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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - PTAC initial impression (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 12/4/2013 4:25:31 PM EDT
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I received my PTAC rifle kit from PSA today and my initial impressions are good.
The good: -M4 profile (not HBAR) -m16 BCG with good staking -chrome lined gas key and carrier -1:7 twist 5.56 chamber -gas key is properly staked Bad: -bolt is only marked M not sure what testing has been done -Hand guard heat shields move (single) -Whatever they "lube" them with is sticky -looks chalky inside (maybe its dry film lube??) I also got the Blackhawk! parts kit with it. The parts look like typical PSA stuff to me, and it included an ergo grip, and a blackhawk stock. The stock is ok, but I would rather have a m4 style stock. It is nice that the blackhawk has a QD socket. It comes with some rinky dink 1'' or smaller swivel... My goal was to build the cheapest rifle possible. I have one of the $50 anderson lowers scheduled to be delivered tomorrow as well. Grand total before a sight is $447. I will post pics asap. |
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I received my PTAC rifle kit from PSA today and my initial impressions are good. The good: -M4 profile (not HBAR) -m16 BCG with good staking -chrome lined gas key and carrier -1:7 twist 5.56 chamber -gas key is properly staked Bad: -bolt is only marked M not sure what testing has been done -Hand guard heat shields move (single) -Whatever they "lube" them with is sticky -looks chalky inside (maybe its dry film lube??) I also got the Blackhawk! parts kit with it. The parts look like typical PSA stuff to me, and it included an ergo grip, and a blackhawk stock. The stock is ok, but I would rather have a m4 style stock. It is nice that the blackhawk has a QD socket. It comes with some rinky dink 1'' or smaller swivel... My goal was to build the cheapest rifle possible. I have one of the $50 anderson lowers scheduled to be delivered tomorrow as well. Grand total before a sight is $447. I will post pics asap. 1) A backup bolt is never a bad idea. After buying some PSA rifle kits/uppers with BCGs, I bought some 9310 bolts from AIM (40/each) 2) The "lube" might not be lube, as I've read that it could be compound to prevent rust. Wipe down and lube with known lube. 3) Chalky inside could be dry film lube. Depends on the part you're talking about. If the part is anodized on the outside and chalky white/gray inside, there's a good chance it is dry film lube as non-premium/whatever parts are just anodized. |
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I was very close to doing a similar thing during PSA's Black Friday sales - PTAC complete upper, Anderson or blem lower, and Blackhawk lower build kit w/o fire control group (already have a trigger) for <$400.
Didn't pull the trigger, and kinda wish I had if only to satisfy my curiousity. VERY curious to hear more accuracy and reliability reports about these PTAC uppers - I'm sure they aren't BCM or Noveske but for a cheap truck gun/range toy they are a compelling option. |
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I was very close to doing a similar thing during PSA's Black Friday sales - PTAC complete upper, Anderson or blem lower, and Blackhawk lower build kit w/o fire control group (already have a trigger) for <$400. Didn't pull the trigger, and kinda wish I had if only to satisfy my curiousity. VERY curious to hear more accuracy and reliability reports about these PTAC uppers - I'm sure they aren't BCM or Noveske but for a cheap truck gun/range toy they are a compelling option. Unless the chamber is out of spec I don't see anything that would throw a red flag. It all looks just as good as any AR I've had. |
| I have a friend that bought one of these and he has had positive results. Rifle is well done, no issues with staking, loose nuts etc.. He uses a aimpoint on it and hits 8" steel at 250 but has not mounted a scope to see what the true accuracy is. I fired it and liked it plus the price is nearly unbeatable. |
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the barrels are not chrome lined also.... some however are melonited. i got one of their melonited uppers. aside from not trusting an unmarked BCG, it looks fine. the BCG will get dumped at a local gun show(new, unused) and a known, marked BCG will go in its place. |
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If your chasing true accuracy this is what you want.
