Sabre: PSA’s Mid to Upper Tier AR-15
BY Herschel Smith
1 year, 3 months ago
Palmetto State Armory has been in the budget rifle business for a long time. They’ve offered upgraded versions before, but the difference between an expensive PSA and a cheap PSA is normally just delta ring Vs. free-float and maybe a chrome-lined barrel.
The SABRE line is a whole new beast. Combining some of the best parts on the market, this is a rifle spec’d out to take a beating and keep on shooting.
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- Barrel Length: 14.5″
- Gas System: Carbine-Length
- Barrel Steel: Cold Hammer Forged Chrome Moly Vanadium
- Barrel Finish: Phosphate
- Muzzle Thread: 1/2-28
- Chamber: 5.56
- Twist Rate: 1:7
- Barrel Extension: M4
- Gas Block Type: Geissele .750″ Super Gas Block; Pinned to Barrel
- Muzzle Device: Pin/Weld SilencerCo ASR
- Receiver Material: Forged 7075 T6
- Receiver Type: M4 T-Marked
- Hand Guard Type: Geissele 13.5″ Super Modular MK14 M-Lok Rail
- Bolt Carrier Group: PSA Custom Fathers of Freedom BCG by MicroBest with Sprinco Extractor Spring
- Bolt Steel: Carpenter 158
- Bolt Carrier Finish: Mag-Phosphate Finish
- Charging Handle: Radian Raptor LT
- Trigger: Hiperfire RBT Trigger with JP Reduced Power Springs
- Takedown/Pivot Pins: Battle Arms Development
- Buffer: Carbine
- Safety: Radian Talon 45/90 Safety
- Buffer Spring: Sprinco White
- Pistol Grip: Magpul SL-S
- Stock: Magpul SL-S
- Finish: Black
- Furniture Color: Black
- Material: Forged Aluminum
- Upper: Forged 7075-T6 A3 AR upper is made to MIL-SPECS and hard coat anodized black for durability. These uppers are T-Marked engraved.
I normally think of PSA as making budget AR-15s and AKs and AR and AK parts and kits. They are also known for at least one more thing. They must have some special sort of deal with the FN pistol factory right down the road from them because they always seem to have FN pistols in stock.
But it would seem they have entered the upper tier AR market. That’s a tall order in my book, because you can get a BCM upper for around $850 and an Aeroprecision lower for around $350 (or at least you once could), and while the upper is not a complete upper, for another couple hundred you can get a BAD (Battle Arms Development) BCG and a Radian Raptor charging handle for another $100. Now you’ve put a total of about $1500 into the gun. But in my opinion this is about the maximum you have to spend to get a really good AR.
That’s more expensive by a couple hundred dollars than the Sabre, but not enough to ignore the build I just outlined if you want a good rifle.
I notice that the Sabre has a Radian charging handle. It apparently has another BCG (a custom part). But it’s nice to see PSA into the upper tier market for ARs. Competition is a good thing. Here is their site. You’ll notice right up front that there are various models, with $1250 being the highest cost gun I saw.
See the Recoil article for testing results of the Sabre.
On August 28, 2023 at 9:40 pm, X said:
I have a PSA nitride MOE freedom kit. For a $359 budget rig I am super impressed with the quality and accuracy.
My first AR was a 1990s Bushmaster/Quality Parts Co. A2 “Clinton ban” rifle when everybody raved about how great they were. It was fine, I shot thousands of rounds through it and was perfectly happy with it.
I later found that almost nothing on it was “mil spec.” Everything on the cheap-shit PSA is, except for the barrel and the plastic, but I am very happy with the nitride barrel.
On August 29, 2023 at 1:16 am, Georgiaboy61 said:
About the Sabre, it looks nice and PSA has clearly done their homework in a lot of ways, but for that cash outlay, an adjustable gas block would be a slam-dunk. If the rifle is set-up properly and not over- or under-gassed, then some might question why an adjustable block is needed or even wanted. The answer is that many states now allow suppressors and having an adjustable block makes running a “can” a lot easier than without one.
Adjustable blocks are also convenient for compensating for a dirty and/or hot rifle, or when using dramatically loads out of the same rifle. Likewise, they also permit fine-tuning during temperature extremes in the other direction, when it is very cold.
During the development of the AR15, Eugene Stoner is supposed to have asked the U.S. military whether such a feature would/should be included, but he was turned down and since it wasn’t included in the specifications & tech data package, he didn’t put one on the finished product.
In some respects, that decision was a shame, because the rifles certainly could have used them in the harsh conditions of Vietnam.
An M-14 type self-adjusting and self-compensating gas piston system would have been ideal in such an operating environment, but of course Stoner didn’t convert to gas piston designs until later in his career as an engineer and firearms designer, with the AR180, among others.
Of course, a simple switch in buffers can accomplish much the same effect in rifle operation, but sometimes swapping out a buffer is neither easy nor convenient. This is why so many self-loading military rifles have incorporated this feature in their designs, or found ways to do without adjustable gas blocks altogether as with the roller-delayed blow-back operating system pioneered by CETME and H&K.
On August 29, 2023 at 12:40 pm, Grunt said:
Watch the youtube’s of the PSA manufacturing facility. That changed my perception of PSA tremendously.
On August 29, 2023 at 12:44 pm, Captain said:
Georgia Boy, can you provide a bit of insight on the buffer change? Being a lefty I get the blowback in the face while firing suppressed. An answer besides a new adjustable gas block would be nice.
On August 30, 2023 at 12:47 pm, Georgiaboy61 said:
@ Captain
Re: “Georgia Boy, can you provide a bit of insight on the buffer change?”
I’m not the guy you want… if I was in your shoes, I’d call “Buffer Technologies” – which is company that deals in after-market buffers and recoil systems for all sorts of firearms. My info is somewhat out of date, however… I once worked in the retail FA & accessories industry, but not in some years… so I can’t confirm if they are still around or not.
If Buffer Tech isn’t around, then give Midway or Brownells a shout-out. They can help you as well. And definitely call the company that sold you the can…. they’d have the answers, too, if anyone would. They ought to know their products better than anyone else.
Bottom line is that if you are running suppressed, something needs to be done with all of that excess gas and the back-pressure it produces. Swapping out the buffer is in a sense not a true fix, but it will at least allow your rifle to cycle properly. Many guys in gov.mil also swap out their charging handle for one which seals against gas blow-by at that point.
For what it is worth, many fine companies now make AR-platform rifles and carbines for lefties. That might be part of the solution, too.
The problem gets more-complex if you plan to use the same FA when firing super-sonic or sub-sonic ammo, with the “can” attached or not. That’s maybe when it would be advantageous to invest in an adjustable gas block.
The length of barrel and gas system you are using also impact the eventual solution to your problem. Dwell-time differences, bolt-BCG velocity, and so on.
Naturally, the brand, type and specifics of your ammunition play a huge role as well. Tuning a carbine or rifle is easier the few types of ammo you run. The more variety, the more complex the “solution” becomes.
To save headaches, some folks set up one rifle to run suppressed and one for normal use. That’s one way of side-stepping the hassles attendant to tuning your rifle.
That’s all I know… sorry, but this actually isn’t my area. I really don’t know much, just picked up a few things here and there over the years.