9mm or .40 Caliber AR 15 for Christmas

[Que]

I know I ask for a lot of advice on my gun purchases, but I can't say I've ever regretted a purchase after running it by you guys. So, I've finally decided that I will be purchasing another AR, but I'm looking at one that shoots pistol caliber. I saw a basic version of this DPMS at Bradis today for $850 and almost took it home with me.

My hope is to put a can on it and really trick it out. It's only for plinking purposes and I don't plan to do more than that. I love the fact that I can shoot it at MCF&G and it takes Glock magazines!

So, has anyone had any experience with this particular rifle? I know some will say to build it, but my schedule doesn't allow for that right now and my extra time will be used to learn reloading during this semester.

Any thoughts?

 

[4sarge]

I'd say your preference based on what caliber that you already have. If 9MM is your mainstay then I'd go with a 9MM. If your sidearm of choice is a .40 then I'd go with the 40. If you have both then you have a dilemma. Both are fine calibers

 

[dave29]

I'd say your preference based on what caliber that you already have. If 9MM is your mainstay then I'd go with a 9MM. If your sidearm of choice is a .40 then I'd go with the 40. If you have both then you have a dilemma. Both are fine calibers

I totally agree, but with that said, 9mm sure is a cheap shooter.

 

[LEaSH]

$850 isn't too bad. I want to build my own, but it would be hard to keep it under that price.

For the economy of it, I'll probably do the 9mm. And for the not so frugal side of me, it might end up being built and registered as an SBR eventually.

 

[snowman]

For a plinker I would go with the cheaper 9mm ammo.

 

[Andre46996]

You should go with the .40!!

Why??

Because that is what I want and it would be great to get some real live honest feedback instead of the BS you read in the gun rags.

 

[samrothstein01]

I have the Olympic version of the "Glock AR", in 40 S&W. It is a dream to shoot, and is in fact a great plinker.

I must admit, I have considered selling it recently though. It rarely sees any range time. After a complete FAIL with non factory 29 round mags, I started using 15 round factory only. Kind of limits the fun factor. Now that Glock has the factory 21 rounders, I need to check out fit an function, but that requires me to get rid of the 10 non factory mags I have now in order to pay for 3 or 4 factory. I could spend new money, but I have alot of other cool toys on my wish list too. I will eventually buy one when I run across it in person (rather than order) just to check fit and function, then order more if they work well.

I was also considering a suppressor on it, but I would want to SBR it so that it is not 22" long by the time it's done. Nothing like weilding a 22" long CQB weapon.

So far, and I haven't done alot of research lately, the best options for SBR remain in 9mm. 40 is hard to find/expensive/non-existent, or you would have to have it custom chopped.

However, I have zero other 9mm. So, 9mm for me doesn't make a lot of sense.

(Although I am feeling the pressure to cross over because of the HKMP5 clone options, AR options, etc). 9mm is just more popular in the "cool toys" category.

 

[lovemachine]

Is it just the DPMS that runs Glock mags?

 

[LEaSH]

I think Olympic does 9mm Glock mags too.

SamRothstien has the Oly in .40 that takes G22 mags.

 

[samrothstein01]

I think Olympic does 9mm Glock mags too.

SamRothstien has the Oly in .40 that takes G22 mags.

Corret, the lowers are all the same, i.e., they will fit both 9 and 40 glock mags. The uppers distinguish the caliber.

Oly, DPMS, and I believe lone wolf has a lower that fits Glock Mags as well. Those are the only three I am aware of at the moment.

 

[Que]

Thanks for all the great feedback. I currently have everything in .40, but I do have a drop-in 9mm barrel for my G23. For some reason, and it's totally without legitimacy, I just don't care for the 9mm. It has nothing to do with stopping power or any of that, but I just prefer the .40 caliber round. I guess it may be the fact that I plan to reload .40 and .45 this winter.

The other thing about the rifle at Bradis is that it has a non-removable handle and I would rather get a red dot. Can you mount a red dot on a handle without it looking totally crappy? I guess I can also check with Shooter to see if one can be ordered without the handle.

 

[samrothstein01]

Thanks for all the great feedback. I currently have everything in 9, but I do have a drop-in 9mm barrel for my G23. For some reason, and it's totally without legitimacy, I just don't care for the 9mm. It has nothing to do with stopping power or any of that, but I just prefer the .40 caliber round. I guess it may be the fact that I plan to reload .40 and .45 this winter.