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My first RRA upper I ever owned and it ate up thousand and thousands of round of wolf without a single hiccup. Quoted:
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the barrels are not chrome lined also.... My first RRA upper I ever owned and it ate up thousand and thousands of round of wolf without a single hiccup. |
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If your chasing true accuracy this is what you want. Quoted:
If your chasing true accuracy this is what you want. Quoted:
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the barrels are not chrome lined also.... My first RRA upper I ever owned and it ate up thousand and thousands of round of wolf without a single hiccup. How can you tell if they are melonite? Mine has a very glossy black finish much like my m&p sport. |
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Good to hear. They had more of the PTAC uppers for sale this morning and I bought one. Complete upper, not a kit with LPK or stock, but I think the same as you got. Looking forward to seeing it in a week or so.
What is the barrel lining? Chromed, or just Parkerized steel? I certainly don't expect a hammer-forged FN barrel at this price, but am curious as to what it is since it was not totally clear in the ad/listing. but since it was 1:7 I was willing to gamble. I have a PSA lower and PSA "classic" LPK, and a collapsible stock kit in a .50 cal ammo can I was saving for a build for my fiancee for next christmas. Looks like I might be done a year early. ;) I think with the recent sales it will be $430 total plus the shipping/tax/transfer on the lower, so maybe $470 plus i need to get a rear MaTech for it (can not stand those MBUS, sorry). Also, fyi, I have used two Anderson lowers. I got screaming deals on them from a shop in AL a few months ago. They were awesome. Beautiful pieces, machined and finished like nothing else out there. No wonder Colt let them make parts/rifles for them. I have liked Aero in the past (they make PSA's lowers for the most part, and are local here), but the Anderson units were a notch above. You will like it/them. they were spotless. All the tapped holes were clean/blown out. The holes were machined perfectly. The anodizing was flawless. The horsey logo was goofy; which made me not use them for what I wanted (removing logo and de-milling to make a retro lower). But they were better than prior Aero and PSA labeled lowers I've dealt with. I'm actually a horse owner, and originally from kentucky. So there is no one more sympathetic to it than me, but that horsey logo is plain goofy. |
| I'm sure they aren't BCM or Noveske but for a cheap truck gun/range toy they are a compelling option.http://goo.gl/FD5Gqx |
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I was about to do the same thing, but then I went with the premium PSA stuff that was on sale. I spent about 650 on their best stuff. It's a good rifle for cheap, but I can tell it's not as high of quality as I expected The only upper I've ever been super impressed with when I opened it up was my spikes 14.5" middy with pinned dynacomp. Never have been wowed by BCM, or PSA. |
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some however are melonited. i got one of their melonited uppers. aside from not trusting an unmarked BCG, it looks fine. the BCG will get dumped at a local gun show(new, unused) and a known, marked BCG will go in its place. Quoted:
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the barrels are not chrome lined also.... some however are melonited. i got one of their melonited uppers. aside from not trusting an unmarked BCG, it looks fine. the BCG will get dumped at a local gun show(new, unused) and a known, marked BCG will go in its place. Is the PTAC just PSA's house brand/made AR-15's? If so, and you have an unmarked BCG... that bolt head is probably 8620 steel, not C158. With PSA, if it doesn't specifically say it comes with a C158 bolt in the product's description then it probably is the 8620 steel. I learned this shit the hard way... If I'm wrong, then I apologize. This is just mine and my brothers experience with PSA's uppers/bolts... |
| I ordered the PTAC complete upper with BCG and charging handle from PSA (smoking deal at $279 so I thought I would give it a try) nearly a month ago and have yet to see it. After 2 weeks I saw that the upper I had ordered minus the BCG and charging handle in PSA's in store flyer (another pretty good deal at $179) so I dropped them an email asking about the ship eta, few days later I got a reply that wait time is typically 15-20 days for an upper. Now at 24 days my order is showing complete on the PSA website but no upper and no ship date email, I had read that their shipping and follow up was pretty lousy so I guess I shouldn't be too shocked Hopefully someday I may get to see if your pros and cons are accurate. |
