Most people don’t need a $3000 rifle. Most people need a $400 rifle with $2600 worth of ammunition.

Id just like to point out that for the first time ever on Garand Thumb, he is reviewing an AR15 that I can afford, an AR15 for the poors, an AR15 for the peasants, and Im here for it and will embrace it. This Garand Thumb video is no longer a dream, it's a reality. From myself and the rest of the poors, WE SALUTE YOU

the great thing about PSA is after 6k rounds you can spend $200 and get a brand new upper and youre ready for 6k more rounds.

You guys gained a new subscriber today. No BS review and Asian Mike with precise measurements really breaking down what’s happening to the rifle over longevity. Most gun channels do not go into depth like you guys do. Great video!!!!

Hey man, this comment might get lost but the technical review, borescoping, and gauging really made this video stand out and provide much more value above the "lemme shoot my AR15 til it catches fire" videos. Great content.

$400.00 rifle, 5,000 rounds. After 5k rounds - Replacement 5.56 PSA barrel- $99 bucks. Replacement PSA nitride complete bolt and BCG - $79. 180.00 for 5k more rounds. Value leader, without question.

I built a $375 AR-15 about 2 years ago, built it with an iFixit kit, and a hammer, the only thing I had to do was take it to my local range and pay them $20 for bench time to tighten the torque specific parts, and it ran smooth, no misfires ever, no feeding issues, nothing like that at all, and was always super accurate, never had any issues what so ever

I thank you for this!! My first build was a PSA Stealth 15. I built it for my son, and we have put about 500 rounds through it. It is accurate and fun. This type of testing and review makes us guys that don't do this for a living feel like they are getting a good deal on their hard earned money. I hope you do more of these in the future. This was one of the most informative reviews I have ever seen.

The real hero of this video was the one who took the time to pack all those mags.

Great video. Keep in mind folks, this "budget" PSA upper blasted out 6,000 rounds without an adjustable gas block, run mostly full auto, suppressed, mostly dry and dirty, and it still performed pretty damn well. When used semi auto with regular cleaning and lubing you can easily triple the amount of rounds run through the upper in the video. Most people buying an AR for "just in case", hunting, home defense or SHTF will never run close to 6,000 rounds through their gun. I think this video shows that for the money, and touted as being the "working man's AR", the PSA upper did prove its worth without a doubt, actually cheap for what you get. I think this reflects very well on PSA and is great advertisement for them.

I absolutely love how in depth this video is on what all happens to the gun over time and to which parts and what indicates what

Great video! Thank you Phil for bringing the blueprints and the science! Crazy how much that rifle took before it was done.

I learned 2 things from this. 1. PSA is killing it right now 2. Get a field Asian to diagnosis any weapon malfunctions

I really appreciate the detail in this video regarding the rifle. Great job fellas!

My first ar-15 was a PSA build from a third party company down in Texas, spent $700 in 2015 for the full rifle with your standard magpul furniture and irons. Here I am 9 years later as a casual shooter and have to say, the thing has been running like a tank. The ONLY malfunction I’ve ever had with it was my very first round where I experienced a light primer strike (possible bad primer). Ever since I’ve had zero malfunctions, and have had multiple 500 round range days, and in average will run about 2-300 rounds on a dedicated training day. It’s at about 3000 rounds now and I’m still impressed with how it’s performing. PSA is a great value proposition for younger shooters, anyone just getting into shooting ars, or anyone on a budget. Would I want to go to war with it, no, but would I trust it to defend my life and home in a scenario I’m not going to be dumping thousands of rounds through it in a day? Yes, zero question, 1000%. It’s been nothing but good to me but I’ve got to say, “treat your tools right, and they will take care of you”. I think this vid was more than fair and honest, but in reality I think a full clean around 2000, and 4000 could have made a big difference in how this rifle performed. Just my opinion, an average shooter with a small sample size of my own. Killer vid, got a good idea of how these rifles can perform in very harsh conditions which I think is quite good for the money. Defo not a war rifle, but it can take care of you if you take care of it and perform normal maintenance and repair. Well done gents

Budget firearm videos are superior top tier content

$400 gun survived over $3000 worth of ammo before it started falling off. That's very impressive to me. Most people who buy these will never run that many rounds.

