How Many Rounds Will A 400 Dollar AR-15 Last?

[@EC-mc7vg]

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.

[@indivisible885]

All good points! Hopefully more people see that and understand the value of cleaning and lubrication

[@Sageofthe16]

lol, it didn't look shot out to me, needed a cleaning and replacing gas rings. who runs 6k without cleaning a barrel

[@andrewcarlson2178]

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.

[@harpintn]

Very good points. My rifles seldom get more than 100 rounds without a good cleaning.

[@henrychacon7262]

people only hate on PSA cus its the cool thing to do... never had an issue with any \

[@willo.2324]

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

[@ryanhamstra49]

Except that my freedom kit didn’t come with the happy switch, so it’s a semi freedom kit…..

[@dpchief_216]

Didn’t he review a radical firearms ar15 a while back? That’s a 400-500 dollar rifle right there

[@armorers_wrench]

@@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...

[@snicklefritzd3612]

100

[@nicholascecil6733]

Poor Army Rise!

[@Driveby-Viktum]

$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.

[@chiefkeef74]

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

[@PoorMansArsenal]

By the time one would reach the 5k limit, one can easily put the money towards a better barrel and bcg.

[@jesseterrell2109]

But what if a hoard of taliban come into my town. 😂

[@BroJacksonTradez]

​@orbyboy123 that's only 20 range trips. That's less than a year

[@GunnyO326]

@@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.

[@Ridley_1992]

I would like to add that Palmetto has A+ customer service. I bought an AR pistol upper from them for my first AR build. I put it together and it was not ejecting most of the shells. I emailed Palmetto just asking them for their opinions, due to my lack of knowledge at the time I did not know if it was something I did when I assembled the gun or something in the upper assembly. The service rep said that they would be happy to look at the upper and examine it for defects free of charge. I was very satisfied to hear that, so I boxed it up and shipped it out on a Friday... on Tuesday, they emailed me back and said they had my upper and would let me know what they found. The very next day (Wednesday) they emailed me back and said that there was indeed a problem, the gas port was oversized and was causing my cycling issue and to make up for the issue they were going to upgrade my barrel to a nitride barrel as an apology for the inconvenience... my upper was back in my hands that Friday. That combined with their lifetime warranty, Ive been a fan of their products ever since

[@CasualCaine]

i had a similar experience with the customer service team on my first AR build, the cam pin on my bcg wouldn't clear the gas key i called PSA customer service and they had me send it back free of charge and they replaced it with an upgraded BCG all within a week and totally free.

[@CurieBohr]

When I called and spoke with them they were the nicest people

[@roberthubbard5008]

Can't beat that

[@MulletDestructur]

Most people don’t need a $3000 rifle. Most people need a $400 rifle with $2600 worth of ammunition.

[@Im7heon1yone]

They probably used 20k in 5.56

[@MulletDestructur]

@@Im7heon1yone not hardly. 5.56 is like $0.45-$0.60/round.

[@mikerayle6103]

​@@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.

[@brockstrong451]

People that say this don't train though.

[@cykeok3525]

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.

[@stardustmarshtomp3116]

The real hero of this video was the one who took the time to pack all those mags.

[@thecursed01]

since i saw that machine that autoloads mags, i have a new dream :)

[@kn6vbw]

@@thecursed01My dream would be just to keep that machine operating. 😁

[@seymourwrasse3321]

@@thecursed01 my dream is to be able have the money to buy all these toys

[@thecursed01]

i have neither the rights nor the income to buy guns anyway. that's why it's a dream @@seymourwrasse3321

[@joebenson528]

@@seymourwrasse3321 As long as it's not Sig or Knights Armament. They both fund g*n control measures in the US.

[@KirShizzle]

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.

[@christopherdryden1254]

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.

[@maverick00084]

Agreed!

[@Markyymark662]

Your comment will never get lost. Gobbless

[@charlieghague]

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.

[@zmbombr]

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...

[@magickaldood]

PSA 10.5" Classic series, carbine gas, nitride barrel: Purchased for $259 as a pistol kit (everything but the lower) back in 2018. I just took the barrel off after ~14,000 rounds (aprox 10k steel cased wolf). I logged an initial accuracy (ammo no longer known) of 1.70" at 50 yards non magnified sig romeo 5. I logged 43 malfunctions over the life time of the gun, 1 was a case detonation that the gun survived intact. Gas rings changed 3 times over the life span. Gas block and gas tube were cooked, flame cut and obviously damaged. Most likely due to the excessive rates of fire and near full time suppressed use. The barrel still has some rifling but I think the steel cased ammo degraded accuracy fairly quick. Romeo 5 gave up the ghost in Feb of 2022, does not like cold temps. Now wearing an MRO green (even bigger POS than the Romeo). End of life (~13,800 rounds) accuracy test resulted in a 4.6" group at 50 yards unmagnified MRO green. (Hornady 55gr vmax) The lower, trigger, mag release, buffer, tube, spring, end plate and castle nut are all still in use. The upper was cleaned and reassembled with an 11.3" aero barrel. Same bolt carrier, the cotter pin, cam pin and bolt were replaced. New Aero barrel is 100% functional so far, 400 rounds into its lifespan. PSA parts performance are well in excess of their cost.

[@InvestWithFFI]

Would a BCM upper and AERO lower be good, bad, or overkill? I’m new to rifles.

[@magickaldood]

@@InvestWithFFI That's a good option, Pair it with a good optic (Aimpoint, Eotech, trijicon, etc) Spend your money on a good bolt and barrel. A good Chrome lined barrel will last 40,000 to 60,000 rounds. A good bcg will last just as long. Almost any upper and lower will do as long as they are 7075s T6 aluminum. On bolt carrier groups you do have several wear parts: extractor and extractor spring, ejector and ejector spring, cotter pin can get mangled from disassembly, gas rings will erode from firing. The service life/maintenance interval will depend on gas system/barrel length, suppressor usage, spring and buffer weight. Become familiar with what it is supposed to look like so that you can diagnose what is broken. Personally I don't mind nitrided bolt carriers but they are not milspec. That said I do not think that 9310 nitrided bolts (the part that actually locks up in the barrel extension) are a good idea, they seem to be too brittle and can shear lugs. I would stick with phosphate bolts (regardless of carrier) preferably in C158. Toolcraft and Microbest are excellent options. For ~$2,000 you can have a rifle + optic + light+ sling + mags. After that you just need to practice.

[@InvestWithFFI]

@@magickaldood thank you! That is a very helpful response, especially about the BCG, but also the optic recs as well.

[@royalflush9532]

What's your experience with the MRO? Why don't you like it?

