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A gun topic. The AR 9 from Palmetto State Armory

bpost
I put together one of these a couple of years ago.  It uses a closed bolt blowback design and Glock magazines.  I have several magazines in 32 round capacity and two that hold 40 rounds.  The bolt is different from the well known AR15 design the back part of the bolt is solid steel, adding mass for the blowback operation.
This is my favorite toy to shoot all day and not spend a fortune on ammo. 
Reloading the 9MM with Bullseye or Titegroup and home 124 GR cast bullets is cheap, about $3.50 a box. 
I put a Vortex Strikefire red dot on it, it is a good scope that holds zero very well.
I also put match grade 3.5 # triggers in all of my AR platforms.  It really helps accuracy over the standard AR trigger design.
What I find to be amazing is how well the 124GR cast round nose bullet shoots from the 16" barrel.  I sighted the rifle in at 25 yards.  It is dead on at 50 a touch low at 100 and if I hold near the top of a 10X12 AR500 plate at 200 yards it will still hit.  Cheapo Russian Red army steel cased 115GR FMJ ammo from target sports USA at $149 a case delivered also shoots great but it is very dirty, I think the powder used is flammable dirt.
Cleaning is a breeze but I seldom clean it shooting over 1,000 rounds in one case before tearing it down for a scrubbing.  The barrel had a bit of lead near the muzzle, easily removed with Hoppes and a brush.  I attribute the leading to the lube being consumed from the small grease groove in the bullet design before the bullet travel down the barrel is complete.  It could also be from the added velocity of the longer barrel.  I will chrono this ammo when the weather gets a bit warmer.
A note of caution.  The bolt is heavy if your bolt is open and locked a slight bump on the buttplate will dislodge the bolt.  If you have a loaded magazine in the rifle it will chamber a round and be live.
I also endorse this rifle for new shooters.  The noise and blast is a lot less that from the 5.56 NATO round so going from the 10-22 to this centerfire rifle is a in between step for a new shooter.  I was impressed with new shooters taking to it like a duck to water.
If you want an inexpensive reliable rifle to shoot out to 200 yards for practice and pleasure I highly recommend you get one from any of the makers producing it.
My next AR platform rifle will be in 45ACP but being unemployed for the next few weeks has put the dampers on fun money to order new toys with.

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Comments

16 comments

Date Votes
  • Warbirds

    I have been wanting one for a while. I think the use of Glock mags is brilliant.

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  • mac10
    I have one of their 45 when they offered it but shortly after they never had it again
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  • bpost
    mac10 said:
    I have one of their 45 when they offered it but shortly after they never had it again

    There are other sellers of the 45ACP platform out there but at over $1,000 for one it will have to wait.
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  • chiefr
    Agree they are cool and built one myself, but I am a big fan of the Sub 2000. 
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  • mark christian
    They are a lot of fun to shoot, and for the price, they are a bargain. I have two. One is a SBR and the other is setup as a "pistol": Because they are straight blowback, they are easily suppressed:

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  • Ricci.Wright
    I have a Colt 9mm Ar and I like it but it gets a lot dirtier than a standard DI AR. And I wish it used Glock mags. :)  
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  • Mobuck
    "A note of caution.  The bolt is heavy if your bolt is open and locked a slight bump on the buttplate will dislodge the bolt.  If you have a loaded magazine in the rifle it will chamber a round and be live."
    That's called "quick load" and yes, it's a surprise if you're used to handling a standard AR.
    I assembled 10.5" and 8.5" AR "pistols" and both are more accurate than one might expect from a 9mm anything.
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  • NeoBlackdog
    They are a lot of fun to shoot, and for the price, they are a bargain. I have two. One is a SBR and the other is setup as a "pistol": Because they are straight blowback, they are easily suppressed:

    A prime example of government regulations gone awry.
    This mans' pistol is longer than his rifle!
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  • jimdeere
    Bpost, if you load with Bullseye, do you have to clean your gun a lot?
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  • bpost
    jimdeere said:
    Bpost, if you load with Bullseye, do you have to clean your gun a lot?

    HAVE TOO?  Well maybe, but actually doing it is another thing.  :)
    I have some Bullseye left over that I am burning up shooting it makes a lot of fouling and smoke.  The charge weights are low and it is effective cost wise for plinking.  I do have an eight pound jug of Titegroup I am using and it burns a LOT cleaner for sure.  Bullseye is still one of the lowest cost per trigger pull of any pistol powder but Titegroup is so clean and efficient I would call it a better value overall.
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  • jimdeere
    Agree, but I have found titegroup for less than $20, lately.
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  • rufe-snow
    Had problems with Russian steel case 7.62 X 39 ammo in a AR build. They changed to lawyer proof primers awhile back. Had all kinds of fail to fire problems. Till I put in, a +20% hammer spring. The FTP problems were fixed, but the trigger pull increased by 2 Lbs +. 
    What really irked me was that no indication was given on the Russian ammo boxes. About the change in primers. Old stuff went bang. New ammo, with the lawyer proof primers was crap.

    Don't know if the above, is applicable to their 9 m ammo? Figure I would give you a heads up. Hate to think in a personal protection situation. You would be having problems with the Russian ammo.
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  • tsavo303
    Sweet. Awesome.  I have to get mine running. Quarter circle 9mm
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  • Grunt2
    jimdeere said:
    Bpost, if you load with Bullseye, do you have to clean your gun a lot?


    FYI...Almost any reduced load will smoke and foul no matter the brand of powder...
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  • bpost
    rufe-snow said:
    Had problems with Russian steel case 7.62 X 39 ammo in a AR build. They changed to lawyer proof primers awhile back. Had all kinds of fail to fire problems. Till I put in, a +20% hammer spring. The FTP problems were fixed, but the trigger pull increased by 2 Lbs +. 
    What really irked me was that no indication was given on the Russian ammo boxes. About the change in primers. Old stuff went bang. New ammo, with the lawyer proof primers was crap.

    Don't know if the above, is applicable to their 9 m ammo? Figure I would give you a heads up. Hate to think in a personal protection situation. You would be having problems with the Russian ammo.

    The Russian 9MM I have has been 100% reliable although it too is DIRTY.  The Wolf steel case .223 functions fantastic in carbine length gas systems but it is DIRTY as can be, smoke and fouling much more noticeable.  Since it is .223 and not 5.56X45 it is loaded to a 5K lower pressure level.  It has given me headaches in rifle length gas system rifles.  It will shoot but some will eject the empty then short cycle the next round jamming the gun.
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  • bpost
    Grunt2 said:
    jimdeere said:
    Bpost, if you load with Bullseye, do you have to clean your gun a lot?


    FYI...Almost any reduced load will smoke and foul no matter the brand of powder...

    True Dat! 
    Bullseye, even when loaded to max charges, which my 9MM ammo is, is little more than smoking flammable dirt that makes a bullet move while creating dirt.  It is a AWESOME target powder for 38, 9MM and 45ACP but you pay the price in dirty guns.  I ran the MADORE wad gun I got from Perry Shooter with Bullseye and it shot very well.  When I switched to Vhitavori  (sp?) the dirt went away and so did the smoke.  I have even loaded Bullseye in 44 mags with stiff book charges and quite surprisingly it shot just as good as Blue Dot and 2400 in my Cast gas checked lead loads.
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