AR Pistols - accuracy and utility

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I am trying to justify getting an AR pistol, but I am question what use I can put it to:

How about bedside home defense? 7 inch barrel with a short can, will it be short enough to maneuver and be useful for a home defense gun with some frangible ammo?

I am guessing the overall length of a pistol with a can be the same as a regular one with 16 barrel, but how about accuracy, how accurate can I expect it to be out to say 100 yards?
 
For a house gun , get a 12 gauge pump with an 18" barrel .

An AR pistol has GOT to be LOUD .

For a house gun , 100 yard accuracy does not matter much .

I thought about an AR pistol & could not justify it .
 
With all due respect, I'm not sure the first reply even took the time to read the OP.

A 7" 5.56 AR pistol with a can, while still very loud indoors, will be quieter than a non-suppressed 12ga pump. It'll also be more maneuverable, and hold 20, 30, 40+ rounds before you get into drum territory.

OP,
Barrel length has little to do with accuracy. Buy a quality barrel, practice good shooting fundamentals, and you'll be accurate enough out to 100 yards for anything you'll need.

Get the shorty suppressed pistol. They're a....blast.
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My choice for a home defense weapon is the Taurus Judge and Mossberg 590 Shockwave.
 
If you got an AR pistol, in 300 BLK, with a suppressor, it's very, very quiet with subsonic (190-220gr) ammo.

I mean, you can have a conversation without hearing protection while one is firing.

I was stunned by the lack of noise when a guy down the lanes was firing one at my local range.

Sig makes one with a gas piston system. Not cheap, but a very attractive piece of gear if I were to choose a home defense weapon. Throw a holographic or red dot sight on it, perhaps a laser, and you've got a formidable, quiet, high capacity set up that could be used very effectively inside your home.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted by Astro14
If you got an AR pistol, in 300 BLK, with a suppressor, it's very, very quiet with subsonic (190-220gr) ammo.

I mean, you can have a conversation without hearing protection while one is firing.

I was stunned by the lack of noise when a guy down the lanes was firing one at my local range.

Sig makes one with a gas piston system. Not cheap, but a very attractive piece of gear if I were to choose a home defense weapon. Throw a holographic or red dot sight on it, perhaps a laser, and you've got a formidable, quiet, high capacity set up that could be used very effectively inside your home.



This guy gets it.

Shockwave, Judge, etc = noisy and very limited ammo capacity.
 
This was the one that I saw in the store the other day: https://www.sigsauer.com/store/sig-mcx-virtus-pistol.html

So, 30 rounds of 220gr ammo, suppressed, and you've got a quiet, accurate, high capacity weapon that is easy to handle in confined spaces with that 9" barrel.

Sure looked like a quality bit of gear. I liked the adjustable piston design. Sure, more expensive, but for a suppressed gun (which I don't yet own) I would want the adjustability to get the gas right with a suppressor. The fact that it runs cleaner than a DI gun is a bonus. The increase in moving parts, a detraction.
 
There are a lot of good options out there so I will keep judgement out of this. I was faced with the same dilemma and went Sig MPX 9mm. Size is excellent; AR friendly accessories; easy to add a light and clears rooms easily in the average home. 30 Rounds is a plus. Sig also makes 20 rounders.

Fire the 5.56 pistol AR prior to building or buying. You'll know right away if it's for you. 300 BO is a better choice than the 5.56 IMHO.
 
Originally Posted by Pike51
My choice for a home defense weapon is the Taurus Judge and Mossberg 590 Shockwave.


Two terrible, borderline useless, guns.

Buy something else.
 
See if you can shoot one before buying on. My son the only person on this Earth that fired a 1903 Springfield bolt action fast enough and long enough to get the barrel so hot it melted the plastic ammo container he set it down on when he ran out of ammo hated shooting the AR pistol he tried. Some people think they are the cats meow though..
 
Originally Posted by stockrex

How about bedside home defense? 7 inch barrel with a short can, will it be short enough to maneuver and be useful for a home defense gun with some frangible ammo?


1)I wouldn't recommend anything less than 11.5 inches in .223. That round needs the velocity to perform. And I DEFINITELY wouldn't buy/own/use a 7 inch .223, ever. Especially for home defense. A 10.3 inch barrel with a suppressor, is acceptable, and is short as I would go. But the longer dwell time of the 11.5 is likely to me much more reliable and forgiving.

2) Frangible ammo should never be used for home defense.

3) An 8 to 10 inch barrel in .300 blackout with a suppressor is a very good home defense weapon. Supersonic 110-120 grain stuff is very powerful rifle ammo, about like 7.62x39, and still sufficiently quiet for hearing protection, when used with a suppressor. 195-220 grain subsonic loads are very quiet, but about as powerful as a pistol.... but will still get the job done.

4) If you want a super short barrel, with a suppressor, than .300 blackout is clearly the winner here. If you are really stuck on .223, then get the better barrel length... 10.3 to 11.5 inches.
 
Originally Posted by stockrex

I am trying to justify getting an AR pistol...