[@magickaldood]

@@royalflush9532 The QD mount is terrible, has about 1/16" of play on the top rail. When it was initially installed I could not get a zero established because it would move just enough. I torqued it down a bit more and now it doesn't move but it's no longer QD either. It also burns through batteries in record time. It's about the same amount of run time from an MRO as an Eotech. The Eotech gives a crisp multidot reticle that looks good under magnification. The MRO dot is smeared while magnified, so there seems to be an issue with the way the image is refracted. Not a competitive option in the $500-$600 range. There are Sig and Holosun products in the $200-$300 range that are better.

[@dfall8655]

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

[@DevilDaRebel]

5k is fucki nothing lol

[@nickbugh1406]

@@DevilDaRebelthey quite literally in this video said that it is.

[@thadisturbedone1606]

​@@DevilDaRebel 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

[@DL-ij7tf]

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.

[@ConsensusX]

@@DevilDaRebel I shoot like 100rds/month on my AR. The guys I know shoot about the same or less.

[@matthewmorales8184]

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

[@carmisti]

Well said

[@theblitz6838]

Aah, back in the day when "accuracy through volume" was the norm.

[@TheTyrial86]

​@@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.

[@REDACTED_shenanigans]

​@@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

[@MagDumpMafia101]

I think what Colt was aiming for with the M16/M4 platforms was 3 MOA. I can’t be sure though.

[@TheDersEffect8]

I learned 2 things from this. 1. PSA is killing it right now 2. Get a field Asian to diagnosis any weapon malfunctions

[@Dudemieser]

😂❤

[@theKashConnoisseur]

No matter how good you are at something, somewhere there's an Asian teenager that is already way better than you at it.

[@zacharyk.7350]

Asian phill and white Mike

[@robertkidnley93]

" and right next to me magazine holder on my duty belt is my battle Asian "

[@801Self]

Why was i thinking the same fuggin thing pahahahahaha

[@trollwerks]

bro... 6,020 rounds is far more than the average soldier who actually made contact fired in all of our wars combined. And it seems like after this test, it was still in better shape than any of the M16s or M4s I was issued in the Army.

[@chrisberg3648]

Yeah but the fire rates for guns up until the 1900s are probably skewing that number a lot... 😉😆🤣

[@Impossibly-Possible]

@@chrisberg3648 what? those rifles firing same speed as the PSA, and it outlasted them, the military takes the cheapest bid and the cheapest item that can do the minimum job enough of the time. Civilian market makes much better firearms and everything else.

[@chrisberg3648]

@@Impossibly-Possible He said "6,020 rounds is far more than the average soldier who actually made contact fired in all of our wars combined." and I was joking that soldiers in, say, the Revolutionary War are probably dragging that average down since they could only fire about one round per minute as opposed to modern warfare where soldiers can fire hundreds of rounds in a minute.

[@treywesley958]

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!

[@The_Draque]

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

[@thystaff742]

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.

[@crimsintigerx2837]

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

[@Coonhound719]

@@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!!

[@LavitosExodius]

@@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.

[@curteaton]

Mike: This is not a burndown test. Also Mike: Let's continue to burn it down.

[@jamesbender1967]

Yes and no. He did say that. But then he stated that they dumped three mags, then let the rifle cool to ambient temp. So definitely not a “burn down”

[@JohnMurse]

He literally said both of those things. Your input is not warranted.

[@JTheraos]

​@jamesbender1967 though it is exponentially more wear with the suppressor AND full auto. Someone shooting semi auto without a suppressor would probably have that same barrel last their whole life, even if they train more than average. Also the lack of cleaning make it wear even faster. I'd bet my life that those groups would have been perfectly fine at 7k rounds of a normal firing schedule. It would likely be perfectly fine at double those rounds with routine cleaning/maintenance.

[@Mykaelous]

@@JTheraosyeah I really doubt the 7k of ammo they put on their knights armament rifle was done at the same course of fire of three maga and then cool down. Wear increases exponentially as the barrel warms up. Machine gun barrels burn out under hard sustain use which is why they have quick change barrels. I bet with the type of typical range pace of semi-auto fire the barrel would last 2-3 times as long, especially with proper maintenance.

[@MsPetra2009]

Yeah. I've noticed folks are less likely to do these burndown tests on expensive rifles. Don't want to destroy the bougie "safe queen." Cheap rifle and PSA's great return policy lends to these destructive tests.

[@cliffordmontana4562]

I don’t think a lot of people understand how hard running suppressed is on a firearm, especially one that isn’t specifically designed for it. You should have a piston driven upper with an adjustable gas block when running suppressed. This psa did amazing!

[@Sman7290]

I can't believe that thousands of rounds, mostly full auto, suppressed, is a normal test. You guys beat the absolute dog shit out of it. I'm really impressed with how it held up.

[@GuillotineActual]

They gave that thing hell and kept going. They may be a budget option they are damn good for the price

[@Mikehunt-90]

Thats the thing about PSA/budget ARs its a crap shoot. 100% of the time the QC isnt great. But when you do get it it may run for 1000s of rounds, or you get a dogshit gun no in between with them.

[@chris.eskimo]

They DID say accelerated wear.

[@wysoft]

Some guy over on arfcom posted data from a PSA nitride upper where he went something like 11k rounds of nothing but mag dumps, dunking the barrel in a 5gal bucket of water before throwing it back in the trunk to go home, before it FINALLY started to keyhole on 55gr - and half the posters were like "see PSA nitride shit sucks" 99.9% of shooters are never gonna put a rifle through that much abuse, for them that rifle would literally last a lifetime

[@jasoncrutchfield4848]

​@@Mikehunt-90How many of their guns have you bought from them?

[@lanceroberthough1275]

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.

[@sbentsen2714]

yup for sure

[@DB-yj3qc]

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.. 😳

[@zx7-rr486]

Just curious .. how are they getting a full auto version?

[@ChickenPaulYT]

@@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

[@TheRealDebH]

@@zx7-rr486 I believe you can get a stamp for it. Pretty sure if you're military, it's easier.

[@tylerwilliams1882]

$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.

[@SNKNostalgia]

But for me... it was Tuesday!

[@SNKNostalgia]

Ammo is cheap. Found some reloads in my dead father's basement.

[@Candyman757]

Nor will they run them anywhere near this hard and fast.

[@tylerwilliams1882]

@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.

[@scripteaze]

@@SNKNostalgia You had to say dead? You couldn't just say, "My father's basement" RIP

[@MarcusWords]

I've stayed away from PSA uppers for some time because of my concern for quality. This video make me feel like PSA is the ALDI of gun manufacturers, this is very compelling. great work gentlemen - kudos to you fellas.

[@strixt]

Great comment 😂 Aldi is so good for the price, and although I've been hesitant on PSA also, this video definitely sold me

[@norcalrizzo]

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!

