Coming this fall from Palmetto State Armory: the PSA 9mm AKV, an American-made 9x19mm Parabellum Vityaz. The Vityaz is a Russian AK design based on the AK-74. For the AK lovers among us this should be a serious hit.
Last week I had the opportunity to run the prototype during an event at the High Bar Homestead . Yes, it is a prototype, so there will not be an in-depth review just yet. The production models are set to begin shipping this coming September at which time we’ll be all over it.
A few details to get started. The PSA 9mm AKV was designed by Senior Engineer Colton Sons who took the time to reverse engineer the gun by studying images of its Russian counterpart. Since the Vityaz cannot be imported into the States, Sons invested significant time creating an American-made model. All components are made in America – in fact, they’re made and built right in Palmetto State Armory’s factory. When they say “Made in America” they mean it.
The PSA 9mm AKV will feature a variety of solid features including a folding brace – because it is a pistol, after all – that’s been approved by the ATF and will be made by SB Tactical exclusively for Palmetto State Armory. It will be available with more than one furniture option but the wood furniture happens to be my personal favorite. The gun is fed by Scorpion magazines.
On the range the prototype ran well in the hands of half a dozen gun writers and ten Palmetto State Armory employees. It nailed both paper and steel at a variety of distances. A pistol caliber capable of ringing steel poppers consistently at 100 yards shooting offhand? Yes, please.
More details coming soon. We thought you guys might enjoy hearing about this sooner rather than later. What do you guys think? Would you buy one? I’m told they’ll be selling at slightly varying price points according to furniture but will be under $1000 MSRP and likely about $799.99.
