PSA KS-47: Could it be the Solution?

2afreedom

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I recently ordered a PSA KS-47 blem lower and rifle kit from Palmetto State. I have been looking for a do-all utility rifle in 7.62x39. I wanted something that would be fairly accurate and easy to mount a scope on which led me to the AR platform, but I wanted a caliber large enough to be used for deer and or hogs. I am an AK guy so I have plenty of AK mags lying around. When I saw the kits and lowers on sale in my email, I dove right in. A few days later I was putting the gun together. I have to give kudos to PSA for fast shipping.

So far I am impressed with the quality. Everything went together just fine and my 20 round AK mags lock right in. I am certainly no AR expert, but all the parts seemed to be assembled correctly and nothing was loose or damaged. The "blemish" on the lower receiver consisted of a few scratches on the bottom of the trigger guard that I am sure I would have put on it anyway sooner or later. The magazine release is large and hangs below the oversized trigger guard, so you can push it with your thumb or with the new magazine you are about to load just like with the good ol AK. The upper I bought has an 18 inch barrel with a full length rail, so there's plenty of sight radius for the BUIS I put on her. With the stock extended where I am comfortable shooting, the overall length is about the same as my SKS. I haven't put it on a scale, but the unloaded gun should come in between 6 and 7 pounds.

I got the opportunity to shoot maybe 15 rounds through it this afternoon just getting the irons on paper at 25 yards and so far it eats Wolf ammo without an issue. A steel 20 round AK mag locked in tight with no wobble. Hopefully I can shoot some more this weekend and will post updates on how it does at longer distances. I am excited to see how it breaks in.

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These sort of lowers have been getting a lot more common lately and are pretty tempting..... But I'm guessing it still uses direct impingement?
 
Please keep updated on this, I'm to chicken to buy one till someone try's one out....love the ideal, best of both worlds. I know there is the 300 blackout in the ar platform but the ammo isn't as cheap(yes I reload the 300 form 5.56-233 brass) but 7.62x39 is cheaper and I don't care if leave the spent cases on the ground.
 
I think 15 rounds is just a wee bit premature to be tossing around the word "solution," but I get what you're saying. To second PUNISHER's request, keep us posted. I'll be curious to hear your thoughts after another 1,485 rounds or so.
 
Yes, it's a direct impingement gun. I think there are piston conversion kits available but I'm interested to see how it does with gas. I certainly do not expect the ability to run as filthy as an AK out of the KS and I will be satisfied as long as it runs well reasonably clean. And no, 15 rounds is nothing but a basic function test but so far so good. IF it proves reliable and more accurate than my old SKS then I will chalk it up as a win. Time will tell.
 
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I got the chance to put about 50 rounds through the rifle today and finished lining up the iron sights. Here's how it did so far:

Reliability: The gun ran great. I was using the same steel 20 round magazine as is in the photo. It fed a random combination of steel cased fmj, steel cased hollow points, 154 grain steel cased soft points, and even a few PMC brass cased rounds without an issue. The only way I could get the gun to jam was to rest it on the magazine while I was firing. After a little research, this is a known issue with these rifles and some people even go so far as putting a set screw in the receiver to keep the magazine from touching the bolt carrier. I am not really worried about the magazine issue as I don't normally rest on the magazine when firing. Ejection was 100 percent. Being an AR, it doesn't throw brass as far as an AK, but nevertheless there were no issues. All rounds fired on the first strike. I hope to test some more metal mags and some polymer mags soon. Overall I am very pleased.

Trigger: I am not impressed with the factory trigger. It has a very heavy pull. The trigger in my SKS with aftermarket spring is miles ahead of this one. A nice drop in replacement would be a huge improvement.

Recoil: The gun definitely has more recoil than a 5.56 AR or an AK or SKS shooting 7.62x39. I'm not very recoil sensitive, but those who are might be offended by it. I guess that's the price to be paid for a light rifle. Muzzle flip is minimal and is less than I have experienced with the Commie rifles.

Accuracy: After adjusting my BUIS, I was able to put three rounds of steel cased fmj into about an inch and a half at 50 yards. I then backed things up to 100 yards and could consistently get three shots into less than three inches of target. Keep in mind this is with a cheap BUIS without the benefit of a bench rest. The only "bench" I had was the ramp going up to the barn loft, so I shot standing resting on that. I did have a couple of instances where I had two rounds less than an inch apart at 100 yards, so I think that with an optic and better rest much better groups could be achieved. It has passed the test of being at least as accurate as my SKS, so I am pleased.