[@Bexar_Arms]

Happy to have been invited out and bring tools out to put some numbers on parts!

[@mariodcreatorgaming8236]

@@Bexar_ArmsI’ve been wanting one of your BCGs for so long why are they sold out 😭

[@richardcranium2581]

Trailer park psa m4 won lol

[@Bexar_Arms]

@@mariodcreatorgaming8236 I got C158 BCG’s in stock right now!

[@edwinlongwell]

Should check out School of the American Rifle. He does a really good job of gauging rifles.

[@wyrrd]

Mind you, this $400 rifle withstood full auto and a suppressor, and still managed to chug on past 6000 rounds with no proper cleaning or maintenance. Crazy.

[@numbr17]

This actually is pretty impressive.

[@hermitgreenn]

It's very telling of just how good Stoner's design is

[@andreg36k]

I took a 10.5 psa $150 upper and ran it full auto suppressed with surefire 60 round mag in the rental program for a while at a range I worked at.. only thing we did we oil the fucker never cleaned lol. Psa works

[@jonosterman2878]

I’m confused as to why he said they all blow gas tubes at 900 rounds. Did he just mean if you crank 900 consecutive rounds? I don’t get it

[@thomasmeek4501]

@@jonosterman2878 So he meant in the sense of if you just mag dump as many rounds as possible in one sitting, most DI rifles will pop the gas tube before you reach the 900 round count

[@aigtbootbp]

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.

[@hdtvcamera1]

Agreed, clearly he knows his craft.

[@rahrahhill8174]

Thanks!

[@THATMOFODIRT]

I’m sold. I do like Palmetto’s mission statement, “SELL AS MANY GUNS TO AS MANY LAW-ABIDING AMERICANS AS POSSIBLE.”

[@s00-x2h]

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.

[@mithril1584]

@@s00-x2hMA and DC residents need to fight for their rights first.

[@Killiri]

Why would you expect them to do something illegal that can have an affect on their ability to even make guns ​@@s00-x2h

[@daveonezero6258]

Assert your rights and maybe they will ship there again. @@s00-x2h

[@konnerkramer329]

​@@s00-x2hdon't blame PSA for that blame the law makers in those cities and states

[@williamconway3237]

Frankly super impressed. You could replace this upper every 3k rounds and be ahead for the cost. We truly are living in the golden age of firearms.

[@Centermass762]

The golden age of ARs but the end of times for milsurps and C&Rs.

[@mlentsch]

That's stupid. How much longer do you think this golden age is gonna last?? Hopefully, you've pre-purchased said uppers... and then be ready to carry the junk around with you.... or you could just build a couple of proper rifles that'll last > 30K rounds....

[@MountainMan-sc8xj]

@@Centermass762RIP

[@JSTAR585]

Apparial typically only lasts about 10000 rounds. I don't know where to get this thirty thousand rounds a barrel thing.​@@mlentsch

[@Joe-hz1nw]

@@mlentschnot for the majority of Americans who don’t make enough money to spend that much on a rifle. Also, getting those new to firearms interested in getting an AR is great bc they vote and can upgrade later.

[@ugo445]

Budget firearm videos are superior top tier content

[@justinroubique1473]

so superior i may buy a shitbox because they had fun at our expense.

[@chadherrera704]

Why? Just curious.

[@jonathanhassell818]

I'd be curious to see how the M&P stacks up.

[@lordfarquaadgaming9316]

@@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

[@joejones1991]

I thought I was the only one

[@mephistoxd2627]

The fact that they replace the barrel for free should tell you that the average customer of this rifle is never going to come close to the amount of wear that was induced in this video.

[@Semperf11]

Rights I got my Pa15 as a place holder till a save for a DD 😎

[@Ridonkulous05]

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!

[@Porch412]

Nah

[@neo4102]

@@Porch412 no likey asians? Me love them long time lol

[@grrttshw]

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.

[@randysalvaje512]

Yea no…. That was way too much

[@MattWaller04]

@@randysalvaje512you got soft hands brother

[@ChrisDavis-tt1dj]

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.

[@zacherygolden1327]

Glad to hear, gonna look into buying one soon

[@malcomx1924]

@@zacherygolden1327check out the other products available from PSA! So many cool budget options which r very cool.

[@benjaminlathem2745]

I got a diamondback DB15 so far so good.

[@skibro1965]

That's what I have. Our shooting habits are the same. I'm proud of my PSA Freedom rifle.

[@bmartin863]

And if you ever do have any problems. Send it in and new barrel new parts . All free . PSA foots the bill.

[@sigsauer22045]

I love the "we're not gonna burn 900rds straight through till failure" then *cue full auto montage

[@thatgreenslime9517]

Doing drills and 900 back to back are different, though.

[@jacobcastro1885]

You weren't exaggerating 😂

[@sigsauer22045]

@@thatgreenslime9517 very true, I just thought it was comical the "we're gonna run it hard but not burn it down" and then 60 seconds of full auto mag dumps and drills on auto.

[@thatgreenslime9517]

@@sigsauer22045 I guess I just don't feel like laughing this morning.

[@ASAP2525]

There breaks in-between those drills so the gun cools they don’t just have a table of beta Maga

[@brandynstahler5266]

to be fair thats 5k rounds without ANY cleaning or brushing of the barrel, i'm not surprised at all that there's fliers and you're getting 2 MOA at the end

[@bigswingin6316]

They ABUSED a 300$ PSA rifle with no lube or cleaning and got to 5,000 rounds?? That's a fucking win. Now do another test with a 300$ PSA and run it with proper maintenance then see whats good. Thanks for the info yall are killing it

[@markrippt4677]

BREAKING NEWS! LARPers discover a $400.00 dollar upper is not quite as good as a $1500.00 dollar one. No shit Sherlock. Phil was awesome though.

[@Keka-vg3ut]

They lubed it and cleaned it when it stopped running

[@kevinwalter2674]

Yeah, when it experienced failure. The entire point of the test was to see how quickly they could damage it (without forcing failure by just running 2000 rnds though it in 10 minutes).

[@keith3761]

not really good enough, the amount of metal shavings building up in the barrel from that amount of rounds accelerates wear by a insane amount. thing of a car cylinder filled with metal shavings. It should have been cleaned and pulled thru after at least every 300 rounds.@@Keka-vg3ut

[@BRMCaptChaos]

That doesn't fix the barrel. But a good point in isolation

[@Sonick92]

Putting arms that work in the hands of those with less means is a moral good for a nation.

[@ThePatriotsway]

Amen!!

[@mattyice2099]

Yes, those who have moral fiber

[@colt-_-jonson1743]

Except black

[@cezao93]

​@@colt-_-jonson1743😂😂😂

[@TheyWILLdisarmYOU]

​@@colt-_-jonson1743exactly. Most, anyway

[@Joneybara]

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.

