Only recently did I stumble upon Palmetto State Armory. Oh sure, I’d heard their name before, but it was among a sea of other gun manufacturers, which in my tiny mind was swallowed up as white noise. But recently, a good buddy of mine picked up one of their AR-15 rifles, and after a close examination of that rifle, along with some range time, I ordered one for myself. That, however, is the subject of another article.
Upon learning that this same buddy’s son owns one of Palmetto’s AK-47 rifles, I was intrigued. When I realized that the rifles are made right here in America, I was doubly interested. American-made AKs from various manufacturers don’t always have the best track record for reliability, so I was extra eager to check this one out.
Today, we’re going to take a closer look at this rifle. Readers might wonder why I’m writing another article on an AK series rifle, and they have a valid point. After all, it’s kind of like beating a dead horse. But this AK is different in that it is 100% American-made, which is a big selling point for folks who like the AK but have no desire to own a Com-bloc gun. So, without further ado, I present to you the PSAK-47 GF3. Let’s dive in.
Plain Vanilla
My friend ordered the PSAK-47 GF3 model with a plain vanilla set of polymer furniture in OD green. The stock and forend weren’t bad and were certainly quite functional, but he decided to replace them with wooden furniture to achieve that iconic AK look and feel. He’s pleased with the end result, and the change did make it look more like a classic AK-47.
Upon picking up the rifle, it felt, well, just like an AK. Big surprise, right? Actually, I’m not just being funny here. Upon cycling the bolt, I realized the action is extremely smooth yet as solid as expected on any Com-bloc AK. I’ll go out on a limb here and mention that it felt extra smooth, to the extent that I cycled it a few times just to get the feel of it. It was that nice.
Quality Machining
In checking PSA’s website, I learned that the bolt, carrier, and front trunnion are hammer-forged. PSA further states that the 4150 barrel is treated with a Nitride finish and pressed into the front trunnion. Note that these are all new components made in the USA by PSA, not some parts kit from a third-world country that’s thrown together as an afterthought.
The hardened stamped steel receiver is 1mm thick, and the more I handled the rifle, the more I could see that all the parts fit together and how well they all worked by the smoothness of the action. While this is one of their base model rifles and doesn’t come with a fancy railed forend system, the rifle’s core is extremely robust with components that obviously have a lot of thought behind them, and the execution is seriously nice.
Other Notables
This rifle fires the powerful 7.62x39mm cartridge and features a 1:9.5 twist. On the side of the receiver, there is a mount that allows all sorts of optics to be mounted. This will appeal to today’s shooters, many of whom like to mount a red dot sight (RDS) on the AK platform. The Midwest Industries mount is great in that it provides a Picatinny rail section for mounting all sorts of optics onto an AK-47. It’s even quick-detachable, and PSA mentions that they made this attachment point specifically so that it would interface with Midwest mounts, among others.
The muzzle of the rifle features a standard, slanted AK muzzle brake that’s nothing remarkable. Just behind that is a standard front sight post. The rear sight is the typical AK rear sight that’s graduated to the laughable distance of 800 yards. The issue with this particular rear sight is that it’s very loose and wobbles from side to side, which is enough to throw off the aim if it’s not stabilized. The rifle’s owner plans to contact PSA to see if they can remedy that.
Controls
The safety/selector lever appears to be standard AK, but upon working the switch, I was shocked to discover how smoothly it moves. It was as if the part was hand-fitted and tuned (which it may have been at the factory). PSA really did a nice job on this detail.
The magazine release (again, standard AK) is nothing remarkable, and it functions just as expected. Both steel and polymer magazines fit the mag well just fine. I tried Magpul and US Palm magazines in the rifle and they fit and functioned perfectly. I’ve heard some reports that the Korean-made mags and some other steel mags don’t always fit, but that’s not overly surprising.
At The Range
All these accolades sound wonderful, but what it really boils down to is how the rifle performed at the range.
I’m happy to report that the PSAK-47 GF3 is 100% reliable. Aside from the range session we gave it, my buddy’s son has put quite a few rounds through this rifle over the past several months, and it has functioned perfectly.
Butter-Smooth Operation
Remember when I mentioned working the action, which felt smoother than usual? Well, that translated over into firing the rifle; it was smooth and consistent! And for some reason, the recoil seemed slightly less than that of the underfolder AK that I’m used to shooting. That might be because the wire stock of the underfolder that I use is considerably less comfortable than a standard AK stock as the PSA wears. At any rate, this rifle shoots smoothly and reliably.
This brings me to the next factor: accuracy. We didn’t take the time to bench-rest the rifle. As a million people before me have pointed out, “Hey, it’s not a sniper rifle.”
We ran some drills with the rifle to get a feel for how it handles and how well it can hit. Targets were set at 25, 50, and 75 yards. Shooting was done rapidly by changing positions: standing, kneeling, and prone. During these drills, we were easily able to make rapid hits at all three ranges, and this AK shot surprisingly tight groups.
The trigger is among the better AK triggers that I’ve ever used. It’s not match-grade, but it’s not heavy. In fact, it’s rather smooth for an AK trigger.
Value
PSA does all the work in-house and they will ship directly to your FFL, so there doesn’t need to be a middle man. This is one of the major factors as to why their products are on the lower end of the price scale, not just with the AK, but also with their other firearms.
At the time of writing, the PSAK-47 GF3 Blem (blemished) models sell for $629.99. As I write this, the prices of AK-47 rifles have risen steeply in the past few years, and the price that PSA is selling them for is amazingly low. Couple that with the fact that you’re getting an American-made product that functions great and exhibits excellent workmanship, and you’ve got a real winner. If I were in the market for an AK, I absolutely would buy one of these rifles.
Further, Palmetto State Armory offers a full lifetime warranty on all of its firearms. And if anyone needs to send a firearm in for repairs, PSA states that they will pay for the shipping to and from their facility! You can’t ask for a better warranty.
Closing Thoughts
PSA’s PSAK-47 GF3 brings a lot to the table. The action is astonishingly smooth with modest recoil. It’s true to the classical AK platform, and best of all, this one is made in the USA! Personally, I love supporting American manufacturing whenever I can.
In this case, America made a better AK than Russia and the other countries who followed along on the bandwagon. We beat them soundly.
For a comparatively modest price, you get a rifle with basic furniture, and you have the ability to change out any of the components on the rifle that you wish. Want to dress it up and trick it out? You can do that with this one!
Yes, the ergonomics are not as good as some other platforms on the market, but that horse has been more than beaten to death. When we buy an AK, we know what we’re getting into.
In addition, you get PSA’s lifetime warranty, so there’s no risk in buying this rifle. Ammo and magazines are still plentiful and relatively inexpensive for the AK-47 platform. You’d better believe that Palmetto State Armory has a winner on their hands with this rifle!
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