Palmetto State Armory PA-15 5.56 NATO
Palmetto State Armory PA-15 5.56 NATO
Full Specifications
About This Firearm
Palmetto State Armory's PA-15 is the least expensive complete AR-15 from a major manufacturer. The rifle ships with a 16-inch chrome-moly vanadium barrel in nitride finish, forged 7075-T6 aluminum receivers, and a Carpenter 158 steel bolt carrier group. That bolt spec matches what Daniel Defense and BCM use in their rifles at three to four times the price.
At 108.8 oz, the PA-15 is one of the heavier budget ARs, weighing nearly 9 oz more than the Del-Ton Sierra 316 and over 5 oz more than the S&W Sport II. The A2 front sight base and A2 rear sight are fixed (not folding), giving the rifle a classic M4-profile look. The 1:7 twist rate is the fastest in the budget segment and will stabilize heavy 77gr and 80gr match bullets that slower twists cannot.
PSA does not list the PA-15 as optic-ready, and the carry handle-style rear sight occupies the rear of the flat-top rail. Removing it to mount an optic takes about two minutes and an Allen wrench. Owners on the PSA forums and r/PalmettoStateArmory report that early production runs had occasional fit-and-finish issues with furniture and handguard alignment, but function has been consistently reliable across the board.
Best For
Strengths & Limitations
- Carpenter 158 steel bolt carrier group is the same spec used in the Daniel Defense DDM4 V7 and BCM RECCE-16, giving the PA-15 a premium internal component despite its budget positioning
- The 1:7 twist rate is the fastest in the budget AR group, stabilizing 77gr and 80gr match projectiles that the Sport II's 1:9 and the Ruger AR-556's 1:8 cannot
- Forged 7075-T6 receivers with hard coat anodize match the material and finish spec of rifles costing twice as much
- At 108.8 oz, the PA-15 weighs 9.8 oz more than the Del-Ton Sierra 316 (99 oz) and 5.6 oz more than the S&W Sport II (103.2 oz)
- Not listed as optic-ready because the A2 rear sight must be removed before mounting a red dot or scope, adding a step that the flat-top Ruger AR-556 and Anderson AM-15 skip
Category Rankings
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is the PA-15's Carpenter 158 bolt really the same as what higher-end ARs use?
Carpenter 158 is a steel specification, not a quality guarantee. The raw material is the same, but heat treatment and quality control processes vary by manufacturer. PSA uses mil-spec heat treatment and magnetic particle inspection on their bolts. The practical result, based on thousands of owner reports, is that PA-15 bolts hold up well through high round counts.
Why is the PA-15 not listed as optic-ready?
The rifle ships with a detachable A2 carry handle rear sight that sits on the Picatinny rail. Removing it takes two minutes with an Allen wrench, and the flat-top rail underneath is standard Picatinny that accepts any AR optic mount. PSA likely marks it this way because the sight must be removed first, unlike rifles that ship with a bare flat-top rail.