Hey everyone,
I own an MKE MP5 clone and love it, however I have decided not to go the SBR route (no particular reason, just don’t want to) which in my opinion defeats the purpose of owning one since balisticaly its not much different then shooting out of a pistol (smaller pistol that is). So I was going to trade it for a couple of handguns and snag an m4 carbine in the process, or at least that’s the idea. I’ve heard great things but haven’t shot one (not true, shot one for boy scouts 10 years ago). I don’t know how they feel. Obviously there is more recoil than a 9mm but how much? Would it be worth it to eventually get a suppressor? My biggest concern is that I want my wife to be able to shoot it well, if it kicks too much or is too heavy for her I might need another option. I was thinking that the carbine, or a pistol would be a great HD weapon. Are there any brands/models you would recommend. Just feels like it is time to switch to the “AR” zone.
Thoughts? Experience? Expertise? - Just need it to be reliable, the fact that I would only need a tax stamp for a suppressor is a bonus.
Thanks!
An AR has very little recoil for a rifle. It’s a “rifle” not a “pistol caliber” carbine. Easy to learn to shoot an AR well. You came to the right place to learn too. Some of these guys are very well up to snuff on even the most technical questions you may have about any gun, or custom build for that matter. I built mine because I wanted certain features, but a Colt is a well built gun as is.
The carbine length is nothing rough recoil wise, compared to other calibers you might have tried.Best thing I think anyone will recommend is find a range that rents what you are interested in. In my own experience, any hand gun other than a 9mm or .22lr will be no-go in the wife department. My wife seemed fine with recoil on .38spl but had great difficulty handling my 6" 686. Your own wife needs to try it herself. Don’t be “that guy” and insist she try something like 44mag, 45 or 40s&w. A local range here has a Groupon that pops up a few times a year for hand gun intro classes. It’s geared to new shooters (aka wives) and includes some range time afterwards. If you can’t find a deal like that at least try to rent a 22 pistol for her. If you want your wife to shoot well she needs to be totally comfortable with the weapon. Start small and work up from there. As for your other questions I can’t say anything other than do some more research and take some classes.
The AR in 5.56 has very little actual recoil (a five year old can handle one), but the sharp impulse combined with the loud report can make people think that the recoil is worse than it is. It’s purely psychological. Experience with the rifle will eventually mitigate this if it’s a problem.
You can also get rid of the recoil, what little there is, by using a muzzle brake combined with an adjustable gas block and a heavy buffer. Once you tune the gas block to the load in question, the recoil will be completely gone. Even better, the muzzle rise will go with it, assuming you have a decent brake, of which there are many on the market, so you can drill that target as if it was a .22LR.
Long story short, an AR is the perfect gun for you and your wife!
You shot an AR in the scouts? I’m pretty sure that is against regs. They are strict about the .22 single shot only for rifles…
Doing some research, lot of people are liking the Colt LE6920, anyone have experience with this? Seems reliable and reasonably priced.
Yes that is a great choice, if you want to take any of the guess work out of it look no further. If you have special requirements for the rifle building or other companies maybe your best bet. Read the thread below if you are not convinced.
https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=172727
use the search bar on the top right corner
IDK what the regs are now, but when I was a young scout we shot skeet with 12ga and plinked with 22r. The old timer running the place (it was his hunting camp) would give the secret man up test by switching our rifle to 30-06 without telling us. We all were surprised by the recoil; a few of us laughed and wanted more, some finished the day without asking to shoot more, and one boy ran away and sulked. This was in the 80’s or early 90’s, before the PC police flooded the scene.
We shot 12 and 20ga semi and pumps, pump, semi, and bolt .22s and even black powder at the scout camps I worked at and attended? Maybe it was in the area you are located?