AR15 Pistol Build (x2)

The AR15 is an iconic platform, and is one of the most recognizable (and controversial) gun platforms that have ever existed. I already have a night vision DMR platform I built (another build post coming on that one!) and I wanted something versatile with the current societal breakdown weighing on my mind.

The simple solution was an AR pistol platform, easily concealable but retaining the reach of a rifle. I opted to build a 10.5″ barrel in 5.56 so that I could take advantage of one of the most available rounds in the world besides 9mm. The 10.5″ barrel is short enough to be pack-able in a bag and to clear my house, but long enough to engage out to a few hundred yards if needed. I built on the tried and true Anderson Manufacturing Lower receiver, the rest of the build came from Palmetto State Armory, Cheaper than Dirt, and Amazon.

The first step was to tear down the upper I received from Palmetto State Armory, I wanted to paint it and I decided to go with a free float quad rail hand guard instead of the drop in that PSA sent.

I wanted to make the pistol unique, and there is no better way to do that than to paint it! I decided to try out duplicolor wheel enamel in burnt bronze. It isn’t as durable as a cerakote but it is about a tenth the cost, I wanted it to get a bit of a worn in look as I use it anyway. The process was fairly simple, I lightly sanded the parts with fine sandpaper, soaked the stripped parts in cleaner and let them air dry. I hung the parts in a clear area blocked from wind and sprayed.

What I ended up with was a gun that looked like dark bronze in the shade, and gold in the sunlight! I was very happy with the coating (make sure to let it cure for at least 7 days before you assemble the gun).

I put a Sig Sauer Romeo 5 red dot and angled back up iron sights on it to keep with the CQB goal of the rifle. After it was all assembled came the fun part, sighting it in!

Overall I was extremely happy with my build, I feel that a linear compensator is crucial in a barrel this short though. Even with the linear comp installed the concussion of the short barrel will make your teeth feel loose after a day at the range. The recoil felt no worse than my other AR builds, and I was able to string shots together at a respectable speed.

Once I had “The Golden Gun” complete I thought to myself, “why not build an even smaller one?” (building guns is addicting!) So I started work on pistol #2. This time since I was going with an even shorter barrel I opted to build in 300 Blackout, a round that excels in short barrel and suppressed applications. I wanted to do something really special this time, and was inspired watching the Star Wars movies with my sons. I used the same hardened wheel paint, this time in white. I wanted something subtle to brand the rifle, so I used a vinyl cutter to create a stencil and painted on an imperial logo.

The Dark Side Pistol is two inches shorter overall, and with the 300 Blackout platform it is a weapon ready for anything!

Building guns can be addicting, and as you venture into the work of short AR pistols make sure that you are versed on your local and national laws. I won’t go into great detail here as there are many good resources on the web for restrictions that would turn your new pistol into a short barrel rifle (NFA Item, do not build without first getting a tax stamp!)

Enjoy your build, and always feel free to reach out to me on the contact section of the site for questions or requests.