So the wife wants an AR15

[ItsLunchBOX]

...am thinking about buying a CMMG drop-in 22 conversion kit for her to try on my AR, that way she gets a feel for shooting an AR style rifle and if she likes it great, if not then I still have a conversion kit to be able plink with and we let her try out my AR15 shooting 5.56/.223

Opinions??

TIA

If it were me, I'd have my beater rattle canned pink, give it to her, and then buy myself a Noveske.

Both of these are solid plans.

 

[P7M13]

As the title states she wants an AR15 style carbine/rifle but without the recoil and wants it with pink accents. I have the "Barbie doll" accents sourced and am thinking about buying a CMMG drop-in 22 conversion kit for her to try on my AR, that way she gets a feel for shooting an AR style rifle and if she likes it great, if not then I still have a conversion kit to be able plink with and we let her try out my AR15 shooting 5.56/.223

Opinions??

TIA

No, no, no, no and God no. Options:

1. Do what @No_Regerts suggested, accept failure when it blows up in your face, and then go get a 3rd gun, using options 2 & 3.
   
2. Get her one with a light profile 20" or 22" barrel and a muzzle brake on the end. Then take it to Adam at Coat of Arms (or others around Silverton/Salem) and have accents powder coated and laser engraved. Then add the Barbie bows and other accoutrements.
3. When she complains about the noise, say a suppressor will resolve that. Better yet, do a preemptive order for that one. "Honey, I got something that will make it whisper quiet, but it takes a year to come in. We can practice a lot in that time."

I will look for it (quick bookmark search didn't find), but there is a study on AR recoil and muzzle report with varying lengths where they measure gas pressure behind the bullet as it travels down the barrel, muzzle velocity, muzzle report dB. Guy started with a 24" (I think, may have been 26), and chops off 2" at a time. His conclusion was that 18-20" barrel was the optimal as far as handling, noise and bullet MV. Based on his article, I purchased a 18" upper and I have been extremely happy with it. Much quieter than my 16". Honestly, I cannot say either AR has any recoil...

[edit to add] Another way you can change her felt recoils is to get an adjustable gas block for her AR. Most OTS ARs are over gassed and the bolt is what she feels. You can reduce that perception by adjusting, within limits.
Also, if the AR-22 doesn't feed well, she will be sorely disappointed. I bought an AK22 for my son, and it's finicky about ammo we feed it. Consequently, he moved to full AR and a 308 fairly quickly, and I'm happy with that.

[2nd edit]
Thesis on MV, Report and Accuracy of a Mosin as the barrel is shortened.
http://honors.usf.edu/documents/thesis/u82488180.pdf

Found it! It's a good read.
I was wrong about felt recoil and measured dB being different, according to the article. My inference above is anecdotal.
Barrel Length Studies in 5.56mm NATO Weapons

 

[Stomper]

Two thing's, @Stomper is appearantly on a caffiene overload this morning

Second, the M&P 15-22 would just be a great addition to the collection as well as a suitable trainer. My wife has shot both the 15-22 and a standard M4 AR-15, she can handle both, but derived greater pleasure from the 15-22... Prefers smaller, less recoiling firearms.

There's another one for yer Stomper!

No no no.... I leave referring to spouses out of my "blood sports".

 

[partsed]

Has she fired yours yet as is?

No, she flys out to see our oldest son and our grandson this next week and when she returns we will head to the range to shoot my AR....

 

[Tony617]

No no no.... I leave referring to spouses out of my "blood sports".

I cannot help about thinking of the movie "Bloodsport" for some reason:

 

[SA Shooter]

My wife made the same noises a few years ago. Her request included "And I don't want one that kicks as hard as yours."

Neither of my AR's accept a drop in so I did the next best thing and she got her own AR15 pattern rifle...in .22LR.



Yup...an M&P 15-22. I had a Team Warn mount and Vortex Viper PST 1-4x24 and she's a happy camper. She will still shoot my AR15 & AR10 but after about 20 rds or less of each, she's done with the big guns and perfectly happy to punch paper and ring steel with her EBR. I had so much fun shooting this one that we ended up with two 15-22's!

Then she found my Ruger MKIV...

 

[partsed]

I think the real test will be her trying mine and let the conspiracy theorists chime in, but she is a lefty and I as soon as I tell her that they offer a left handed AR she is going to want that!!

 

[Ranger90]

Just get an ambi safety and charging handle and call it a day. The shell deflector already makes the AR15 lefty friendly.

