9mm AR-15 with boolits?

[FergusonTO35]

I like the AR-15 design but have never been much interested in the .223/5.56 in an autoloader. Still might get one so I can use my brass I picked up at the range though. However pistol caliber carbines are lots of fun and I'm really thinking right now about getting a 9mm dedicated AR-15 upper with the correct lower parts. Looks like most of them have a 1:10 twist, same as pistols. Maybe a dumb question but does this sound like it would be a winner with boolits? Any other 9mm AR advice I need? I know that you need a ramped bolt carrier or lower parts designed for blowback pistol cartridge use.

[lancem]

Yes, that's all I shoot out of mine. I'm using a Rock River Arms upper and modified Uzi magazines. Highly recommend the 9MM AR for cast shooting.

[FergusonTO35]

Thanks. Do these use the same buffer and spring as the rifle calibers? I want to put the non-collapsible rifle stock on it. Also, do they tend to need stout loads?

[xacex]

Oh heck yes boolits work well in 9mm AR's. Every time I go to the range and bring family that is the number one requested firearm they want to use. Accurate, and I can load them down with lighter boolits to do subsonic. I Use a standard spring and buffer, but put 6 quarters ($1.50) in the buffer tube behind the spring and buffer. This limits over travel, and prevents the bolt stop from breaking from getting hammered by the bolt on the way forward. I am running a 10.5" Green Mountain barrel on my SBR lower, and use 3.2 grains of red dot behind the Mihec 359-125 hollow point for subsonic fun out of a can. Full power loads are over 1300 fps with the same boolit, and will ping steel at 100 yards. 50 yards is more fun for me. It seems to be a tack driver at that range.

[HARRYMPOPE]

3g of Tightgroup and a 160 SWC sized 357 work in my CMMG factory built 9mm 100%.I used them becuase i had alot but they are not very accurate so far.They are almost dead soft and lead a bit.Good hard cast loads shoot about 2" at 50 yards.

[silverjay]

Red dot and Mihec 125's also. Accurate and lots of fun. Powder goes a long way.

[Got-R-Did]

Attachment 146962
Here is mine, held by a new-to-shooting buddy for a photo op after a session on the steel plates.
Close to 20K rds in the last 20 yrs. Powder coated boolits are my new favorite projectile in this old girl. Winchester 127 gr SXT +P+ ammo runs over 1,550 FPS in this 16" bbl and positively detonates on impact with soft targets.
Got-R-Did.

[4719dave]

Going to join in also .I built mine lots of fun to shoot just be careful I ran a bump fire stock on mine it ran so fast it fired out of battery .boom IT blue out the mag out the lower lucky no one got hurt .

[xacex]

Going to join in also .I built mine lots of fun to shoot just be careful I ran a bump fire stock on mine it ran so fast it fired out of battery .boom IT blue out the mag out the lower lucky no one got hurt .

Been wanting to put that stock on the 9mm lower, but OOB detonation is common with 9mm and slidefires from what I have read. Still going to try a few mags, but only after the gun get thoroughly cleaned and lubed. Seen them run, and they are fast with the 9mm. Mine is a SBR so I don't know if that will increase or slow down that rate of fire. I would imagine increase the rate of fire, but it also has a more intense recoil impulse so it may not work out that way.

[hicard]

I just got my YHM upper a short time ago but have run nothing but cast through it without a hiccup. Lots of fun.

[dogmower]

I have pistol uppers in 9mm, 45 acp and 10mm. 9mm is by far my favorite, both with cast and jacketed rounds. accurate, powerful and economical, esp. with cast boolits. seems like the jump in velocity (compared to pistol) is highest with the 9, next with the 10 and least with the 45. I have to say I was a bit disappointed with the 45 as it just doesn't seem to gain much velocity over the pistol, but then again, it's a low velocity load to start with. on the other hand, I have a 7 inch pistol upper in 45 that I run on my r.r. m16 lower that's freakin' awesome.

[GabbyM]

Yes, that's all I shoot out of mine. I'm using a Rock River Arms upper and modified Uzi magazines. Highly recommend the 9MM AR for cast shooting.

My sentiments. RRA makes nice rifles. I've shot one of there 9mm's but don't own one. Since I can't have everything. The 9mm's are such a fluke I'd hate to spend the time learning the ins and outs of building one. Just buy the thing built. I'd highly recommend a cast bullet lie the Magma 147gr FN. Over some slow for caliber powder. I have the heavy bullet and it has fallen out of favor with me for my auto pistols. But for the carbine I think it would be ideal. With my pistols I can't get 147's to hit to the sights. Unless I use the slow police load. In an AR rifle the heavy bullet charged hard would just make it work more better IMHO.

If you'd like to try a box of 147 grain cast send me a PM and I'll sell you some. Or most cast vendors have them.

