Palmetto State Armory JAKL Range Review
All the info on the JAKL straight from the designer’s mouth is in the video below.
Is the JAKL the ultimate truck gun?
The PSA JAKL is one of the more anticipated firearms that is poised to hit the market… at some point. At least that is what our friends at Palmetto State Armory keep telling us. They teased the JAKL at SHOT Show 2020, but didn’t have a working prototype for us to shoot until The Gathering (here is a link to more info about the event). We were one of the first publications to get our hands on the JAKL test guns. We also pulled the JAKL designer away for a private interview to review all of the cool details of this gun.
Want to check PSA to see if they are available yet? Here’s the link – PSA JAKL
What we know about the JAKL
- As of late March 2021, PSA has a pair of “endurance guns” using production parts that they plan to put tens of thousands of rounds through to see how the parts hold up.
- The production schedule moving forward is dependant on a few things:
- How well the test guns perform as they pump thousands of rounds through them
- Other production demands at PSA. I suspect it will be hard to divert machines that are running 100% cranking out AR15 parts to make JAKL parts.
- Political concerns – the USA is on the verge of some rather intense potential anti-gun legislation.
- Prices aren’t decided yet.
- They were looking for around $800-ish as a launch price when announced in 2020
- Since the initial announcement materials costs have gone up dramatically.
- Potential legislation could impact pricing as well if it drives up operational costs for gun companies or dramatically reduces the market that the JAKL could be sold to
- If I had to guess, and with zero input from PSA, I expect the JAKL to launch around $1200.
- Models
- They have changed from launching a 7.5″ 300 Blackout and are now planning to launch with a 10.5″ in 5.56 Nato chambering.
- 2nd on the launch plan is 300 Blackout, but I don’t recall them giving any indication of initial barrel length.
- A 9mm blowback-operated 9mm JAKL is the 3rd release in the current plan. The plan is to build on the PSA AK-V lower.
- Then they look to roll out other common AR15 cartridges.
- Launch schedule
- I spent a few days with the PSA team and was unable to get a prediction or proposed launch schedule from anyone. But at least they would talk about it. It became a game asking about the DAGR… they hated me.
- JAKL Specs
- Since these are still in development and testing, this is a bit of a moving target. But check out the video below for the latest info.
What was it like to shoot the PSA JAKL
While I like the concept of a bufferless AR-like truck gun and I like to see innovation, I’m still waiting to see if this is a better gun than an AR15 for defensive use. It felt pretty much like any unbraced AR pistol when shooting it at the range. If the gas system is well-tuned, then it could be great for shooting suppressed, as the piston gast system will generate a lot less blow back in the shooter’s face and less filth in the chamber.
PSA JAKL background and test shooting video
via Gear Report at https://gear-report.com
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