I’ve been shooting AR’s in one form or another for the past 15 years. I’ve gone through a lot of guns, from a lot of different manufacturers. Some worked well, some worked half the time, some didn’t work at all. I did the whole transition from direct impingement (DI) to piston, back to DI, back again to piston, DI, and finally came to rest on a superior piston platform.
I don’t like cleaning my guns, and I don’t baby them. I needed a gun that would do well in the elements, as I planned on taking it on a few hunting trips. It needed to work in the snow and mud in Maine, as well as the dry and dusty fields in Texas. In steps the Primary Weapons Systems (PWS) family of rifles. Based out of Idaho, PWS makes one of the few long stroke gas piston system AR rifles. The long stroke piston is identical to the AK platform, whereas most other piston rifles are short stroke. This aids in the rifle’s reliability with little maintenance, as well as its ability to be suppressed. If you know me, then you know I almost refuse to shoot unsuppressed these days. Another advantage of a piston gun, at least one I consider an advantage, is the gun is naturally a tad bit heavier (NOT much), therefore making recoil even less noticeable.
DI and piston both have advantages and disadvantages, but if I had to take one, it would be a PWS piston gun. I’ve run these rifles through their paces, and they perform every time. I’ve hunted with the same .300 Blackout for the past few years that I dropped in a mud puddle 3 years ago in Texas…and still haven’t cleaned it. Have you ever seen red Texas dirt? It does NOT come off…however the gun, still caked with dirt in its nooks and crannies, continues to cycle flawlessly and I’ve shot thousands of rounds through it since. Their sleek lines, attention to detail, and superior design and manufacturing process make them the forerunner for a “go to” rifle in my eyes. Whether it be a .300 black out for hunting, a .223 for home defense, or a .308 for precision shooting, my PWS rifles have some of the smoothest, most consistent actions of any AR15 system I’ve used.
When it comes to gear that you NEED to perform every time you pull it out of the safe, I tell people all the time, buy once, cry once. PWS rifles are an example of that philosophy. Adjustable gas systems, amazing accuracy, rock solid reliability, and all backed by a team in Idaho that stands behind their product, are reason enough to spend the money on one. From hunting in adverse conditions, to high round count training classes, to home defense, the PWS line of rifles stand out as one of the top options on the market.
Black Dirt Diaries 