[fcvan]

when I built my first 9mm carbine I did not get a heavy buffer, just used the standard. Yup, I blew the mag out the well, brass confetti in the upper. I know, I should have read up on building a 9mm before I went to the range. No injuires, no permenant damage to the carbine. Once I got the proper buffer and a slightly heavier spring I was back in business. The 9mm AR quickly became my favorite.

A few months later, I decided I just HAD to have a 9mm AR pistol. I bought a pistol lower and buffer tube, had the barrel cut and crowned to 10.5" and even bought one of the Sig Pistol Support braces. Good fun, great shooter. Lately, I do a lot of AR pistol shooting without the support brace, I just throw it up to my cheek. Heck, the last time I was shooting an AR carbine I instictively threw it up to my cheek even though it had a butt stock. My shooting buddies got a kick out of that.

So, now I have built another 9mm carbine for myself, and one for the wife. She isn't sold on the AR pistol so much, either the 9mm or 300 AAC I've built. If she decises she likes them I guess I'll build her one too.

As far as loads go, I have shot the Lee 356-125 2R over 5 grains of Unique for decades. I have tried the 356-120 TC but it seems to hang up during feeding. For the past few years I have been powder coating and using the same charge. The powder coated TC boolits feed a little better than bare lead. The Round Nose boolits feed like a dream.

I know I need to do some more work over the chronograph but have been working too much of late. My 356-125 2R boolits over 5 grains of Unique go 1100 fps through a 4" pistol, 1350 from the 16" carbine, and 1325 from the 10.5' pistol. I recently tried the Lee 356-102 1R and it cycled and fired accurately. Unfortunately, I did not have the chronograph with me. Next time for sure. I just like rolling tin cans with the 9mm AR pistol or carbine.

The wife has a Slidefire stock but we haven't tried it out on her 9mm AR. I will take heed to the previous post concerning firing out of battery. I have bump fired my 9mm carbine off the shoulder without a problem but that was with the heavy buffer and stronger spring. I might need to buy a stronger spring for her carbine. I'm thinking the 356-102 1R ASBBDT powder coated should be the ticket for mag dumps with the Slidefire stock.

[FergusonTO35]

Wow, sounds like you guys are having alot of fun with these. Now, a hammer with a rounded profile face (no notch) and no tail works just fine with a non-ramped bolt carrier, correct? I'll probably end up getting one assembled lower to use with 9mm and 5.56 uppers. Anderson Mfg. (located right here in the Bluegrass) doesn't make 9mm AR's but their hammer looks exactly like that which is sold as a 9mm hammer for 2X the price by other makes.

[xacex]

Wow, sounds like you guys are having alot of fun with these. Now, a hammer with a rounded profile face (no notch) and no tail works just fine with a non-ramped bolt carrier, correct? I'll probably end up getting one assembled lower to use with 9mm and 5.56 uppers. Anderson Mfg. (located right here in the Bluegrass) doesn't make 9mm AR's but their hammer looks exactly like that which is sold as a 9mm hammer for 2X the price by other makes.

You will egg out hammer pin hole using a standard (non 9mm) hammer and a bolt that is not ramped. Ramping a bolt can be done with a dremel tool relatively easy if you do not want to spend the extra $20 for a ramped bolt. I recommend using a ramped bolt so you can use a standard hammer. My though with that is I would rather have a lower I can transition onto a 5.56, or 300 blk upper if needed using standard parts in a matter of a couple of minutes.

[olereb]

For those that are interested in a 9mm AR there are Glock dedicated lowers and bolts on the market now,ordered a Glock lower and bolt for 9mm last week and am going to pick one up for 45acp and 10mm in the next few months. Figured I have a ton of Glock mags and drums already so why not get AR's that take the same mags. I'm gonna start with the 9mm loads I use in my handguns using Bullseye and see how those work first.

[umwminer]

I run mine with the Lee 125gr TL and White Label alox . You dont have to run them hot .

[Electric88]

All this talk of 9mm ar15s lately has almost got me into buying one. I think I'm going to go with an mp5 clone though, fulfill a childhood dream

But I would believe the principles of cast 9mm would be the same in either

[wlc]

All this talk of 9mm ar15s lately has almost got me into buying one. I think I'm going to go with an mp5 clone though, fulfill a childhood dream

But I would believe the principles of cast 9mm would be the same in either

I'm with you. Always wanted an mp5 but never could afford even the semi versions when HK was still importing them in the 80's as I was a broke just married college student. Still mostly broke, but can afford a few toys now and again. I've shot 9mm AR's and while fun, they just didn't do it for me. I've always wanted the mp5. I plan on getting one of the Zenith clones. My problem is deciding on whether I want the z5p or the z5rs (the "k" or the full sized).

Sorry for the thread drift.