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Trending: Best Black Friday Gun Deals 2024 & Ammo In-Stock
Want lighter, shorter, and more maneuverable AR-15?
But don’t want to deal with a SBR (short barreled rifle) tax stamp and months of waiting?
Enter…the AR-15 pistol.
$549
at Palmetto State Armory
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
Available Coupons
-
25% off all OAKLEY products – OAKLEY25
Copied! Visit Merchant
Best Budget AR-15 Pistol
$549
at Palmetto State Armory
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
Available Coupons
-
25% off all OAKLEY products – OAKLEY25
Copied! Visit Merchant
Table of Contents
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Who Is It For?
- Budget conscious buyers who want to venture into the world of short AR-15s without the time, money, and legality of getting an SBR
- Someone who doesn’t need a ton of options in their upper and can wait a little for it to be in stock and ship
Why Is It So Cheap?
PSA got so big because it created good products at awesome prices. And how did it do that? Vertical integration. Everything after raw materials they do it in-house. That’s how they make complete ready-to-shoot ARs for around $500…even with aftermarket furniture.
Legality
Check your local and state laws before buying an AR-15 complete pistol or upper. We’re not lawyers and this is not legal advice. Some cases you will need a specific Pistol lower…but for the most part you need a virgin lower that hasn’t been built into a rifle yet. And if you don’t have a suitable lower…it might be illegal to have a sub-16″ upper.
Fit, Feel, & Finish
Everything looked fine with PSA standards. The sometimes purple-ish hue I’ve received before was not there. Each handguard matched the black color of the upper receiver.
Shootability
I’ve had bad luck with AR-15 pistols…at least the ones my friends and I have built. Something always goes wrong with the gas system. I’m glad to say that I experience no failures with the two PSA uppers in over 500 rounds total. Of course…the recoil was a little more than a standard 16″ barrel AR…but that was to be expected. Here’s the 10.5″ in action with a standard A2 flash hider. Not bad at all. It got a little hairier with the 7.5″ upper. Check out the increased recoil and gases coming out. But still not unpleasant to shoot if you have a decent brace like the SB Tactical SBA3.
$349
at AR15 Discounts
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
Available Coupons
-
25% off all OAKLEY products – OAKLEY25
Copied! Visit Merchant
Accuracy
Time to see if a shorter barrel equals less accuracy… I used a variation of my standard testing rig:
- Lead Sled DFTÂ ($200)
- Schmidt & Bender PMII 5-25x Scope with Larue Mount ($3500)
- AGL ACT Trigger ($75)
Recommended Models
For me…I liked shooting the 10.5″ a lot more. If you value a better shooting experience and probably more reliability…opt for that.Best Budget AR-15 Pistol
$549
at Palmetto State Armory
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
Available Coupons
-
25% off all OAKLEY products – OAKLEY25
Copied! Visit Merchant
$549
at Palmetto State Armory
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
Available Coupons
-
25% off all OAKLEY products – OAKLEY25
Copied! Visit Merchant
$199
at Palmetto State Armory
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
Available Coupons
-
25% off all OAKLEY products – OAKLEY25
Copied! Visit Merchant
$259
at Palmetto State Armory
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
Available Coupons
-
25% off all OAKLEY products – OAKLEY25
Copied! Visit Merchant
$299
at Palmetto State Armory
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
Available Coupons
-
25% off all OAKLEY products – OAKLEY25
Copied! Visit Merchant
Available Coupons
-
25% off all OAKLEY products – OAKLEY25
Copied! Visit Merchant
Recommended Upgrades
An AR-15 pistol is basically an AR-15. So the standard Best AR-15 Upgrades apply. Except don’t add a traditional vertical grip since it moves it from pistol to AOW (any other weapon) category. My advice is to get a hand-stop since if you usually shooter longer guns…you might straighten out your arm.
$23
at Brownells
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
Available Coupons
-
25% off all OAKLEY products – OAKLEY25
Copied! Visit Merchant
By The Numbers
Reliability: 5/5
500 rounds with 4 different types of ammo and three different magazine brands…no malfunctions. Which is saying something for a short gas system AR pistol!Accuracy: 4/5
Merely OK if we’re comparing with 16″ variants…but great for 7.5″ and 10.5″ inches. You’re going to be fine hitting torso-sized targets out to 300 yards.Ergonomics: 4/5
Handguards come in a couple different styles depending on what PSA has in stock. But they all do their job.Looks: 4/5
Coloring matches up for both my uppers and I like the Nitride barrel compared to Phosphate (bumpy and dull).Customization: 5/5
It’s an AR…and all the handguards are M-LOK so you can do almost anything (no vertical grips unless you’re applying for an AOW). Trigger if you get the EPT is decent for a reliable mil-spec and the SBA3 brace is comfy. Opt for an optic (Best AR-15 Optics) to wring out all the accuracy.Bang for the Buck: 5/5
Great deal if you build from the kit…but even if you do the complete upper and lower…you’re getting an AR-15 pistol for ~$500.Overall Rating: 4.5/5
Conclusion
There you have it…quite possibly the most affordable (and reliable) option to start into the world of AR-15 pistols.
