Customizing an AR15 into a Side Charging Piston Operated Rifle

By Mike Searson

U.S.A. –-(Ammoland.com)- Last year, Palmetto State Armory sent me one of their PSA-15 MOE Freedom rifles chambered in 5.56, and between my initial testing and a few range sessions I found this rifle to be an exceptional bargain. However, ARs have a curse on them: They simply beg to be modified.

This goes with their ease of use and their design being “open source” at this point. The AR-pattern rifle is like the Chevy small block of black rifles.

I decided to turn my good rifle into a great one. There were no problems with the PSA-15 MOE, but I wanted to experiment with a few enhancements.

The first item on my “to do list” for the PSA-15 was to convert from direct impingement to a short-stroke piston system. I went with the Osprey Defense 416 piston kit. This particular kit is intended for a carbine length gas system and will accommodate 11.5″ -16″ barrels up to 1.00″ in diameter. The company literature claims that installation takes 5 minutes. As experienced as I am with building ARs and M16s, I found it took a bit longer than that. Closer to 20 minutes.