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I ordered the PTAC complete upper with BCG and charging handle from PSA (smoking deal at $279 so I thought I would give it a try) nearly a month ago and have yet to see it. After 2 weeks I saw that the upper I had ordered minus the BCG and charging handle in PSA's in store flyer (another pretty good deal at $179) so I dropped them an email asking about the ship eta, few days later I got a reply that wait time is typically 15-20 days for an upper. Now at 24 days my order is showing complete on the PSA website but no upper and no ship date email, I had read that their shipping and follow up was pretty lousy so I guess I shouldn't be too shocked Hopefully someday I may get to see if your pros and cons are accurate. Something isn't right. I had mine in less than a week and I ordered on Black Friday. |
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I was about to do the same thing, but then I went with the premium PSA stuff that was on sale. I spent about 650 on their best stuff. It's a good rifle for cheap, but I can tell it's not as high of quality as I expected Care to share how you determined this ? |
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I'm sure they aren't BCM or Noveske but for a cheap truck gun/range toy they are a compelling option.http://goo.gl/FD5Gqx What I'm picking up from this is that the $2k AR stands a much lower chance of actually getting use for its intended purpose than the budget brand  I mean, why do we talk about truck guns? What do we shoot at the range? When IS the right time to pull out our platinum lined, blessed by the jizzum of Eugene Stoner himself, Tier 1 AR-15 and actually use it/shoot it? 
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Is this the normal placement for gas block pins? This is a PTAC barrel. http://<a href=http://i313.photobucket.com/albums/ll373/scpossum1/th_3D2DC530-6CA6-4A5F-90AB-690ED0F96347.jpg</a>" /> http://<a href=http://i313.photobucket.com/albums/ll373/scpossum1/th_856A2DDC-7A85-4BE7-9A16-A37BB0B27F1B.jpg</a>" /> Yes.. pics are kinda small.. |
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Care to share how you determined this ? Quoted:
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I was about to do the same thing, but then I went with the premium PSA stuff that was on sale. I spent about 650 on their best stuff. It's a good rifle for cheap, but I can tell it's not as high of quality as I expected Care to share how you determined this ? Well.. When I installed the lpk into the lower ( both PSA) I noticed that the trigger springs were a lot thinner than my cmmg lpk. The main trigger spring also was one less coil than the cmmg. I then compared it to my colt and the colt was even more beefy than the cmmg. When testing the triggers the colt hammer has the strongest tension followed by the cmmg and the PSA is much less. Also the safety is very "mushy".. It does not snap into place like the colt or cmmg. Then the takedown pins are smaller and are a little loose in the holes where they go, but they catch really bad and I've had to tap them with a punch to get them to budge. Not what I expected from a premium lower build kit installed on a PSA lower! This surprised me because I had heard nothing but good about PSA before the build! |
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What I'm picking up from this is that the $2k AR stands a much lower chance of actually getting use for its intended purpose than the budget brand I mean, why do we talk about truck guns? What do we shoot at the range? When IS the right time to pull out our platinum lined, blessed by the jizzum of Eugene Stoner himself, Tier 1 AR-15 and actually use it/shoot it?
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I'm sure they aren't BCM or Noveske but for a cheap truck gun/range toy they are a compelling option.http://goo.gl/FD5Gqx What I'm picking up from this is that the $2k AR stands a much lower chance of actually getting use for its intended purpose than the budget brand I mean, why do we talk about truck guns? What do we shoot at the range? When IS the right time to pull out our platinum lined, blessed by the jizzum of Eugene Stoner himself, Tier 1 AR-15 and actually use it/shoot it?