Came looking for answers on my PSA, and you nailed them exactly. Thank you. New subscriber.

Love the weekends, always waiting patiently for my garandthumb notification! Now Micha too! 😅ever b4 him! You fella got me thru to long term relationships burning down. And learned a hell of a lot too. So many of my friends are jealous of your jobs/ and experience. N I ALWAYS learn something. I was army infantry 06'-12'. A few deployments, was fortunate enough to get a slot at armory school, so I'm always super into learning older stuff, and in love w/ the new & exciting stuff coming now & future. Incorporating what I can w/ what I have & what's coming down now! Thanks for what you bring, honest careful consideration. Hehe & you seem to dig shit I do😅 and you share it in awesome ways. Thanks fellas

I’m sold. I do like Palmetto’s mission statement, “SELL AS MANY GUNS TO AS MANY LAW-ABIDING AMERICANS AS POSSIBLE.”

“Thank you Asian Phil” “You’re welcome, White Mike “ 😂😂😂

Grand Thumb. After watching this video. I realize I know very little about ARs. I don't train to this level. But, now I know going forward, I am better after watching this video. Thanks to you and your Team. 😊

Just wanted to say you do the best comps and tests, I'm a big brandon Herrera fan, you wear the crap out, and big fan of your range and scenery, keep rolling brother, I've got a ton of pieces that I'd love to throw through your tests....

For $400-500 for a rifle, 5k rounds before it starts to degrade rapidly is absolutely freaking excellent. Anywhere near 2 MOA after 4000 rounds, for a gun that wasn't being consistently cleaned, had no new real major parts changed out, AND was being shot full auto and suppressed is awesome at this price point. This gun was definitely punching above is weight. I'm not trying to make a case that this is better than more expensive rifles, but if you have this gun this let's me know you can run it with confidence. Thanks a ton for putting this together for everyone!

Running so much suppressed and auto without proper maintenance (clean and lube) is way beyond what 99% of shooters are ever going to put an AR through. As a certified armorer I am impressed. I've been using PSA parts in good, affordable builds for years.

Those close shots with the low music all mic volume😍😍 love to hear the crack in the background

Garand Thumb“We are not here to burn this rifle down.” “Alright we are at 3000 rounds let’s continue to burn it down.”

This rifle NEEDS to be good. Having something like this available for the price is the whole point of the 2A

Damn good video!! Hit on the subject I have been tuned into for years! Definitely helped make decisions on future purchases…

Fantastic video, much to be learned! Thank you!

Love the pairing of a $1,200 optic for the $400 rifle.

Mike's not pregnant but he always delivers

that "pull the trigger really fast mode" is working like a charm dude. Cheers.

Very informative, thank you guys

Phil is a phenomenal addition to the channel. He did an incredible job, and the comedic chemistry between Garand Thumb and Phil is amazing. More of Phil on the channel, please!

$3000 worth of ammo through a $400 upper. Hard to argue with the value there.

For context, i asked a division armorer about what is within spec for our M4's when i brough a humvee full of ones that needed to be repaired and i shit you not he said "we dont replace M4 barrels unless they are reported to have a MOA above 3". so that means we would have to have our commander state these weapons shoot more than a 3 MOA to replace the barrels.

Wow you guys really dug deep on this one. Great job!

So what I’m hearing is buy more PSA rifles. You can own 7 for the price of a “real” rifle. With proper maintenance, fired unsuppressed, and semi-auto these rifles will last. A lifetime warranty included, American made rifle for everyone is exactly what we need.

Micah: "You couldn't even put the targets up straight Charlie?" Charlie: *"They're circles"*

What a great video. It's now confirmed what is expected out of PSA's bottom tier 16" barrel and BCG. I bought one of their 16" rifles with the OD MOE furniture for $450 a few months ago. Its a beautiful back-to-basics rifle not loaded with accessories and camo spray paint. Every law abiding American should own one.

Also looks like someone has been bulking! Kind of a surprise as someone who skips around your vids, but I respect the gains my man. love the channel, love the content, please keep it coming!

