Please educate me on AR15 pistols -

[JimSig]

PSA has decent offerings on AR pistols with free shipping, I just don't know what to look for and what to avoid. Here is a list of some questions:

1. What is the maximum barrel length I can purchase with a brace setup before the pistol requirements are violated and I end up with an SBR. Is 10.5" OK or not OK

2. What is the least barrel length I can go to without suffering accuracy or energy, 7.5 " 8.5" etc..



If there are other things that you would like to share that I didn't ask about pls list it and it would be greatly appreciated.

Reasons for an AR pistol: because I can, a nice home defense setup, a range toy occasionally.

[castrotikon]

So, few things I encountered when building mine (and anyone else feel free to correct me):

1. The SBR barrel length has nothing to do with the maximum barrel length, it's a factor of either the minimum barrel length or the overall length. An SBR is a *rifle* (if you're buying an AR pistol you don't have a rifle, you have a pistol, this is an important distinction) with a barrel less than 16" or an overall length shorter than 26". To my knowledge, there is no federal law limiting your maximum pistol barrel length although if you're building a pistol I don't really see why you'd put a "rifle" length barrel on it

2. This isn't one I think I'd personally be able to answer

3. The ATF released a statement that basically said it was okay to shoulder a pistol brace, it would not make it a "rifle"/SBR: https://www.sigsauer.com/press-relea...lizing-braces/

Other things to consider:
-you cannot put a VFG on an AR pistol (I'm certain of this) unless the overall length is between 26" and 30" at which point this is considered an AOW (if someone could confirm/clarify this I'd appreciate it, I may be mis-remembering)
-I'm assuming you're building a 5.56 rifle, the muzzle flash and concussion on a 5.56 with a little 8-9" barrel is serious, enough so that if you were to shoot it indoors in a dark room you would probably have a hard time seeing what was going on, I'd seriously considering getting a flash can and even that I'm not sure of how effective it would be to be honest, I have one on my 300 blackout pistol to avoid that problem
-Not all braces are created exactly, there are some really nice pistol braces out there that can run up to $300 and some that are $50-60, I really do think the nicer braces are worth it if you can spare the extra cash

I probably could've told you every little detail regarding the laws months ago when I was building mine but it's been long enough at this point that my memory is foggy

[Patrick]

Other things to consider:
-you cannot put a VFG on an AR pistol (I'm certain of this) unless the overall length is between 26" and 30" at which point this is considered an AOW (if someone could confirm/clarify this I'd appreciate it, I may be mis-remembering)

Regarding Federal law, if you put a VFG on an AR pistol, it is no longer a pistol. If it is above 26" OAL, it is just a firearm. If it is under 26" OAL, or if you actually conceal it, It then becomes an AOW (Any Other Weapon) which is an NFA item and subject to making and transfer taxes.

The Franklin XO-26 letter explains it in great detail.

[GreaseMonkeySRT]

PSA has decent offerings on AR pistols with free shipping, I just don't know what to look for and what to avoid. Here is a list of some questions:

1. What is the maximum barrel length I can purchase with a brace setup before the pistol requirements are violated and I end up with an SBR. Is 10.5" OK or not OK

2. What is the least barrel length I can go to without suffering accuracy or energy, 7.5 " 8.5" etc..



If there are other things that you would like to share that I didn't ask about pls list it and it would be greatly appreciated.

Reasons for an AR pistol: because I can, a nice home defense setup, a range toy occasionally.

IMO, anything less than 10.5" for 5.56 is a waste. You'll be looking at different ammo for that set-up, and you'll still have to hope things work correctly as it relates to cycling. More often than not it does, but keep in mind 5.56 was designed for a 20 inch barrel. Chopping 13 inches off is going to have a serious effect on ballistic performance of that round.

My recommendation is to go with .300 Blackout. It was designed around a 10.5" barrel, so going down to 7.5" will have a negligible effect. Superb ballistic performance, ability to go suppressed with subsonic ammo, and can still reach out a few hundred yards.

This article is a great read: http://www.sadefensejournal.com/wp/?p=1093

It's two pages, so don't skip the second page. Granted, a few ammo manufacturers have developed new loads to have better performance in sub-7.5" barrels. Either way, with 5.56 or .300BLK, you may end up with two different ammos or loads.

[hendo]

IMO, anything less than 10.5" for 5.56 is a waste. You'll be looking at different ammo for that set-up, and you'll still have to hope things work correctly as it relates to cycling. More often than not it does, but keep in mind 5.56 was designed for a 20 inch barrel. Chopping 13 inches off is going to have a serious effect on ballistic performance of that round.

My recommendation is to go with .300 Blackout. It was designed around a 10.5" barrel, so going down to 7.5" will have a negligible effect. Superb ballistic performance, ability to go suppressed with subsonic ammo, and can still reach out a few hundred yards.

This article is a great read: http://www.sadefensejournal.com/wp/?p=1093

It's two pages, so don't skip the second page. Granted, a few ammo manufacturers have developed new loads to have better performance in sub-7.5" barrels. Either way, with 5.56 or .300BLK, you may end up with two different ammos or loads.

From what I've seen 300BLK ammo is more expensive to buy and reload for. IMO
i'm looking to go with the 10.5 myself.

[JimSig]

Thanks for the feedback, looks like this is more complicated than what I thought it is.. I'll just scratch the idea out of my head until I establish a fund and build an SBR.
Thanks all.

[sadaddy]

It's not complicated. Buy a 10.5 upper and a complete pistol lower with a brace. Fill out proper pistol registration forms (or not). If you are over 26 inches over all length, you can't register or transport it loaded in a vehicle under a CPL. It would seem that most measure without the flash hider attached, but there are short flash hiders and comps that will get you under 26" oal while attached.

DO NOT attach a less than 16" upper to a lower with a stock or one that was previously assembled as a rifle. That's an SBR and subject to NFA regulation.

[Cletus]

I'll just scratch the idea out of my head until I establish a fund and build an SBR.

Making it an SBR doesn't really change any of the above...

[JDG]

Love my Saint pistol in 5.56! It has a 7.5" bbl, and at 25yrds shooting with a 3 MOA dot sight, I can group better then the dot sight allows.. I'm talking 1/2" groups! If my chrony will strap on this muzzle and give me a reading I will be happy, because I would like to know the velocity of this thing. Accuracy is not your problem, neither is function, but bullet performance would be my concern. I'm sure they make fragmenting rounds for lost velocity in these pistols by now.

I have a new SBA3 brace on the way for it as I want an adjustable brace with a mil spec receiver extension.
New brace!!

[JimSig]

It's not complicated. Buy a 10.5 upper and a complete pistol lower with a brace. Fill out proper pistol registration forms (or not). If you are over 26 inches over all length, you can't register or transport it loaded in a vehicle under a CPL. It would seem that most measure without the flash hider attached, but there are short flash hiders and comps that will get you under 26" oal while attached.

DO NOT attach a less than 16" upper to a lower with a stock or one that was previously assembled as a rifle. That's an SBR and subject to NFA regulation.

Thanks, that's very helpful.. I think I will keep this info handy, so I will be looking at 7.5 in barrels to make sure I am under 26" with regular flash hiders.