I just like to have that 2k rifle tucked away and imagine myself busting it out and fighting for my life when the apocalypse hits! :P I want it to be the best of the best! |
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I ordered the PTAC complete upper with BCG and charging handle from PSA (smoking deal at $279 so I thought I would give it a try) nearly a month ago and have yet to see it. After 2 weeks I saw that the upper I had ordered minus the BCG and charging handle in PSA's in store flyer (another pretty good deal at $179) so I dropped them an email asking about the ship eta, few days later I got a reply that wait time is typically 15-20 days for an upper. Now at 24 days my order is showing complete on the PSA website but no upper and no ship date email, I had read that their shipping and follow up was pretty lousy so I guess I shouldn't be too shocked Hopefully someday I may get to see if your pros and cons are accurate. Usually you can track your order if it shown as complete. Just click "view order" in your account. |
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Well.. When I installed the lpk into the lower ( both PSA) I noticed that the trigger springs were a lot thinner than my cmmg lpk. The main trigger spring also was one less coil than the cmmg. I then compared it to my colt and the colt was even more beefy than the cmmg. When testing the triggers the colt hammer has the strongest tension followed by the cmmg and the PSA is much less. Also the safety is very "mushy".. It does not snap into place like the colt or cmmg. Then the takedown pins are smaller and are a little loose in the holes where they go, but they catch really bad and I've had to tap them with a punch to get them to budge. Not what I expected from a premium lower build kit installed on a PSA lower! This surprised me because I had heard nothing but good about PSA before the build! Quoted:
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I was about to do the same thing, but then I went with the premium PSA stuff that was on sale. I spent about 650 on their best stuff. It's a good rifle for cheap, but I can tell it's not as high of quality as I expected Care to share how you determined this ? Well.. When I installed the lpk into the lower ( both PSA) I noticed that the trigger springs were a lot thinner than my cmmg lpk. The main trigger spring also was one less coil than the cmmg. I then compared it to my colt and the colt was even more beefy than the cmmg. When testing the triggers the colt hammer has the strongest tension followed by the cmmg and the PSA is much less. Also the safety is very "mushy".. It does not snap into place like the colt or cmmg. Then the takedown pins are smaller and are a little loose in the holes where they go, but they catch really bad and I've had to tap them with a punch to get them to budge. Not what I expected from a premium lower build kit installed on a PSA lower! This surprised me because I had heard nothing but good about PSA before the build! This has been my experience with their lpks as well. Of all the lpks I've used DD spikes dpms Psa and cmmg, the cmmg was the best one |
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Well.. When I installed the lpk into the lower ( both PSA) I noticed that the trigger springs were a lot thinner than my cmmg lpk. The main trigger spring also was one less coil than the cmmg. I then compared it to my colt and the colt was even more beefy than the cmmg. When testing the triggers the colt hammer has the strongest tension followed by the cmmg and the PSA is much less. Also the safety is very "mushy".. It does not snap into place like the colt or cmmg. Then the takedown pins are smaller and are a little loose in the holes where they go, but they catch really bad and I've had to tap them with a punch to get them to budge. Not what I expected from a premium lower build kit installed on a PSA lower! This surprised me because I had heard nothing but good about PSA before the build! Quoted:
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I was about to do the same thing, but then I went with the premium PSA stuff that was on sale. I spent about 650 on their best stuff. It's a good rifle for cheap, but I can tell it's not as high of quality as I expected Care to share how you determined this ? Well.. When I installed the lpk into the lower ( both PSA) I noticed that the trigger springs were a lot thinner than my cmmg lpk. The main trigger spring also was one less coil than the cmmg. I then compared it to my colt and the colt was even more beefy than the cmmg. When testing the triggers the colt hammer has the strongest tension followed by the cmmg and the PSA is much less. Also the safety is very "mushy".. It does not snap into place like the colt or cmmg. Then the takedown pins are smaller and are a little loose in the holes where they go, but they catch really bad and I've had to tap them with a punch to get them to budge. Not what I expected from a premium lower build kit installed on a PSA lower! This surprised me because I had heard nothing but good about PSA before the build! Interesting, the one less coil is a first for me. |