Seriously worthwhile work for the audience. If every house in my neighborhood had a PSA and 3-4 mags of ammo, and they've only been to the range a couple times and put a couple hundred rounds down range, I'd feel a lot more comfortable than if only one or two houses had Daniel Defense run by former operators. Realistically, none of us are ever going to need 5000+ rounds to defend ourselves. We might need a few dozen rounds in home defense or to escape a riot, or several hundred under WROL. A 5000 round life is probably going to be plenty to get basic proficiency and ability to survive long enough to make one's way to a place with better weapons.

I would argue that the barrel is not shot out because It isn’t shooting keyholes yet. That thing had a ton of carbon fouling in it. I think if all of the hard carbon was removed and the barrel was stripped to bare metal that it would shoot better than 5” or 6” groups. Maybe I’m wrong, but I’d love to give it a go. Edit: After stripping the barrel I’d also change the springs, add new gas rings to the bolt and let ‘er buck! Pros to PSA for making an affordable product for the 2A community. Thanks GT Team for the excellent video!

very educational video. Thank you. Phil's insight was a great supplement.

Great video, would love to see y’all test their new Sabre Billet (or forged) would love to see the quality difference from the same company. Cheers and stay safe boys.

Asian Phil is definitely a good addition. The tech breakdown was very informative. Bring him on whenever you do a serious detailed analysis of a firearm.

I took a rather expensive shooting class from a school we see on KZfaq all the time. The 1st instructor informed me that most people that come here don't bring a 500 dollar rifle with a 300 dollar scope. I told him, "I did." I shot better than 80% of all the other students, and never had an issue with my equipment. Two 5,000 dollar guns broke down, and one 7,000 gun broke down. For the final exam of the run and gun on multiple targets, I was the only one to clear the course with no misses. I'm in my early 70's and my suggestion is, purchase a less expensive gun, and spend the money on ammo and practice time. Practice, practice, practice.

35:56 "you couldnt put the targets up straight Charlie?" "There circles...?" LMFAO

My first AR (and the only one i have now) is a flat top high standard i paid like $700 for about 18 ish yrs ago. It wore a slide stock for a couple 2 or 3 K rnds along with another K or 2 of just shooting regular and it will do 1" 3 shot groups at 100 yds with the reflex sight thats on it. By the time i fixed up the flat top with sights and stuff i prob had $1000 in it. Also the sights been there the whole time and its cheap too. I paid like a buck twenny for it and it still works great too. Id rather have 2 $1000 guns than 1 $2000 gun

In a civilian self defense situation if you're laying down auto suppressive fire, Things have severely went left and most definitely "HIT THE FAN"

with a price point of 300 bucks and full build rifle costing about 450? you can afford to buy 5 or 6 of these rifles for friends and family when you need them. and still be able to buy ammo. rather than 1 or 2 high end rifles and some ammo. i think that was the intention of PSA's founder. getting affordable rifles in the hands of Americans. and making it ' in common use' . i think is a beautiful thing and i support PSA 100 percent.very nice test and measurement. it teaches everybody the inner workings of an AR.

this was one of the most fascinating videos ever. delving into the machining specs was awesome

Amen to this. I’ve had budget rifles in the past and that’s no problem. You work your way up . I upgraded to a BCM and I will never go back, but I never forgot my roots!

PSA is simply doing gods work. Arming the common man with a rifle that in almost every aspect will never make it to this round count yet it can still handle it.

Thank you guys. Now, I have learned from 3 different videos so much more than I knew before the videos.

>full auto >silenced >near freezing temps >no cleaning in ALL the 6K+ rounds Yeah I'd say that that's the stress test and 95 percent of the users won't do since they would at least clean it and lube it every 1k.

Very awesome to hear all the technical things with BCG

I like that there’s no hate to the idea of buying what you can afford. I just got my first, an Anderson AM15 utility, threw some stuff on it, bought 1k rounds to get me started. I’ve shot it twice now, and I love it. My thinking is that I keep hold on to the lower, grips, red dot, sling, etc, and eventually upgrade my upper and internals. I had to start small to see if it’s truly something I want to get into, and found out I love it 🫡 I already knew I loved guns though, and was more familiar with handguns

So what I'm hearing, "A PSA rifle will kill "something" just as well as someone's $5k Gucci gun."

