So you picked up a Palmetto State Armory Sabre-10, commonly called the PSA m110 clone. The rifle has been selling well, along with all the other PSA clone guns that mimic Glocks, the Department of Energy 9mm carbine, and the MK12 rifle, among others.
While some are just looking for a cool gun, the cloner crew is also heavily interested in these guns as an option to get “close enough” without paying exorbitant prices for certain pieces ($2,000+ for a KAC URXii rail??). In this three-part article miniseries, I’m going to cover some accessories and upgrades to the Sabre-10, which which will transform this rifle to an even closer clone of the M110 precision rifle.
Cloning a military rifle is perhaps a more niche part of the gun world, but it’s an interesting one. For many, cloning a military rifle is a way to show respect to those who carried them (Gordon, Shughart etc), a way to relive a little nostalgia (me), or just a way to honor how damn cool some of these guns are without dropping $30,000 on an authentic M110 deployment kit.
In Part 1 of this series, we’re covering purely cosmetic items. While some may be important in the proper use of the rifle, these items don’t directly affect the function of the gun. That’s Part 2! This is not an article solely about slavishly cloning the gun to entirely OEM specs.
Article 1, PSA Sabre-10 Cosmetics.
Enter MFI LLC.
MFI is an interesting little company. For years it was run by 2 people (and 4 dogs as I hear it). MFI makes a ton of cosmetic weapons parts, even catering to Hollywood for realistic reproductions. MFI makes a wide variety of gun stuff, from scope bases and rings, sling hooks, barrel extensions, and fake suppressors. Unless I’m mistaken, all of MFI’s goods are Made In America.
MFI also makes a number of parts designed to make the Sabre-10 more M110-ish. That’s what I’m covering today.
If you’re living in a free state where suppressors are on the menu, a fake suppressor might not have a lot of appeal. Extra weight and cost, without the reduction in noise. For a cloner, or someone in a suppressor restricted state, or even someone with firearms photography in the works, something like the MFI SOCOM KAC Style M110 Fake Suppressor might be interesting.
This consists of two parts, the faux suppressor tube and the faux gate latch. The tube is made from 6061-T6 aluminum, and is 12.25″ long (a little shorter than the M110 suppressor, at 14″)
Simply slide the faux gate latch over the barrel down to the gas block, then screw the faux suppressor on. It uses the Sabre-10’s 5/8×24 threads to screw on. The faux latch slides over the back end of the faux can, and needs to be epoxied into place on the faux can for a permanent fit. You may notice the faux gate latch doesn’t go all the way to the gas block, this is due to the knob PSA uses for their adjustable gas block being in the way.
Yes, it looks awesome. No, it doesn’t reduce noise at all. The MFI faux suppressor is a good training tool though, letting me get some practice in with a much longer Sabre-10 as I wait for my Griffin Armament MGL-110 suppressor to ship from Capitol Armory (oops, spoiler for Part 2!).
Maybe you really aren’t interested in a faux suppressor, but still want a more authentic M110 look than the PSA Sabre-10 comes with from the box. Another option is MFI’s M110 flash hider.
Why not just get a surplus or reproduction flash hider? Well, the M110 barrel is threaded for 3/4×24, and is a thicker diameter than the Sabre-10’s barrel. The OG flash hider won’t fit, and would look huge if it did. So, here’s MFI’s fully functional M110 flash hider.
Just thread it on with a touch of threadlocker as you would any other muzzle device. This flash hider is steel, hardened to Rockwell C-52, and is counter-bored to slide back over the barrel a tiny bit. The M110 flash hider has six slots, and really doesn’t need to be timed.
Stock Options:
In lieu of buying a $1,000 KAC buttstock, or tracking down a custom buttstock maker (again, article series Part 2 spoiler), the next best option for a cloner is MFI’s trio of buttstock add-on’s. I don’t have these on hand, but wanted to include them so people can see all options.
First, we have the M110 Faux Adjustment Knob, bringing you the look of the M110’s adjustable stock, without the price (or adjustability). This does require drilling a hole in your stock for install.
Second, we have the Sling Swivel Cups, which mimic the QD sling attachment points on the M110’s buttstock. These also require a little drilling to install, but add a visually distinctive element to the PSA Sabre-10.
Finally, MFI offers the Rear QD Sling Swivel mount. This replaces the wider sling attachment point included on the Sabre-10, making the stock not only more clone correct, but a little more streamlined as well.
Back To The Source:
The original M110 was a Knights Armament product, as mentioned earlier. While many of the bigger parts have obscene prices, there’s a few OEM bits and bobs that are still reasonably priced, and add to the authenticity.
First point goes to KAC’s rail covers. While PSA was kind enough to include a passable lookalike (that’s nicely functional) in their rubber press-on rail covers, the original KAC units ae still top dog. These are often found at surplus stores, and on the ar15.com equipment exchange.
Next up is the KAC vertical grip, aka the “Broomhandle”. While common on Block 1 M4’s, these have often been chopped and shortened for use on the M110. I chopped one (I’ve had for 25 years, brought back from Afghanistan) on a band saw with a little dremel work as well.
While not an OEM piece, the A3 grip by Griffin Armament is a popular grip option that maintains early GWOT aesthetics while upgrading the shooter’s comfort.
Finally, a special mention to Harris bipods. These tough little units have been found on precision rifles for decades, and with good reason.
Wrap Up
This concludes Part 1 in the Palmetto State Armory Sabre-10 upgrade series. Part 2 is going to cover installing a M110 barrel, gas block, and muzzle device into the Sabre-10, as well as choosing a more budget friendly alternative optic to the M110’s Leupold. I have a couple other surprises as well, coming from an unlikely source.
Stay tuned as things really heat up for the PSA Sabre-10!
–Jens “Rex Nanorum” Hammer
@Rexnanorum
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