| I fired it and liked it plus the price is nearly unbeatable.http://goo.gl/FD5Gqx |
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I ordered the PTAC complete upper with BCG and charging handle from PSA (smoking deal at $279 so I thought I would give it a try) nearly a month ago and have yet to see it. After 2 weeks I saw that the upper I had ordered minus the BCG and charging handle in PSA's in store flyer (another pretty good deal at $179) so I dropped them an email asking about the ship eta, few days later I got a reply that wait time is typically 15-20 days for an upper. Now at 24 days my order is showing complete on the PSA website but no upper and no ship date email, I had read that their shipping and follow up was pretty lousy so I guess I shouldn't be too shocked Hopefully someday I may get to see if your pros and cons are accurate. Call them again or post in their Industry forum, 24 days is to long. All of my orders, in the last 6 months have shipped in less than 15 days. |
| That's what has happened with every other order I have placed with them, this time my order shows complete and shipped with no tracking info. Really disappointing to have seen the same upper on sale twice and to hear about people receiving them so quickly while mine still seems to be in limbo. |
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My first RRA Nesard upper I ever owned and it ate up thousand and thousands of round of wolf without a single hiccup. Quoted:
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the barrels are not chrome lined also.... My first RRA Nesard upper I ever owned and it ate up thousand and thousands of round of wolf without a single hiccup. Not really necessary. |
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Purchased the cheap P-Tac upper yesterday. It will get the full inspection when it arrives, as I have had the same questions as everyone else. If you want quality, consistent parts at reasonable prices go with Rock River. I don't worry about what shows up in the box. The nicest uppers I have came from RRA. Fit and finish are superb, and their stainless barrels are tack drivers. PSA lowers and uppers have been good for the price. The anodizing is ok. I rank them below RRA.
I'll post a review on the P-Tac ASAP. |
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What I'm picking up from this is that the $2k AR stands a much lower chance of actually getting use for its intended purpose than the budget brand I mean, why do we talk about truck guns? What do we shoot at the range? When IS the right time to pull out our platinum lined, blessed by the jizzum of Eugene Stoner himself, Tier 1 AR-15 and actually use it/shoot it?
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I'm sure they aren't BCM or Noveske but for a cheap truck gun/range toy they are a compelling option.http://goo.gl/FD5Gqx What I'm picking up from this is that the $2k AR stands a much lower chance of actually getting use for its intended purpose than the budget brand I mean, why do we talk about truck guns? What do we shoot at the range? When IS the right time to pull out our platinum lined, blessed by the jizzum of Eugene Stoner himself, Tier 1 AR-15 and actually use it/shoot it?
I shoot mine all the time as well as use them for home defense duty...
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Quoted: Gave the kit to my brother to build his first rifle since I can't get my lowers right now. For whatever reason I was denied on the nics check... Now the appeals process begins. My experience with psa or ptac was great..Does take a while, but thats expected with the volume they are moving. I have been stock piling the parts, lowers and kits. My mid ptac upper is amazing. Its accurate and well built for the price. Better than my dpms for sure. The lowers are really nice too. The blackhawk crap is just run of the mill stuff, but if its used for burning up ammo its perfect. At the range it will shoot side by side with a bcm. Thats a bold statement to make, but its 100% true. Out of the box they (bcg) are dry.. I couldn't even move the firing pin. what better way to test a gun then to test it dry? shot a few hundred bone dry without one problem. Got my approval for sure. |
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What I'm picking up from this is that the $2k AR stands a much lower chance of actually getting use for its intended purpose than the budget brand I mean, why do we talk about truck guns? What do we shoot at the range? When IS the right time to pull out our platinum lined, blessed by the jizzum of Eugene Stoner himself, Tier 1 AR-15 and actually use it/shoot it?