The other thing about the rifle at Bradis is that it has a non-removable handle and I would rather get a red dot. Can you mount a red dot on a handle without it looking totally crappy? I guess I can also check with Shooter to see if one can be ordered without the handle.

You and I think very similarly. I have no particular dislike for the .40, and quite honestly I might even shoot the 9 better (although I haven't tried in years). I just prefer the 40. Again, I feel the shift in the universe and the darkside calling my name on this though. I have standardized everything in .40, including reloading, so switching or starting a collection of 9's is like starting over for me.

In regards to configuration, I had to special order my A3 config with removable carry handle, and it took 3 months or so. It didn't seem that long and was worth the wait because I used that time to round up the ACS Stock, railed handgaurds, red dot, and miad grip, so by then the wait was almost over anyways.

 

[WebSnyper]

I'd say your preference based on what caliber that you already have. If 9MM is your mainstay then I'd go with a 9MM. If your sidearm of choice is a .40 then I'd go with the 40. If you have both then you have a dilemma. Both are fine calibers

I'd agree with this. Go with your primary caliber, otherwise if you have both, I'd go with the 9 based entirely on cost to shoot, since you indicated it will be a range gun/plinker.

 

[dross]

I keep hearing differing accounts. What have you guys heard and experienced with the reliability of these pistol caliber carbines?

 

[WebSnyper]

Thanks for all the great feedback. I currently have everything in .40, but I do have a drop-in 9mm barrel for my G23. For some reason, and it's totally without legitimacy, I just don't care for the 9mm. It has nothing to do with stopping power or any of that, but I just prefer the .40 caliber round. I guess it may be the fact that I plan to reload .40 and .45 this winter.

The other thing about the rifle at Bradis is that it has a non-removable handle and I would rather get a red dot. Can you mount a red dot on a handle without it looking totally crappy? I guess I can also check with Shooter to see if one can be ordered without the handle.

Didn't see this previously. Based on this I'd go .40, especially if you plan to reload.

 

[samrothstein01]

I keep hearing differing accounts. What have you guys heard and experienced with the reliability of these pistol caliber carbines?

I have had 100% reliability with mine using factory 15 round G22 mags, not one single failure, although it's only seen about 600 rounds this way.

I had horrible reliability using korean knock off 29 rounders, which aren't known for their quality. Lots of FTF, FTE. Ironically they worked fine in my pistols. I believe this was a variance issue with magwell / spring that standard glock pistols can tolerate.

As mentioned previously I have been putting it off, but need to try the factory Glock 21 rounders for 40. Perhaps this is the "encouragement" I need to do some testing.

 

[theweakerbrother]

Why dedicate this platform to a pistol caliber? Are there cheaper ways of doing the same thing for less? Can other platforms serve your pistol caliber out of a carbine lust better?

Was the 850 bucks for the basic DPMS in 5.56?

 

[samrothstein01]

The above being said, and although it lacks the versatility associated with centerfire rifle system, I really liked the idea of having a rifle weapons system share not only ammo, but also mags with my primary pistol. However, with the lack of ability to go beyond 15 rounds reliably, and the reliability issues I did face, I will need a lot more time to put that kind of confidence in the rifle.

I have heard great things and horror stories from others on their PC carbines, however I believe with some tweaking and time on the range, you can certainly have a reliable piece of equipment you can be confident in.

 

[jd4320t]

I definately wouldn't want one with a fixed carry handle.

Also, aren't the Uzi magazine compatable lowers better??

 

[Que]

Why dedicate this platform to a pistol caliber? Are there cheaper ways of doing the same thing for less? Can other platforms serve your pistol caliber out of a carbine lust better?

Was the 850 bucks for the basic DPMS in 5.56?

The $850 for for the DPMS in 9mm. I don't have the knowledge to answer your other questions. I only know what I want and the reasons why. I love my 5.56 AR, but I can't get to a range enough to use it, but I still want to hold on to it. So, I need a pistol caliber to use at the range that I frequent.

I just read the thread about building an AR pistol and then converting it to an SBR. There are so many options and now I'm considering that if it's not a long and arduous process.