[@mattutubematt]

It me. I’m common man

[@c2dholla]

Very good for what the future holds.

[@CouchVet0431]

Exactly, and they are running it with very adverse conditions, and it held up for that many rounds. PSA gained a fan boy today.

[@Grizzlyman420]

Any experience with their aks?

[@milesoster3122]

"Here at Garand Thumb, we would never except money to give a good reveiw of a bad product... but before we go any farther we would like to thank the sponsors of the show Sonoran Desert Institute"

[@imfamousdragon8766]

I bought a psa AR-15 a couple years ago. The guys in the store told me they made choice decisions to make sure it would be basically the BEST CHEAP AR-15 and this video has proved to me that they were not full of bs, those words are in fact reality

[@davidferreras3101]

Wait so question which set up is this one in PSA?

[@Im-the-greatest]

I got the freedom upper it works pretty well for what it is

[@Grizzlyman420]

Any experience with psa ak?

[@michaelwesten4624]

how many schools you got with that?

[@somerandomdragon4655]

What?

[@myrealname2022]

“Thanks Asian Phil” “No problem White Mike” 😂

[@pink_love_cat4928]

Yea that was 🤣

[@thecursed01]

should call him euro mike. that would sting XD

[@slyscot3189]

My favorite quote of the video 💀

[@wystock2692]

I lost it... lol

[@williegillie5834]

Typical event. Everyone better have thick skin or you wont last. If all they have his "Asian" he's in the club...

[@chrischapman280]

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!

[@ciro79]

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.

[@manictiger]

​@@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.

[@madhatter6913]

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.

[@Miller-i6m]

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.

[@jeremyjones9935]

It was a good video… until The end. Maybe try cleaning the damn thing, then run it again.

[@DaveGrimes-i4s]

Asian Phil is the shit! He needs his own channel. Bring on the subject experts. Can’t get too much of that

[@jki808]

Just wanted to add that Phil’s help was gold. Always fun to know more about the platform from an advanced perspective.

[@Bexar_Arms]

Glad I could bring a different kind of knowledge to the video!

[@NickGerring]

Yes more Phil that was very informative.

[@metubepick2008]

yes, I agree! His comments were remarkably educational for me.

[@thevnbastid1027]

@@Bexar_Arms the gun quant?

[@raifsevrence]

@@metubepick2008look up SOTAR (School of the American Rifleman) if you want more of that kind of in depth diagnosis and information.

[@lilben7553]

“Thank you Asian Phil” “You’re welcome, White Mike “ 😂😂😂

[@Bexar_Arms]

😂😂🫡🫡

[@Dennisthemenace40]

Now, that’s funny!!😂

[@FLMAN3366]

​@Bexar_Arms we need more Phil!

[@shadowman8787]

I was picking myself up off the floor after that one!!!! LOL

[@helmsman3082]

Phil was hilarious and really know his stuff.

[@McKevittS]

I own 3 of these things and recommend them to friends/family who are looking for a plinker. 95% of owners will never get close to shooting 5000 rounds through their rifle. They are accurate, cheap, and reliable (when not ran supressed and full-auto past 6000 rounds). This was a great test and thank you guys for this kind of content. Very informative to know the limits of an entrh level tool

[@arthurpendragon3000]

Most people who buy this rifle will use it as a starter for the kids or because they can't afford anything else. I would guess a lot of people would buy this because of the crazy times we are in. When SHTF would most people be worried about a 3 moa or that the rifle actually works after 6k rounds of abuse and doesn't jam every other round or blow up in their face? The vast majority of buyers aren't doing close quarter drills or dumping two thousand rounds at each monthly range visit. If someone can afford top of the line great. If not this PSA seems awesome for the price. Just some thoughts and speculation. The colonists didn't have top of the line equipment like the British, just saying.

[@JoshJones-37334]

I buy them as farm guns. I work outside all the time. Would i rather back a tractor over a DD or a PSA? This is the reality I work in.

[@fnkdtnk]

Most people will also clean and lubricate their rifles every 1,000 rounds or less, which will help extend the round count. By the time most people wear this rifle out, they will have enough saved back up to buy a higher end barrel, bcg etc. Or save the Money and buy psa replacement parts for $100 and buy another 6,000 rounds of ammo,

[@joelederhouse8421]

You should run one of those Gucci guns side by side and see how it runs in the same test. I bet Gucci was cleaned and lubricated. I challenge you to do a side by side test.

[@joelederhouse8421]

The other thing is, you need to measure before the test and after. I would bet some of those measurements were out of spec from the factory.

[@anthonywilliams660]

i recently bought a $860 psa ar that was a BLEM model for $460 on sale. Best firearm purchase i've ever made in regards to reliability and accuracy *for this price point*

[@larrypelrine1799]

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.

[@skippyvonbudro2919]

Damn straight, 100% agree

[@GibbyCustomz]

Yep I agree with you 1000%

[@JustAGuy93-G]

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.

[@stevep7346]

I'm just really confused why SOMEONE is so important. Seems like a weird part of the sentence to shout for emphasis.

[@jpk9171jpk]

You could honestly just spend $25 on a solgw bolt upgrade kit and and be good to go. I’m honestly impressed.

[@trey0001069760]

Micah: "You couldn't even put the targets up straight Charlie?" Charlie: *"They're circles"*

[@abhishekparmar6702]

i laughed for a solid min because of your comment 😂

[@George-vf7ss]

I took a rather expensive shooting class from a school we see on KZbin 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.

[@saltyexxer8253]

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.

[@uwesca6263]

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.

[@Buletspunge555]

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.

[@Buletspunge555]

@@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.

[@Buletspunge555]

@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.

[@Zozo-sc1ps]

36:40 “loved you in IP Man” .. out of pocket 😂😂

[@SuLu_XD]

This rifle NEEDS to be good. Having something like this available for the price is the whole point of the 2A

[@nateburns5933]

And PSA's CEO said that's his purpose and he is an awesome man for that! My super hero!

[@smokingcrab2290]

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.

[@PilotEricG]

@@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

[@scronk4486]

The 2A does not cater to poors.

[@MrRAGE-md5rj]

Worth every penny.

[@someonesomewheresomdeday]

$3000 worth of ammo through a $400 upper. Hard to argue with the value there.

[@Sovereign_Citizen_LEO]

$300 upper. $400 Rifle (according to them).

[@brendanberry7403]

$500 on sale from what I saw for the rifle.

[@Sovereign_Citizen_LEO]

@@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.

[@RIpped_407]

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.

[@brendanberry7403]

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.

[@Teyl1]

Homie straight up gave excellent dad advice and broke it down cold with the, "if it runs, it runs!" bit. Appreciate the technical breakdown as well. Master class!

