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AR PISTOL VS. AR RIFLE: WHAT SHOULD YOU PICK?

It depends on your intended use.

If you’re going to be using it pretty much exclusively within 100 yards, AR pistols (at least in 5.56) are very capable. They also have the bonus of being a “pistol”, so for me, they fall under my carry permit; not as big of a deal as far as ”concealed carry”, but I can have one uncased and loaded in the passenger compartment of my vehicle and still be legal; in my state, I can’t do that with a rifle.

But for anything else? A rifle rules the day, hands down.
 
I like the pistol. Maybe just because that’s what I bought :). I think you can make up some of the velocity loss with hollow point bullets in terms of effectiveness at closer ranges. I keep my hollow points loaded in the pistol at all times and use the FMJ for practice purposes. I just can‘t see myself using an AR15 for self defense at ranges over 100 yards. I think if you are shooting at someone over 100 yards away, it’s really not a self defense situation. Pistol is much more maneuverable in close quarters and just as accurate out to probably 150 yards. If I want to go beyond that, I can use my 7mm magnum. There are arguments for both, as everyone else is saying, depends on what you plan on using it for. One of these days, I may buy a 16” upper for mine to add to the 300 BLK I already have for it. Never know what the future may bring...
 
uspatriot1960 said:
I like the pistol. Maybe just because that’s what I bought :). I think you can make up some of the velocity loss with hollow point bullets in terms of effectiveness at closer ranges. I keep my hollow points loaded in the pistol at all times and use the FMJ for practice purposes. I just can‘t see myself using an AR15 for self defense at ranges over 100 yards. I think if you are shooting at someone over 100 yards away, it’s really not a self defense situation. Pistol is much more maneuverable in close quarters and just as accurate out to probably 150 yards. If I want to go beyond that, I can use my 7mm magnum. There are arguments for both, as everyone else is saying, depends on what you plan on using it for. One of these days, I may buy a 16” upper for mine to add to the 300 BLK I already have for it. Never know what the future may bring...
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Keep in mind—hollow points need velocity to operate properly, and are designed to best operate in certain velocity thresholds; too slow, and they won’t expand.

You can compensate for this by going to a lighter bullet, however. I know when I looked at an AR pistol in 5.56, I was going to run 40-45gr varmint bullets to ensure expansion and fragmentation.
 
I just came back from the range where I was shooting my AR rifle and the guy in the stall next to me was firing his AR Pistol. Every time he fired it was like getting punched in the chest and the heat coming into my stall was hard to ignore. Hard to complain though as I had a similar effect on the people shooting a handgun next to me when I showed up. Pistols look cool but that’s where it ends for me. I haven’t been around anyone using a suppressor on one. I’d be curious to experience the difference
 
I built an AR pistol last year and while it was nice & compact the performance loss was compatible with my AOPS.

Plus, I saw the "ATF brace issues" coming so I sold the upper & brace, and rebuilt the lower into a pinned 14.5".
 
Well, I know this, if I shoot someone with a 7.5” AR pistol, it’s going to hurt. And if I have a 20 or 30 round magazine in it, more than one person is not getting their way.

And I would think that a pistol (SBR) must be at least acceptably effective if special ops teams are using them for CQC. They wouldn’t put their lives at risk using a firearm that is not effective...
 
I came to the conclusion that a PCC fit the CQB role better for my circumstances/needs than an AR pistol, so I've gone that route.

Plus, the common mag/ammo with a pistol was another plus.
 
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HansGruber said:
It depends on your intended use.

If you’re going to be using it pretty much exclusively within 100 yards, AR pistols (at least in 5.56) are very capable. They also have the bonus of being a “pistol”, so for me, they fall under my carry permit; not as big of a deal as far as ”concealed carry”, but I can have one uncased and loaded in the passenger compartment of my vehicle and still be legal; in my state, I can’t do that with a rifle.

