So a while back I purchased a Palmetto State Armory JAKL. It’s basically an AR with an AK gas system. So, you get the top-notch ergo of Stoner and the better-than-direct-impingement reliability of the long-stroke gas system. Yup, there’ll be a tradeoff in accuracy since the barrel has moving parts attached to it that the AR does not. But, for my purposes, I’ve no doubt it will be plenty accurate for my needs.

It had some teething issues, but after about 200 rounds it was nicely broken in and its been running like a champ since. And, since we know that “one is none” it was time to…uhm…get another one.

What’d I get? Same thing but with a slightly longer barrel. In olive green, naturally. One thing I have to give PSA credit for…in a world of black guns (or is it ‘guns of color’?), they offer most of their products in green or desert. It’s nice to change things up once in a while. From a tactical standpoint, black seems a bad choice for when you’re out running around playing ‘Red Dawn’. Black objects stick out quite a bit during the day, and at night pretty much any dark color looks black.

The two things that, for me, make the JAKL attractive are the lack of a buffer tube which means a folding stock is a breeze, and the can-take-more-neglect-than-an-AR gas system. It’s also rather handy for logistics that the JAKL lower is simply a regular AR lower with a couple parts changed out.

So, I’ll grab a couple hundred rounds of .223, a couple pmags, and head to the range this weekend and break this little guy in.

By the by, from a mathematical standpoint, the AR pattern rifle makes more sense than the JAKL. They are much cheaper, probably more accurate, and are easier to accessorize with third-party parts. However….I rather like the side charging handle and the compactness. If/when this wrist brace nonsense blows over, the pistol version of this thing with a ‘brace’ makes for an exceptionally handy little carbine.

Someone asked me in email about how the Palmetto State Daggers are coming along. A reasonable question.

I’ve taken a couple of them out and shot them and found no real issues. I had one round that failed to feed properly but I suspect the person was limp-wristing the pistol. Other than that, no hiccups at all with S&B and PMC ball ammo. Trigger is a bit mushy but I suppose you can drop in a more responsive Glock-style trigger since this thing is a clone.

I find the grip to be a bit more comfortable with it’s palm swells, and they left off the useless interchangeable backstraps that everyone seems to do these days.

I’ll link to someone elses review of the pistol and say that my experience is pretty much identical. I like them enough, especially at around $260 (dealer) each, that I’ve put back a dozen for myself.

I’d take a genuine Glock over the clone, but I feel pretty confident with this clone. I wouldn’t hesitate to say that if your logistics base is centered around Glock handguns, these are an outstanding choice for a secondary level of redundancy. That is to say, if you wanna leave a gun in the truck, the cabin, the tacklebox, a cache, or as a loaner…and you don’t want to have to buy yet another type of magazine or other logistics…this is a no-brainer.

I’ve put an Olight weaponlight on a full-size Dagger (G17 size) and thats one of my house guns now, for what thats worth.

I can only report on my experiences. Mayb people have had some issues with these guns. All I can say is that I haven’t. I’ve shot three or four different ones, found them about as accurate as the Glock, and don’t really have anything to complain about except for the trigger and some holster fitment issues.

Trigger: mushy, but you can learn to work with it. Alternatively, swap for a another Glock trigger.

Holster: to avoid lawsuits, the Dagger has some style changes from the Glock. Holster with some ‘give’, like cordura or leather, seem to be forgiving enough to fit just fine. Kydex is a bit more strict. Just take the gun to your gun show, find the guy with the big Rubbermaid totes full of used holsters, and find something that fits.

I know its supid, but I also like the color combinations….frame, slide, and barrel come in different colors and you can pretty much pick what you want. I rather perfer the OD green ones with the supressor-height sights and threaded barrel.

So, overall, your buddy Commander Zero says these things seem pretty good to go.