I Need AR Upper Shorter Than...

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BSA1

BSA1

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I got back yesterday from our week long trip to Texas. Nothing even remotely exciting happened unless I include trying to find a good place to eat while on the road. There ain’t any.

On this trip I took a AR15 with 16” barrel and five loaded magazines in a black nylon tactical gun case. During the trip I decided dragging that heavy case back and forth was too much trouble. So this has convinced me that I need a SBR or pistol when traveling.

I want to use a backpack I have. This means I will be transporting my AR with the Upper and Lower separated which is not a concern. The Overall Length (OAL) of the Upper can not exceed 14” for me to be able zipper the backpack closed. The backpack has a deep pocket on the outside that will hold a 30 round or a couple of 20 round magazines.

I know I can use a 16” barrel upper but several inches of the barrel and flash hider sticks out the top of the bag which means it isn’t totally concealed. Backpacks are so common nowdays that I can carry it many places without drawing attention.

So what is the longest barrel length upper with flash hider (max oal is 14”) that will fit in the pack while being able to close the zipper?
 
AR 15 pistol with 10.5" barrel in a duffel bag, no need to take it apart.

I just bought one of these a couple of weeks ago. To stay legal the "arm brace" cannot extend as far as a normal rifle, but it is pretty close. Roughly 1", maybe less. I didn't measure it. You could use irons, but I suck with iron sights anymore and have a 1-4X scope on mine. I've only had one range trip with it, but was getting 1.5" or better at 100 yards.

https://ruger.com/products/ar556Pistol/specSheets/8570.html

1.jpg
 
To achieve 14" max length with an AR upper it will require a 6.5" barrel with no muzzle attachment. There are a few 9mm, 22lr, and I believe a 300 blackout barrel available that can meet this length. I wouldn't recommend a 223 upper that short, even if you get it to run. Way too flashy..
 
adcoch1 said:
To achieve 14" max length with an AR upper it will require a 6.5" barrel with no muzzle attachment. There are a few 9mm, 22lr, and I believe a 300 blackout barrel available that can meet this length. I wouldn't recommend a 223 upper that short, even if you get it to run. Way too flashy..
Click to expand...

I agree. I am not thinking seriously about a 9mm AR at this time as I do not want to invest in Glock magazines.

herrwalther said:
For backpack carry, you might really benefit from a folding stock adapter instead of separating the two.

https://sylvanarms.com/product/arh300/
https://www.lawtactical.com/ar_folding_stock_adapter_gen_3_m_p/99312.htm
Click to expand...

Too much money and thickness when it is folded.

Armored farmer said:
10.5" with takedown pins.
Very comforting on road trips.
Four 30rd mags
Reflex sight
Single point sling
Mounted weapon light doubles as forward hand stop.
An extremely comforting resource when you're on the road.
View attachment 901298
Click to expand...

What exactly is it? Piece of repurposed luggage? It looks good.

I separated the two halves and stuck them in the backpack. I have 7” of the barrel including the A2 flash hider sticking out so this particular backpack will not work. I think a 10.5” barrel with A2 flash hider though will work if I get a backpack with longer main compartments.
 
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BSA1 said:
Too much money and thickness when it is folded.
Click to expand...

Which is why I like the Sylvan adapter. $180 is a bit more tolerable than $300. If I am going for as small as possible without taking it apart, those are the options at the moment. For my build consideration anyway.

14" OAL while maintaining an effective AR is going to be your biggest hurdle. Even the Kel Tec Sub 2000 is 16" when it is folded. Getting a backpack just a few inches taller will open up your options quite a bit. An upper with a 7" barrel will be about 15" overall length.
 
My 10.5" with an SBa3 on it fits in a 27" sports racquet case (I think that's what it is; If you know exactly what it is, please tell me!) with about 1.5" to spare, making it easy to get out.

ARcase.jpg

It even has straps for 'backpacking' it, or the regular 'tool bag' straps.

ARcase1.jpg

So I'd say a 27" bag is about right for a 10.5" barreled AR pistol.

It also fits in my extra ice fishing bag with plenty of room. And the bat bag.
 
10.5” barrel with A2 flash hider seems to be one of the better choices for the 5.56. With so many businesses closed I can not do any shopping. I do want to check out Armored Farmer’s suggestion about the tool case.

Actually using the backpack I have for now isn’t bad choice for now.
Only about 1.5” will be sticking out and I can cover the muzzle with a rubber to get dirt out.

Thank you for the comments.
 
I have a 10.5 in 300 blackout that i take apart and i made a slide in holder from a car floor mat for a backpack. Im actually looking to trade it for a rifle upper
 
My 10.5 noveske with 'pig' compensator fits in a cheapo version of the '3 day assault' pack when broken down.