Give props to PSA for making a $300 complete upper that could handle 6k+ rounds. What kind of makes me scratch my head is that assumption that a "base" complete upper is a shameful thing to have. If this is yous SHTF gun, be glad you have a good, long lasting upper that can delivery rounds on target. Sure, it's nice to have a $1000 upper, but if you brag about having it and never use it, well now, that $1000 upper is SOMEONE else's. Oh, and a simple fact that you can make that upper last a lot longer with an upgraded BCG made of high quality components and print better groupings with proper cleaning of the barrel as well. Not too many of us viewers have the access to an *ahem* "super-fast smei-auto" lower to report back what we find. Buy what you can afford to defend you and yours and train with it.

I learned a lot on this one, especially about the inner workings and wear specs of an AR bolt assembly.

Wow!!! Great video guys. Thank you

White Mike & Asian Phil sounds like a dope rap duo stage name.

We need more Phil on this channel. He's a warehouse of technical knowledge combined with the personality of a truly nice guy. Kudos to PSA for building a rifle that almost anyone can afford and still run without thorough maintenance for more rounds than most AR's will ever see in a lifetime.

This is the best most comprehensive torture test video I’ve ever seen. Would love to see a whole series dedicated to this kind of analysis

Gotta love Charlie coming in clutch with the "SDI" meanings. This one was an insta-classic.

I have worked with the M16/AR15 platform for over 40 years " 22 of those years U.S.M.C." . This platform is a gas operated metal on metal reciprocating machine, it was designed to be operated under a cleaning & lubrication schedule of 500 rounds maximum between cleaning and lubrication. Any test that does not include the maintenance schedule is negligence and causes premature wear and shortens the life of the platform . Not following the maintenance schedule invalidates the durability test . But if the maintenance schedule is followed it would take a series of 2-3 videos for the test and probably several thousand more rounds of ammo " I get that , and understand why they cut the maintenance out ". I don't own a PSA rifle , but from this video they seem like a great American minute Man rifle , that if maintained would last many thousand rounds. Take care of your rifle , and your rifle will take care of you.

That rifle was doing 1moa after 4k rounds and much of that was full auto. That’s more than 99.9% of any AR-15 will ever see, and frankly freaking insane.

Fantastic video as usual from the best guntube channel out there!

I haven't seen it mentioned, bur Phil's 'stash is on point!

That PSA will stop a bad guy just as effective as that expensive AR. Dead is dead

Phil is a gem and should be a GT staple cast member. Well done PSA!

Great video, I bought one of these uppers, put it on an Aero lower put 200 rounds down so far worked great. I just use it for weekend fun with friends, it will take me years to put 5000 rounds through it. Is it a "battle rifle" no, but it could save your life in a pinch, sure.

Perfect summation @47:49 -- Not perfect, but not bad. Great testing. If the barrel shows wear after 4K rounds then replace the it after 4K rounds. You can do that >5x before coming close to the price of the rifle this was compared to.

Now to make the test complete, do the same thing with a "good" AR-15 upper.

PSA Sales are going to increase from this video alone! I mean for $300 you can't beat it! keep a bolt rebuild kit in your go bag or just an extra bolt, lube and cleaning supplies and you're golden!

Always get “happy” and comical information from your channel “ love y’all, mean it!”

A $400 complete upper firing over 5000 rounds, suppressed, in full auto, and for the most part, out of the box with minimal maintenance. That is beyond reasonable expectations. My issued M4 was nearly cooked around 4k non-suppressed with regular cleanings.

"You couldn't even put the targets up straight Charlie?" Charlie "They're circles" 🤣🤣🤣

Enjoyed the Video and the Content. The descriptions of various wear points on the BCG were interesting. To my mind, perhaps using a specific lubrication on those rails (internal in the Upper, as well as on the BCG) which is tougher and much more resistant to wear, might lessen the type of negative wear observed. Just my opinion, and I am not an expert nor so intently into AR Rifles in general, as to be able to name or locate such a type of lube (Silicon perhaps etc?.) to impact what was described in the video as slightly unusual wear on the BCG and Bolt, but primarily the body of the BCG. Really enjoy these types of video's and the input of the expert was needed and relevant.

