Three Lefts,
My experience with PWS products covers the last two months or so. The story I have doesn’t reflect well on the quality of the products, in this case one of their piston .308s. I don’t have experience with their .223s.
First off, my feeling is that if Eugene Stoner thought a piston design was better than gas impingement, we’d all be shooting piston ARs.
Here’s the short story. Customer brought in a PWS piston .308 complaining of accuracy issues. He’s an exceptional, experienced rifleman and gun guy who can routinely shoot 1/4” or less groups with most anything. He couldn’t get this one under 1.5”. He accepted the fact that a piston gun will never shoot as well as an impingement like model.
He wanted a trigger job and analysis. The geometry of the PWS 308 trigger lightens the tension on the trigger group pins and they walked after 12 rounds, jamming the gun.
The piston on the PWS is two parts and the front part *may* bounce around inside the gas tube causing extra vibration in the barrel. (just a theory - impacts accuracy)
After several emails and being shuffled to higher management, he sent the gun back (and he paid around $2500 for it). They promised they would fix it. He got emails back showing his gun’s test target that looked pretty good, about 3/8” at 100 yds.
Then he got the gun back. They replaced the upper with one that I think was some kind of test or demo model. Thick with oil and carbon. Nasty. (For those who have been on a military firing line shooting M-60s with the AI running up and down the line with a spray bottle full of Break Free, you’ll know what I mean).
When he disassembled it to wipe it down, the BCG and piston came out in two pieces - it was broken.
Bottom line, the company shipped a dirty, broken, upper back to a customer and called it good. After a colorful email, one of the company owners called him and the result was a full refund and the gun has been sent back to PWS.
Kudos to them for refunding it, but the process to try and get it fixed took several weeks, lots of shipping, and the end result didn’t fix anything. I think the company means well, but they’re playing with an AR design that just has too many complications.
Lessons?
1. Would I buy one? I won’t buy their products, having worked on them. Others no doubt have better quality examples.
2. Like I said, if Eugene Stoner wanted a piston driven rifle, he would have designed one for us.
Kit.
Thanks for your time putting your post together.
The rifle in question was referred to me by someone I work with. Knows some about guns. The rifle in question is owned by a friend of his, they fired 80 rounds to sight it in. The guy I work with said it was a blast to shoot, no problems.
Tomorrow, I’ll ask the question...WHY is he selling it.
Again, Thanks.