7 responses to “PSA AK74: Happy Easter!”

1. 

   Reef Blastbody

   May 7, 2021

   Hey Rob,
   First things first, thanks for the years of work on the Union. It’s been an invaluable resource to help weed out the treasures from the trash.

   That said, this Easter PSAK-74 video made me wonder something: has Palmetto State paused production of the 5.45 PSAK line? I’ve been subscribed to MrGunsNGear and a couple of other accounts for a few months now, and I see PSA drop batches of their 7.62 guns, the PSAK103, GF3, GF5 and so on, and they seem to be getting caught up on demand as the batches now aren’t selling out within minutes of going live on their website.

   What I haven’t seen are any batches of the PSAK-74 5.45 guns in that same period, either batch drops announced by the social media feeds I check, or on PSA’s page for the PSAK-74, and by the volume of 7.62 guns they’re releasing, they’ve got sufficient production capacity to build 5.45 guns.

   Has Palmetto State paused production of the 5.45 guns, for whatever reason, or have they been dropping batches of them regularly and I don’t follow the right people on social media who know when new batches are going to drop?

   I know IWI USA will be producing the Gen2 ACE in 5.45 as a regular production item, but I’d like to have a classic AK74 style gun, and since Arsenal isn’t importing the SLR104 anymore, there’s not a lot of other choices, and I really don’t feel like paying $4K for a 104 on the secondary market.

   Thank you for all your hard work and contributions to the shooting community, and be well.

   Reply
   1. 

      Rob Ski

      May 23, 2021

      They do make those rifles but in not enough quantities and they are being sold out almost immediately after the release. Check AK Files, some guys somehow managed to setup google alerts for PSA website and they were getting notified when PSA is dropping new batch…It was in one of the threads about PSA74 rifle if my memory serves well.

      Reply
2. 

   Chris B

   December 24, 2021

   At this time I wouldn’t recommend buying a 74 from them even if they were in stock or ever. I bought one in January. First range trip puncturing primers every few rounds with a failure to eject. Sent it in fro repair and for some reason they replaced the barrel and deemed it fixed. Unusual since primer punctures are generally a firing pin protrusion issue. Got it back a few weeks later second range trip more primers punctured, although less, wouldn’t group and was operating sluggish because the bolt was digging into the left side mag feed lip. Sent it back again and a few weeks later get a notification that it was repaired and shipped with a valid tracking number followed a day or so later by another that said it hadn’t shipped and it was an internal error updating my case. That was August. Since then I’ve called PSAs service line at least 8 maybe 10 times. The answer given is always awaiting parts. When I asked to speak to a manager in the repairs department I was first met with passive measures to assure me the customer service rep was talking to them. Most recent call I was told I would be contacted by a manager in 48 business hours. That was Tuesday. Got no call. Called them back, this time asking for my money. As an active duty service member I found their lack of professional courtesy here striking. Very disappointed given their recent seemingly good showing here on AKOU. This is not what anyone should expect from a $1,000 rifle. The 74 was my first and will be my last Palmetto AK.

   Reply
   1. 

      Rob Ski

      December 24, 2021

      This is really sad to hear it. I thought PSA customer service is better than this. Thank you for posting.

      Reply
      1. 

         Chris B.

         February 18, 2022

         An update to my PSA 74. PSA customer service finally got back with me saying they would give me the refund or fix the rifle and ship it within 24 hours. I opted for them to fix it. I’m through 100 rounds (baby round count, times are tough) thus far without incident and without improper contact carrier to mag. PSA still has never provided a real diagnosis of what was wrong with the build just a list of replaced parts including barrel, trunnion, bolt and carrier. I assume parts were out of spec and maybe the rails not quite in the right place. They essentially rebuilt the whole rifle after having it for over 6 months. In the end I am pleased with the result but wish their repair warehouse would be a little more transparent and not rely on a policy of delay tactics.

         Reply
         1. 

            Rob Ski

            February 20, 2022

            Hi Chris, could you please post periodic updates here? I’m really interested how this will go. Thank you!

            Reply
            1. 

               Chris B.

               October 28, 2022

               Been awhile but finally got the opportunity to go back home and put more rounds through the PSA 74. A couple hundred more rounds, zero malfunctions with Bulgarian mags. No more popped primers, concerning wear patterns or improper feed lip contact. The gun definitely has a preference for Wolf military classic with groups being significantly tighter than Red Army white box which I believe is Tula made. I have not yet dug into the 7N6 to see how it likes it. Overall very pleased with the repair. Next step is to get rid of the cheap hollow stock they shipped the rifle.