By: Friedrich Seiltgen
Copyright © 2023
PALMETTO STATE ARMORY
South Carolina Based Palmetto State Armory is one of America’s largest AR pattern weapons and parts manufacturers. Based in Columbia, S.C., PSA has a mission to “Sell as many guns to as many Law-Abiding Americans as possible.” PSA also manufactures AK-47 rifles, pistols, and parts kits. How do they do all this and keep prices reasonable? They have a family of five other companies producing parts, so they have ownership in every step of the process. They also carry other manufacturers’ products and are a one-stop gun shop!
The leadership team at PSA consists of its founder Jamin McCallum and CEO & Competitive shooter Chad Wylie. McCallum is an Iraq war vet, and his thoughts on Freedom and the 2nd amendment get right to the point:
“I’ve seen what a society looks like when it falls apart. It’s really, really bad. That’s why our mission is to maximize freedom, not our profits. We want to sell as many AR-15 and AK-47 rifles as we can, not to make a massive amount of money, but to put them into common use today.
I don’t want my legacy to be that I made a lot of money; I want it to be that this company produced the maximum amount of freedom. And so, we work every day to do just that. Make high-quality firearms at a price that makes them affordable to the most people possible. Then we back them with a full 100% lifetime warranty.
If we can do that, I can sleep at night.”
THE PSA STG-44 STURMGEWEHR (ASSAULT RIFLE)
PSA is introducing a Battlefield line of reproduction weapons this year, with the first being the iconic STG 44 Sturmgewehr displayed at this year’s SHOT show.
The STG 44 is the first in the Battlefield line of weapons produced in partnership with Hill & Mac Gun Works.
Sales of the rifle were held up by a legal dispute between the gunmaker Hill & Mac and True Position, Inc. involving intellectual property rights related to its design, but that has been settled.
PSA currently offers an STG 44 replica in .22 LR produced by partner Blue Line Solutions that is a hit with shooters, and soon you’ll be able to purchase an STG 44 replica in the original caliber.
THE RECEIVER
Just like the original design of Hugo Schmeisser, the STG 44 receiver is made of stamped sheet metal. A significant design change with the PSA version is the addition of a barrel nut under the handguard that allows you to remove the barrel and gas system and swap them out for a different caliber. So, by changing the barrel, magazine, and bolt carrier group, you can transition to one of the four calibers offered by PSA.
PSA will offer the STG 44 in the original 8mm Kurtz, 5.56, .300 BLK, and 7.62x39mm. It accepts standard AR pattern magazines, and PSA will offer authentic style magazines that match the original design.
The rear sight is removable, and a Picatinny rail can be installed to mount an optic.
THE BARREL
The barrel is threaded to accept muzzle devices, blank firing adapters for re-enactors, and suppressors.
SPECIFICATIONS
Type: Semi-Automatic, gas-operated
Caliber: 5.56, 300 BLK, 7.62×39, or 8mm Kurz
Magazine capacity: Varies depending on caliber.
MSRP: $ 1,800 – $2,000
URL: www.palmettostatearmory.com
THE VERDICT
The new battlefield line of reproduction firearms from PSA allows firearms enthusiasts to own firearms they have only seen in the movies or museums.
The PSA STG 44 Sturmgewehr will be available later this year, so save up and prepare for the release.
That’s all for now, folks! Please keep sending in your questions, tips, and article ideas. And as always – “Let’s Be Careful Out There.”
Friedrich Seiltgen is a retired Master Police Officer with 20 years of service with the Orlando Police Department. He conducts training in Lone Wolf Terrorism Counterstrategies, Firearms, and Active Shooter Response. His writing has appeared in RECOIL, Soldier of Fortune, The Counter Terrorist Magazine, American Thinker, Homeland Security Today, and The Journal of Counterterrorism & Homeland Security International.
Contact him at [email protected].