But for anything else? A rifle rules the day, hands down.
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No such rules in my state.
 
SimonRL said:
I just came back from the range where I was shooting my AR rifle and the guy in the stall next to me was firing his AR Pistol. Every time he fired it was like getting punched in the chest and the heat coming into my stall was hard to ignore. Hard to complain though as I had a similar effect on the people shooting a handgun next to me when I showed up. Pistols look cool but that’s where it ends for me. I haven’t been around anyone using a suppressor on one. I’d be curious to experience the difference
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Caliber and muzzle device make a huge difference when dealing with an AR pistol. Things like a good forward compensator will send a lot of the blast forward making the report sound more tamed to the shooter and they do work awesome for this purpose but while the shooter experiences less report everyone around them will hear it.

I shoot suppressed with multiple calibers and this is by far the best way to go. Having a 10in barrel while using a suppressor puts the pistol in the carbine length range while having the added effect of really bringing the decibel level down while also increasing the bullets velocity by allowing more burn time of the powder. Suppressors will also greatly reduce muzzle flash signature which helps maintain your low light vision should this be needed.

The downsides to a suppressor on an AR is the gas blowback which partially exits at the charging handle pushing hot gas in your face which can contain traces of lead. Using a suppressor will also cause your firearm to dirty faster though a center fire suppressor is self cleaning by firing it.
 
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I've been fortunate enough to be able to afford both. I would prefer the pistol for home defense because it is more maneuverable and my home doesn't offer any unobstructed distances over maybe 15 yards. The rifle is a more versatile all-around tool, but I don't anticipate getting into any long-range defensive situations.
 
uspatriot1960 said:
Well, I know this, if I shoot someone with a 7.5” AR pistol, it’s going to hurt. And if I have a 20 or 30 round magazine in it, more than one person is not getting their way.

And I would think that a pistol (SBR) must be at least acceptably effective if special ops teams are using them for CQC. They wouldn’t put their lives at risk using a firearm that is not effective...
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They aren’t using 7.5” 5.56's, though.

They're running 10.5” Mk18’s, for the most part (with a few 10.4” HK416’s) and then usually suppressed to add even more velocity.

At the end of the day, whatever makes you happy—but be very aware of the shortcomings of the true pistol-tube setups in rifle caliber AR's.
 
Bassbob said:
I thought I wanted a pistol. When I got my carbine though it already seems so small to me that I realized I don't need a pistol.
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If you don't have a .300blk AR yet the pistol length is a great option because with a 9.5in barrel the round achieves almost full powder burn and velocity in a compact package and with a 16in barrel mostly just adding length with a minimal velocity gain. I have both pistols and rifle lengths in .300blk for different uses.

The gas system on a .300blk AR is pistol length even on a carbine because of where the optimum pressure is produced from the round firing to charge the gas system and any longer the pressure will be reduced too much and will cause malfunctions.
 
Talyn said:
I built an AR pistol last year and while it was nice & compact the performance loss was compatible with my AOPS.

Plus, I saw the "ATF brace issues" coming so I sold the upper & brace, and rebuilt the lower into a pinned 14.5".
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Your story is a Xerox copy of my AR pistol experience. My solution was to change to a B5 stock and a 13.7" barrel with a pin&welded Warcomp, which gives me a rifle length 16.2" barrel. Now I have a RECCE rifle that is only 3" longer than the pistol.

Born as a 10.5" Pistol with a Brace:
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Reborn as a 16.2" RECCE Rifle with a Stock:
ZowyAu4l.jpg


Only a 3" difference in OAL, but a lot now it can cover more rolls, especially once I add the 1-10 LPVO to complete the transition.
 
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I agree. Since my area is more open country/mixed Forest the velocity loss just wasn't working for me.

A pinned 14.5" is as short as I want to go and it's plenty manverable for any crapped quarters situations outdoors.

Actually an 18" barrel length seems to be the best overall length for my area.
 
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