[@OhNoGahzirra]

I bought one of these 3 weeks ago along with the PSA Mini Dagger. Liked them so much I went back last weekend and bought the full size Dagger. This video solidified my choice on the PSA brand, I'll definitely be going back for more. They're made in my home state and there's a store with a range 45 minutes from my house. Their staff is extremely knowledgeable and professional. Highly, highly recommend!

[@keeganaldrich404]

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.

[@paulelen8804]

Would you expect anything different from the Thumb??

[@danielmanly4793]

Check out "School of the American rifle" if you're in to the details.

[@MordecaiSoup7]

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

[@marcushale1931]

But why run it suppressed?

[@RJT80]

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?

[@ijust8sam]

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.

[@meshuggahbingus8260]

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.

[@GryphonArmorer]

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.

[@drunkenmick]

@@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.

[@kamron_thurmond]

Or buy 4 Diamondbacks.

[@curtism-w6b]

What you heard was it is almost decent...

[@Chilly_Billy]

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.

[@buckaroobonsi555]

I think if maintence was done more often it would have done ever better!

[@Grief_Bacon762]

yes more Phil, I learned so much in this one

[@XPsychowaffleX]

​@@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

[@abolishtheatfandrepealthenfa]

All this Phil knowledge is simply school of the american rifle knowledge transfers from shad. You'd think they'd give a shout out

[@MinutemanMedic]

I had one as a backup. Ran 500 rounds of steel cased in about 30-60 minutes just to trust it as a reliable. No issues. But I was using a toolcraft BCG.

[@theoriginal11charlie]

Garand Thumb“We are not here to burn this rifle down.” “Alright we are at 3000 rounds let’s continue to burn it down.”

[@blueconverse8265]

😂

[@raulg.6643]

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

[@gunztommiegunz]

@@raulg.6643😂

[@Banefulailment]

They were letting it cool all the way down after every 2-3 mags he says that at the end

[@scottedwards3403]

@@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

[@garrettschienschang7898]

I remember PSA’s ceo coming out saying he wasn’t cutting corners more than other companies were spiking prices.

[@762x69]

A statement everyone knows is true by this point. But I won't tell any other grown person how to spend their money. For me, QC is what you should be guaranteed if you're going to pay more than what PSA is charging for their Sabre lineup. How much that QC is worth depends on the person, just my thoughts at least.

[@timunderbakke8756]

There is the corner of QC but that’s another story

[@donalddicorcia2433]

Other companies work from a “how can we wring as much profit out of this as possible?” stance. PSA works from a “How little can we charge and still make a reasonable profit” stance. Not selling through distributors is huge as well. Cut out the middleman!

[@irishsavage8715]

@@donalddicorcia2433glad you’re happy with your cheap ass rifle😂😂😂

[@Dukes3677]

​@irishsavage8715 yea? Still shoots a round the same and still shoots straight.

[@haroldfarquad6886]

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.

[@joshstewart3313]

Most veterans that I know... mostly use PSA builds... for the price... they really don't care... It works....

[@Vicarium]

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.

[@PaddyInf]

Like Stalin said, sometimes quantity has a quality all of its own. ​@@Vicarium

[@R.Sole88109]

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....

[@Ratkill9000]

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.

[@davidbonilla2253]

Excellent video write-up. Appreciate your continued transparency.

[@broyalsgames]

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

[@timewave02012]

I think it's more chrome vs. nitride than CHF vs button rifled.

[@olpjprpynyujuljuyynl]

Check out the hoffman super safety

[@woofy548]

That barrel would last me the rest of my life probably.

[@justinpennington7682]

​@@timewave02012no . It's definitely the CHF aspect

[@shockashoota]

Middle East AKs say that you don’t even need rifling to fight a war. Just hot beans going in a direction.

[@rohawaha]

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.

[@robgoins3672]

Damn straight it will take care of you back.

[@tdavid84]

[Filthy 14 has entered the chatroom.]

[@scott8908]

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.

[@josephdixon1827]

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.

[@richarddixon146]

@@josephdixon1827From a Marine Dixon to another Marine Dixon, wassup

[@robmorgan1214]

Man I love Asian Phil, very knowledgeable and a great communicator. These are simple machines, but because they are so dynamic, the details really matter and aren't always obvious! Very interesting breakdown.

[@datacntrdude]

I learned more about BCG function in this video than I ever expected to, and I love you guys for it. 🤘

[@nooblangpoo]

>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.

[@shalafi71]

How is he rocking full auto? Or at least simulating it?

[@tiktokshorts7666]

he most likely has an ffl and was able to alter it@@shalafi71

[@lizardpeter]

@@shalafi71Just buy a full auto lower.

[@Karmaplays824]

How and where?​@@lizardpeter

[@lizardpeter]

@@Karmaplays824 Many states in the USA. Just search them up online and look for auctions.

[@vica153]

I put 50k miles on my civic, including several track days and frequently bouncing off the rev limiter, without changing the oil and now the engine is worn out.

[@forceawakens4449]

that'll do it, honda engines are tough as nails, but nothing survives that kinda abuse

[@peecmkr45]

That's a good analogy

[@jensgronning4436]

I had a girlfriend once who drove 35k miles without an oil change on an early 2000s civic. Shortly after we began dating I asked her when was the last time she changed the oil. She said, you have to change the oil?

[@vica153]

@@jensgronning4436 And imagine if she had taken it to monthly track days and said "its ok, every few laps when the temp gauge started creeping up I stopped to let it cool down." And "My Acura is so much better, I changed the oil every 5k and it still runs great."

[@heavensadistancenotaplace]

LMAO this owns so hard

[@michaeldixon3562]

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"

[@lithium1770]

that's the whole fucking point

[@RealMTBAddict]

Thanks Biden

[@RealMTBAddict]

​@@lithium1770yeah you gotta explain everything nowadays to toddlers.

[@sebastiancleveland727]

yes thaat would mean the fecal matter has hit the propeller. Thats why the 2nd Amandent was written.

[@stoops187]

@@lithium1770right?

[@higherself9261]

Great video! , definitely one of the best in awhile. Very informative and astute!

[@jcohenoutdoors]

Long time PSA user here. I mostly used the rifles with the FN made barrels. I used one for a patrol rifle as a cop for 6 years. After about 7k rounds the rifle was still shooting under 2 moa. I out shot a lot of people with high end rifles simply because they were trying to buy skills they didn't train to have. This video depicts a few things I observed. Gas rings do wear out after a few thousand rounds. The accuracy isn't amazing, but it's very serviceable. I tend to buy a spare bolt for every rifle. Overall, I've been pleased. They allow a lot of people to own rifles that wouldn't otherwise be able to afford them 👍

[@jason200912]

Couldn't you have gotten a Daniel defense paid by the department?