$259
at Palmetto State Armory
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
Available Coupons
-
25% off all OAKLEY products – OAKLEY25
Copied! Visit Merchant
$199
at Palmetto State Armory
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
Available Coupons
-
25% off all OAKLEY products – OAKLEY25
Copied! Visit Merchant
35 Leave a Reply
Lol that aimpoint is on backwards WTF
Would like to see you utilize the safety properly on these reviews. ARs should only be on fire when you’re ready to shoot.
I just bought 2 PSA AR-15 10.5" kits with completed upper assemblies and mated them to PSA stripped lowers. I assembled them and they function well with the included PSA "12-20" aluminum magazines. However, the pistols will not work at all with the polymer MagPul PMAG 30 GenM3 magazines. Those mags will not latch into the gun. They also do not work well with the aluminum PSA "8-20" aluminum magazines; you need to slam the mag into the gun really hard to get it to latch. Very unhappy about this, as now I cannot easily swap my magazines back and forth between my other AR's that don't have a problem with the different magazines.
Talk about price increase....that same kit is now $589.99 for a difference of $290.99 which is about 100% price increase compared to last year. ..that is a big price hike IMO.
State withheld to prevent incarceration, let's just say behind enemy lines, western edition.
Happened to have a spare lower, picked up the PSA lower kit and a 10.5" 300BLK upper. Some assembly and a touch of fitting, can't tell if it was the lower or the upper but it assembles. Added some Yankee Hill EZ Pull pins and off to the range..... but first, walking in the park and just happened to find some 300BLK subsonic, weird how that works. So ran some 240gr standard BLK, no problems, put in the 220gr subsonic, zero issues. What impressed me was the PSA trigger group. It seriously impressed me, smooth, clean break, moderate pull I don't have a gage but I'm going to guess 4# based on my other builds.
I tried a PSA AR15 in 7.62x39 and had really bad feed problems with all of the magazines they suggested would work with the firearm and I returned it to the dealer and bought a radical firearms pistol in that caliber and I love it.
Can you tell me what of grip is allowed on a pistol fore grip? is it just the afg or can i use the BCMGUNFIGHTER Vertical Grip Mod 3 or must it be the Magpul Afg or nothing?
I am running a PSA 6.5mm Grendel, 12" barrel using 100 grain, Wolf steel ammo (about .25/rd). At 100 yards it is shooting 2 MOA for me.
The Grendel round was designed off the .220 Russian/7.62 Soviet round. I use exclusively CPD/DuraMag magazines in 6.8 SPC or 6.5 Grendel (if you can find the Grendel mags) calibers. Both work fine. Plan on getting one of CPD's 7.62 Soviet mags to see how that works.
Sorry, got off on a magazine tangent. My PSA Grendel upper has performed flawlesly with more than 1,000 rds down the barrel.
I've built three PSA AR pistols ranging from 7.5-10.5 inches, and have had nothing but outstanding experiences with them. 1 out of the 3 had a coloring issue, but that was turned out to be a paint candidate for a Soviet paint scheme I wanted. All 3 were 300AAC builds and zero issues after a total of 1500 rounds through them. PSA is definitely the best and most bang for your buck.
One of the bigger considerations I would have liked to have known before buying my 10.5 psa upper would have been the difference in muzzle blast and sound. A 14.7" pinned and welded to 16 seems like a better option for most people.
Great write-up, man. I built a 10.5" pistol years back when the Sig brace first became a thing and I'm now in the market for another one. Very glad I found your article. Might give PSA a look for the new truck gun I 'absolutely need'. :)
Hi Eric do you live in CA? Just curious to know if you do, how you managed to do the AR pistol in CA? Not looking for legal advice. Just remembered you did the Featureless AR15 post and a lot of your AR15's in reviews seem to be fixed magazine or featureless.
I've been looking to do an AR pistol in CA but theres so many grey areas and what seems like major hoops to jump through.
