In this article, I’ll explain why you should get an AR-15 pistol. We’ll explore the advantages of such a firearm and even look at a few of the disadvantages.
In the small town of Emmaus, Pennsylvania lies a tiny, almost hidden gem in the form of Xtreme Gun Worx. They are a full-service gun shop offering all manner of gunsmithing, including scope mounting, Cerakote, and other finishing work, custom builds, and Class III work, among others.
Entering the shop and looking at their walls is like going into a candy shop for gun aficionados. There are ARs, AKs, shotguns, sniper rifles of all kinds, cases of pistols, SBRs, and even some classic WWII rifles. There was even an M1919 Browning .30 caliber air-cooled, belt-fed machine gun, complete with tripod, the last time I was there.
They’ll build or modify weapons to a customer’s specifications. However, they also have pre-built custom rifles and pistols already done, and that will be the subject of this particular article.
A little while back, I was visiting the shop and noticed a slew of AR-15 pistols on the wall. For a while, I’d been considering buying a second AR-15 because, in these trying times…well, need I say more? Seriously, though, I wanted a second AR because “one is none and two is one.”
In the event my first AR would go down, I wanted a second one for redundancy; and with me having only one, if that one became inoperable, I’d have a ton of magazines and ammo that I’d have no weapon to use them in. I have quite a few spare magazines for the weapons system, so I wouldn’t have to gear up with magazines and ammo for a new weapons system since I am already set up for this one. So having two AR-15s just makes complete sense to me.
Why get an AR-15 pistol?
At the time that I bought the AR-15 pistol, guns and ammo were beginning to be in rather high demand. It wasn’t yet the Big Panic that it morphed into, but it was approaching. I figured it would be a wise move to better prepare for the future. Not that I wasn’t already prepared, but I tend to really get into things, so as usual, I went slightly overboard.
The AR-15 pistols that they had at the moment were mostly very short-barreled models. They did have some rifles assembled, but the pistols are the ones that caught my eye. Why? I’ll be honest, they just looked cool and the very short nature of the entire firearm appealed to me. I already have a few rifles that will reach out a good distance, so the shorty concept was what I was after.
The compactness really appealed to me because short-barreled weapons are so much easier to maneuver in close quarters. And up until that point, I had not taken advantage of the pistol and brace concept.
Particulars
The particular AR-15 pistol that I chose has a 7.5 inch barrel, and the profile of the barrel appears to be somewhat heavy.
It is actually chambered for .223 Wylde caliber, created by Bill Wylde. It will handle both .223 and 5.56 equally well, and has the advantage of being able to accept the heavier rounds in 5.56 and .223 equally well. Rifles chambered for 5.56mm typically will not shoot the .223 rounds as accurately, but the Wylde takes care of that issue with the chamber dimensions. The barrel twist rate is 1:7 inches, so that helps with heavier rounds. Aside from that, what I know is that it’s a wild cat chambering. Beyond that, I’m not very knowledgeable, as I only plan on feeding it .223 and 5.56mm ammo.
I’ll note now that this was a custom build from the ground up.
The stock is of the pistol brace variety. At the time of this writing, it appears that the ATF is waffling back and forth as to whether they want to rule the pistol brace as being “illegal” after over five million people have gone out and purchased pistols with braces. At any rate, the brace works well enough and is collapsible to five different positions. Physically, it can be used in a manner similar to a collapsible stock, but the legalities of doing so are very, very sketchy.
At one point, the ATF seems to have said that this can be done sometimes, as long as shooters don’t do it all the time. Whatever that means, I’m not entirely sure. I think they’re trying to cryptically say that you can use it as a stock sometimes, but don’t wear it out and use your head. However, I’m not a lawyer (nor do I play one on TV), so interpret the laws as you will. And the laws are changing so often that I don’t really know anyone who can keep up with them.
Originally, the pistol brace was designed for people with disabilities to slip over the shooter’s forearm and normally has some sort of hook and loop strap or way to secure the brace to the shooter’s arm so that he can fire the pistol one-handed with some real stability. Apparently, there are shooters out there who are not doing so, and for some reason, this creates a legal minefield. Does it somehow make the pistol more deadly? We’re really not sure if or how it does.
A Magpul pistol grip was used in the build, and it works great, I love it. All furniture is Flat Dark Earth (or maybe Coyote Brown, it’s so hard to know these days). There’s actually a small trap door in the heel of the pistol grip that allows a few small items to be stored in the pistol grip.
The receiver uses a Picatinny rail along the top until it reaches the handguard. For the forward handguard, Xtreme Gun Worx used a unit from Bravo Company Manufacturing (BCM), a company that makes top-notch AR-15 parts and firearms. The entire length of the BCM handguard also has a Picatinny rail, and it mates up perfectly to the one that goes along the receiver, for a seamless transition. This makes mounting optics and red dots an easy task and gives the user plenty of room for eye relief of various optics.
I elected to mount iron sights on the Picatinny rail, with the rear sight being a Midwest Industries flip-up sight. I’m not sure of the brand of the front sight, but it’s a simple flip-up sight that works well enough. The rear sight is adjustable for windage, while the front sight is adjustable for elevation. At one point, I had added a red dot sight, but it developed issues, so I went back to using iron sights, which never seem to fail and don’t require batteries.
