PSA Guardsman AR-15 Review: PSA’s Best Budget AR?

0:00 Hey everybody, welcome back to the Armed Scotsman. Today on the table we have a PSA AR-15 called the Guardsman. Let’s get this one going.

0:45 Alright folks, as I said, this is PSA’s AR-15. It is called the Guardsman. These, at the time of posting this video, have only been out for a few weeks. They seem like they were very good value for money, so I thought we would get one in and shoot it, do a kind of review on it.

0:58 Give my thoughts. We’ll go over the features and shooting it, all that kind of usual fun stuff. Alright, so let’s start at the back here. We have a Magpul stock. Now, I don’t remember the name of this Magpul stock. I think it must be a kind of a newer design ’cause I don’t really recognize it.

1:14 It has a rubber butt pad in the back, so it’s pretty comfortable. Obviously, it is adjustable. The one thing that’s interesting is it has QD sling attachments but not the OG sling attachments. Which I thought was kind of interesting.

1:29 It’s a pretty nice stock. I mean it’s a nice upgrade. The one thing — and I’m being very nitpicky, I don’t particularly like and this might not bother people — is it doesn’t lock up super tight. So there is a fair amount of wiggle in there. I like buttstocks that really clamp up and don’t move. Again that’s a personal thing. So don’t let it bother you. It is a solid stock. It is comfortable. I just wish it would lock up a little better.

1:54 Anyway, you have a mil-spec buffer tube right here with your standard buffer and buffer spring. Moving down to the castle nut. PSA is staking them in two places, and they’ve been doing that for a little while now, and the staking looks really nice, which is good to see.

2:12 Moving along, you have a standard AR-15 charging handle. Your upper and lower receiver is 7075-T6 aluminum, and everything’s pretty bog standard here. So you get your dust cover, your brass deflector, your forward assist, your mag release.

2:19 The thing that’s upgraded on here is it has an ambi safety, which I personally love. Ambi safeties make a lot of sense for me. I know everyone doesn’t love them, but I do think it’s a solid upgrade for PSA.

2:40 If you’re right-handed, the side on the right here, the safety is going to be smaller and flatter than it is on this side. The left side is chunkier and a little longer obviously ’cause that’s typically what we’ll be manipulating with our thumb.

2:57 Moving down, you have what’s called the PSA Guardsman flat bow trigger. It’s a pretty decent single stage trigger. We’ll go over that in just a second.

3:10 You’ve got a Magpul enhanced trigger guard here, which I do like also. I love enhanced trigger guards. They’re my favorite. And it’s done by Magpul, which is even better.

3:19 You have a Magpul grip right here. Now, this is just the straight polymer. There’s no rubber overmold, but it’s got some nice texturing all the way around. Serrations on the front and back and texturing on the sides. Has a nice little compartment down here to store batteries and whatever else you may need.

3:43 So the furniture on this is solid. Magpul, solid upgrade. Do like that. Alright, now going back to that trigger. Let’s check that out.

3:51 So obviously we are unloaded. Single stage trigger. So there’s a tiny bit of take up before that trigger breaks. Solid break. Not too shabby. And the reset is very positive. It really pushes your finger out and it is tactile. Overall it’s a pretty solid trigger for this gun and for the value that it is.

4:15 You’ve got a slightly flared magwell. On the other side you got your bolt catch and release and that ambi safety. Pretty decent.

4:37 BCG we’ll go over in just a second because they’ve done a few things on this new Guardsman line that I really like.

4:46 You have a 1913 Picatinny rail all the way along up here. So plenty of space for lights, lasers, whatever else you need. They call this their new hex guard.

5:05 Moving up, you’ve got some nice lightning cuts with circles as you can see. And on the sides you do have some M-Lok slots without the cutouts.

5:22 Below the handguard you have a 16-inch barrel. It’s phosphate on the outside and chrome-lined on the inside. It’s a mid-length gas system, which is my favorite. I do prefer mid-length over carbine. It’s just a little smoother shooting.

5:50 Half by 28 thread pitch up here, which is standard. Let’s go ahead and take this down… and we’ll pop this out and we will talk about the bolt carrier group.

5:58 As I said, they’ve done some things on here that I really like, especially for a very budget friendly AR-15 from PSA. Phosphate finished, chrome lined. They’ve upgraded the gas keys, and the staking is very, very good. It is HPI and MPI tested and stamped on the bolt which is super nice.

6:22 One of the other things that they’re doing that I really like is these are individually tested. With their more budget friendly line they typically do batch testing. These are individually tested. They’re taking every single one, test firing it, and then it’s good to go. So that’s crazy. Increases the QC and catches any issues before anything comes out to you.

7:07 Very solid BCG and really some nice steps in the right direction for the more budget friendly lineup that they have.

7:23 Now let’s talk about shooting it. The optic I had on it was the EOTech EXPS 3-0. Went through approximately 300 rounds. No problems whatsoever. Shot great. Nothing really to report there.

7:57 Let’s move on to the price point and why I think this is probably the best value AR-15 for PSA currently. PSA offers another cheaper version about $100 cheaper. However, for $100 more, you’re getting much more for your money in my opinion, which makes this probably the best value PSA AR on their website right now.

8:29 At that $599 price point, you’re getting upgraded Magpul furniture, an enhanced trigger guard by Magpul, an ambi safety, the flat-faced PSA Guardsman trigger, and most importantly the bolt carrier group is HPI/MPI tested with upgraded gas keys and individually tested. So the QC is going to be higher.

9:11 Aesthetically, the handguard is going to come down to whether you like it or not. It feels really good. It’s not too thick. I can get a really nice C-clamp on there.

9:30 Overall, I think this is a very, very good value for your money. The only thing I don’t like is that little wiggle on the stock. I just wish that would lock up a little better. But again, that’s me being pretty nitpicky. Everything else has been fine. No problems, no complaints.

9:47 Alright folks, that is it for me. If you have any questions, any comments, please ask below. Happy to help out wherever I can. Until next time, I’ll catch you later.