Overall: I am happy with the gun. It will obviously take hundreds more rounds to prove itself reliable, but so far I have no serious complaints. I am going to shoot it as long as it will run without cleaning to see what its tolerance level will be. Sooner or later I will probably mount a low power scope and use a good rest and get a true test of its accuracy. At this point, it's as good as I had hoped it would be.
 
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I built a 7.62x39 AR from PSA parts, but I went with the normal AR lower and bought their complete upper with BCG. I like the idea of a lower that uses AK mags, though. My AR uses special mags that generally cost more than twice what the AK mags cost.

I've heard so many bad stories about 7.62x39 with AR parts, but mine has been 100% so far. I have fed it every kind of cheap steel-cased ammo, including Wolf, Brown Bear, Golden Tiger, Tula, and have even used Fiocchi brass cased ammo. I bought an extra strength hammer spring in anticipation of light strikes, but I still have the stock spring and fire control group in it. The firing pin, as it came from PSA, works just fine and is modified for extra protrusion from the breech face. Based on the recommendation of someone else who bought the same upper from PSA, I have only used C-Products mags with it, I have not tried ASC mags yet.

To me, the AR is a lot more pleasant to shoot than my AK. The recoil seems softer, the operation smoother, and I can get back on target quicker with it. And since I like to reload my spent brass, I love the fact my AR does not leave a big dent in the side of the brass like my AK does.
 
I installed a Bushnell 1.5-4.5x32 scope I had lying around on the rifle and lined it up today. I was shooting some older Wolf black box 122 grain hollow point ammo. After making my adjustments, I shot a final three shot group that measured just over an inch at 50 yards. I wasn't using a bench rest, just leaning up against my utility trailer, so I might be able to do better on a more stable platform. Regardless, 2 MOA out of cheap Russian ammo is plenty good. Here's a picture of the center of my target where I was walking the shots in. The three circled shots that made up final group measured 1 1/16" wide.target.jpg

I also learned that the gun does not like Tapco polymer mags. The one I tried was very snug and would not feed rounds into the chamber except when pulling the charging handle back. I guess I will be sticking to metal magazines from here on out.
 
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Almost got the upper and lower for this for my lady.. but ended up building a super nice 18" 6.5 grendel for under $600. Just sucks that the ammo cost is $1+ a round.. but we have wold steel so that helps a lot. Glad you like the KS. I still may get one. Love the concept of it
 
Almost got the upper and lower for this for my lady.. but ended up building a super nice 18" 6.5 grendel for under $600. Just sucks that the ammo cost is $1+ a round.. but we have wold steel so that helps a lot. Glad you like the KS. I still may get one. Love the concept of it

I almost did a 300 blackout build but I didn't want to have to reload every round to get a reasonable ammo cost. If this gun continues to prove a winner, it will be my do-all rifle for hunting, HD, what have you. I wanted to be able to practice a lot and I can't afford to do that with anything other than 7.62x39.
 
I almost did a 300 blackout build but I didn't want to have to reload every round to get a reasonable ammo cost. If this gun continues to prove a winner, it will be my do-all rifle for hunting, HD, what have you. I wanted to be able to practice a lot and I can't afford to do that with anything other than 7.62x39.
The only reason. We decided to both go 6.5G was wolf steel in grendel is 21 cent a round ! Same price as 223 steel. So we can get plenty of practice with it. Hopefully 1-1.5" groups. We will def reload brass due to cost. But I like it because brass gets us a .25 group at 100 but we have cheap steel.
I still want a ks47. It's so badass
 
Just did a little research on the 6.5. Seems like a very versatile cartridge. I had no idea any of the Russian companies made ammo for it. I would think if you are shooting longer ranges it would probably outdo the 7.62x39 on trajectory and accuracy. Let me know how yours works out, you never know what I may "need" in the future...
 
Just did a little research on the 6.5. Seems like a very versatile cartridge. I had no idea any of the Russian companies made ammo for it. I would think if you are shooting longer ranges it would probably outdo the 7.62x39 on trajectory and accuracy. Let me know how yours works out, you never know what I may "need" in the future...
I went with it with hopes of longer range shooting one day. You can also take 762x39 brass and make it into 6.5 grendel casings.
 
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