Defensive Carry banner

9mm AR15 ????

13K views 20 replies 13 participants last post by  Smitty901 
#1 ·
Okay, I currently own one 9mm S&W 9c and a few shotguns.

I REALLY want an AR for SHTF scenario and for shooting crap at the range. But ammo cost is a concern and the idea of having one ammo to suit both my needs is appealing.

Who has a 9mm AR and why? Does my logic of universal ammo make sense and what are the advantages/disadvantages to 9mm AR. I would buy a complete rifle rather than building one.

Full disclosure I am a relative newbie to guns, did not grow up with them but love everything about guns and plan on having many more in the future. :image035:

Thanks for your advise/comments in advance.
 
#3 ·
I'm with you on thought process...not to eliminate all other calibers, but to have a staple caliber or two that I stockpile the most of...

Anyway, if you can afford an AR...why not? I personally want a keltec sub2000 in 9mm - they use pistol mags (Glock, and I think a couple others). I couldn't find 9mm when I was seriously looking...and I've have looked even harder if they made them that took XD mags.
 
#6 ·
The only reason I would do that is if it was suppressed and probably not even then. Don't particularly care for the idea of carrying the weight of a rifle (or storing/hiding/concealing the size of a rifle) that only fires pistol ammo - you don't gain much over what a pistol will do and can't get near what a rifle cartridge will do. For every $1k you spend on ammo, you only get an extra 1500 9mm rounds (checked an online bulk dealer). The recent ammo "shortage" showed that all ammo will be scarce, including 9mm and .223, so you can only count on what you have on hand. Buy a rifle in a rifle cartridge and learn how to shoot your pistol (1.5" groups @ 7 yds/all shots in scoring rings on a B27 @ 50 yds - offhand).
 
#7 ·
An AR platform in a 9mm is a big waste of money. There are a few much lower cost options that would do a better job. With the 9mm.
Buy your AR if you like then over time stock up on .223 and 5.56 for it watch the sales.
 
#9 ·
I agree. You could even try out a cheapo like the Hi Point carbine until you can afford to step up to a standard AR.
 
#10 ·
Standardizing on ammo is a great idea. I've been working toward that over the past few years, choosing the .357 and 20 guage. My wife likes 9mm, so I may have to give that some thought too.

I wish an H&K MP5 in semi only were available. Now that would be a great 9mm solution.
 
#11 ·
This may be a little off-topic, and I am not questioning the merit of one caliber over another. My thought has more to do with the effect on hearing when discharging a non-suppressed weapon within an enclosed space like a house. Without hearing protection, any round will be loud and potentially deafening, however, some calibers will be much worse than others. Isn't the .223 round in the upper range of "deafening"? My experience is that the .357 and .223 round are a couple of the most punishing rounds out there impacting unprotected ears.

I'd be really interested to know what other folks think concerning this topic since I don't think most non law-enforcement types have thought much about this when it comes to selecting a home defense weapon.
 
#14 ·
If you ever have to shoot your gun in the house, you are going to be in the freak out mode, and your hearing is the last thing that you will be thinking about. When your adrenaline is flowing, one of the bodys protection mechanisms that is known as "audio exclusion" will make that shot sound might weak compared to normal. Many people(cops included) have stated that the shots sounded like a mere "pop" when it was over, it was far from deafening.

Absent that, yeah, it will be loud enough to damage the hearing.
 
#13 ·
I have Just Right Carbine in 9mm. AR style rifle that uses any 9mm Glock mag, 17, 19, 26, and 33. Well built, lots of features, and it shares all AR-15 furniture, forend, buttstock, grip, trigger, exc.

It's still just a 9mm round, but it does gain about 200 fps, and has a range of around 100-150 yards. Cost is about 550, which is more than the Keltec, but I feel that it's worth the extra 200 in the long run.
 
#15 ·
A friend of mine has a 9mm AR platform rifle. It takes uzi mags I believe. Other than the first outing when it fired full auto instead of semi auto :wink:, it has been a pretty good gun. A local shop built it for him and subsequently fixed the full auto to make it legal again.

It is quite fun to shoot.

I have a sub 2000 and it does what I need it to do. No it isn't as nice as the AR platform gun, but it was a bunch cheaper and pretty accurate even with the factory sights.
 
#17 ·
Auditory exclusion does not in any way prevent permanent hearing damage/loss. You might not "register" the sound, but those sound waves are hitting your ears with the same amount of pressure no matter how amped up you are. Of course, hearing damage is better than dead, so take that for what it's worth...

I have a fair amount of experience with the Colt 9mm SMG. As many folks here are aware, I am partial to the AR platform for a variety of reasons (not the least of which being that I am very, very familiar with it), so..... If price were no object, I would have an integrally suppressed 9mm AR with a 10"bbl as my first choice. I am a big fan of pistol caliber carbines, but really only in SBR configurations. If I am forced to have a 16"bbl, I may as well have a rifle round that can actually put all that bbl length to work. Additionally, 9mm is easier to suppress to significantly quiet levels than is 5.56. You can use subsonic ammo in 9mm, another plus for that round when "hushed." A short, handy carbine in a very quiet, very light recoil, high capacity configuration is pretty ideal for HD situations, if you ask me. :)
 
#18 ·
Should someday you find yourself one of the unlucky few that must used your Handgun.rifle,shot Gun or home defense cannon to protect your life the risk of a slight hearing loss that may return any way will be the last concern you have to deal with.
You do more damage to your hearing with your Ipod and other music over time than you would do in a one time event like shooting a BG breaking into your house.
 
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#19 ·
Good point.....and I am willing to take that risk should that event ever come to pass. For me, however, there are options preferable to the 223 or .357 for home defense. YMMV. And you are right about iPods, loud music, concerts etc. Hearing loss is cumulative, and most folks don't consider that.
 
#21 ·
I wear hearing aids one of the things I will have the rest of my life to remember the Army.
Yes save your hearing, wear your hearing protection every-time you shoot and on indoor ranges double it.
In a home defense you use what you can get to, I would much rather have my shot gun than any of the rifles I own.
I would be comfortable with most any of my handguns and chances are a hand gun would be the first I got to.
The m16 223 or the M4 5.65 will do if that is what you have in hand I used both for some years.
If the whole gang is coming well we break out the other stuff. Gun Firearm Trigger Airsoft gun Air gun
 
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