[SHOT 2026] Palmetto State Armory Announcements

Palmetto State Armory hit the ground running this year at SHOT Show, unveiling a number of new firearms that have already justified the time, effort, and fare for my annual visit to Sin City. With the company developing products at this pace, PSA either runs three 8-hour shifts around the clock, or they’ve simply outsourced production to the North Pole. How they do it, however, will take a back seat to the actual results, so without further ado…

First up is the Sabre Key, an underbarrel-mounted short-barreled shotgun (SBS) that no longer requires a $200 bribe for access to the right. Don’t get me started. Based on the PSA 570, with the receiver modified to accommodate an M203-like mounting system, the Sabre Key features a 10” barrel, front handstop, and is compatible with M4A1 profile barrels. Capacity on this 12-gauge blaster is 3+1, and the Palmetto State Armory Sabre Key will accept both 2.75” and 3” shells. If two is one and one is none, maybe the best accessory for your firearm is another firearm.

Next up, we have the Mixtape Volume 3, a PDW chambered in 8.6 Blackout and built on the new champaign Cerekoted Saber 25 enhanced forged receiver set, featuring an ambidextrous bolt catch/release, ambidextrous magazine release, and ambidextrous safety selector. Additional components include a Radian Raptor charging handle, a B5 Systems Grip, a Maxim PDW brace, a 25-round PMAG, and a full-chrome bolt carrier group (BCG). The FDE anodized 7.25” M-LOK Sabre Lockup Handguard sits over an 8” bead-blasted barrel with a fast 1:3 twist rate and is capped off with a new 3-prong Plan B flash hider. 

More? How about a ported Sabre-11, a popular demand following the original Sabre-11 announcement. Similar to the non-ported model, this double-stack 9mm is all billet, without a single cast component, and features a full-length dust cover, 5” ported barrel, ported slide, and an AOS optic mounting system. Palmetto State Armory is also teaming up with Icarus Precision to include an aluminum grip, an upgrade typically reserved for firearms that will have you hiding the credit card bill from your spouse. The ported version of the Sabre-11 will ship with a pair of the new 19-round Check-Mate magazines and is expected shortly after the non-ported model hits the market. 

Here’s a personal favorite that I’m excited to see PSA tease at SHOT Show 2026. The Sabre-10, a rifle with a distinct resemblance to one of my bucket list GWOT rifles, looks to be getting an upgrade for those of us out there who may own an original Knights Armament M110 suppressor, or more likely Griffin Armament’s strikingly similar yet modern take on the same. If you’ve ever wanted such a clone, it is now on the horizon, with the addition of an adjustable gas system and Gate-Lok attachment.

Palmetto State Armory also unveiled the AXR series, an entirely new family of products based on the Sabre line. The AXR lineup is designed to be a completely modular system of handguns, rifles, shotguns, and PDWs, starting with the SSP, a short-stroke piston system chambered in 300 Blackout with a chrome-lined, cold-hammer-forged barrel and an adjustable gas block. The SSP is also equipped with PSA’s E4 bolt system, which features dual ejectors and an increased lug diameter for improved reliability and longevity. Barrel changes are made possible using a similar barrel nut system as the AR-15, and handguards are easily changed out to suit your preferences and barrel length.

One feature I really like about this system is the top-mounted Picatinny rail, which bolts to both the receiver and the handguard, providing a rigid platform for mounting and maintaining zero on optics and laser aiming modules. These top rails will be available in multiple lengths and can be easily changed out to match the length of the installed handguard. The SSP’s proprietary lower features full ambidextrous controls, including the bolt catch/release, magazine release, and safety selector. The recoil system does not require a buffer tube, allowing PSA to outfit the SSP with their new AXR folding brace.

A rifle version of the SSP will also be available, chambered in 5.56 NATO with a 14.5” chrome-lined cold-hammer-forged barrel. Aside from the cartridge change, the only differences here are the handguard length, bolt-on Picatinny top rail length, and the AXR folding stock. You can see how the modularity could be somewhat limitless. 

The series continues with the AXR Shotgun, which may seem similar to the PSA 570 but is built on its own receiver decked out with an ambidextrous release, aluminum trigger housing, a DLC-coated bolt, trigger, and elevator.

PSA also chose to equip the AXR Shotgun with a monolithic Picatinny rail, a Radian Talon AR-15-compatible ambidextrous safety, their new AXR AR-15-compatible grip, and the AXR folding stock. The barrel sits at 18.5” and is threaded to fit AAC’s new 12-gauge silencer, a must now that the .gov Constitutional extortion has been put on hold, at least monitarily. Lastly, with modularity being the theme, you can expect to see more barrel lengths, handguards, and colors. 

Need more? Sure. The AXR full-size handgun is built on a modular fire control unit, allowing the shooter to swap grip modules, and is RXM compatible, making it easy to have it your way without any additional paperwork.

The AXR will work with Glock 17-compatible magazines and Gen 3 holsters and will be available in black and FDE. The AXR slide will feature an RMR optics cut, while the grip module receives Palmetto State Armory’s new AXR texture, meant to provide a positive grip under any conditions. 

Palmetto State Armory will also team up with Icarus Precision once again to offer an aluminum frame version called the AXR X Icarus, which will feature PSA’s Island barrel and slide with built-in compensator, RMR footprint, and Glock 17 magazine and holster compatibility.

Here’s where things get really interesting. PSA is also releasing the AXR S, a grip module for the AXR that swaps out Glock magazines for Sig P320 magazines. Nothing else needs to be changed. If that isn’t modularity, I don’t know what is.

That’s the entire point of the AXR series. But that isn’t all. PSA plans to release additional grip modules that will work with a variety of your favorite handgun magazines, all without the need for another Form 4473. This configuration will be offered as a complete firearm or as a grip module. 

While they’re at it, might as well offer a compact slide-and-grip configuration using the exact same fire control unit. That’s exactly what PSA is up to with the AXR Compact, a Glock 19-size handgun that accepts Glock 19-compatible magazines. The AXR Compact will be available as a complete firearm, with the grip module and slide also offered separately.

The series wouldn’t be complete without the AXR Micro, featuring its own modular fire control unit made to fit micro-compatible grip frames and slide configurations. The serialized control unit will be available on its own or as part of a complete handgun package, and will come optics-ready with a built-in compensator. The AXR Micro is compatible with PSA’s 15-round Micro Dagger magazines and will be available in black and FDE. 

Last, but not least, is the AXR PDW, a quick-deployed 9mm personal defense weapon based on the AXR Full-Size and Compact fire control unit. The AXR PDW uses its own grip module that features an extra magazine holder up front and a spring-loaded brace extension in the rear that deploys with the press of a button. The PDW grip module also features a manual safety and offers a variety of attachments to expand mounting options for lights, lasers, optics, and forward grips if you choose to go the SBR route. 

I’m sure we’re not too surprised by the sheer volume of releases from Palmetto State Armory this year, as the company has been churning them out one after another. I love that PSA is willing to step into that breach, manufacturing firearms that are fun, affordable, and increasingly capable of punching beyond their weight class. I will commend PSA for listening to customer requests and responding with the types of products we’re asking for without trying to tell us what we really want. I highly doubt I got it all in this one article, but these are the big ones to watch out for from Palmetto State Armory in 2026.