Jamie557
Member
I wanted to let everyone know that Palmetto State Armory censor's their reviews as mine has not been posted to the site on a gun that I purchased and had problems with. In order to leave the review, I had to prove that I purchased the item from them. I notice this item however currently has all 5 star reviews. I am reporting this to the better business bureau, but I wanted to post this here to warn anyone before they purchase an item from them.
On a black Friday sale, I purchased an AR-15 pistol in 6.5 grendel with a 12 inch barrel that was on sale. My buddy and I both purchased ours on the same day to use in alternative weapons season to take our kids hunting and just to own one. After two weeks they arrived at our local gun store and we picked them up. We both sighted them in together. His impressively shot under one inch MOA using hornady 123 grain factory bullets. Mine did not. I shot like a shotgun pattern. On paper at 25 yards it didn't do to bad, but when we shot it at 100 and 200 yards it was bad real bad.
So we started trouble shooting it. We are both prior military and I am a retired State Trooper and previous rifle instructor. We shot each others neither of us could get mine to shoot a group. His gun we both shot under MOA with at 100 yrds. I bought a new 3 pound trigger, clean the gun thoroughly and we switch scopes. Nothing seem to help the gun. My scope zeroed right in on his gun. I took the gun apart and check the barrel nut it was tight within specs. I tried three different brand 123 grain factory bullets and it still would not group firing over 200 rounds and cleaning several times. The best group was 4 inches MOA at 100 yrds with bullets hitting randomly in pattern with letting the barrel cool between shots. I also tested rapid fire 3 shot groups. The gun always function flawlessly, but would not group enough to shoot past 100 yards safely for hunting. Mean while we were ringing steel with my buddies gun at 300 yards. My average gun group was 5 to 6 inches MOA at 100 yards. I troubled shooted this gun several more times and consulted a gunsmith who told me it probably had a bad barrel and that it happens. He said it could be milled bad, have defective steel or other issues. He said call the manufacture and see what they would do since it was less than a month old.
I tried to contact them, but their phones were down several days. I finally got through and the customer service was awesome. They agreed it probably was a bad barrel.
They sent a prepaid label and I only shipped the upper back. I sent several targets in with it showing its cold barrel grouping and rapid 3 shot grouping at 100 yards. I even showed the scope after, I put in on the other gun zeroed in under 1 inch MOA and a box test, I did with it. I wrote a nice letter and sent it in with the upper. Several weeks went by and I get an email saying nothing is wrong with the upper and its being returned with a target. I got it yesterday. I open the box and there is all my targets and letter I wrote explaining all this and what I had done in the box with the upper. I look further and there is a 300 meter/ 25 yard military style AR target in the box with a less than one inch MOA three shot group with a hand written note. "There is nothing wrong with this upper. It was shot at 25 yards and functions fine." Shot with 123 grain Hornady ammo.
My question is why was the gun not shot at 100 yards? Is this acceptable, I think not. I bought this gun to hunt with and I am sure not all my shots will be within 25 yards. How do you test a barrel with only three shots at 25 yards. So, I called them and of course the floor manager is supposed to call me back and did not for the last 48 hours. No one will speak to me about this 3 shots at 25 yard test. I called a couple times now. I went on their website to leave basically this same review. They deleted it even after I proved that I had purchased the gun. I tried to leave the review again and it says, "You have already reviewed this product."
I guess I will replace the barrel at my own expense as during all this I even used the scope on a different gun and it zeroed fine. I will buy a better quality barrel, but to delete an actual review and not contact a true customer is disgraceful. Sad fact is its a really fun gun to shoot and I would have purchase more items from them in the future. No one accepts a gun that only groups at 25 yards and isn't quality controlled or tested further than that. Almost every gun manufacture now comes with an under one inch MOA at 100 yard warranty. Additionally after I provided targets and a nice letter telling them that its issue was grouping at 100 yards to shoot it at 25 yards is disgraceful. I reload alot of ammo and you can't even begin to tell what a bullet is doing until it passes 100 yards with most showing issues at 200 yards plus.
