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Thread: PSA AR-9 Buffer & Spring Questions

  1. #11
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    Yes, my PSA hybrid is also not rounded like a 5.56 carrier. It does cause some marks on the hammer, but not enough that I am concerned. My XP spring slowing down the bolt may result in less violent contact. Or not. I’m no expert.
    “ When I comes to modern politics, I think the inverse of Hanlon's Razor applies...In other words, "Never attribute to stupidity that which is adequately explained by malice." - Kerplode

  2. #12
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    I tried the xp spring and can’t really feel a difference in the recoil impulse compared to the car spring, and the rifle still cycled all the ammo I tried without issue, so I will probably just leave it in. I really like this rifle, especially now with the ALG trigger I installed. Looking forward to shooting some PCC competition this year.

  3. #13
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    IMHO, try the Tubbs .308 Flatwire spring.... much smoother.

    And I would polish those sharp edges, no reason to make those the main contact with the Hammer.

    On a important side note.... keep the chamber clean, in order to avoid OOB discharges... a blowback action runs very dirty. Dirty enough to not allow full chambering.

    Make cleaning the chamber part of a maintenance routine.

    And as with any self loading firearm... smooth easy feeding is very important to proper firing.

    Let the chamber get dirty enough.. and you'll see What I mean.
    Last edited by bfoosh006; 02-20-18 at 13:39.

  4. #14
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    I've run another 300 flawless rounds consisting of a mix of 115 gr and 124 gr FMJ, using the same heavier buffer and XP spring, and without cleaning. The gun runs great and recoil is minimal. Really enjoying this rifle.

  5. #15
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    Well, because of this thread (not totally, but mostly), I went ahead and bought another 9mm pistol upper, this time with a 7.5" barrel. My first 9mm upper for this PSA stripped new lower was a really cheap 10.5" 9mm pistol upper. It didn't work very well at all. I then sold that non reliable upper and bought the 16" factory Kaw Valley Precision upper and it has had zero issues in over 600 rounds, 100%. But I've always wanted to go back to the original pistol configuration that I built it for first.

    This new 7.5" pistol upper has not been 100% as the 16" upper, but is WAY better than my original pistol upper that I started with. I put about 100 rounds thru it with more than a few failures to feed on the first round, but mostly reliable once cycling normally. I think it did have one stovepipe in the middle of a mag. In looking up the symptom, some suggest a lighter buffer spring so I tried a regular carbine spring (instead of the AR10 spring) with no other changes (other than cleaning it again), and this time I had zero failures in 50 rounds...and then I ran out of ammo. So it's not conclusive yet, but the lighter spring might have helped with the failure to feed issue I was having with it.
    As far as cycling goes...I can't tell a difference in recoil, noise, or anything, other than it feeds every time now...at least 50 out of 50 shots.

    FYI...I paid $600+ for the Kaw Valley complete upper...and it has been 100%. I only paid $240 for this complete upper and I can already see that in some cases you get what you pay for. (twice now...you would think I would learn my lesson here). Before I take it out again, I am going to polish up the feed ramp (chamfer/angle/whatever) to the barrel and polish the part of the bolt that grabs the next round. I'll leave the carbine spring in it. If I can go 200 rounds clean, with no issues at all...I'll deem it a success. Here is a pic with the 7.5" barrel. I'd love for this to be dependable enough for a home defense type gun, but unless it's 100% it's just a range toy at this point...

    Edit: I forgot to add, I am using 124gr FMJ from Aguila. This was the ammo that worked the BEST in my FIRST 9mm pistol upper, and is what has run 100% in my 16" upper. I haven't tried any other ammo in this pistol upper yet.

    Last edited by RWA007; 03-06-18 at 16:28.

  6. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by RWA007 View Post
    Well, because of this thread (not totally, but mostly), I went ahead and bought another 9mm pistol upper, this time with a 7.5" barrel. My first 9mm upper for this PSA stripped new lower was a really cheap 10.5" 9mm pistol upper. It didn't work very well at all. I then sold that non reliable upper and bought the 16" factory Kaw Valley Precision upper and it has had zero issues in over 600 rounds, 100%. But I've always wanted to go back to the original pistol configuration that I built it for first.

