Palmetto State Armory Freedom Experiment

Prices have been dropping for a while on AR parts largely thanks to Palmetto State Armory. Since their online presence, prices for AR parts have taken a steady decline. Forged upper receivers that once cost north of $100 can sometimes be had for $40 during sale events. Lowers that once cost $100 now sell for $50 for a blem; $60 for 1st quality when on sale.

So imagine my surprise when I found PSA offering a 16" mid-length upper with a melonite lightweight barrel and MOE handguards at the princely sum of $199. It's not that I need another upper, but for the price it was really hard to walk away. It's not the fanciest upper ever, but assuming everything runs, it is quite functional as to weight and barrel finish. The lightweight profile places the balance of the rifle further back towards the stock and gives a faster and smoother swing when engaging moving targets. The melonite finish protects the barrel steel from corrosion better than most mainstream firearms finishes as well as provide surface hardening.


I'm not the most fond of the FREEDOM laser engraved on the barrel, but I really can't complain at $199. For less than the price of some entry level barrels, I have an entire upper sans BCG and charging handle. The upper comes assembled with a front sight pin assembly, A2 flash hider, crush washer, forward assist, dust cover, MOE mid-length handguards, and of course the useless sling loop on the bottom of the front sight base. I'm really not sure why anyone puts the USGI sling loops on front sight bases anymore.

You might notice that the upper is a slightly purple color. Although the upper was not listed as a blem, the color is off slightly. Again, I'm really not complaining at this price point; just making an observation. The upper is a standard flat top upper with M4 feed ramps and no T markings of any kind. Pure functionality and nothing extra. Everything appears to be assembled as it should be. The front sight base is pinned with two taper pins and appears to be aligned properly according to my finely calibrated eyeball. The forward assist is of the round style without a cross pin to secure the end cap from the shaft.
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The front sight base is F-marked and is of the proper height to co-witness with back up iron sights and red dot optics. The gas tube is of the standard unfinished stainless steel variety mated to a triangular handguard cap. There's really not much special about the upper other than the low price point. I didn't observe any burrs or tool marks in or around the barrel. In fact, the finish on the barrel is surprisingly nice.

 

The only con to the upper is the upper receiver itself. There are a few artifacts from either rough handling or the forging process pinged into the exterior of the left side of the upper receiver wall. This was obviously there prior to the anodizing process as all of the dents and bumps have been anodized over. There is also some finish that has worn through to bare metal at the rear takedown lug. This was probably from the assembly process. None of the noted cosmetic issues affect functioning, not even the purple tint of the upper.

I'll post an update once I procure a BCG and charging handle. So far I'm pretty impressed by the value this upper provides. No missing parts and everything looks assembled the way it should be.