PSA PA-10 Magazines, quick question.

[Greg Langelius *]

I just acquired a Palmetto State Armory 20" .308 PA-10. The Upper is Gen-2, and the Lower is Gen-3. So far, all looks well and I'm looking forward to shooting it sometime in the next few weeks. It's the "Space Cannon" Lower, and the receiver Artwork/FCG Inscriptions have me grinning a lot; I had no idea when I made the purchase...

I bought the 20" instead of the 18" because a friend has had issues he diagnoses as over gassing, and I wanted to see if the Rifle Length Gas System improved on the problems he's having with the Mid-Length system. In an earlier topic, I have received advice to check BCG overtravel, and to alter the buffer and spring if that's an issue. I'm trying to avoid that with the 20" Upper. My intention is to run this Upper with IMI 150gr and 168gr for the most part.

The Bushnell 4.5-18x40 Drop Zone BDC 308 scope is inbound from Optics Planet. Just a hunch, but these scopes have disappeared from at least one site (Amazon), and I'm wondering if they may be getting phased out. I have one mounted on a 24" Savage Bolt gun and it's bang on for steel out to 300yd so far with the IMI 168gr Semi-Auto Match.

I bought a pair of 20rd Hex Mags as part of the purchase, and they insert and detach fine. But they also seem to require a longer bipod, which may not be so agreeable with shooting off the bench.

While looking for additional 10rd mags, I keep running across reviews that cite problems running various mags in the PA-10. Some suggest mods, some just trash mouth the PA-10.

Obviously, there are a lot of them in circulation, and one assumes that most if not all their shooters have found mags that do the trick successfully.

So, who can bring a positive ending to this topic?

To restate, I'm looking for trouble-free 10rd mags to run in my PA-10.

TIA.

Greg

 

[DRAM40A1]

Greg, I’ve not used them in a PSA but Magpul 10 round mags work great in Mega Maten, DPMS, LMT, and Aero receivers I have.

 

[bfoosh006]

@Greg Langelius *


I would try a 10rd Magpul or 10rd D&H steel mag.

FWIW... all of my PA10 / PA65's Gen II, ( various GLS and barrel length's and brand barrels ) mags drop free, and function perfect with ...

Magpul, 10rd, 20rd, 25rd.. M118 version and LR/SR
D&H ... 10rd, 20rd "Retro" and Neon Green follower
IWI, ... 20rd
HexMag...20rd
C-Products 20rd works... but feels cheap.

Lancers mag springs are strong enough to cause the BCG to drag in the OEM configuration... YMMV.
I "fixed" them by trimming a coil... that helped considerably
( NOTE... I run a "sluggish" recoil setup.. heavy buffer weight, stiffer recoil spring, an Adj. GB.... Soooo YMMV )


BUT !!! ... ( Lol )
Brownell's 308 mags are horrible ( at least my batch were YMMV ) I bought 10 / at $10 per mag... they will not drop free, loaded or not.
The mag spreads at the top when loaded, 10rds, 20rds, 5 rounds...
They feed just fine... but I don't enjoy the " my palm actually hurts, from the amount of force it takes to get them to lock in place"... and the I have to yank them free of the lower.

FWIW, and dependent on your stock... I would consider a heavier buffer weight and a Tubbs .308 flatwire recoil spring.
But, cross that bridge if needed.

What stock do you have ?

IM me.. if you would like input. I have a bunch of PSA Large Frame experience, ( and a spare .308 Tubbs Flatwire you could have, and I'll even send you a Brownells mag... might work in yours, ( ya never know ) they are just taking up space here )

IMO, You are correct about the RLGS.. chamber pressures will be lower upon extraction than a Mid length gas system.... and that "might" help...

Your Gen 3 addresses bolt overtravel from the "channels" cut at the portion the buffer tube threads into.

Your friends issues can probably best be addressed with an Adj. GB...( if it is truly overgassed ) PSA gas port sizes seem to be within typical specs.
Have him check his extractor and ejector as well...

In my experience.. the cyclic speed needs to be "milli-seconds" slower... typically, an Adj. GB will do this, as well as a heavier buffer and recoil spring.

