After learning from the first video and subsequent “meltdown” tests, Eric at IV8888 has upped his game – now using a flak jacket and armored mask to protect him from the entertaining tomfoolery of taking a weapon well past any reasonable point of use seeing where it will fail.

The latest test subject is a Palmetto State Armory direct impingement upper receiver. Basic configuration weapon with a carbine gas original M4 profile barrel, pinned FSB, iron sights, and what looks to be a nitrided BCG. As Eric contends, it’s basically “the cheapest upper you can buy.” Note – “cheap” does not mean “lack of quality.”

In the same vein of the last tests, the weapon is utterly destroyed by the “test”, lasting about 440 rounds before the handguards melting and catching fire. The heat was too much for the gas tube, which melts “like spaghetti”.  After the test, the barrel was found to be bent.

Looking at this “cheap” AR test, it certainly gives a bit more credence to the performance of the first DI AR-15, which was equipped with a stainless steel barrel and shot even more abrasive bi-metal jacket bullets. However, I must disagree with Eric’s statements of “supporting” the barrel with various handguards. If anything, the stock M4 handguards just keep the barrel from cooling as efficiently.

Moral of the story? One, don’t do this at home and two, the AR is a remarkably resilient weapons system for something not designed to be a light machine gun.