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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - PSA CHF models (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 8/12/2017 3:36:23 PM EDT
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Are they worth the surcharge?
The specific thing I'm looking at is the 10.5" upper. Regular is 199.00. CHF is 369.00. |
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Are they worth the surcharge? The specific thing I'm looking at is the 10.5" upper. Regular is 199.00. CHF is 369.00. Depends on whether you are building a plinker or a dependable SHTF type AR. Personally, if I was building an AR that I will defend my life with, I would go with the CHF upper. The barrel is made to hold up under a lot of use and abuse. For a plinker type of pistol build, the Nitride upper is just fine. |
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In my humble experience had the 10.5 and have the 14.7 and 16" FN models, all shoot really well, so Yes. Swapped the 10.5 for the spikes 11.5" fn chf version with a buddy who wanted a shorter upper for his new suppressor, and it is just as nice. Almost FO for another 14.7 today, still pondering it actually.
eta, when I saw their recent posting of the chf 10.5" for $369 it was for a complete upper including ch and bcg. Don't know if the nitride upper included the bcg for $200 but it is the salad days and anything is possible. |
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Are they worth the surcharge? The specific thing I'm looking at is the 10.5" upper. Regular is 199.00. CHF is 369.00. |
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Are they worth the surcharge? The specific thing I'm looking at is the 10.5" upper. Regular is 199.00. CHF is 369.00. Depends. The Freedom isnt "regular" IMO, those are the premium FN models. The Freedom nitride uppers are economy grade but the 5 or so I've had (including the 10.5) all shot well. They've all been sold though. I can't justify a safe full of cheapies. My stuff isn't high end but I've decided no more cheap barrels/bolts etc. Now I just have an FN PSA, a BCM and a Ballistic Advantage. Looking to add a CHF PSA and another BCM before 2020. |
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in my opinion it depends on the difference in price... for $60-70 extra... sure I'd probably get the FN, but the freedom uppers use ALL the same parts as the CHF ones, except for the FN barrel. if it's 100% more for just the FN barrel. then no. Even in a SHTF situation a melonite/nitride barrel SHOULD get near 85% the lifespan of a CHF barrel. FN barrels are nice, but so far so have the Nitride Freedom barrels (and they're now 4150 CMV instead of 4140 like they used to be). The chances of you wearing out either barrel is slim to none unless you know it's going to be a heavy ass shooter. IMO, it's like comparing a PSA premium BCG to a BCM bcg.... both have a good track record and seem to hold up great, it's just that BCM gives that "little extra bit of mental peace of mind"....
being that you're comparing a nitridie barrel as the ONLY difference between the two.... I'd say it's a toss up to what you wanna do. I don't think either one will fail you being that you're looking at the CHF with standard M16 hand guards vs. the Nitride lower with rail that's on sale... not a comparison. get the nitride. HOWEVER, they had a CHF 10.5 with rail just like the nitride one, but it had a BCG and charging handle for $350 shipped. that's about $80-$90 worth of additional stuff which makes the price difference of the actual uppers VERY neglibile... then I'd have probably gone with CHF... I have their CHF and Nitride barrels in both pencil and govt profile 16 inchers and they all shoot great. however I think the Nitride ones are SLIGHTLY more accurate than the chrome lined bores. and $369 for JUST the upper is a bit overpriced ... with that cost you're REALLY close to BCM territory, (especially without a rail)... again, how much is that extra cost giving you? that's nearly DOUBLE the price (and the $199 one has free shipping) than the nitride barreled upper... don't forget that the FN barrels have added costs of chrome lining (which is debatable at being better than nitride) which adds a LOT to the cost of the barrel. So be aware that you're not getting double the barrel in that difference. you might be getting a $60-$70 better barrel with the rest of the cost added material cost for an old (yet proven) barrel treating process. So take that as you will, but unless you know this thing is going to Asscrackistan, or you're going to be fighting North Korean invaders in the U.S. and shooting 10,000 rounds of hot 5.56 military ammo down the pipe and want to make sure you cover your buddy in the foxhole, I'd get the nitride (at least for those price differences). I'd either wait for a sale for $350 including a bcg and charging handle, or just get the nitride barreled upper and get nearly 3/4 a case of ammo with the savings. |
| Nitride and Melonite barrels are GTG. My SHTF AR is PSA freedom Melonite upper and I would not think twice about taking it into battle. It shoots 2 inch groups at 100 yards with BUIS or red dot with AE xm193. CHF is only better if you are doing a lot of sustained full auto fire. As for chrome lining it is great and was space aged tech in the 60's. Tech has improved a lot in the last 50 years and Melonite imo is a better option over chrome. I personally wont pay extra for a chrome lined CHF barrel when melonite and nitride is lower in cost and better overall. |
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I have 3 PSA uppers with FN CHF, chrome lined, CMV steel barrels. 10.5" 5.56, 10.5" 300 BLK, 8" 300 BLK. All bought on sale. To ME, they were all worth it, especially when on sale (I really like those bbl specs). All 3 have proved to be accurate with flawless functioning.