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I'm sure they aren't BCM or Noveske but for a cheap truck gun/range toy they are a compelling option.http://goo.gl/FD5Gqx What I'm picking up from this is that the $2k AR stands a much lower chance of actually getting use for its intended purpose than the budget brand I mean, why do we talk about truck guns? What do we shoot at the range? When IS the right time to pull out our platinum lined, blessed by the jizzum of Eugene Stoner himself, Tier 1 AR-15 and actually use it/shoot it?
You're one wise '13er. I agree with what you're saying. Why have a "shitty" gun in your trunk for the emergency you're worried about? If you need to pull that sucker out - you probably want the best gun you have. |
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He didn't bench rest the PTAC rifle, but he did run 60 rounds of Tula through it without a hitch. So far his $457 build + $66 PA micro setup is working well.
The $49 Anderson lowers PSA had with integrated trigger cards are super nice. That's what I had waiting at my FFL before the NICS crap happened. |
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You're one wise '13er. I agree with what you're saying. Why have a "shitty" gun in your trunk for the emergency you're worried about? If you need to pull that sucker out - you probably want the best gun you have. Quoted:
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I'm sure they aren't BCM or Noveske but for a cheap truck gun/range toy they are a compelling option.http://goo.gl/FD5Gqx What I'm picking up from this is that the $2k AR stands a much lower chance of actually getting use for its intended purpose than the budget brand I mean, why do we talk about truck guns? What do we shoot at the range? When IS the right time to pull out our platinum lined, blessed by the jizzum of Eugene Stoner himself, Tier 1 AR-15 and actually use it/shoot it?
You're one wise '13er. I agree with what you're saying. Why have a "shitty" gun in your trunk for the emergency you're worried about? If you need to pull that sucker out - you probably want the best gun you have. It's cause I've been a shooter for many years but I got into ARs this year... I could care less about the 13er phenomenon, I'm just hear to learn and observe. |
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You're one wise '13er. I agree with what you're saying. Why have a "shitty" gun in your trunk for the emergency you're worried about? If you need to pull that sucker out - you probably want the best gun you have. Quoted:
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I'm sure they aren't BCM or Noveske but for a cheap truck gun/range toy they are a compelling option.http://goo.gl/FD5Gqx What I'm picking up from this is that the $2k AR stands a much lower chance of actually getting use for its intended purpose than the budget brand I mean, why do we talk about truck guns? What do we shoot at the range? When IS the right time to pull out our platinum lined, blessed by the jizzum of Eugene Stoner himself, Tier 1 AR-15 and actually use it/shoot it?
You're one wise '13er. I agree with what you're saying. Why have a "shitty" gun in your trunk for the emergency you're worried about? If you need to pull that sucker out - you probably want the best gun you have. Truck gun is a vague term. If you have it in case SHTF, then it's like buying a parachute - you don't sacrifice reliability for cost. If it's a bang around gun you don't mind if it gets dirty, scratched up, or possibly stolen, then you'd probably opt for the cheap route. |
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^^^pretty much what I was saying. When I say "truck gun" I mean something you carry/beat around when you want/need to blast a coyote, pig, deer, etc., not something you carry with a fully loaded tac vest expecting to Clark Kent yourself into HSLD Operatorland.
Back on topic... I received a stripped PTAC upper earlier this week. Square Forge mark, color was a very dull flat grey (would not call it black), T-marked, M4 ramps, assembled just fine and performed as expected in a dedicated 22LR configuration. The finish is noticeably different than the PSA Blem Fire/Safe lowers I ordered or an SAA upper I have on another rifle, and frankly the anodizing looks thin/cheap. Won't win any beauty contests but it works... |
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Due to get my P-Tac upper this week as well (ordered on the 26th) Will be mated to an Anderson lower built with a PSA build kit. For $469 inlcuding the transfer fee on the lower it would have to be really crappy for me to be dissapointed. My brother built the same gun and so far it has ran fine. First ammo it ever got was Tula and it ran without a hitch. |
[ARCHIVED THREAD] - PTAC initial impression (Page 1 of 2)
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