[@CaptShocker]

​@@jason200912only if you work fast food in Texas 🤫

[@Panic.In.Hispanic]

You proved nothing besides that you met a few dudes who don’t shoot well

[@DarkArtsDeepDive]

@@jason200912But why do that when PSA outperform them?

[@Joe-hz1nw]

I have a couple of the same uppers with the FN barrel. Same results. Except I buy a run of the mill BCM BCG when they are on sale rather than relying on the PSA BCG.

[@HistoriaAlive]

Mike's not pregnant but he always delivers

[@crispy_338]

He’s a shooter of targets and seed

[@Grey_Fox_Six]

Bro got big. I need to work out

[@E.Orlando]

So he is Gynecologist

[@haroldfarquad6886]

@@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.

[@hk93shooter]

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.

[@thebronzetoo]

💯

[@barfo281]

@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

[@andrews2990]

Why the fuck would I buy rifles for ‘friends or family’? If they don’t already have their own, they’re just a liability.

[@guillaume4519]

@@andrews2990 you should listen to Mike, at the end of his videos, when he talk about people adopting some shitty mindsets.

[@horsied]

@@andrews2990terrible mind set. if you never got in to guns you’d be a liability too. Pass down knowledge and experience…

[@SgtRauksauff]

Great review method. I would love to see this run on a brand new $2k+ gun, with the same exact test (including lack of 'normal' maintenance) for actual comparison.

[@Malefactor]

Love the pairing of a $1,200 optic for the $400 rifle.

[@JGstunts22]

Well with the mount and red dot your like 2k lol

[@rustymacshackleford6276]

Optic should always cost more than your rifle.

[@elliotc9091]

Like it should be

[@wishuhadmyname]

​@@rustymacshackleford6276Says who?

[@gunsandmachinesenthusiast]

​@@wishuhadmynamehard of reading? He just did

[@jonanderson5137]

There are three pillars of engineering. Quality. Speed. Cost. I see this rifle as a win for the manufacturing team and a win for the consumer. You should buy this rifle if it's in your budget.

[@buddermonger2000]

Yeah from everything else I've seen, it's mid-tier quality for bare bones cost.

[@Zogger568]

Phil is an absolute treasure trove on info. I'd totally watch him tear down and inspect used firearms

[@TreyCardona361]

he only has a couple videos though we need someone to fill the gap @@shepherd3085

[@Echo-xe5gj]

Also I'm referring to Mike as white Mike from now on. Hilarious.

[@aKalishnacough]

I would argue median averages... Five thousand rounds, full auto with suppression. Plus you boys ran that system hot...Not many run a semi auto AR til it's too hot to touch. Personally, I'd add 50% longer lifespan than what the boys found in their test under regular load. That being said. Let's figure say an even seven thousand rounds before it started getting funky? For a $300 upper? That is phenomenal. PSA has come SUCH a long way in the past decade. I remember when PSA made firearms you bought because they were cheap. Now, they're inexpensive, not cheap. They really are arming even penny pinching Americans. Great video lads. 🎉 Dudes at PSA R&D deserve a pat on the back.

[@kinch613]

Phil is a gem and should be a GT staple cast member. Well done PSA!

[@denniswerner1670]

Honestly… for $300-$400 that rifle did damn good.

[@HarrellB_US]

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!!!!

[@Fraederichs]

I wish they had made some of the measurements beforehand for comparison.

[@Lifechanging99999]

I live in the area and have never heard of his company.

[@willpeifer3976]

@brandomh1317 which one was Asian Mike???

[@AnishSaravanan]

Kind of reminds me of why the British made the sten gun back in WW2. Their resources were strained and they needed to mass produce weapons for their troops. It didn’t need to be the best weapon they could possibly create, they just needed to make a lot of them and have them function somewhat decent and put them in the hands of their soldiers as fast as possible. They were even designed to be made in small machine shops, even bicycle shops, in occupied countries by resistance fighters.

[@stoops187]

Occupied countries by resistance fighters… that’s sadly prophetic

[@xxcolby270xx6]

i own a sten and after being hands on with one they run pretty well tbh

[@tonymontanak762]

​@xxcolby270xx6 like he said they were made in varying conditions and locations so it sounds like you got a good one 💪

[@LordHumungus-eg2dw]

@@xxcolby270xx6my neighbor built one when I was a kid when $200 stamp and a $75 parts kit would let the fun begin! I never saw it malfunction ever. We only had one magazine and it worked in that gun.

[@Pavlos_Charalambous]

Ironically in 1950s a Cypriot EOKA guerilla was able to make his own " musical instruments" as he call them using the same principles Although being a ww2 veteran of the Greek army probably had some gunsmithing experience

[@scottm8076]

I ‘found’ PSA about 4 years ago and own 5 of their products. I couldn’t be more impressed! I got a chance to visit one of their stores in NC and HIGHLY recommend doing so if you get the opportunity.

[@HaroldTheSloth]

For a $400 rifle, I think this did phenomenally well. It looks like the only negative is a slightly out-of-spec BCG that _still_ worked. Even if you fixed this with a new BCG, that's still a great deal for $525 or so.

[@BobBob-il2ku]

Same thought PSA rifle + BCM BCG

[@tatertotsandbattlebots]

*$400 upper

[@gilde915]

It´s a beginner rifle...you wanna check if you like the hobby, you can always step it up:)

[@eviljagtech]

@@tatertotsandbattlebots The whole rifle ready to fire is 450 on their website.

[@odarkeq]

If you treat the PSA's as disposable, you're still 18,000 rounds deep before you'd rather have gotten the Colt. And in SHTF how are you dumping 18,000 rounds without acquiring new material from whomever you sent those rounds at?

[@svenneff]

Let me say, I very much appreciated Phil's knowledge about the AR-15 and the wear and tear on the PSA. How refreshing to see someone who's so passionate about a subject.

[@Bexar_Arms]

It was so great being invited to come out and share my knowledge on KZbin!

[@MaxGolden]

@@Bexar_ArmsYou are a good sport, very knowledgeable, and you have all my respect. Thanks for being generous.

[@berkstien1289]

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.

[@SergioGonzalez-gi9kr]

I'm no expert. But this seems to be on point. Just based on the many hours of KZbin I've watched and the conversations with bros that have been deployed.

[@LordDirus007]

Old Colts are garbage, you have to think your M4 was probably made like 20 years ago.

[@rileyp1419]

Those old colts did not hold up well.

[@thejoker9201]

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.

[@rileyp1419]

@@thejoker9201 I was in Afghanistan 2013. Y’all went hard with those m16s in Iraq though, I definitely respect the guys before me.