I want to build a 10.5 pistol but want a decent trigger then the standard ones. So mostly would get a stripped lower. Want one for 9mm though.
Why are you needing to reset your sights back on target when you're using a lead sled? That's literally the point of using one to take all human elements out of the equation.
Hey Bob, good question. It keeps it on target but there's still some movement after each shot.
Thanks for the revue Eric.I just completed a PSA pistol build in 300 blackout . 8.5 inch barrel with Anderson lower from my local FFL. Came with a SOB pistol brace and it took 20 minutes with lots of dish soap to get it fully on the buffer.Have not had the chance to fire it yet but I think it will go well.Your site is one of my favorites.And by the way, I reside in snohomish co WA .Have you ever been to Cowlitz county public shooting range ? If so how is it?
Thanks for the excellent article. I recently built a PSA 10.5 inch pistol with the SBA3 brace, MOE furniture, standard A2 front sight, and an EPT trigger assembly. I also went with their mil-spec carry handle and added a Blitzkreig Components luminous chevron front sight post. A slant button streamlined flashlight completed the package. I wanted a truck and home defense weapon with clean lines and a rugged setup. No batteries needed and no optics to get easily misaligned if banged around. It has been flawless in operation so far. It’s well balanced and accurate enough for closeup work and on out to a couple hundred yards. The luminous chevron sight really performs daylight and darkness. I ended up with less than $700 total. You can hardly go wrong with PSA for a dependable ar-15 platform with exceptional bang for your buck.
Very cool, Chuck! I'll have to check out the luminous chevron sight.
I am wondering why the gas block on the 7.5 inch isn't closer to the position of the 10.5 inch, it looks like there is plenty of room and wouldn't that be better for recoil?
Love this web site, Thank you for all the info.
Hi Michael, I don't have the scientific answer...but I think you need enough space after the gas block for things to run smoothly. Thanks for reading!!
I dont know how i started getting your reviews emailed to me but i read mostly all of them, I like that you have been reviewing the PSA products lately, because i have a couple uppers from them, and its really unbelievable the deals they have and i tell everyone about PSA. My most recent complete upper is awesome but was 349$ in February and new for 2018, and i was just on thier site complete magpul rifle kits are now as low as 249$! With the same upper! And right now just completed pistol anderson lower/lpk with shockwave brace now waiting for my 10.5 upper to come back in stock.
P.S.- check out Anderson Manufacturing* mil-spec, very cheap, perfect quality, and Match PSA very well.
Glad you like them! I agree on Anderson, good fit!
Great review. I wish I knew now what I learned the hard way a few years ago. I built an AR pistol before they were trending and spent a lot of time & money tuning it. Then earlier this year purchased an upper from PSA (the 10.5" with a flash can) and wow what a difference. It worked right away and has never been anything but easy. PSA is awesome.
Yup...always had trouble with really short barrels. If you want short go with a piston upper (review coming soon of a PWS 7").
Great review! I have both and love 'em. Reliable and the best bang for the buck. Have you tried them with suppressors?
Thanks Stephen! I haven't with the 5.56 but PSA AR pistol in 300 BLK was super quiet.
I have two AR pistols, both 10.5, one a Aero Precision upper and the other a PSA upper. The Aero has a Kaw Valley Precision compensator as a muzzle device, supposedly it directs more blast and noise forward. I have only shot it about 90 rounds, but I seems to work well. My PSA is a newer build and as yet is unfired, it has the same birdcage flash hider as in the review. I will shoot both likely next month when the fire danger locally wanes.
Let me know how it goes!
What weight buffer was used in both pistols?
I use an H2 and a blue sprinco action spring in the finicky 7.5, and an H with standard action spring in the 10.5.
I use a standard spring with an H2 using Federal 55 and 62 gr.
NiB BCG, 7.5 with a standard spring and H2 shooting 55 and 62 gr Federal, no issues.
Yup...what everyone is saying...H2 on mine.
Nice article Eric. As usual. Question, have you shot the PSA marauder? I put one on a lower I built- Spikes billet, pistol buffer tube, built a custom cheek rest, and some other customizations. But the upper is all PSA. It comes with a proprietary flash can and Magpul hand gaurd. Put about 200 rounds thru it no issues. Curious of your thoughts on it. Is it the same system 7.5 inch system you tested in the article? Thanks Eric
C-
Hey Chris, I haven't since but it should be pretty close...it's 7" vs 7.5" of the one I tested. And slightly different muzzle device. Glad it's working out for you so far!