that you desire.
@@scripteazeBCM is the go to for higher tier builds. Aero Precision is a pretty good mid-tier option IMO. There's a lot of things that go into durability and reliability with ARs but if anything do not cheap out on your upper.
I've built quite a few rifles with Anderson stripped lowers and PSA kits. Never had an issue with any of them putting about 500-1,000 rounds in each so far. Best bang for your buck imo.
This was an AMAZING review!
That PSA will stop a bad guy just as effective as that expensive AR. Dead is dead
If it goes bang every time and gives you "minute of bad guy" accuracy at reasonable ranges, that's really all you can ask for.
Anything over and above that is just gravy.
Bullet and barrel length is what matters, so long as the rest is reliable thats all that really matters aside from drip levels
Theres dead then there’s dead as a doorknob. THERES A DIFFERENCE
@@BloopTubebarrel length? How long does a barrel need to be affective in real time killing range?
Dead like Zed
A $400 complete upper firing over 5000 rounds, suppressed, in full auto, and for the most part, out of the box with minimal maintenance. That is beyond reasonable expectations. My issued M4 was nearly cooked around 4k non-suppressed with regular cleanings.
I'm no expert. But this seems to be on point. Just based on the many hours of TH-cam I've watched and the conversations with bros that have been deployed.
Old Colts are garbage, you have to think your M4 was probably made like 20 years ago.
Those old colts did not hold up well.
You were issued M4s?? Shit I was 11bravo Infantry and we were never issued M4s. My last deployment to Iraq was 06. And we still were using our beat up old and worn out M16A4s.
@@thejoker9201 I was in Afghanistan 2013. Y’all went hard with those m16s in Iraq though, I definitely respect the guys before me.
Charlie NEVER disappoints
I find myself scrolling through the list of GT videos, finding ones that feature Charlie, and then re-watching them a couple months, years later
"We're not gonna just burn it down, that's not our intention"
12 minutes in: "Alright, well, lets continue to burn it down." jkjk I know you didn't mean it that way, funny tho
Thank you guys. Now, I have learned from 3 different videos so much more than I knew before the videos.
90% of people aren't ever going to spend $2.5k plus on ammo to get to the 5k round mark.
Well, not all at once like these guys did, but over years of ownership and shooting anyone will eventually get to that point. Unless they just stick the rifle in a closet and forget it. Hell, people pay for cars that cost tens of thousands of dollars by paying a little bit at a time. So it's not out of the question that people will reach that point.
It’s also not uncommon, though
A little at a time and ye shall exceed 5k rounds of 556!
@Maddog3060 that's exactly what people do. The vast majority of people will buy an ar shoot in a couple times a year and never rack up more then 1k rounds if that.
Because most people don't actually train.. they just talk shit and post memes
Although the barrel only lasted around 5k rounds, full auto ruins barrels faster especially if it is not cold hammer forged which this PSA barrel was not. Most people only have access to semi-auto, so this barrel would certainly last longer in the hands of people who aren’t on a time crunch to burn the barrel out. For $300, pretty dang alright to me, great video
I think it's more chrome vs. nitride than CHF vs button rifled.
Check out the hoffman super safety
That barrel would last me the rest of my life probably.
@@timewave02012no . It's definitely the CHF aspect
Middle East AKs say that you don’t even need rifling to fight a war. Just hot beans going in a direction.
The shots off the minibike with epic music in the back
I've got a PSA Freedom Upper on my last build with a PSA stripped lower and Strike Industries lower parts kit. A rave 140 3.5lb trigger, Primary Arms 1-6 LPVO, and it's my go-to rifle. I just received a PSA Micro Dagger C-1 yesterday and it shot great so far I have only 50 rounds through it. Time will tell but PSA seems to be a great company and way better than Bear Creek. I can say that because I also had a Bear Creek budget rifle that I sold. 😆
Hats fucking off to PSA, what a solid fucking rifle for almost nothing; being able to get into a solid AR at that price and then upgrade it as you go, is absolutely fantastic.
At PSA $40 - $70 will put your rifle a whole tier higher.
Magpul furniture , better BCG & trigger and maybe iron sights, that is the real SWEET SPOT!
@ratroute8238 maybe iron sights? Always have irons! I don't know why they are seemingly disappearing from modern AR rifles. Batteries die, optics break.
@@Hatchet_Wound what's even more crazy is people will call you a Fudd for wanting irons... I still stand with irons on any gun.
@@Hatchet_Wound The "maybe iron sights" is referring to what combo of parts PSA is offering on sale.....not if you should run them or not.
@@Hatchet_Woundirons are way more fragile than good optics
I’m not convinced the barrel is shot out. Phil mentioned in his diagnostics that the rifling isn’t bad but is full of copper fowling. I’m willing to bet if you were to clean out the fowling, the groups would tighten up again. Maybe not to brand now but not minute of shoot-n-see.
If this is the case, I think replacing the bolt and gas tube would give it a new lease on life.
The throat is compromised IMO. I wouldn’t keep moving forward with it for grouping. I think the PSA did surprisingly well!
Fouling is a real thing...but then again so is throat wear.
To my way of thinking, getting 5k rounds of accurate barrel life from a hundred dollar barrel if pretty decent.
Considering how cheap it is, and how much my time is worth, the repair would be to slap another upper on it and keep it moving lol.
Sweets 7.62 copper solvent then good to go
My 300 blackout pistol is PSA. I love it and it’s super reliable. $400
What people fail to realize with manufactured firearms is that even cheaply made “AR-15s” they still have strict tolerances. So when you fall outside those tolerances you’ll find much larger problems then normal malfunctions and jams. There will be catastrophic failures and simply a functionless firearm. So two ARs shouldn’t fall past certain values in performance given the same optic, barrel length and ammo.
This did nothing but inspire complete confidence in PSA if you ask me.
They do a fine job.
Yea like genuinely as a giga chump who wants a rifle for doomsday prepping I will never be let down by my rifles
I love all the firearms knowledge and testing you do, but I have to admit, the most excitement I get is seeing if Charles is in the video to give SDI a new meaning. 😂
Garand Thunb video
I haven't seen it mentioned, bur Phil's 'stash is on point!
So much info in these videos. Great sh*t
Phil is a gem and should be a GT staple cast member. Well done PSA!
Honestly… for $300-$400 that rifle did damn good.
This is the best rifle evaluation i have seen on the internet, so far. Definitely the only one where ive seen the rifle and bolt actually broken down and evaluated, measured and critiqued by a professional. This, this is excellent content.
Would you expect anything different from the Thumb??
Check out "School of the American rifle" if you're in to the details.
Look up school of the American rifleman. It’s an actual gunsmith who deep dives into the specs of AR’s and show you what’s good and what’s bad in manufacturing
But why run it suppressed?
They contradicted themselves at the end. They didn't shoot the barrel out at all. That rifle would still run. Definitely if you tossed another $50 BCG in. I'm guessing they ran out of ammo and or interest in taking it any further. Didn't Rob Ski put 10k through his PSA freedom rifle years ago?