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9mm AR-15

55K views 33 replies 25 participants last post by  JimSwens 
#1 ·
I am curious about your thoughts and ideas on the 9mm AR-15. Specifically its practicality in SHTF situations and other survival situations.
 
#2 ·
I would rater be missed by a 5.56 then hit by a 9mm. I guess that if that was all that you had and you had skills with it then OK but I would not make it my choice weapon. The largest downfall in my opinion is range with stopping power close behind that.
 
#11 ·
Why, I guess that I am trying to keep the diversity of ammunition for the weapons I have to under 6 or so. I have both 5.56 M4 and 9mm pistol and have built a CMMG lower for 9mm with the removable magwell block as to not limit the modularity of this AR platform in the future. Just waiting on a few things before I get the upper.

If SHTF would it be a reasonable argument to say the 6.8 and even 5.56 would be harder to come by than 9mm?
 
#13 ·
If SHTF would it be a reasonable argument to say the 6.8 and even 5.56 would be harder to come by than 9mm?
9mm will be every where because the pistols are cheap, plentiful, and ubiquitous. Not everyone spent ~$1,000 on an AR.

With that said though; I have a pile of 9mm pistols and only one AR. But I have more ammo for the AR....

Still though; all the people/houses with one 9mm pistol(and ammo) is going to be a lot. I'd still count on(but not rely on) 9mm being more common.

Any number amount regarding ammo seems like a lot or plenty at first.

First I thought "100 rounds should be good". Then it didn't seem like so much. 500 should be enough.. Doesn't seem like it. 1,000 is easy enough to get.. But will it be "enough"? As money starts to seem like it's going to not be worth anything in the future, I see my ammo count going way up....

The situation is NOT looking good:

http://www.kitco.com/ind/Wiegand/dec222008.html
 
#17 ·
I agree with Cannon Fodder on this one. I used a 9mm colt AR subgun on entry for many years. We quickly learned its limitations. If you are going to carry a long gun, use a long gun caliber. The only reason we used the 9mm is because the powers that be thought a 9mm would penetrate walls less than a 223 and we could fire 3 rounds into a target fast and keep moving. Ain't worth spit at a hundred yards in combat.
 
#5 ·
The one thing you gain is a quiter rifle if you have some subsonic rounds on hand.

While not equal to a silenced 9mm carbine a 16"+ barrel Hi Point, Uzi Carbine or AR Carbine in 9mm will be fairly quite you if used with 147gr subsonics that are properly handloaded for it.

I played with loads like that when I had a UZI Model B Carbine using the Hornadly 147gr XTP and AA #5 powder.
 
#8 ·
I'm going to have to do some research on this but a company was making copy MP5's in .22 and i've seen them i just cannot remember who it was. The MP5 is the ultimate CQB weapon in 9MM and was mainly available with i believe a class 3 firearms license for $3000 to $6000. However i've heard from my local gun dealer that in the next few months this company making the copy version in .22 is about ready to start producing them in 9MM semi auto and a price of about 750.00+ which is a good deal if you want a 9MM rifle. I found it online it is the GSG5 if anyone was curious.
 
#12 ·
The 9mm in a carbine is more effective than from a handgun but is more over-penetrative than the .223 in the same mediums.
Read that it will go through more walls and scumbag than a .223 bullet.

As a "meat" weapon in short range use it's not bad but limited in power for the big critters.
It's much easier on unprotected ears than most other longgun choices, except the .45 auto. Especially when the 147gr Subsonic rounds are used. These would also be the best choice for critter use.

The modified UZI mags that are normally used have two severe drawbacks, they spew their ammo if you drop them loaded and their price.
Although I've heard good things about the CP Magazines that are out now.

If I had a newbie I had to arm with something that had NO recoil and was easy on the ears, I'd give it serious consideration especially if they were resigned to carrying a 9mm handgun as a companion piece.
 
#15 ·
9 mm carbines are good only out to about 100 to maybe 200 meters in the majority of cases. I would rather go with an honest rifle caliber for overall use and leave the pistol caliber carbines completely out of my arsenal. There might come a time when I might need the extra distance a rifle caliber offers me or even the more powerful punch that a pistol caliber firearm would deny me.
 
#18 ·
I have completed my 9mm carbine and after only running 500 rounds (with out a hiccup) I am 100% certain that this puppy has its place in a SHTF situation. As stated before in the responses to this thread there are pros and cons to the 9mm in a carbine platform... . .but there are pros and cons to every caliber in any platform. With that being said I would say, If I had to reach behind door number 3 and choose only one long gun.. . .I believe the 9mm carbine would probably be it. Door number 3 choices being: Remington 11-87, Rugar 10/22, Wilson Combat 5.56 and the newly added 9mm carbine.

