Palmetto State Armory: problems with their components and customer service

[sacmaster]

Double tap

[sacmaster]

I was actually in PSA today, although it was not where I was when what I posted in the handgun forum earlier happened. I have bought 3 pistols from them at extremely competitive prices, and their ammo is absolutely the cheapest around here. I've put together one of their lowers with a DD parts kit and have 2 more stripped ones in the safe.

That said, whenever I have been close to getting an upper from them, I have hesitated. Considering that I have to pay sales tax when I buy from them, along with the fact that their prices have been quietly creeping up, I can easily justify the price difference for a BCM or DD upper. I also dislike their rail options, but that's beside the point.

The store seems to have different employees, aside from a few of the same guys, almost every time I go in. This leads me to believe it is difficult for them to fInd and keep good help. They are still a young company. I attribute most of these stories to growing pains and am rooting for them as a local business. They have basically cornered the tactical market for the whole state.

[MistWolf]

FN barrels are cold hammer forged using a mandrel with the rifling and chamber profile around which the barrel steel is hammered into shape. The outside profile of the barrel is determined by the hammer dies used. Forging dies are very expensive to make. I am sure a company isn't going to pay FN to tool up dies to make a lesser quality barrel when it will be cheaper to simply order what FN already makes.

It is possible that FN is offering fire sale prices on barrels that have some kind of blemish or are enough out of tolerance that they are rejected by the government. In that case, they may not be quite as accurate but won't be any less safe or less durable

[polymorpheous]

If we hadn't given BCM a chance where would they be?

BCM sent out rifles for T&E to companies like EAG.
"We" didn't give BCM a chance.
BCM went out of their way to prove that their stuff is quality.

[Youngbp04]

Has any other manufacture had a post get 60+ responses in less than 12 hours, most with defective/QC or customer service gripes? I don't know, I am probably a little bitter because my shipment was supposed to be shipped again today and did not go out and did not get a response again to any of the three emails I sent in the last 48 hours... That just doesn't seem right, growing pains or not

[mallowpufft]

OP, I hope they finally resolve your problem for you.
I emailed PSA a couple times this December to ask a couple questions. Took 3-5 days to get a response but they seemed like nice folk so I ordered a lower, LPK, and upper from them. Got all the parts in around the 20th. Got it built and noticed the fore end was loose. Checked it and sure enough two of the tabs that hold the MOE handguard were broken. Called and they said to send the handguard back and they'd send me another. I borrowed a set of handguards from a buddy and went out this afternoon. I'll be honest, I was skeptical after some things I read here but I figured that a lower is a lower as long as it is in spec and after everything I've read around this place I felt comfortable taking things apart and checking them and to my inexperienced eyes it checked out.
Put a box of XM193 through it, a box of PMC through it. No malfunctioning. Figured what the heck, let's try some wolf. Put two boxes of that through and the last box was as fast as I could pull the trigger and keep the sights on paper.
Not a single malfunction. I'm not going to be super comfortable till I hit 500 w/o an issue but it's a start.
I'd love a BCM, Colt, any tier 1 but I've got three young kids and a work for a not for profit. This is rifle is the best I can afford and is primarily going to be for coyotes and the like. Where else could I have gotten a complete AR for under 600? If it doesn't work out I can always sell it to some Bubba at the next gun show for a small profit.

[fizicks]

Has any other manufacture had a post get 60+ responses in less than 12 hours, most with defective/QC or customer service gripes? I don't know, I am probably a little bitter because my shipment was supposed to be shipped again today and did not go out and did not get a response again to any of the three emails I sent in the last 48 hours... That just doesn't seem right, growing pains or not

Don't worry, I'm sure it will ship soon. My package came quick, received it yesterday....Without some of the stuff I ordered.

[Tzoid]

I have only purchased Ammo from PSA and have never had a problem. It sucks that the OP had a problem with a BCG. All this bad mouthing will probably cost them a few hundred bucks in sales..

[Sry0fcr]

Do you really think an ISO certified manufacturer like FN will put out junk barrels depending on what roll mark they put on it?

Unquestionably, yes. Absolutely. Quality is adherence to requirements. The customer makes the requirements, the vendor's job is to fulfill them. No more, no less.

[Megalomaniac]

I had a few issues with PSA, it took 3 tries for PSA to get me the correct upper as ordered in a ready to ship condition.

I place an order for a PSA 16" LW Midlength w/ MI SS15 and YHM Phantom 5M1, upper shipped decently promptly. Upon arrival I opened the box and found, three things wrong:
1. My muzzle break was not in the box.
2. The spare rail sections and mounting hardware were not included.
3. There was a live round in the chamber.

After getting in touch with them they apologized and informed me that there was a mix-up and that the upper they shipped me was not intended to be shipped yet. They informed me that they would upgrade me to a Hammer Forged barrel and stated that they would e-mail me/include with the upper a RMA label for the first upper.

Second upper arrives, I open the box to find several more things wrong:
1. They mounted a SS12 rail instead of the SS15.
2. Still no spare rail sections.
3. No RMA label for the first upper.

I contacted them again, they claimed that when I called previously that I was informed that they were out of stock on the SS15 rails and that I okay'd the SS12, which I did not.

They also had no explanation as to why the RMA label wasn't included or sent via e-mail.

The third upper they shipped came correctly, with the proper rail, included rail sections, and the RMA labels for the first and second upper.

I don't think I will be using PSA again anytime soon.