The bolt and carrier are from what they said was a “Very well known and respected company.” They didn’t come right out and say it, but I’m pretty sure it is Noveske. Don’t quote me on that. When I asked the gunsmith if it was that brand, he smiled broadly. Enough said.
The charging handle on the AR-15 pistol has releases that are ambidextrous, so it can be charged using either hand, which works beautifully.
I have elected, so far, to keep this little AR-15 pistol fairly plain. At some point, I might add a small rail to attach a light. Other than that, I have little desire to bolt on a pile of accessories that will only make it bulkier and heavier, which would take away from the spirit of the pistol in the first place.
The flash hider is from Strike Industries and is their Venom model with four prongs. It works very well at dispersing the flames from the short barrel. To be honest, it does a good job, as I expected a much larger fireball from the little AR-15 pistol. It does nothing, however, for the level of noise that emanates from the short barrel.
Some Considerations
When we’re discussing the defensive use of firearms, we need to remember that we are not concerned with killing the attacker(s); we are intending to defend our lives by stopping the bad guys. We want to make them stop their nefarious activities.
With the short-barreled weapons, people often point out how much velocity suffers, especially with the 7.5-inch barrel. While this is true, the rounds are still contenders.
One of the selling points of the .223/5.56mm is that it fragments at high velocities when it hits flesh. Below a certain threshold (generally accepted to be around 2,500 feet per second), it no longer reliably fragments. Does that mean it magically becomes worthless? Hardly. It will still punch holes in material (whether that is barriers or bad guys), which holds value.
In fact, I viewed a video in which a 7.5-inch barreled AR was fired against several inches of pine wood at 200 yards and the rounds penetrated quite a few inches (if my memory serves me, it was six inches of wood). I realize that pine is not the hardest wood out there, but it’s still harder than our skin. To be honest, I was shocked that the rounds penetrated so well at that range from such a short barrel. At close range, it should do okay, I’d think.
Let’s not forget that, just because a particular round does not fragment, it’s not the end of the world. There are plenty of rifle rounds, especially military rifle calibers, that don’t fragment and yet have proven effective over the decades.
Because I do not have a chronograph, I had to do some research to try to figure out how much velocity 5.56mm gets from a 7.5-inch barrel. Depending on bullet weight, it seems that it gets between 2,000 and 2,200 feet per second, generally speaking.
Our mission is to put holes in bad guys because that typically makes them want to stop attacking us. If the bullet happens to exit said bad guy, we just created two wounds in him. So landing hits on attackers is job #1, it takes their mind off of us, hopefully.
There is a philosophy that seems to hold true in combat, whether it’s with guns, knives, or fists: He who hits first often wins. Is it a huge deal that the 7.5-inch barrel launches bullets at considerably lower velocities than a long barrel? I don’t think it’s as huge of a consideration as some people make it out to be, and I’m not going to lose sleep over it. Suffice to say, I would not want to get hit by a projectile from my little AR.
So we can agree that the ballistics aren’t optimal. But it’s a compromise, and we gain a lot of maneuverability in place of the lost velocity.
More Advantages Of The AR-15 Pistol
Obviously, given the incredibly compact size of the AR pistol, it’s very maneuverable in buildings and also in vehicles. In fact, for vehicular use, this one really shines.
The ability to store the pistol in the trunk of a car or behind the seat of a truck (truck gun), as well as stowing it in a backpack is also a major advantage. Things that store easily are always sought out by people, and firearms are no different. This enhances its versatility.
At The Range
As expected, the muzzle blast and noise from such a short barrel were on the dramatic side. The flash suppressor does a good job of taming the muzzle flash, although I have not fired the little AR-15 pistol at night, so I cannot testify as to how it looks in dim light. I suspect that it will be substantial.
I ran the AR-15 pistol through drills mostly out to 50 yards, and it proved to be very fast-handling and handy. Moving through rooms with the shorty is far easier than with a full-sized AR or even a carbine.
Recoil was about the same as any other AR-15; not considerable at all. Follow-up shots and multiples were easy and fast with the AR-15 pistol, given the lack of recoil.
I really didn’t obsess about the accuracy, considering the spirit in which the AR-15 pistol was invented. At 50 yards, groups between one and two inches were pretty easy, so the little pistol will deliver. I’m sure if I bench rested it, I could pull in some very respectable groups. At 100 yards, groups were around the size of my fist, but again, if I made more of an effort, I could shrink those, which I will do in the future.
Reliability was 100%, which was very pleasing. I used Winchester and Federal 55 grain ammo, along with some military surplus M855 Green Tip ammo, all of which gave fine performance.
All in all, I’m satisfied with my choice of the AR-15 pistol. Yes, there are compromises because of the short barrel length, but then there are also advantages. If I want, I can break it down and stow it in a pack and take it along hiking in the event I’d like a little more firepower out in the wilderness.
If you’re able to, check out Xtreme Gun Worx, they have an amazing array of firearms.