Back in 2017 I bought two 16" AR-15 Complete Rifle kits for $250 each and 2 Anderson stripped lowers. Those are two awesome cheap economy blaster's that shoots tight groups. I must admit that I love the cheap builds too.

This did nothing but inspire complete confidence in PSA if you ask me.

Hats fucking off to PSA, what a solid fucking rifle for almost nothing; being able to get into a solid AR at that price and then upgrade it as you go, is absolutely fantastic.

I've got a PSA Freedom Upper on my last build with a PSA stripped lower and Strike Industries lower parts kit. A rave 140 3.5lb trigger, Primary Arms 1-6 LPVO, and it's my go-to rifle. I just received a PSA Micro Dagger C-1 yesterday and it shot great so far I have only 50 rounds through it. Time will tell but PSA seems to be a great company and way better than Bear Creek. I can say that because I also had a Bear Creek budget rifle that I sold. 😆

Thanks so much for having me out! I had a great time hanging with you and the crew, and I hope I was able to bring an interesting perspective to the video 🫡

I built my own AR with some PSA Rifle parts and I also had constant problems with it doing single shots and having to pull the charging handle every reload. It so happens that the hammers on these are absolutely weak and chip pretty quickly. Swapping out the hammer system with something else and full auto capable bolt, will work like a charm thousands of rounds 17:05

Although the barrel only lasted around 5k rounds, full auto ruins barrels faster especially if it is not cold hammer forged which this PSA barrel was not. Most people only have access to semi-auto, so this barrel would certainly last longer in the hands of people who aren’t on a time crunch to burn the barrel out. For $300, pretty dang alright to me, great video

$300 upper is manufactured with tighter tolerances and higher quality in general than a USGI M16 of 20 years ago.

"The Civy-SAW" loadout idea; Affordable lower, 2-3 of these "disposable" uppers, each with its own cheapo airsoft red dot mounted. Quick detach monopod (protects from heat, and makes shooting stable) A few reliable mags, a bunch of stripperclips and a clip tool strapped to the vest And (when the S has HTF) a handful of bright orange swiftlinks (so less chance of losing them during barrel change) Seems like it could be useful in a pinch when a SAW or LMG would help with suppression and manouver....

The full auto suppressed mag dumps give me The Division flashbacks and how much it took to kill enemies

This is the best rifle evaluation i have seen on the internet, so far. Definitely the only one where ive seen the rifle and bolt actually broken down and evaluated, measured and critiqued by a professional. This, this is excellent content.

Not surprised in the slightest. PSA makes excellent equipment and for some of the lowest prices. 2A enthusiasts should all be very lucky to have them around

This was an AMAZING review!

The bear guy was great there, its a pleasure to listen to someone who is so knowledgeable on the topic, that is able to explain stuff simply and quickly diagnose issues. Like Michael Janich, but for guns instead of knives.

I love all the firearms knowledge and testing you do, but I have to admit, the most excitement I get is seeing if Charles is in the video to give SDI a new meaning. 😂

90% of people aren't ever going to spend $2.5k plus on ammo to get to the 5k round mark.

Wow I haven’t watched Garand Thumb in a few years and he was crazy jacked now!!!

Seems like a great starter rifle. Good way to start practicing, and start modifying. A new barrel and bolt every so often is still cheap, and you can always upgrade any part. Coming from a guy who fell in love at first sight with the AK platform, I love the AR-15 system. Too bad politicians up here in Canada are scared of both. TANSTAAFL!

My takeaway: you get what you pay for, but paying less doesn't mean you get crap, just stuff that wears out faster and is a bit less accurate than sharpshooter quality. Also I really appreciate Phil being there to explain things. I got into guns only about a year ago and until now no one has actually bothered to explain to me why I should spend more on an expensive AR than just going with budget stuff. A bullet will still stop a threat whether it's from a $500 gun or a $4000 gun, after all. Having the various aspects explained finally put things into perspective that most other gun tubers and owners just outright refuse to elaborate on.