Palmetto State Armory Guardsman-15: Improved, Refined, Still Budget-Friendly

Palmetto State Armory (PSA) has firmly established itself as one of the great American firearm manufacturers of all time. Not only from the original products it has developed, but also the stunning volume of firearms it has put in the hands of Americans. 

With that comes a number of different lines and variations of what is more or less the same thing. Be it AKs or ARs, PSA has a model for everyone. The latest major release from PSA is a middle-of-the-ground tier between its budget Freedom line and its premium SABRE line. This new offering is the Palmetto State Armory Guardsman-15.

SPECS & FEATURES

PSA Guardsman-15 has several nice-to-have upgrades over the Freedom line, improving durability, reliability and comfort. What exactly is better than the Freedom line or not as premium as the SABRE line depends on the exact rifles you’re looking at, but generally, you can count on the Guardsman to have at least a few things over the Freedom rifles.

Upgrades on the Guardsman line include:

• Chrome-lined, Phosphate barrel, with a tapered profile
• Pinned gas block
• Mid-Length gas
• Free-float handguard
• Full-auto profile BCG that has been individually HPT and MP inspected, Sprinco gas rings, OCKS screws, Carpenter 158 steel bolt, and chrome-lined
• Ambi-safety
• “Guardsman” flat bow single-stage trigger
• Magpul MOE grip
• Magpul PR stock

A chrome-lined barrel dramatically increases its corrosion resistance and improves its life over high-round counts. It also helps protect the barrel during rapid fire, something more of us are thinking about with the rise of FRTs and Super Safetys. A tapered profile helps move mass where it is more useful, instead of the awkward Government profile.

Its pinned gas block means even less chance for it to move and leak gas. PSA using a mid-length system results in softer recoil and less wear on parts. Also, the carbine's free-float handguard is great for precision at longer ranges.

The bolt carrier group (BCG) is a major upgrade featuring superior parts, made from better material and individually inspected for exceptional quality control. These features typically add a good chunk of cost to a BCG, so getting this from PSA directly helps a lot in controlling costs.

The ambi safety is decent but not great. I found it small and on “fire” it sits a few degrees past 90. That just kind of annoys me. I can’t tell any difference between the Guardsman trigger and PSA’s standard Enhanced Polished Fire Control Group (EPT), other than the former is a flatbow and the latter is curved. The EPT is a great mil-spec trigger, but making the Gaurdsman a flatbow doesn’t really add much to the experience.

Magpul furniture is a nice upgrade, and the PR stock is definitely a solid improvement.

Here's the kicker: You get all of this for about $100-150 more than the Freedom line, depending on the exact model you want to compare. In my book, this is a pretty good deal.

Palmetto State Armory

$599

ON THE RANGE

Hitting the range for some drills and fun with 55gr Magtech ammo provided by AmmunitionToGo.com is always a good day, and the Guardsman was no exception. Out of the box, the Guardsman got a quick inspection and some extra lube before spent cases went flying.

Start to finish, across a few range sessions, the Guardsman-15 had zero problems. That’s expected these days, since the AR-15 isn’t a new platform, and PSA knows how to manufacture them in volume. 

The ambi safety is nice to have and a decent improvement over the standard configuration. The mid-length gas is decently tuned for a factory rifle. And there were no signs of trouble in any other area of the gun.

To really see the differences between the Freedom line parts and the Guardsman line parts would take thousands and thousands of rounds to prove. But we know from experience and from loads of other testing that a chrome-lined BCG and individually inspected makes a significant difference in durability, as does a barrel with a chrome lining. 

The balance of the Guardsman feels good with the taper barrel profile. This is probably the most noticeable improvement on the rifle, other than the new Magpul PR stock.

Overall, this review isn’t very exciting because everything just worked. While not great for reader retention and SEO, it is exactly what you should expect from something like the Guardsman line. It just works. It doesn’t have flashy improvements, but the improvements it does have are substantive gains that actually matter in the long run.

LOOSE ROUNDS

What is right for you, the Freedom, Guardsman or SABRE line? If you can afford it, the SABRE line gets my vote hands down. But if you don’t want to spend that much on a rifle, you can save almost half your money by getting the Guardsman and still come out with a solid rifle.

The price difference between the Freedom and the Guardsman really isn’t much, but the gains in durability and reliability are pretty major. Adding chrome to the barrel and BCG and inspecting every BCG by itself might not sound fancy, but it is important. A rifle built for hard use should have a pinned gas block. A better stock improves durability, comfort and practical accuracy. 

If you want a blaster rifle or are absolutely strapped for cash, the Freedom line is a better-than-nothing option. But if you want to bet your life on it, the Guardsman offers a much better value for a relatively small increase in cost.

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