I built this carbine mostly for fun and somewhat out of boredom and after running her through her paces its hard to deny the shear firepower and potential that it is capable of.. . . 32rd mags/100rd drums... . .cheap ammo compared to 5.56 and 30 calibers... and while only being semi-automatic having the ability to empty a 32rd mag in under 5 seconds can provide some serious suppression all the while having the ability to keep it in the 10 ring at 50 yards.

Now I know you are saying why the 9 over the 5.56? And my answer I guess would be directed towards current living situations. Dense urban. So penetration is an issue (which I guess it relative). With that being said I do believe that in the sticks I would also be capable of taking small to medium game with the 9mm knowing that the 5.56 would be superior. And I guess one more slight advantage is the direct gas blow back of the pistol caliber carbines...very simple and very effective.
 
#20 ·
If you already have it in the 5.56MM and just feel like having one in 9MM then have at it. That being said, the 5.56MM will defeat body armor while the 9MM won't and mags are more expensive (the one's made by Colt). I have fired the 9MM guns and they are fun to shoot, but I carry the 5.56MM at work.
 
#22 ·
I toyed with this idea also and the 40% increase in power from a 14-16" bbl makes it about equal to a mild .357 mag round. The range would be about 200 yards max and still kill something. I went with buying more ammo for my Glocks and ARs. I'm still toying with a pistol caliber carbine but with an M4 in 5.45x39 it's gotta be something that fills a void. Something you may want to check out is a Mag Tech carbine that converts a Glock 20 or 21 to a 10mm carbine for less than 1/2 the price of an AR upper. The 10 mm pushes the range out to past 300 yards. Lone Wolf sells the kits and you just use your existing receiver.
 
#23 ·
9mm AR's have about the same recoil as a .223/5.56. They are straight blowback operation.

They are good for indoor practice if you can't use .223. Our club has one for indoor carbine matches.

Mags are heavy duty, all steel and come in 20 or 32 rd. Do not buy converted UZI mags. Worthless. Colt's only.

9mm AR's can be picky about what they feed. A critical feature is the precision installation of the the mag block pin. If it's not perfect, they won't work as it sets the mag at the right depth for proper feeding. Lot of folks have discovered this.

The Colt 6450 9mm carbine is a nice one but it has limited use. If I had a slough of AR's I might include one as 9mm is cheaper than .223 for practice.
 
#26 ·
9mm AR's have about the same recoil as a .223/5.56. They are straight blowback operation.
That's what I was going to say; it has recoil about the same as a 5.56mm...not much of an advantage.

I stumbled into a couple cases of Hirtenberger +P+ SMG ammo...works like a charm. I went the cheap route and built an Oly 9mm upper that uses Sten mags...cheap and once you tweak the ones you have, they're reliable.

About the only advantage is that they're fun and depending on your ammo-stocks, 9mm may be cheaper to play with. Mine is a 100 yard gun, I wouldn't expect much beyond that, but a 100 yards, it's spot on and that +P+ does have some punch for a 9mm.

As a hobby, it's great. For SHTF, I would probably invest more into .223 ammo for a regular AR...

ROCK6
 
#30 ·
A mech tech carbine made for the glock 17 makes a nice 9mm carbine. Uses the same mags as the glock 17 pistol . 30 rounders or 17's. Definitely a 100 yard gun but useful. Why restrict yourself to one rifle?
If I could only have one rifle it would be an sks , that 7.62x39 round is a good battle field round.
 
#32 ·
As for a SHTF weapon, I would rather use my 5.56, but I love my newly built 9mm AR15. For a range weapon the 9mm AR is fun and cheap to shoot. Plus, I can take my 9mm AR into the indoor shooting range, which is a plus.

By the way, I got most of my stuff at 9mmAR.com They had everything I needed, and were the best price around.
 
#34 ·
Mistake



Hey guys, I originally posted a message a few months ago saying that I got a bunch of parts from 9mmar.com and that I was super happy ect... I actually started the business and was looking to get off the ground by spreading my name around like that, originally I didnt think much of it. I have later forgotten about this post and up until today have not given it a second thought. On another forum, I did the same thing, and my account was terminated. I want to be honest regardless, and now seeing the error of my ways I am posting this message everywhere. Though I have not had one unhappy customer yet, this is not the way to get my name out there. Please accept my apology.
 
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