[@standown7738]

@ 46:50 I wonder if there is a benefit to locate the gas port hole in between the rifling grooves instead of making a hole right on the rifling groove. I "THINK" if they could get it in between the groove it would help with accuracy, but what do you guys think? Im just throwing the idea out there and am taking a guess. I hope u can understand my question. Thanks

[@REK-mo7xn]

For all the folks making comments about having spare bolts and/or BCG’s on hand - great idea. Also a good idea to check headspace on those spare parts if you care about safety, accuracy, and wear rates. You don’t need a full set of gauges, just the no-go gauge. Brownells Smyth Busters has a good video on swapping BCGs.

[@matterdeann]

I watch Reddit gundeals and will buy backup parts for all my rifles & handguns. It's better to have some floating around

[@rustyshackelford6372]

thanks for sharing that brownells info video

[@MatterMadeMoot]

Just but reputable parts and it shouldn't be an issue. If the company is selling out of spec parts they don't deserve you're money anyway. If it is out all you can do is send it back and get another one.

[@Holyspiritrecieved]

5000k rounds in one session full auto 5k. Love it

[@ShellShock794]

​@@MatterMadeMoot What the OP is saying is that if you have 6,000 rounds through a cheap rifle and you're replacing your bolt because it's worn down, there's a good chance that the reciever/chamber could also have gotten worn down alongside it

[@TheSonsOfSimon]

I did a hard round count test on a PSA 10.5”. Suppressed, mag dumps every other mag, and no cleaning. I made it to 3800 rounds with no problems. Gas rings didn’t pass the test at that point but it functioned fine other wise. Ammo costs got crazy due to CoV so I discontinued. Great to see someone with money doing a more thorough test.

[@perfid-deject2027]

I almost wonder if it's just the PSA BCG

[@theyoungnative93]

Did you have any failure malfunctions?

[@kevmoful]

@@perfid-deject2027only issues I’ve ever had with psa are the bcg, the bolt to be specific. Replaced mine at around 1k due to some reliability issues , fine after that. 308 from them I replaced with even lower round count, likely my own doing running it a bit too overgassed for too long . Their adjustable gas blocks sucked back then.

[@perfid-deject2027]

Funny because mine as well with the gas rings, they are 10000% dead on mine and I can't be fucked to change em out. Damn. I worry the most about the AK'S tbh if they have this much of an issue with the bolt of their AR being out of spec. They need to team up with DSA to get it actually milspec or something.@@kevmoful

[@ShizawnSanders]

​@@perfid-deject2027every PSA GF5 or AK-E(GF5-E) i see tested even after 5k rounds passed the go no go gauges. I never watched a GF3 video but I watched all the GF5 ones and I can tell you for certain those are good to go.

[@PHAZMID1]

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!

[@johnkeisterelquattro2553]

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!!

[@ScreenTalker]

Yeah I’m kinda mad I hadn’t got one before seeing this. Damn thing’s gonna start climbing by week’s end

[@jmjones7897]

Yep

[@D0TELL]

That's the reason for the video 😉

[@faryldaryl3975]

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.

[@erica12373365]

No yuppie AR for me!For an abusive test as it was it came out very well. You can buy this PSA rifle for $400 bucks. If you were to not suppress it and lubricated and clean it every 2-400 rounds, I'm quite certain you would have tripled the amount of rounds through it. The consumables like extractor and gas Rings should have been replaced at about 4-5,000. Thanks to this video I will never buy a yuppie AR.

[@hexhunter403]

Realistically even in “war” like a civil war etc you’re gonna have time to clean your rifle every few hundred shots if even that. These PSA rifles perform a lot better than my M4A1 Military issued rifle

[@erica12373365]

@@hexhunter403 agreed

[@hawkdriver21]

For those who don't know WHY PSA can sell these AR's for much cheaper, but still perform as well as a 1000 dollar rifle or better is a simple matter of understanding how the firearm industry typically sells guns. When was the last time you got on Sig or Daniel Defense's website and bought a rifle or pistol direct from them, shipped to your FFL dealer? Never. That's because those major manufacturers sell to regional distributors. Those regional distributors then sell to big firearm retail stores, and then finally the mom and pop stores sometimes have to buy from the big retail stores, because the larger retail stores deal in volume discounts. So, by the time you buy it, it's had between 2 and 3 different markups. Now comes PSA....They manufacture the weapons, and you buy direct from them, no middlemen. THATS why they are cheaper. They are not lower quality, they just circumnavigate the red tape for you. So, a 400 dollar rifle from PSA is the same as an AR from another manufacturer that might be double that price or more. Don't feel bad for buying from PSA, they make quality guns, and skip the bullsh*t to give you more for your money.

[@frankpippin7932]

Also they sell to the military for a certain price which in turn means they can’t sell to the general public for any less

[@Dangull]

I've never seen a psa discreetly advertised in a movie, either.

[@Blue-Gold_Crusader]

I really, REALLY wish I knew this about four months ago... I'd already have an AR-15 in my collection had that been the case.

[@HatsuneM1ku01]

The middle man argument is a myth and it’s getting old hearing. psa are cheap because they cut corners, have no qc, have okay build quality and okay machining but suffer from tolerance stacking, casing 40 percent of their rifles having to be sent back for repairs. Psa isn’t cheap because they “cut out the middle man” they are cheap because they are low quality with low quality manufacturing and qc

[@EuropaChronicles]

@@HatsuneM1ku01This is the correct answer, but people don’t want to believe it. Blaming the middle man is the gun community equivalent of the left’s “your groceries are expensive because of the greedy corporations.” It’s complete nonsense. BCM is an objectively & measurably better gun than PSA and people buy stuff directly from the BCM website on a daily basis. BCM isn’t being greedy, they use higher quality parts, retool their machines more often, and have a more consistent assembly process. As a result, their guns work better with fewer “send backs.” I’m highly skeptical of this video. Best case scenario is that Garand Thumb randomly managed to get a very good copy of this upper. The much more likely scenario is that PSA sent him a special version that was hand built and didn’t come off the same assembly line that that actual $400 uppers come off of.

[@SkyrishCrusader-j9x]

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

[@rondobrondo]

it'll go even longer if you actually clean it and lube it well

[@ritotron5752]

@@rondobrondo And don't turn a carbine into an entrenched machinegun

[@kyle18934]

I honestly wouldnt want one of those fancy pants ARs. I wouldn't feel to bad scratching my AR, but if it was the price of a used car I would

[@hothsurvivor]

How many ar15s do you own?

[@donttreadonmemes]

​@@hothsurvivor tiny federal hands typed this question

[@Omgwtfbbqsammich]

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.

[@bradbeam7254]

The throat is compromised IMO. I wouldn’t keep moving forward with it for grouping. I think the PSA did surprisingly well!

[@Ztex]

Fouling is a real thing...but then again so is throat wear.