They lower sports the single blade brace.

If you live in a suppressor state, you might consider that too.
 
If you're going to go short go to 300 Blackout. .223 in a 10" barrel loses a lot of performance and is a real beast for muzzle flash and blast.
 
I get where you are coming from and have thought about the AR pistol more than once. I think the 300 BO is the best way to go in short barrels. I don't want to get into a new caliber at this point and I don't care for 5.56 ballistics when the barrel gets under about 14 inches or so. I ended up getting this case:

https://www.amazon.com/Bulldog-Cases-Compact-Discreet-29-inch/dp/B005CGLUVU/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3S56PLINR6GHK&dchild=1&keywords=bulldog+cases+ultra-compact+ar-15+discreet+rifle+case&qid=1584987117&sprefix=Bulldog+cases,aps,373&sr=8-2

I bought it in blue and wrote "Beach Cities Unified School District Band" in big lettering on the side. I put it right on top of all my other bags and have never had anyone look twice. I did have someone ask me what instrument I played one time.I just told them it was my son's.

Anyways, not as much fun as buying a new gun,but it works for me. Hope this is helpful.

Matt
 
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jmr40 said:
To stay legal the "arm brace" cannot extend as far as a normal rifle,
Click to expand...

o_O

You can have as long a barrel on an AR pistol as you want; as long as that brace is on it, it is a pistol. You can even, after installing a 16 or longer barrel, replace the brace with a stock, and it does not lose it's pistol status. (permanently, and an odd counter to the 'once a rifle, always a rifle' maxim) To return it to original configuration, be sure to replace the brace first, then put the shorter than 16" barrel on. You commit a felony if the shorter than 16" barrel and the stock (not brace, stock) are on at the same time. I personally feel uncomfortable doing this, but I do plan on getting a 16 or 18" barrel for my AR pistol. The SBa3 does extend out a little shorter than most collapsing stocks, but legality has nothing to do with it. The fact that it is a brace as defined by the ATF (which is why SB runs every new design past the ATF), and it was originally built as a pistol, is what make your Ruger an AR pistol. BTW, nice choice! :thumbup:
 
entropy said:
o_O

You can have as long a barrel on an AR pistol as you want; as long as that brace is on it, it is a pistol. You can even, after installing a 16 or longer barrel, replace the brace with a stock, and it does not lose it's pistol status. (permanently, and an odd counter to the 'once a rifle, always a rifle' maxim) To return it to original configuration, be sure to replace the brace first, then put the shorter than 16" barrel on. You commit a felony if the shorter than 16" barrel and the stock (not brace, stock) are on at the same time. I personally feel uncomfortable doing this, but I do plan on getting a 16 or 18" barrel for my AR pistol. The SBa3 does extend out a little shorter than most collapsing stocks, but legality has nothing to do with it. The fact that it is a brace as defined by the ATF (which is why SB runs every new design past the ATF), and it was originally built as a pistol, is what make your Ruger an AR pistol. BTW, nice choice! :thumbup:
Click to expand...

This is not always the case. There may be more laws than this, but Michigan has a maximum OAL on pistols of 26". They measure it in a weird way too. If assembled correctly a SBA3 on a standard buffer tube and a 10.5" barrel will conviniently put you right at about 25.75"...
 
Mea Culpa. I was referring to Federal regs. Yes, of course, as always, your State's laws may have further restrictions. jmr40 is in Georgia, which has no maximum length for a pistol. It does, however, define a pistol as having a maximum barrel length of 12", leaving me to wonder what they call pistols with barrels longer than 12".......
 
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This is my day pack for hiking/cycling, nothing overly large at 28 liters. Same Aero pistol, 7 1/2” barrel, SBA 3 brace. No attention attracted, no obvious outline, and a padded back that makes it comfortable.

Compared with my size 12.
13D40B4E-F0B1-4D01-9108-EE2D6C32E34E.jpeg

Front pocket.
0BE7FBF6-62D1-4B98-8C21-A0D6347D7BA4.jpeg

Upper contained in the rear pocket.
413C6784-8768-4C88-8AE5-92D55D05EA7E.jpeg

Side by side in rear pocket with room to spare.
83ADE3C2-B359-45B1-ADDD-F32586662EE2.jpeg

Assembled, brace retracted, light removed, with only the comp sticking out.
BB3162F2-6947-4FC8-A2A1-E51FBF3471CA.jpeg

My 5’4” daughter.
B4A2BB96-8222-4924-BD4E-98E8B1FE4DF1.jpeg
 
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