Building an AR pistol part 1

As I grow as a shooter I expect my firearms to grow with me. One of the beautiful things about the AR platform is that you can create anything from a 458 SOCOM moose exploding rifle to a 5.56 AR pistol all using the same exact components aside from some caliber specific upper parts.  Hell, you can even use the same lower receiver group and magazines for the .223, 5.56, 300blk, 25-45 sharps, and the 458 SOCOM!



Comparison of Sig arm brace and Vltor E-mod stock

The caliber options were coma inducing when it came time for me to build a new rifle. I relied heavily on others in the industry that are more than helpful with sharing their knowledge on this platform. I knew from day 1 that I wanted something for CQB and home defense so that narrowed my options to 5.56 or 300blk for this build. When it comes to these calibers you should expect a great deal of bias or prejudice written as if it were fact on the “interwebs” so be mindful of that when you research a new rifle build. (Click here for some fact based ballistic data)

I chose 5.56 over 300blk for the following reasons:

1.      Cost of 300blk per round is double 5.56 (.65/ppr vs .26/ppr)

2.      300blk runs best suppressed (I will not be suppressing this)

3.      In some cases the gas system can be finicky on the 300blk

4.      I would have to keep another caliber of ammo in stock (I already own 5.56 rifles)

5.      300blk is still relatively new and could become scarce if it doesn’t catch on

(Obviously these are my opinion and feel free to correct any wrong info)

Most of the parts used

I went with the 5.56 caliber and decided to work out the upper details later so I could focus on completing the lower first since that is the least complicated part of the build.
 When it came time to build the lower I chose the PSA blemished stripped lower on sale for $49.99. This would later allow me to spend the money saved on other more important parts of the gun.

Geissele trigger

I wanted a compact rifle for this build so I explored building an sbr but I didn’t want to deal with the nfa paperwork. The only other option for a compact rifle is the AR pistol. I took advantage of the sales on Black Friday and saved a ton of money when I ordered my Geissele trigger, B.A.D. ambi safety, Magpul pistol grip, Phase 5 Tactical buffer tube, PSA buffer, and Sig arm brace. (Contact me for the specific part and model numbers)

Phase 5 buffer tube

In closing to part 1, avoid buffer tubes that do not utilize a castle nut. The buffer tube I had got loose with minimal effort. This could have led to a catastrophic failure if the buffer assembly fell off during firing. Sure, you could Loctite it and leave your trust in some thread locker but I just decided to eliminate the chance for error and went with the Phase 5 pistol buffer tube that locks into place and also uses a castle nut.

Buffer tube that wasnt used




Part 2 will detail the process of choosing what would eventually become my complete upper, if you have built or plan to build a pistol AR or AK let me know how you went about it!

 


Completed lower

Our friends over at ORS have a new build coming into the fold from what I hear so standby to see what they do.

Stay Fit and Keep that Warrior Mindset!

Sneak peek of part 2