Buyer Beware when it comes to Palmetto State Armory. One a side note, I almost didn't even buy the gun because of the fact that they have been investigated two times for having customers credit card numbers stolen twice in 2019, which they blamed on Russian hackers. I used a credit card , I only use for emergencies just to buy the gun. So again remember you get what you pay for sometimes a deal isn't always a deal.
On a black Friday sale, I purchased an AR-15 pistol in 6.5 grendel with a 12 inch barrel that was on sale. My buddy and I both purchased ours on the same day to use in alternative weapons season to take our kids hunting and just to own one. After two weeks they arrived at our local gun store and we picked them up. We both sighted them in together. His impressively shot under one inch MOA using hornady 123 grain factory bullets. Mine did not. I shot like a shotgun pattern. On paper at 25 yards it didn't do to bad, but when we shot it at 100 and 200 yards it was bad real bad.
So we started trouble shooting it. We are both prior military and I am a retired State Trooper and previous rifle instructor. We shot each others neither of us could get mine to shoot a group. His gun we both shot under MOA with at 100 yrds. I bought a new 3 pound trigger, clean the gun thoroughly and we switch scopes. Nothing seem to help the gun. My scope zeroed right in on his gun. I took the gun apart and check the barrel nut it was tight within specs. I tried three different brand 123 grain factory bullets and it still would not group firing over 200 rounds and cleaning several times. The best group was 4 inches MOA at 100 yrds with bullets hitting randomly in pattern with letting the barrel cool between shots. I also tested rapid fire 3 shot groups. The gun always function flawlessly, but would not group enough to shoot past 100 yards safely for hunting. Mean while we were ringing steel with my buddies gun at 300 yards. My average gun group was 5 to 6 inches MOA at 100 yards. I troubled shooted this gun several more times and consulted a gunsmith who told me it probably had a bad barrel and that it happens. He said it could be milled bad, have defective steel or other issues. He said call the manufacture and see what they would do since it was less than a month old.
I tried to contact them, but their phones were down several days. I finally got through and the customer service was awesome. They agreed it probably was a bad barrel.
They sent a prepaid label and I only shipped the upper back. I sent several targets in with it showing its cold barrel grouping and rapid 3 shot grouping at 100 yards. I even showed the scope after, I put in on the other gun zeroed in under 1 inch MOA and a box test, I did with it. I wrote a nice letter and sent it in with the upper. Several weeks went by and I get an email saying nothing is wrong with the upper and its being returned with a target. I got it yesterday. I open the box and there is all my targets and letter I wrote explaining all this and what I had done in the box with the upper. I look further and there is a 300 meter/ 25 yard military style AR target in the box with a less than one inch MOA three shot group with a hand written note. "There is nothing wrong with this upper. It was shot at 25 yards and functions fine." Shot with 123 grain Hornady ammo.
My question is why was the gun not shot at 100 yards? Is this acceptable, I think not. I bought this gun to hunt with and I am sure not all my shots will be within 25 yards. How do you test a barrel with only three shots at 25 yards. So, I called them and of course the floor manager is supposed to call me back and did not for the last 48 hours. No one will speak to me about this 3 shots at 25 yard test. I called a couple times now. I went on their website to leave basically this same review. They deleted it even after I proved that I had purchased the gun. I tried to leave the review again and it says, "You have already reviewed this product."
I guess I will replace the barrel at my own expense as during all this I even used the scope on a different gun and it zeroed fine. I will buy a better quality barrel, but to delete an actual review and not contact a true customer is disgraceful. Sad fact is its a really fun gun to shoot and I would have purchase more items from them in the future. No one accepts a gun that only groups at 25 yards and isn't quality controlled or tested further than that. Almost every gun manufacture now comes with an under one inch MOA at 100 yard warranty. Additionally after I provided targets and a nice letter telling them that its issue was grouping at 100 yards to shoot it at 25 yards is disgraceful. I reload alot of ammo and you can't even begin to tell what a bullet is doing until it passes 100 yards with most showing issues at 200 yards plus.
Buyer Beware when it comes to Palmetto State Armory. One a side note, I almost didn't even buy the gun because of the fact that they have been investigated two times for having customers credit card numbers stolen twice in 2019, which they blamed on Russian hackers. I used a credit card , I only use for emergencies just to buy the gun. So again remember you get what you pay for sometimes a deal isn't always a deal.