I wouldn't say over gassed anymore ... instead ample gassed.... Enough that , while I understand PSA's are a bargain minded firearm, it wouldn't hurt to have a stiffer then normal recoil spring and heavier buffer weight.

Your Gen 3 should have one size heavier buffer weight from the factory

A side benefit of those above parts is "perceived" recoil can be much softer... add a real recoil pad on the Magpul stock .. and the darn things can be crazy soft shooters.

 

[TACC]

Great info, thanks

 

[Steel+Killer]

I have a Gen 1 PA10 6.5CM and a Gen 2 PA10 308 both have adjustable gas blocks I have ran Magpul magazines of every size in both rifles with zero issues I also have a couple Lancer magazines they gave me a little trouble at first when fully loaded for the first few rounds so I left them fully loaded for a couple of weeks after that they seem to work fine now. I could be wrong, but most of PSA PA10s come with adjustable gas blocks now I think. I believe most of the time when people have problems with PSA rifles it's because the gas blocks are misaligned which is an easy fix.

 

[Greg Langelius *]

OK, much thanks for the speedy and helpful replies. I'm going with the Magpul LR/SR Gen 3 10rd mags. They're affordable, and if they need a fix, it appears to consists of a simple angled trim of some plastic along the last 1/2" upper edge of the magazine; going by the PA-10-specific reviews. Those reviews may be related to Gen 2 lowers, as well. If applicable, I will report issues.

My friend went with the adjustable gas block. He's had issues with adjustment accessibility, but he's got it adjusted fine now.

I have the PSA six-position adjustable stock, very basic. I have the Limbsaver Pad for the AR adjustable stock inbound by Tuesday. Tracking looks like tomorrow.

Greg

 

[bfoosh006]

You'll like the Limbsaver.

And thanks for the update !

 

[Greg Langelius *]

The limbsaver went on somewhat more easily than I had expected after reading the reviews.

It makes the recoil end of the stock more comfortable; but any actual recoil is still theoretical right now. Still trying to get a date set for my much delayed range debut. Temps are finally tracking in the 90's. Being old and disabled tends to suck.

Greg

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Th Magpul magazines I had settled upon are back ordered, overdue at Midway.

I found 10rd Hexmags at Midway for slightly less, and in stock. Two of them are on the way. I'll be using them for my initial shots, any issues will be reported.

Greg

 

[Tim_WNC]

My Gen 2 18” .308 gas system issues were solved by putting a proper buffer in place. As I recall, it came with a ~3oz buffer, going to H3/5.4oz buffer fixed it right up without swapping the gas block. Runs fine suppressed and not.

 

[Kilosierra]

My Gen 1 PA-10 runs fine stock with PMAG’s. But it also has has the 18” barrel with rifle length gas system. A friend of mine has the 18” mid length and his also ran fine. His came with a H2 buffer while mine came with a H buffer.

 

[Greg Langelius *]

OK, the "10rd" Hexmags arrived, and they are just 20rd bodies with a 10rd limiter added and the base cover pop riveted closed. I had bought them to get a shorter mag length, and got fooled.

I drilled out the pop rivets, removed the limiters, and now have a second pair of 20rd magazines. Aside from the pop rivet holes, they appear identical, and both pairs easily hold 20rd per mag of IMI 150gr FMJBT.

Two Magpul 10rd PMAGs on order as a trial, but my buddy with the 18" PA-10 says his run great.

Greg

 

[Lawless]

10 rd and 20 rd Pmags run fine in mine.

Measure your buffer, if it is 2.5” you can get a KAK 5.3oz 2.5” buffer.

if you have the longer 3.25” buffer, any H3 AR15 buffer will work.

i recommend a H3 (5.3-5.6oz) buffer and a Tubbs flat wire AR10 spring. Then tune with gas block to get good 4:00 extraction.

Another recent issue with PSA big AR bolts is extractor tension. You may need to double up on O-rings under the extractor or get the LaRue double 7.62 spring If you begin getting malfunctions in which your empty case doesn’t eject and gets wedged under the next feeding cartridge.

See my thread for more info.

https://www.snipershide.com/shootin...un-and-profit-ma-bell-the-6-5c-build.6922589/

 

[Greg Langelius *]

OK, the PMags arrived, and they simply refuse to lock into the lower; not with the bolt either open or closed (no rounds in the mag).

