Convince me to build something else

[Trampstamp]

Hello,
I'm basically just looking for another thing to do at the range with my ar lower. I have a .223 bull barrel 18" upper and for some reason I keep wanting to do a 16 inch lightweight 5.56 upper.



Convince me that there's a better round choice !!!



Considerations: I'm not opposed to just getting another lower for a cheap 9mm or .22 build. I know that can be done on my current lower but playing with buffer setup to switch doesn't appeal to me



Have fun with this one !

 

[someguy2800]

I never change buffers on any of my guns. If there is a gas problem I use an adjustable gas block.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

The obvious choices are 9mm or 300B0 of course, though IMO .300 only really makes sense for suppressed applications.
I will say AR9s are way more fun than they have any right to be, but since your talking a new barrel, bolt, and dedicated lower, it might as well just be a 2nd gun........which is not a bad thing.

 

[Jonny2guns]

I have a couple 556 and a 300BO while they are fun, I have really really thought about a 9mm either AR pistol or carbine especially if it uses Glock mags.

 

[mcb]

There are so many fun cartridges that can be built on the AR plateform, from 22LR to 50 Beowulf.

My current collection is:

Left to Right: 22LR, 223/556, 300 AAC Blackout, 30 Remington AR, 450 Bushmaster.

Also don't forget about the can cannon from F5 or X-products. They are alot of fun and on rare occasions useful, they make good line launchers.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

There are so many fun cartridges that can be built on the AR plateform, from 22LR to 50 Beowulf.

My current collection is:
View attachment 1147242
Left to Right: 22LR, 223/556, 300 AAC Blackout, 30 Remington AR, 450 Bushmaster.

Also don't forget about the can cannon from F5 or X-products. They are alot of fun and on rare occasions useful, they make good line launchers.
View attachment 1147243

.30 Rem AR- don't torture him, lol!

Whats the maximum range of that gren.....uhhhhh, can, cannon?

Who makes that cant. mount? Thats pretty legit.

 

[mcb]

Whats the maximum range of that gren.....uhhhhh, can, cannon?

With a standard 12oz can right at 100 yards. You can get longer range with the short 8-oz cans but they are hard to find. The 16 oz cans kick likes mules.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

With a standard 12oz can right at 100 yards. You can get longer range with the short 8-oz cans but they are hard to find. The 16 oz cans kick likes mules.

Full can, I assume?

 

[Jonny2guns]

With a standard 12oz can right at 100 yards. You can get longer range with the short 8-oz cans but they are hard to find. The 16 oz cans kick likes mules.

I like it! Do you drink the beer first?

 

[doubleh]

With the 22 it's very simple, remove current upper, install 22 upper, and go shoot. Nothing else needed except plenty of 22 ammo because it's fun and much cheaper than anything in center fire.

 

[Steven_Seagull]

I would build a PCC in a caliber you have stashed.
9MM was it for me, now I want a 10MM.
Also did a .300 since it's a good "scrounger" caliber.
It uses plentiful 5.56/.223 brass, and takes plentiful .30 caliber projectiles.
It also handles casting well, as does the 9MM.

If you wanted to only go with one, 9MM for accessibility and cost up front.
.300 if you ever plan on serious hunting.

Sub-sonic 9MM vs Sub-sonic .300 doesn't leave as much of a difference other than trajectory/ballistic coefficient.

Supersonic comparisons though leave the 9MM in the dust.

A subsonic .300 can do what a subsonic 9MM can do, but the 9MM can't do what the .300 can do when going supersonic.

 

[mcb]

Full can, I assume?

Yes, full and sealed.

I like it! Do you drink the beer first?

I usually buy the cheap diet Summit cola from Aldies for it. The diet means no sugar to leave everything sticky. Though the screw top 16 oz beer cans work well to since you can drink the beer and the refill them with water and seal them again with the screw top. You can also use cheap spray paint cans too as long as they have the rebated crimp at the bottom. These are fun if you have a source of ignition near the target. Tennis balls work although the blast from the blank cartridges slowly turns the fuzz crispy.

 

[Varminterror]

or some reason I keep wanting to do a 16 inch lightweight 5.56 upper.