That's your mistake right there. If you want one and all of the normal roadblocks that apply have green lights: legality, cost, spousal unit approval, you get one ASAP, see if you like it, then find a reason to have it. Or not. The number of firearms you should own is always N+1.
 
Originally Posted by Astro14
If you got an AR pistol, in 300 BLK, with a suppressor, it's very, very quiet with subsonic (190-220gr) ammo.

I mean, you can have a conversation without hearing protection while one is firing.

I was stunned by the lack of noise when a guy down the lanes was firing one at my local range.

Sig makes one with a gas piston system. Not cheap, but a very attractive piece of gear if I were to choose a home defense weapon. Throw a holographic or red dot sight on it, perhaps a laser, and you've got a formidable, quiet, high capacity set up that could be used very effectively inside your home.


That is like shooting some one with a pistol.
 
Originally Posted by CT8
Originally Posted by Astro14
If you got an AR pistol, in 300 BLK, with a suppressor, it's very, very quiet with subsonic (190-220gr) ammo.

I mean, you can have a conversation without hearing protection while one is firing.

I was stunned by the lack of noise when a guy down the lanes was firing one at my local range.

Sig makes one with a gas piston system. Not cheap, but a very attractive piece of gear if I were to choose a home defense weapon. Throw a holographic or red dot sight on it, perhaps a laser, and you've got a formidable, quiet, high capacity set up that could be used very effectively inside your home.


That is like shooting some one with a pistol.



Not entirely. The subsonic .300 round will have around 500 lbs of energy at the muzzle which is more than your run of the mill 9mm or 45acp round. But it comes in a package that is much more accurate and carries 30 rounds. Also being suppressed, it's much quieter.
 
Originally Posted by CT8
Originally Posted by Astro14
If you got an AR pistol, in 300 BLK, with a suppressor, it's very, very quiet with subsonic (190-220gr) ammo.

I mean, you can have a conversation without hearing protection while one is firing.

I was stunned by the lack of noise when a guy down the lanes was firing one at my local range.

Sig makes one with a gas piston system. Not cheap, but a very attractive piece of gear if I were to choose a home defense weapon. Throw a holographic or red dot sight on it, perhaps a laser, and you've got a formidable, quiet, high capacity set up that could be used very effectively inside your home.


That is like shooting some one with a pistol.


If you consider only muzzle energy, sure, it's like a .45 ACP.

But the Sig pistol is longer, better sight radius, so your accuracy goes up, and it holds 30 rounds.

So, yeah, like a quieter .45 ACP, that's more accurate, and holds 30 rounds.

Or, load it up with the 125gr and have double the ME with more noise.

So, unlike a .45 ACP, you have some real flexibility, along with considerably more capacity, with an AR pistol vs. say, a Glock 21, or one of my 1911s.

I think I just convinced myself that I need one, now...
 
Originally Posted by Astro14

I think I just convinced myself that I need one, now...


Nicely played Astro14, time to order one! Your points are spot on but man one hopes that you could take care of HD business with a G21 and a spare mag.
 
Originally Posted by bubbatime
Originally Posted by Pike51
My choice for a home defense weapon is the Taurus Judge and Mossberg 590 Shockwave.


Two terrible, borderline useless, guns.

Buy something else.


Too many people have dreams of some huge firefight occurring in the home where you'll need more than a handful of rounds to take care of business- probably not going to happen! This isn't call of duty! Could some situation occur where you'll need 20+ rounds, sure, but the world could blow up tomorrow too, and all the rounds in the world ain't gonna help you!

If you can't defend your home with six shotgun blasts, you have bigger problems than how many rounds you can stuff in your gun.

My choice would be the Mossberg every time.
 
Originally Posted by AZjeff
Originally Posted by Astro14

I think I just convinced myself that I need one, now...


Nicely played Astro14, time to order one! Your points are spot on but man one hopes that you could take care of HD business with a G21 and a spare mag.


Well, I've got a G20, and two spare mags, so...
 
Originally Posted by Astro14
Originally Posted by CT8
Originally Posted by Astro14
If you got an AR pistol, in 300 BLK, with a suppressor, it's very, very quiet with subsonic (190-220gr) ammo.

I mean, you can have a conversation without hearing protection while one is firing.

I was stunned by the lack of noise when a guy down the lanes was firing one at my local range.

Sig makes one with a gas piston system. Not cheap, but a very attractive piece of gear if I were to choose a home defense weapon. Throw a holographic or red dot sight on it, perhaps a laser, and you've got a formidable, quiet, high capacity set up that could be used very effectively inside your home.


That is like shooting some one with a pistol.


If you consider only muzzle energy, sure, it's like a .45 ACP.

But the Sig pistol is longer, better sight radius, so your accuracy goes up, and it holds 30 rounds.

So, yeah, like a quieter .45 ACP, that's more accurate, and holds 30 rounds.

Or, load it up with the 125gr and have double the ME with more noise.

So, unlike a .45 ACP, you have some real flexibility, along with considerably more capacity, with an AR pistol vs. say, a Glock 21, or one of my 1911s.

I think I just convinced myself that I need one, now...


After reading that, I think I need one!
 
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