Pistol Caliber AR Suggestion

The Heretic · Oct 28, 2018

The length of the barrel would depend on a number of factors, but the primary one would be what cartridge you are going to be shooting. Some of the cartridges such as .300 BLK or 7.63x39 are better suited for shorter barrels. Also, some ammo is out there for shorter barrels.

But I agree, 12.5" is about as short as I would go for 5.56x45 - the upper I just bought is a 14.5" with a pinned/welded flash hider, so it can be used for either a rifle or a pistol - the legal difference (assuming a 'firearm' lower) being what 'stock' you put on it - a pistol brace or rifle stock. I have a pistol brace on my shock wave and IMO it is an adequate substitute for a buttstock.

Another thing as we were talking about balance - there are a lot of different barrel profiles for the AR, there are now even carbon fiber barrels. So a lightweight barrel of appropriate length can be had, or if you still want to go short to get an even lighter rifle/pistol then a shorter lightweight profile barrel can be had, and other lightweight components too.

I bought my shockwave because it was short, much lighter, less bulky, handier and better balanced than my other home defense shotgun, and easier to conceal and/or less likely to be noticed unless brought to bear. It also has much more recoil, but I can deal with it.

ConcernedCitizen · Oct 28, 2018

I'll second Reno911's suggestion for the CMMG Guard in 9mm. It was definitely smoother shooting than my direct blowback 9mm AR.

With the different pistol braces on the market, there's really no reason to go with an SBR. I'm partial to the Tailhook brace, and the SBA3 is pretty amazing, too!

Here's a crappy photo of my 8.5" 9mm AR, to give you some ideas of size:

It looks even better with a red dot and suppressor on it...

ConcernedCitizen · Oct 28, 2018

I think the barrel length usually isn't as critical as the stock length when it comes to women shooters.

I considered recommending a Sub-2000, which are fun to shoot and quite accurate, but my experience has been that the stock is too long for most women to shoulder comfortably.

In my experience, most women tend to keep their head too far back on stock, while often leaning backwards, rather than using a "nose to the charging handle" stance. It's almost impossible for them to get a good sight picture in this position, and the recoil is worsened by the backwards-leaning posture.

Whether you choose to go with an SBR or pistol brace, I recommend something that can collapse as short as possible.

It sounds like your wife already shoots, so this might not even be an issue for her, but I at least wanted to share my observations.