Revisionist History of the AR-15 Pistol

Interesting to see the AR pistol being seriously considered as a self-defense tool as opposed to the "range toy for stupid fanboys" meme that has held sway for years. I recall being flayed alive a few years back when I mentioned that the AR pistol seemed to fill a PDW niche pretty well, especially in the constrained space of a vehicle.

RRA piston pistol

I've used both a Rock River piston pistol (RRPP? Hmmmmmm), which does not have a buffer tube, and a Spike's Tactical 9mm pistol as PDWs when I was on the road. [Aside...I've been using the DoubleStar C3 recently in a Comp-Tac Sports Bag].

Spike's 9mm

I mentioned Gabe Suarez's work on the AR-15 pistol:

We have also found the M4 Pistol to be an excellent vehicle weapon, being extremely light and handy and capable of maneuvering in the close confines of a Tahoe, Jeep, BMW, or similar sized automobile.

Matt at Jerking the Trigger, a daily read, is building up an AR pistol to test it out, and today he clears up a lot of misconceptions on building and owning AR pistols:

I wouldn’t say that I am anti-AR pistol and I also wouldn’t say that I think they are a great idea. I guess that I am somewhat agnostic toward them. However, what always bothered me was casual way that they were written off by many “experts” who sneered that they were toys without ever really backing that up with actual data. So, in an effort to find out what is really up with AR pistols, I am planning on building one and putting it through the wringer.

Definitely read the whole thing, and I look forward to his report. I do plan to build up a .300 Blackout pistol, then put in the paperwork to SBR it. Ideally, I'd like a lower that was already engraved with the Class III info and have the front of the magazine well checkered, which, of course, does NOT describe any of the lowers I've got here at the Secret Hidden Bunker. A little voice inside my head keeps telling me to suck it up and pay extra for the BANE Firearms "Fidelis" lower because...c'mon, you get it! Hey, how many gun companies share your last name, as well as the name of Batman's nemesis???They'll also engrave the Class III markings. Having trouble rationalizing $285, however, for a lower, even one this cool...

BANE Firearms "Fidelis" lower

All this implies that I have enough time to put together an AR lower, which does take about 10 minutes longer than grilling salmon. In the meantime, my recording studio is waiting for me...

...before I go, read this great article on Real World bug-out bags from my good friend Tim Wegner of Blade-Tech fame in American Handgunner:

The problem when traveling via the airlines is you don’t have the luxury of toting a full blown “End of the World, Zombie Slaying” B.O.B along with you. However, there is more a compact alternative I call the BMGB or Bare Minimum Go Bag. This is a small but well stocked emergency kit weighing in at 9 lbs. packed and locked securely in my checked bag after I check in at the ticket counter and go thru TSA to declare my firearm.

Read the whole thing...then go buy some of Tim's "Top of the Food Chain" seasoning!