Welcome, Squat Squad, to another Slav Guns on tour. This one takes us back to SHOT Show 2023 and the Palmetto State Armory booth, which is always one of the most packed on the floor and one of the most popular stops in this video series. PSA got its start with modern sporting rifles, then got into AKs, then started building its own. So when I walked up to the booth and saw brand-new branding that said Soviet Arms, well, being Slav Guns, I had to ask what was going on. Cameron from PSA walked me through two new rifle lines: Soviet Arms on the AK side and Sabre on the AR side.
Quick note: this is a look back at a SHOT Show 2023 booth first look, not a range test. Nothing was shot for this video. It was filmed in January 2023 and posted on the channel in December 2023. Release timing below is what PSA said on the show floor at the time, so check PSA for what actually shipped and how it ended up.
TL;DR
- Soviet Arms: PSA’s new AK brand for AK accessories, parts and clones. Like PSA, it falls under parent company JJE Capital, and most of PSA’s AK receivers were moving over to it.
- 300 Blackout AK: built on PSA’s AK 5.56 platform. It takes a rock-and-lock AK-style magazine and has an adjustable gas block and a 1/2×28 thread pitch. PSA said it was in final testing and expected it around the second quarter of 2023.
- More American calibers: 5.56 AKs were already out and 6.5 Grendel AKs were coming. PSA’s goal for 2023 was to keep people shooting AKs without worrying about ammo.
- Sabre AR-15 line: a more premium, ready-out-of-the-box AR line with Billet and Mil-Spec series. It ships with a Radian Raptor charging handle, Radian Talon safety, a Hiperfire trigger and a JP reduced-power spring. It was due on PSA’s website in February 2023.
Soviet Arms: what the new logo actually means
My first question was simple: what is Soviet Arms? Cameron explained that JJE Capital is the parent company of Palmetto State Armory, and Soviet Arms is one of its subsidiaries. PSA wanted a brand for its AK accessories, AK parts and AK clones that wasn’t just called Palmetto State Armory. As an example, he said the Spiker uses a Soviet Arms receiver.
So it’s part of the PSA family. As Cameron put it, it’s essentially PSA, but Soviet Arms is its own brand with its own identity: rails, accessories, the whole AK side. Palmetto State Armory keeps its regular lineup, and Soviet Arms becomes the AK brand.
The year before, PSA had released a couple of AKs built on Soviet Arms receivers, and I asked whether this was just turning that into a full brand. Cameron said yes. Going forward, most AK receivers would switch over to Soviet Arms, with plenty of variety. PSA already had almost 600 different AK SKUs on its website at the time, and this would just add to the flavor.
The 300 Blackout AK nobody saw coming
We pulled one gun off a rack holding a crap ton of guns, and it wasn’t what I expected. The caliber choice seemed weird to me at first, so Cameron walked me through it:
- Caliber: 300 Blackout
- Platform: based on PSA’s AK 5.56 platform
- Magazine: rock-and-lock AK-style mag
- Gas: adjustable gas block, because most people are shooting 300 Blackout suppressed and PSA wanted that versatility
- Muzzle: 1/2×28 thread pitch, the standard American thread, so no hunting for adapters
- Variants: 5.56 versions of this setup were planned as well
The reasoning made sense once he explained it. With import bans and the ammo situation, PSA saw the AK future getting more Americanized when it comes to calibers. They already had 5.56 AKs, now 300 Blackout, and 6.5 Grendel AKs were coming. PSA’s focus for 2023 was getting AKs to people in calibers they can actually feed, so they keep shooting AKs without worrying about ammo.
Timing, as of that show: Cameron said the gun was in the final stages of testing and would probably show up around the second quarter.
If you run a suppressed 300 Blackout AR already, an AK in the same caliber with an adjustable gas block and a standard thread pitch is an interesting option. You can share ammo and cans across both. If you do go the suppressor route, remember that’s an NFA item, so plan for the paperwork and the wait.
Sabre: PSA’s premium AR-15 line
Now, I know a bunch of you watching are thinking, “Nope, I’m never getting an AK, those stupid Communists.” You’d rather have a nice AR, but a regular PSA isn’t going to do it for you. That’s exactly where the next gun on the table came in.
Cameron introduced the Sabre line, a new AR-15 line launching in the first quarter of 2023. It’s higher end and more premium, and the goal was to give you the best value out of the box with everything already on the gun and ready to go. There are two series:
- Billet series: billet upper and lower, with an upgraded buffer system for a really smooth-shooting gun
- Mil-Spec series: with a Sprinco buffer system
Per Cameron, the guns come standard with:
- Radian Raptor charging handle
- Radian Talon safety
- Hiperfire trigger with a JP reduced-power spring, for a guaranteed 3.5-lb pull
- A lightweight, skeletonized BCG on the sample I saw
- Sabre-specific handguards that won’t show up on regular PSA builds. The one on the table used a timed system with no external set screw, so it’s clean and sleek all the way down the gun.
Add an optic and you’re done.
Where Sabre fits next to PSA and Lead Star
To me, Sabre looked like it slots in between the regular PSA line and Lead Star Arms. Cameron agreed. Lead Star is for the gun gamers: race guns for people running PCCs and competitions, skeletonized and lightweight. Sabre is meant to be the gun you beat the crap out of and run all the time.
Availability, as of that show: PSA already had a lot of the product in house and waited for SHOT Show to announce it. Sabre guns were supposed to start showing up on the website in February. Plans included uppers, lowers, build kits and monthly color schemes. To find them, PSA planned a Sabre landing page under the PSA menu with separate Billet and Mil-Spec series.
That’s pretty much how it played out. You can browse the Sabre AR-15 lineup at Palmetto State Armory today. The Soviet Arms AKs and parts have their own brand page too.
Where this went next
This booth visit was the start of a bigger push from PSA. A year later at SHOT Show 2024, PSA was showing piston-driven Jackal concepts, including a bullpup. You can read about those in my SHOT Show 2024 PSA rifles write-up. By SHOT Show 2026, the Sabre name had grown into a whole platform, including the piston Sabre AXR. If you’re curious about Grendel on the AR side, I put a PSA 6.5 Grendel upper through its paces. For the handgun half of PSA’s 2023 plans, see my look back at the Micro Dagger, compact 5.7 and the Switch.
Bottom line
Looking back, this was PSA splitting its rifle business into clearer lanes. Soviet Arms became the AK brand, with more American calibers like 300 Blackout and 6.5 Grendel. Sabre became the step-up AR for people who want premium parts out of the box without going full race gun. Remember, this was a SHOT Show 2023 booth first look, not a range review. Check PSA for current models and specs. The gear I actually run is in my Amazon picks.
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Would you pick up a 300 Blackout AK, or is a Sabre AR more your speed? Tell me in the comments.
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