First pistol build. Ordered a shockwave brave and buffer. Now Im looking for a complete upper (+/- the BCG/CH) that is 10.5" 5.56, lightweight, MLOK and under $500-600. These PSA uppers seem like a sweet deal to me. I know that the hive thinks highly of PSA for budget minded builds.

http://palmettostatearmory.com/psa-10-5-5-56-lightweight-m-lok-slant-12-freedom-upper-with-bcg-or-ch.html

- Is there any reason NOT to buy this upper? Its been out of stock and I finally caught it in stock so I am tempted.
- Seeing as how it includes the BCG/CH...is 3.45lbs mid range (weight wise) for a complete upper?
- Any concerns/thoughts on the KAK flash can vs Birdcage (good/bad)? I have heard that birdcage is rough for a pistol setup.


Any other uppers that fit my criteria that I am missing?

I've got the same PSA upper except for a shorter Keymod handguard and standard flash hider.   I just put my first AR pistol together a few weeks ago and it ran flawless for the first 120 rounds I put through it.   I thought that the muzzle blast might be a problem from the 10.5 inch barrel with the standard A2 flash hider
but it was even noticeable to me, but.......these short barrel 5.56's are noticeably more loud than my 16 inch AR's.   I've been thinking about trying one of the
KAK micro flash cans myself.  They have a good reputation from what I have read and watched on YouTube.

Thanks for the reply. Looks like its out of stock again. Snooze you lose I guess. Seems PSA stock changes daily. ugh.

I recently purchased my first PSA upper similar to what you are looking at...it basically looked like a blem but was not advertised as such, the price was right and for the intended use of the firearm I did not care *much*. Just do not expect it to be pretty when you get it, function wise I have had ZERO issues with their parts thought so there is that. YMMV.

Looked like a blem...how so? Scratches? Discolored? Its a budget build so I dont expect perfect, but dont want it to look like it was thrown down the driveway the day i get it.

Its interesting they have blems listed on their site and they are listed at the same price as the new ones... Hmmm.

I would bet its probably a bit discolored. Usually a sort of purple-ish hue.
I have or had 4 PSA uppers, and one of them had the discolor while the others were fine.

This is not exclusive to PSA either. I have an upper from  Andro that has a bit of a purple hue. Doesn't really bother me.

When you guys claim you got something that looks like a blem but it was not advertised as a blem, you need to let us know, why you think it looks like a blem, I have bought a hell of a lot of uppers and lowers advertised as a blem and have not been able to find anything on them that I would consider a blemish.

Keep an eye on your gas block. Mine started coming loose after about 1k rounds on my 8 inch PSA upper, had loads of FTEs and carbon all over the gas tube. I dont think they put those bolts in with loctite, which is stupid.

I have begun not using clamp on's or set screws, unless I dimple for the set screws and apply red loctite, but it is pretty common in the industry to not apply loctite to those gas blocks, it is the first thing I pull on an upper to redo no matter where it came from.

It might be stupid, but it is not uncommon.

Yea a 10.5" barrel in a 12" handguard will definitely require a flash can, suppressor, or linear compensator to prevent the blast from splitting the forend. It comes with the Kak flash can, which is just a hollow can. I'd put a Noveske pig Kx3, or PWS CQB, or similar, on it to mitigate the sound. A flash can doesn't do much for sound, but they say a pig or CQB will make a 10.5" sound like a normal 16" from the shooter's perspective. My 11.5" has a CQB and it didn't seem loud at all, and that was at an indoor range next to a concrete wall.

I say go for it and I will tell you why.

I recently purchased a Keymod version. I was able to get the complete upper with BCG and a CH for under 4 bills. Plus a set of MBUS irons?! Thats a damn good deal.  Just know the barrel is not chrome lined. This wasn't a deal breaker for me because the asking price was great. Plus on top of that you get a KAK flash can and a free float rail. The rail and barrel can easily be replaced down the line if you want something different. Its a great starter complete upper with room to upgrade.  

The older versions of this complete upper did have parkerizing issues and Palmetto did not state that in their ad's at that time. If you took the time to deal with their customer service they would offer you store credit. Now the "Purplish" complete uppers are labeled as blem's. I'm sure Palmetto received their fair share of complaints. Also it was just the upper receiver that had a purple hue to it as you can see in this picture.




Their newest version of this upper has no off-color issues what so ever. Matches theirs (and others) lowers just fine.  

This is my PSA pistol I just completed. Matches perfectly.