Building AR's for customers over the years, "rebuilding" or replacing a 16" carbine was one of, if not THE most common reason people sought my services. There is only so much enjoyment to be had making noise at short range, so most people find the entertainment value of 16" mil-spec-ish carbines to be fleeting, at best. So I'd recommend to you, as I have to dozens of other folks which came to me over the years asking about 16" carbines, don't. Find a purpose for the rifle, a realizable use case, and MAYBE a 16" rifle aligns with that. More often than not, it just doesn't.

 

[mongoslow]

I have standard 5.56, 6.5 Man Bun Short, and 350L

 

[InTheSwamp]

My favorite setup is 5.56 in a 16" barrel. For precision, SPR or Bull. For business and fun, a lightweight barrel, e.g., Government profile, Recon, etc.
A different round? What about 22 PPC, or 6 ARC?

 

[MrShooter]

This page from a shooting illustrated article shows some interesting data from 223-450 bushmaster. I'm learning towards a 350 legend myself, have fun choosing.

 

[Trampstamp]

You guys rock! It's gonna be either a can launcher or a 9mm at this point

 

[greyling22]

If you go 9mm, take a hard look at the cmmg banshee (or guard. Whatever they are calling it now) radially delayed system. It costs a little more, but it cuts recoil by 1/3, and allows you to use a standard buffer. You can buy a bolt and barrel set, then use whatever upper and handguard you want. No gas system needed. Pair it with the endomag, and all you have to do to go from 223 to 9mm is swap the upper and mag. You can leave the lower unchanged. Which is great if you have a registered lower....,

I had an ar9, CZ scorpion, and a banshee build, and kept the banshee. It was easily better than the other 2.

 

[Trampstamp]

So longer barrel is more better, always . Jk. Longer barrels generally produce better speeds and accuracy, up to a point of diminishing returns, so... 9mm, what's the maximum beneficial barrel length?

 

[Varminterror]

Longer barrels generally produce better speeds and accuracy

Longer barrels, within practical limits for centerfire cartridges, almost always produce higher speeds, but not necessarily better accuracy.

Personally, I do see utility for a personal defense rifle - mine is a suppressed 10.5" SBR-15 in 5.56, but also with uppers in 6.8SPC and 458 socom, which are all relatively useful for 0-300/400yrd coyote, deer, and hog hunting (shorter in the case of the 458, naturally). I do find pretty broad utility from 18-20" rifles, whether hunting, plinking/blasting, or PD/home defense. I also thoroughly enjoy shooting long range with my AR's, and almost unilaterally prefer 24"+ on these rifles, and prefer larger cases and better BC's than 223/5.56.

In a 9mm PDW, I'd be pretty interested at 9-11", but a 16" noise-maker can be a lot of fun, TYPICALLY with lower cost to feed than 223/5.56. I wouldn't build it longer than 20", and might be hard pressed to pick 18" over 20" - a 9mm might be the only instance where I'd recognize the limited utility as the only utility, and just swallow a 16" to be without an NFA stamp, and recognize I might just get tired of it sooner than later.

 

[Trampstamp]

Now I'm looking at prices and it's almost just more economical to build its own dedicated lower. A good glock mag well adapter is more than a 9mm lower

 

[greyling22]

Endomag.

A 9mm lower is cheap-ish. But then you add a stock, a lpk, heavy buffer, nice trigger..... It starts adding up.

 

[Trampstamp]

It always goes that way. No build is ever completed

 

[kmw1954]

As someone that works 9 hour days at an outdoor rifle range that has available 25ys, 50yd, 100yd, 200yd and 300yd I get to see and experience all sorts of firearms and I have to voice that in my opinion the 223 AR Pistols are the most obnoxious things I ever have to deal with. Even the Owner and management would like to ban them from use on the range. At first when I seen then I thought Gee that would be fun, for about one 15min shooting session. Sorry but I can do w/o the noise and muzzle flash and I hear the same opinion from the other range officers. Want a shot barrel? The 9mm is much more fun and controllable.

 

[Mike .45]

For 9mm I use dedicated lowers only but you stated you are cool with that. Much cheaper to shoot so that is a bonus.

300 blackout is awesome but it's not awesome without can. It's just expensive.

Lightweight pencil barrel 5.56 guns are really fun but if you are stuck on static range and can't move and shoot it looses a lot of its fun factor.