PSA GF3 AK: A Pic-Heavy Update
Following up on my ongoing review of Palmetto State Armory’s GF3, I’ve got around 1.5k rounds down the tube on it now and probably another 300-400 in blanks. Nothing serious and nothing it shouldn’t be able to handle, running basic drills of snap shots, mag changes and using it as a training and OPFOR weapon in the Scout Course with the blank ammo. So while it doesn’t have a giant round count, its been beat on in a pretty realistic combat environment- my opposing force runs the AKs pretty hard in the woods.
That has a value all its own- will the rivets hold? Will the triangle sidefolding stock hold up to getting smacked around in a woodland environment? Does it live up to the legendary durability of Com-Bloc Kalashnikovs?
Well, I let the pics be the guide, but so far, PSA has made a solid AK.
Let’s pull the action apart and see what’s going on in there.
Even when running a flash can, it doesn’t look to be prematurely beating the rear trunnion. I had this happen on an early WASR, that lead to it beating the rivets loose. Fortunately that doesn’t seem to be an issue here.
No marks of binding on the piston or bolt carrier. It could use a good cleaning though.
No deformation of the rear of the bolt carrier. This is an issue to look for in any model of AK. If the steel is too soft, it will ‘mushroom’ from hitting the hammer during the ejection cycle. Too hard, and you’ll have stress fractures.
Bolt face is looking good, nothing unexpected and no signs of premature wear.
Guide rails and front trunnion looking good.
The crown and threads, although dirty, are not showing unexpected signs of wear.
Couple of knicks and gouges in the handguard, but that’s all part of the Kalashnikov experience. The laminate has held up well.
The weapon is holding up well, and I have no complaints from my end. Getting beat on in the woods, drug through the mud and rocking and rolling in simulated combat, it has not yet failed, taking every kind of ammo and magazine run through it by myself and students in class. The AK makes a lot of sense for a lot of reasons, and right now 7.62×39 ammo and magazines are still plentiful at reasonable prices.
For now, at least.