Thanks for the replies guys. PSA is still out of the sock on that upper. If it comes back in stock soon I will order it. In the meantime I am on the hunt for other options since I am itching to get this pistol up and running. I like the price on the PSA uppers (cant really be beat) but I am willing to up my budget to say...$600 ish if I can find one around. I have found that 10.5"/MLOK/5.56 complete uppers are somewhat hard to find from reputable manufacturers.

So far I have:
I have the KAK Shockwave brace/kit, MBUIS, MOE k2+ grip and also picked up a Spikes Tactical Crusader stripped lower this weekend.

Needs:
LPK (prob with trigger)
Complete upper (as noted)

Check out the uppers from Andro Corp Industries.  He is am member on this site and has a very good reputation.  I was in you exact position a week ago and I cancelled my PSA order and bought one from Jason at Andro.  Check out the EE as he sometimes has deals in there or send him a email and let him know what you want and they sometime have deals for forum members.

I'd go with the 12" barrel instead.

I have heard this a few times. I am sure its ballistics  are superior and its more accurate. But the draw of the 10.5 is the short length for me. Even the 11.5" bbls seem borderline to long imo for my intended purpose. If the ballistics were not so shitty on the 7" I would prob go that route since its so compact..tbh.  At this time...10.5 feels about right for me.

Small update:
PSA is out of stock and despite checking the stock every 30 min for the past 4 days...those magic words IN STOCK just wont appear.
I have been looking hard at the Andro Bravo 10.5 upper and it looks pretty good (albeit a bit pricier than the PSA freedom upper.)
My buddy is a piston guy and he has been talking up the Adams Arms piston uppers you can find out there for around $400. Its temping at that price...but I think Ill stick to DI for now since I am familiar with it.

Came here to mention this. They don't pin the blocks or dimple the barrels. I've got a dimpling jig so it's no big deal for me, but I wouldn't feel great about an un-dimpled barrel, particularly with a nitrided unit, where the knurled cup point set screws can't get any "bite."

A 12.5 without the can will still be more tolerable than a 10.5 with it, particularly indoors.

A 12.5 without the can will still be more tolerable than a 10.5 with it, particularly indoors, and similar length.

You might look at the radical arms uppers that AIM is selling?  I got one for $200 for my pistol build, but no bcg or charging handle.  It's not an mlok, just an inexpensive free float tube.  I'm liking it so far.  
I bought a PSA 16 inch 300 blackout upper to build a rifle for a buddy - gas tube was misaligned, which i fixed.  Still like PSA for the price, ordered two rifle kits from them this weekend.

Build UPDATE:

After much indecisiveness I chose to go with the Andro 10.5" Bravo upper. In the end I got tired of waiting for the PSA uppers to come back into stock (which they have) and didnt want to wait the 2-3 weeks for shipping. I plan on getting one for my next build at some point. Jason at Andro was awesome to work with and made the transaction simple and quick. Shipped the same day I ordered. Who Hoo!

Build:
Complete Upper - Andro 10.5" Bravo
Lower - Spikes Crusader stripped lower
LPK - BCM Enhanced LPK
(OD) KAK Shockwave Brace and Pistol Buffer kit

Accouterments:
(OD) Magpul MBUIS (front and rear)
(OD) Magpul MOE K2+ Grip
Magpul ASAPQD - Ambidextrous Sling Attachment Point
(OD) Magpul MLOK Handstop
(OD) Magpul MLOK rail covers (type2)


Cant wait to put this thing together and hit the range. Once I do, Ill throw up some pics and a range report when I can. Thanks again for those that offered some advice and suggestions.

EDIT never mind

So finally took this pile of parts ....

Attached File




...and turned it into this handy little soul snatcher.
Attached File



A few thoughts:
- 1st build went pretty well. Straight forward. Only launched one spring across the room (Buffer retainer and spring)  and scratched my lower once (hammering the bolt catch roll pin)...both my fault and that wont happen next time.
- Speaking of next time...I caught the bug and am ready to build a couple more pistols and/or rifles in the future. Fun project.
- The Andro upper is sweet. Seems solidly built and assembled with care (ie..the MLOK rail bolts had thread locker on them)
- I cant say enough how much I love the MLOK rail. I only have experience with quad rails (cheese graters) and I can honestly say I will never go back. The MLOK rail is sooo much lighter/smoother/smaller
- Very happy with the BCM enhanced LPK. Quality parts and trigger.
- I absolutely love how compact the pistol is (28.5" OAL.) Makes it ridiculously handy.
- Hit the range the other day and it functioned flawlessly (with multiple types of ammo.) I only was able to put about 70 rounds through it but zero complaints. She is ready to make the grass grow!
- Not as loud as I was expecting and the A2 birdcage gave me no ill effects (excessive flash, etc).

Beautiful gun.