AR Pistols

[JerDerv]

Another vote on 11.5" 5.56 or .300 blk if a shorter barrel is desired and the price per round increase is worth it in your opinion.

[AndyLate]

@turnburglar

Legally I prefer an AR pistol to an SBR for the following reasons:

-dont have to submit ANY paperwork or pay any additional taxes fees
-dont have to notify the feds and recieve approval to cross state lines
-can carry loaded in a vehicle and falls under “CCW”

It wasnt until recently that the braces made them a truly viable defensive tool though. With a bare buffer tube I wouldnt even consider one. The original SB brace made them alot more useful but unless you are getting the KAK or SBa3 you are really compromising alot compared to a real rifle stock. My pistol has the SBa3 and I think that is as close as I can get to stying within the law and not feeling like I am compromising the feature set of the firearm.

I prefer to keep my Ammo diversity low, so I chose a 10.5" 556 barrel. I really dont like buying special ammo just for one gun. Because 556/223 is already plentyful I get to shoot my shorty pistol as much as I shoot the longer carbines. My buddy has a 8" 556 pistol and it is noteably blastier than anything else. When NSW/Crane was trying to build a CQBR upper, they decided that 10.3" was the shortest you should go for 556.

I always like to build my rifles over buying them, but PSA had way too good of a deal on a kit, that only needed a lower reciever to become a fully functional firearm. I have 400+ rounds throuhg it so far all trouble free. hitting ipsc steel at 300M isnt too hard.

What length is your rail, please?

[Labayu]

The most powerful caliber for short barrel ARs is 6.8SPC but it has no additional merits like 300BLK going subsonic or 5.56N being available anywhere and everywhere.

I have all 3 and the one I end up shooting most often is the 5.56 because the ammo is cheap and plentiful.

Michael Bell did a decent comparison between 6.8SPC, 300BLK and 7.62x39 through short barrels…

AR 15 Pistol Uppers: Field Test- 6.8 SPC vs 300 Blackout vs 7.62x9

The 6.8SPC came out on top which reiterates the data published by LWRC about their UCIW 6.8SPC PDWs several years ago.

[turnburglar]

@AndyLate

What length is your rail, please?

12" rail on a 10.5" barrle I think the muzzle device is 2+ inches.

[themonk]

Just my opinion, quick and dirty.

AR pistols may go way of the bump stock. I don’t really want rehash the whole argument but anyone with half a brain can see what’s coming. Do what you will with that. I think they are a great supplement if you already have an SBR lower in your inventory for reasons outlined above. For the money I think the SBa3 is the best brace available.

Calibers in length (all just my opinion):
556 no shorter than 10" preferable 11" or 12". 10" is probably best used at 150 yards and in with the right ammo, 11" & 12" farther ( I am not talking about hitting steel at 500y, Im talking about the effective range of your chosen ammo).
300 Blk in my mind makes sense 10" and under with 9" being the sweet spot for general application. For PDW purposes 6"-7.5" work well but are limited to 100 yards and in. Best ammo I have found is still the Barnes black tips for supers. I have seen 5" that work but I dont see the point with rail length issues.
Generally you will want a tighter twist with 300. I would not do 1:8 twist in 300. Needs to be at least 1:7 and I currently run 1:6. Q’s honey badger is 1:5 and in talking the Ethan at Q about twist rates he would have no issue going tighter.

[AndyLate]

@themonk

AR pistols may go way of the bump stock. I don’t really want rehash the whole argument but anyone with half a brain can see what’s coming. Do what you will with that. I think they are a great supplement if you already have an SBR lower in your inventory for reasons outlined above. For the money I think the SBa3 is the best brace available.

I am afraid you are right, but the restrictions that come with an SBR are prohibitive to me. The idea of a pistol with a brace is very attractive, and I am strongly considering building the lowest cost 11.5" 5.56 gun I can and just enjoying it.

Andy

[M1ashooter]

I bought the PSA kit in 556. It runs well.

[vonfatman]

very informative thread.

i have built two psa 10.5" pistols.

sure enjoy them. our whole men’s group enjoys them.
both are fed lots of lake city 5.56–open sights - 4-5 inch groups from 50 yards.
that is all i ask.

the advantage of buying psa (for me it’s my usage)…i carry mine around the farm all day and if the dog muds it up, it get’s a few scratches, stuff gets dropped on them, well, it’s not a thing. they are my tools and tools get used. i get good value from them.

the 9mm & 45 pistols have 8.5" barrels and sba3 braces. purchased, not built.

one of the .223s

[ViniVidivici]

My 2 cents is:

Pistol is great, I have no reason to SBR.

I’m liking 11.5" as a great balance of accuracy/velocity vs. size.

Shockwave brace works for me.

They can be built very cheaply, and still be reliable.

For me, 5.56mm all the way, already got plenty of mags and ammo in that department.

[Esq]

@vonfatman

very informative thread.

i have built two psa 10.5" pistols.

sure enjoy them. our whole men’s group enjoys them.
both are fed lots of lake city 5.56–open sights - 4-5 inch groups from 50 yards.
that is all i ask.

the advantage of buying psa (for me it’s my usage)…i carry mine around the farm all day and if the dog muds it up, it get’s a few scratches, stuff gets dropped on them, well, it’s not a thing. they are my tools and tools get used. i get good value from them.

the 9mm & 45 pistols have 8.5" barrels and sba3 braces. purchased, not built.

one of the .223s

I have two Palmetto pistols and two SBR’s with Palmetto uppers. No problems with any of them. The SBR’s have several thousand rounds apiece on them at a fairly high shot cadence, not just a half a mag a month off a bench. All of mine are CHF barreled uppers. I honestly don’t think there is a better value around for what they are.

[wanderson]

I’ve built quite a few braced pistols in various platforms, the Shockwave is the best bang for the buck and if you already have a regular pistol extension a Shockwave will fit and you can use a punch or a drill bit to dimple the tube. But for a few bucks the dimpled KAK tube is nice and still cheap. Light.

The rubber SB braces like the SOB is heavier but more comfortable and balances a heavy profile 10-12” barrel better. No adjustment but it’s already long enough to get you close to max LOP.

I just recently replaced a Shockwave Blade with an SBA3 on my Scorpion Evo. It’s nice and adjusts as easily as an M4 stock. handy with magnified optics if you’re not sure where you want it or if you switch between magnified optics.

And then there’s the Tailhook mod2. Uses a proprietary tube but they seem to get good reviews. I’ve always wanted one but the $200 price kept me away. Now several places are selling them a lot cheaper, around the price of an SBA3. I have one coming from LockedLoaded.com for $110. Available in black, FDE & OD green.