I measure my bbls for bore wear. All 3 are proving to be Very slow in bore wear compared to other bbls that are not CHF, chrome lined, and CMV steel. In the case of the 5.56 bbl, it seemed to be out of stock "forever". Now it may just be a fluke or luck, but I decided to do the notify me when back in stock feature...in just a few days I got the email it was in stock and on sale. I immediately jumped on it and noticed it was quickly no longer in stock, but I got mine. |
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I bought the 10.5 CHF with standard front sight and forearm about a month ago on sale.
Decided to move my AR pistols in a more quality direction. Couple days ago they advertised the MLOK 10.5 CHF with bolt, carrier, and charging handle for $350 shipped. 
So, I ordered it for my new build. 
So… I think they are worth it. |
| Just got a 10.5" with the Geissele rail and ultimate gas block for $499. Its super light weight seems qc seems solid. The rail and gas block were worth the premium for me. I have a spare Griffin Spartan suppressor that will be permanently attached to the barrel to make a 1-stamp gun. |
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I bought the 10.5 CHF with standard front sight and forearm about a month ago on sale. Decided to move my AR pistols in a more quality direction. Couple days ago they advertised the MLOK 10.5 CHF with bolt, carrier, and charging handle for $350 shipped.
So, I ordered it for my new build.
So… I think they are worth it. |
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On a 5.56? Never seen a 10.5" pistol gas from PSA. If its 300blk its supposed to be pistol gas. http://palmettostatearmory.com/psa-10-5-chf-carbine-length-5-56-nato-1-7-9-mlok-railed-upper-with-bcg-and-ch-516446579.html |
| damnnnnnnnnnn, good call. I almost bought that before it went out of stock. was choosing between it and the nitride and it went out of stock.... glad I didn't', I completely missed the pistol length gas ..I wonder if it really WAS pistol length, or if they reused a few specs and photos from a 300 blk |
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I almost bought that upper to finish my SBR, but at the last minute, I noticed pistol gas system instead of carbine length. Still a good deal though at $349. The description says "carbine length gas system" but details list has "pistol length". The reply in the Industry forum was that it's supposed to be carbine length. My previous 10.5s have been carbine length so I'm hoping this one is too. Or it gets sent back.