 

[OldBroad44]

As the title states she wants an AR15 style carbine/rifle but without the recoil and wants it with pink accents. I have the "Barbie doll" accents sourced and am thinking about buying a CMMG drop-in 22 conversion kit for her to try on my AR, that way she gets a feel for shooting an AR style rifle and if she likes it great, if not then I still have a conversion kit to be able plink with and we let her try out my AR15 shooting 5.56/.223

Opinions??

TIA

 

[bsa1917hunter]

If it were me, I'd have my beater rattle canned pink, give it to her, and then buy myself a Noveske.

You should get a gold star next to your name for that one...

 

[bsa1917hunter]

Just get an ambi safety and charging handle and call it a day. The shell deflector already makes the AR15 lefty friendly.

I agree. I'd also add a BAD lever. I shoot left handed and sold my left handed AR because I got tired of picking up brass on each side of the shooting bench....

 

[Angie]

I'm finding this thread interesting because my AR has very little recoil. I guess I got a good one.

 

[bsa1917hunter]

I'm finding this thread interesting because my AR has very little recoil. I guess I got a good one.

You probably did. All of mine barely recoil too, but they have rifle length gas systems and 20" tubes.. That makes a heck of a difference.. Even my 308 AR10 is a puzzy cat to shoot.. Had my mom shooting it the other day..

 

[OldBroad44]

If the gun is for recreation only, pink is fine. I advise against pink self defense guns for women. A bad guy is more likely to doubt a woman will actually pull the trigger. I think a woman is in greater danger than a man of having the attacker try to take the gun away from her. I think women should do everything they can to make them and their guns look as serious as possible so the attacker is most likely to be intimidated and run instead of attacking us and requiring us to kill him, and incoviencing us by requiring us to deal with the legal problems resulting. .i advise women to choose guns that are bigger,not smaller, black or blue or stainless, not fancy colors, and bigger rather than smaller bore. And use aggressive forward leaning posture. No leaning backwards likeljust the weight of the gun is so much youre on the edge of falling over. above all not pink. Pink sorta says "Even though I'm holding this gun, I'm a sweet gentle feminine lady who probably won't pull the trigger, or will do something dumb like try to shoot you in the leg, so just take the gun away from me." Pink is fine for guns that are totally for recreation. Or for self defense if you are a great big dude, maybe. Not for women.

 

[partsed]

It is more of a take it to the range and shoot it rifle than a PDW. Who knows she may like shooting my AR15 in .223/5.56 and not want one in .22LR.

 

[3MTA3]

It is more of a take it to the range and shoot it rifle than a PDW. Who knows she may like shooting my AR15 in .223/5.56 and not want one in .22LR.

I'd get her something with a mid length gas system to make the impulse gentler. A recoil pad can help as well. I'm not big on muzzle breaks for AR-15's in the event that they get used for self defense - without hearing protection a muzzle break can cause a stunning compression to the shooter, and thery really aren't needed for 5.56. I'd also keep the rifle as light as possible, use a lightweight profile barrel and a light butt stock like the Minimalist or BCM.

 

[Joe13]

I'd get her something with a mid length gas system to make the impulse gentler. A recoil pad can help as well. I'm not big on muzzle breaks for AR-15's in the event that they get used for self defense - without hearing protection a muzzle break can cause a stunning compression to the shooter, and thery really aren't needed for 5.56. I'd also keep the rifle as light as possible, use a lightweight profile barrel and a light butt stock like the Minimalist or BCM.

I'd go heavy if it's for bench shooting. More mass = less felt recoil.

Skip the .22lr imo. If it's too loud, have her use ear plugs along with electronic ear muffs.

 

[3MTA3]

I'd go heavy if it's for bench shooting. More mass = less felt recoil.

Skip the .22lr imo. If it's too loud, have her use ear plugs along with electronic ear muffs.

My guess is that it's the impulse and not the recoil she is worried about, and most women will appreciate a lighter rifle. I'd also find the hand guard (Magpul SL?) and pistol grip that fits her hand the best. If the intention is a bench gun, then, yes, heavier is better, but if she shoots offhand or reactively then a lighter rifle is a bonus.

 

[coop44]

Good solid advice all, but I have one question, why convert a 22 into a 22? sounds a bit redundant.

 

[P7M13]

Good solid advice all, but I have one question, why convert a 22 into a 22? sounds a bit redundant.

5.56 has 2x bullet mass, 2.5x velocity over 22LR