[@bubbajones5905]

To my way of thinking, getting 5k rounds of accurate barrel life from a hundred dollar barrel if pretty decent.

[@jameskirk3]

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.

[@Ron-ni8uu]

Sweets 7.62 copper solvent then good to go

[@chuckbell3423]

I would liked to have seen a before bore scope; and a post 6k rds cleaning along with a tune up and a precision accuracy test to see if it would come back a bit.

[@bigirish8812]

So what I'm hearing, "A PSA rifle will kill "something" just as well as someone's $5k Gucci gun."

[@JohnDoe-mt8rf]

Yea

[@american236]

Yes. We’ve been getting ripped off on the $1,500-$2,500 guns.

[@king_tv2204]

That and some Gucci companies *cough H&K cough* have absolutely dog shit customer service

[@generalgreevus8773]

@@king_tv2204 HK hasn't put a modern firearm on the US market for like 40 years

[@king_tv2204]

@@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

[@Bexar_Arms]

Thanks so much for having me out! I had a great time hanging with you and the crew, and I hope I was able to bring an interesting perspective to the video 🫡

[@Bexar_Arms]

@@JeffinTampa Mike only had lab coats for normal sized humans. No tiny Asian sized coats 😂

[@lucasperdue312]

“White Mike” was gold 😂

[@m4rvinmartian]

It's a btch when you leave the 30 lats and hit the 40s and above huh? Brrr! I haven't worn less than 2 shirts, even in summer up here.

[@pcpolice7937]

Absolute Great Job. Very Educational

[@AngelMedina-e8o]

Your contribution on this video was absolutely amazing. Please come back and visit the channel anytime. That’s high content!

[@JerodRSN]

The grouping at 5,000+ rounds is still probably tighter together than 80% of people out there could get. I’d say PSA is fucking KILLING it. No excuse for anyone not to own an AR. Really good shit

[@edleifer6719]

except for the fact that there are so many mentally unstable people that do own AR 15's.

[@THE_MOONMAN]

​@@edleifer6719 thats a seperate issue my dude

[@austinmclane7761]

So buy me an AR then mate, I still can't afford one

[@queuedjar4578]

@@edleifer6719 there's like 1 or 2 mass shootings that happen a year with an AR. Hundreds to thousands of them committed with pistols annually (mostly gang related).

[@RealNaisuCinema]

@@edleifer6719you literally just proved why more people should own ARs. Also MOST people that own these weapons are not the less than 1% that you’re referring to

[@stevenlewis6781]

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.

[@Reviews4fun1]

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.

[@JohnnyReb2000]

​@@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.

[@Grizzlyman420]

Any experience with their aks ?

[@LKaramazov]

12:42 that little motorcycle is HILARIOUS!

[@kevingeezy5176]

Not surprised in the slightest. PSA makes excellent equipment and for some of the lowest prices. 2A enthusiasts should all be very lucky to have them around

[@FJB2020]

Wonder if they offset their low cost pew pews with their credit card fraud...

[@raevj]

@@FJB2020you seem vengeful…are you a PSA competitor?

[@FJB2020]

@raevj nope just well known they do it.. just look it up, and you will see...

[@kevingeezy5176]

@FJB2020 whats the story with the cc fraud? I've never had problems with them but I've only bought ar parts a couple times

[@Lux-j8z]

@@FJB2020just full of it. An employee was caught stealing credit card numbers from customers in person and was fired and prosecuted but somehow you go around spreading BS like it was the company doing it. Keep overpaying companies that don’t give a damn about your rights while some of us recognize what PSA is actually doing considering it’s their company motto. “Maximize freedom, not profit”

[@AdministrativeReload]

Standard guidelines for unlined barrels in heavy use is barrel and bolt replacement at 5k. As far as I can see,the barrel lasted exactly how it was designed. New bolt/barrel and I am sure that gun would easily hit 10k. At which point you would have spent 10x as much on ammo as you did for the gun and maintenance to get it to that number. Also,I would probably replace the gas rings and extractor spring at 2500 intervals to keep malfunctions to a minimum. $2 in spare parts is a small price to pay for not having to worry about malfunctions at an inopportune time.

[@tomacton6718]

Freedom barrels are nitide treated, their Classic series are the ones unlined with plain phosphate exterior finish.

[@mattcomchoc2957]

i definitely raised an eyebrow at the whole "this barrel should have lasted longer" statement. half the damn video is just suppressed full auto mag dumps. i'm sure the throat erosion on that thing was scary. *edit* they showed the throat...i was impressed, not that bad.

[@AdministrativeReload]

​@@tomacton6718Nitride treatment != lined.

[@neo4102]

@@mattcomchoc2957 agreed think he was a little harsh considering the abuse they put it through

[@Maddog3060]

My takeaway: you get what you pay for, but paying less doesn't mean you get crap, just stuff that wears out faster and is a bit less accurate than sharpshooter quality. Also I really appreciate Phil being there to explain things. I got into guns only about a year ago and until now no one has actually bothered to explain to me why I should spend more on an expensive AR than just going with budget stuff. A bullet will still stop a threat whether it's from a $500 gun or a $4000 gun, after all. Having the various aspects explained finally put things into perspective that most other gun tubers and owners just outright refuse to elaborate on.

[@762x69]

It's really hard to find information from a non biased place when starting out. For me, it was in 2020 and I had to look for smaller 2a youtubers at the time like hrfunk and honest outlaw that would review low mid and high products then put it into perspective for the average person that occasionally shoots but isn't involved in competition or trying to spend all their money in one place.

[@brotherscoobs]

Check out the school of the American rifle...he goes super in depth on things...more from an engineer/gunsmith type view

[@DK-wp2rk]

I wonder if it's life span would have been increased had it been broken in slow and cleaned and lubed regularly. Did they burn the BCM bolt in the same way or did they take better care if it.

[@whatshaploing8256]

Good point(s) made. If you have more money to spend, the Gucci guns may be totally worth it. However, if it is about prepping/preparing/surviving, I'd rather have 10x $400 guns than 1x $4,000 gun. But if I had the money and the actual time and energy to shoot a lot like GR and others, the Gucci guns would be nice! :)

[@pogeegitz]

Yeah, it basically breaks down to $/round for durability. At 1/8th the cost, you can afford to rebarrel or buy a whole new rifle every 5k rounds and still be money ahead.

[@HaydonChristiansen]

26:57 Notice how you point out the lugs, i notice that they are very bulk and drastic in comparison to others, and i do know that in gear mechanisms when gears are turning too long, or too fast they will over time wear and tear like you were pointing out on it, due to cativation, vapors moving through the teeth. So im wondering in theory if somehow this would be applied in a way due to the vapors being forced out the gun and through the teeth on those lugs