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I actually asked PSA about this in the Industry forum. The description says "carbine length gas system" but details list has "pistol length". The reply in the Industry forum was that it's supposed to be carbine length. My previous 10.5s have been carbine length so I'm hoping this one is too. Or it gets sent back. My bet is that it is carbine. |
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Man I'm not sure, I keep hearing nitride is the latest and greatest and will outlast chrome lined with better accuracy. If this is true the CHF is obsolete. |
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Man I'm not sure, I keep hearing nitride is the latest and greatest and will outlast chrome lined with better accuracy. If this is true the CHF is obsolete. Personally, I will take a quality CHF/CLd bbl any day of the week. And sleep well. That being said, I do own 1 nitrided 16" budget bbl, it shoots well and has shown little wear over ~ 800 rds. |
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I think it's still too early to call the vote on CL/nitrided. CL has a decades long track record whereas nitride is what? ~7-8 yrs? Personally, I will take a quality CHF/CLd bbl any day of the week. And sleep well. That being said, I do own 1 nitrided 16" budget bbl, it shoots well and has shown little wear over ~ 800 rds. |
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well, Nitride in AR's is only like a decade old, but Nitride in other pistol barrels has been around for over 30 years and it's been pretty much proven. At least in those situations But there is considerable difference in pressures/case capacity between the two. 2k through a 5.56 vs a 9mm/45 acp is no comparison. Also volume of fire, potentially 30 rd mags vs ~10-15 rd. |
| Battlefield Las Vegas, iirc has a running thread on rifles used daily on their ranges. Nitrided Barrels from what I can remember do not hold up under FA fire like a CL barrel. Wish I couldn find the thread, maybe someone else can post a link. For everyday joes nitrided vs CL doesn't matter imho. Also was it daniel defense that stopped offering nitrided barrels due to chipping issues under high heat FA fire? |
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Battlefield Las Vegas, iirc has a running thread on rifles used daily on their ranges. Nitrided Barrels from what I can remember do not hold up under FA fire like a CL barrel. Wish I couldn find the thread, maybe someone else can post a link. For everyday joes nitrided vs CL doesn't matter imho. Also was it daniel defense that stopped offering nitrided barrels due to chipping issues under high heat FA fire? |
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I'm not arguing that nitride is a viable option. My Glock pistols have performed flawlessly. But there is considerable difference in pressures/case capacity between the two. 2k through a 5.56 vs a 9mm/45 acp is no comparison. Also volume of fire, potentially 30 rd mags vs ~10-15 rd. and I think it's less than volume of fire is less applicable than RATE of fire. I have over 100,000 through my G17 and still shooting fine |
| If durability was the only argument, sure. But in a down market where there is only sometimes $70 difference between there CHF CL vs nitride offering, you have to look at what else your getting. While CL is supposed to negatively affect accuracy, I think it to be the more accurate option here between the two. PSA nitride is a nice, cheap option with "eh" accuracy from what I've heard. I think their premium and CHF CL offering outperforms. They typically ship the better BCG with the nicer barreled uppers as well. I think the sum of the differences > $70. |
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If durability was the only argument, sure. But in a down market where there is only sometimes $70 difference between there CHF CL vs nitride offering, you have to look at what else your getting. While CL is supposed to negatively affect accuracy, I think it to be the more accurate option here between the two. PSA nitride is a nice, cheap option with "eh" accuracy from what I've heard. I think their premium and CHF CL offering outperforms. They typically ship the better BCG with the nicer barreled uppers as well. I think the sum of the differences > $70. |
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PSA Premium is all I buy from them. Toolcraft carriers and tested/marker bolts that are 100% gtg |
| My PSA FN CHF CL 5.56 10.5" upper came in with a carbine length gas system. Only 203 rounds fired from it so far, but all functioned flawlessly from my light 50gr frangible load, through my 55gr Hornady fmj loads, and finally with my 65gr SGK hunting loads. I don't have group sizes to report, but my notes say all were accurate. I am very happy with it. |
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well, I actually agree with you. Nitride is the next big thing as it comes REALLY close (some argue better, some argue almost as good) as CHF and chrome lining, but I think it's more the "FN" barrel is a known quantity vs whoever PSA uses in their nitrided barrels. So far they seem to be really good, but who knows. Not saying that because I'd choose one over the other, just spitballing why the FN name has instant "oh yeah, I'll take that" .... I actually prefer nitrided if it's from a good barrel mfger... less cost to make, MUCH better corrosion resistance, and the possibility for better accuracy |
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That's an interesting point. Has this been anyone else' experience? |
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I will say my 18" LtWt profile FN CHF CL barreled upper from PSA impressed the hell out of me at the range... tiny groups and I didn't see any opening up of the groups after firing 200rds.
These were the first shots through it. I am very happy with it... it will become my 3 Gun carbine. Already added the SLR adjustable gas block, a LtWt. BCG, and Taccom plastic buffer and Ltwt spring. |
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I haven't noticed any difference in my nitride vs. CHF CL's barrels with heat, except for my pencil barrel that WILL open up after it gets really hot (which is to do with the thin pencil barrels way more than it being nitrided) |
[ARCHIVED THREAD] - PSA CHF models (Page 1 of 2)
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