They are marked as Magpul PMag 10 Gen 3's.

Looking for ideas about how to get them to lock into the receiver (PSA PA-10 "Space Cannon" Gen 3).

Pressed for time this week, been on a solid series of all day trips for med appointments over distances ranging from 50 miles to 80 miles, and have even got two trips for tomorrow. Getting worn down a bit, and time for close inspection just isn't there right now.

I intend to hold off from any 'adjustments' just yet until I do research, ask questions, and perform inspections to find out just where contact is occurring that blocks proper engagement. Somewhere in all this I'll eventually make calls to Magpul and PSA. (...And yes, I'm prepared for long 'hold' times).

This is the questions stage, and I'm hoping the forum has advice I can use.

Greg

 

[Greg Langelius *]

OK, I did the internet/youtube search; this appears to be a real problem, not my imagination, and it has both a reason and a fix.

The MPags have a new contour that is not compatible with the PA-10 Lower (Gen 3?).

This incompatibility, IMHO, is because the PA-10 Lower appears to me to use a mag well spec that is incompatible with what is probably the most popular magazine choice on the market. My Lower appears to be special run with the moniker "Space Gun".

I could point fingers and demand that others conform to my choices, but that's somebody else's methodology.

I don't care about who's right or wrong, I just have to make my own personal system work.

I'm going to modify the mag well. Normally, I'd modify the magazine because that's the cheaper part. But not in this case.

This because modifying my magazines does nothing to solve the problem recurring should I be forced to use someone else's PMag. I can't modify their mags on the fly, the rifle is my property, and I want it to be as compatible with most commonly used equipment as possible.

The problem is interference between the bottom edge of the rear wall of the mag well and a ridge running horizontally across the PMag spine.

My solution is to raise the bottom rear edge of the mag well by approximately 1mm to 1.5mm. Gonna remove the anodizing, but making omelets requires the breaking of eggs; so...

That should fix it. I'll be reporting on this.

Greg

 

[Lawless]

op, my gen 2 doesn’t like to lock mags in when the bolt is closed. Open is no issue. is this what is happening to you?

 

[Greg Langelius *]

No, mine don't lock into the mag well at all; empty, full, somewhere in between, bolt open, bolt closed.

I haven't done any modifications yet, and I may not be doing them at all. I've concluded that my prior post is fundamentally flawed.

PSA deserves a chance to look at the issue and make their own determinations. I'll be trying to get through to them and provide them with all the options they might want.

I have a bottom line; the mags I have need to work effectively with the PSA lower, without modifying them in any way. They work elsewhere, so I'm of the belief that whatever problem is causing this issue stems directly from the Lower in question.

That AR-10's have no common spec is not a good enough answer to my question when very, maybe most, commonly used mags can't work with the Lower in question.

I'm not going to mod the mags, and if I can't get this resolved without having to modify the Lower, that would void the warrantee. But more importantly, a problem that can't be fixed without voiding the warrantee tells me that the warrantee itself comes into serious question.

I would appreciate some help finding a way to get direct contact and response from PSA QC.

I've bought four complete Lowers from them directly this calendar year, three PA-15 M-4 Classics, and this PA-10 Lower.

My health has kept me from shooting any of them yet. The PA-10 is the first one I'm getting ready to start with, and now this.

Now, I'm beginning to worry about the three PA-15's.

I'm a firm believer that everything works when people talk with each other.

Greg

I've just finished sending a note to PSA C/S explaining the issue, and seeking advice.

 

[Tim_WNC]

Swap the magazine catch before taking a dremel to the metal

I had an LPK from them where the
Mag catch was out of spec

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Thank you, it's a possibility. If my contact with them goes South and I have to figure things out on my own, I'll give that a try.

But for now the ball's out of my court,.

As I've said, I fully expect PSA will make good on this and treat me decently.

Dremel?

Eeek!

I think of such as a mini muncher trying out for mega muncher.

Not near my rifles! Hand files at most.

Greg

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Very quick response, this morning; request for info pertinent to RMA issuance.

Sent.

So far, very pleased.

Greg