    This new 7.5" pistol upper has not been 100% as the 16" upper, but is WAY better than my original pistol upper that I started with. I put about 100 rounds thru it with more than a few failures to feed on the first round, but mostly reliable once cycling normally. I think it did have one stovepipe in the middle of a mag. In looking up the symptom, some suggest a lighter buffer spring so I tried a regular carbine spring (instead of the AR10 spring) with no other changes (other than cleaning it again), and this time I had zero failures in 50 rounds...and then I ran out of ammo. So it's not conclusive yet, but the lighter spring might have helped with the failure to feed issue I was having with it.
    As far as cycling goes...I can't tell a difference in recoil, noise, or anything, other than it feeds every time now...at least 50 out of 50 shots.

    FYI...I paid $600+ for the Kaw Valley complete upper...and it has been 100%. I only paid $240 for this complete upper and I can already see that in some cases you get what you pay for. (twice now...you would think I would learn my lesson here). Before I take it out again, I am going to polish up the feed ramp (chamfer/angle/whatever) to the barrel and polish the part of the bolt that grabs the next round. I'll leave the carbine spring in it. If I can go 200 rounds clean, with no issues at all...I'll deem it a success. Here is a pic with the 7.5" barrel. I'd love for this to be dependable enough for a home defense type gun, but unless it's 100% it's just a range toy at this point...

    Your real dependability test IMO is reliably feeding JHP's for self defense. I watched a guy shooting a Wilson Combat AR9 at a match have 2 fail to feed malfunctions. $1999 base price. No feed ramp. I looked at it after the match. Although pretty it had its problems. He really had no clue about the gun, just had the $$$

  7. #17
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    So I purchased a PSA Glock lower, PSA SB brace/tube set, and the only upper I could find at the time (shorter than 16") which was the PSA 4" upper with KAC. I bought this as a range toy/ something different. I have not had a chance to put it together yet, but from what I am reading I need to buy a heavier buffer correct? Thanks for the help.

  8. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by darbywpd View Post
    So I purchased a PSA Glock lower, PSA SB brace/tube set, and the only upper I could find at the time (shorter than 16") which was the PSA 4" upper with KAC. I bought this as a range toy/ something different. I have not had a chance to put it together yet, but from what I am reading I need to buy a heavier buffer correct? Thanks for the help.
    I wouldn't say you have to...........A heavier one will reduce felt recoil. Not sure how much a 4" barrel would kick as I have never shot one.

  9. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by darbywpd View Post
    So I purchased a PSA Glock lower, PSA SB brace/tube set, and the only upper I could find at the time (shorter than 16") which was the PSA 4" upper with KAC. I bought this as a range toy/ something different. I have not had a chance to put it together yet, but from what I am reading I need to buy a heavier buffer correct? Thanks for the help.
    I've not played with the short barrels but depending on how cheap you want to go DSG arms carries a 6.5oz buffer that looks like FM Products for $20, Brownell's has the FM 6.5oz 9mm buffer for under $23 (under $20 if you get the discount). JSE Surplus has the 8.25oz Guntec buffer for $22. These are all solid buffers with extended length so your bolt doesn't go to far back into the extension tube and smack the LBHO catch too hard.

    I prefer the dead blow style buffers like Macon Armory, KAK and other carry. They run around $50. Tubb's AR10 flatwire rifle spring with these are the ticket, at least in 16" builds. Not sure about pistols.

  10. #20
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    Update: I went ahead and built a 7.5" 9mm Pistol and kind of went with the same components that I used in my rifle. I used a 7.5 ounce Kaw Valley buffer in this one also, but just used the standard spring and it seems to work fine. Curiously...I purchased two identical complete uppers and my cousin was going to build one. I got them both home and went and tested them both out on the same lower. One ran like a sewing machine the other one failed miserably. I think I tried about 50 rounds and I'd be surprised if 5 of those loaded/fired/ejected without issue. It ended up being a faulty bolt although I could not see the difference. One worked the other didn't. Since the supplier didn't have any other bolts he refunded me for the faulty upper and I called my cousin and told him he was out of luck!
    Anyway, these 9mm AR's are fun.

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