AR pistols are becoming increasingly popular for their compact footprints, and they make great platforms for home defense, as well as truck guns. They are easy to pack, conceal and transport and they often deliver the same firepower as their full-sized cousins since they’re often chambered in the same cartridges.
There’s just one thing. An AR-15 pistol can kick like an untamed mule. That being the case, you might have a vested interest in bringing recoil to heel without making any radical changes to the platform.
With that said, here are three big things you can do to reduce or control recoil in your AR15 pistol, and two of the three can be made in concert.
Get a Pistol Brace
The first and easiest thing you can do to control recoil in your AR15 pistol is get a pistol brace. Pistol braces, also called pistol stabilizers or stabilizing braces, are basically fins that extend from the back of the lower and brace against a user’s forearm.
In the absence of a stock, a pistol brace can help control recoil by making it easier to fire the AR with one hand. Since you can’t add a stock to an AR15 pistol (and it would defeat the purpose anyway) a pistol brace is a close second.
Firing an AR pistol with a brace is not quite the same as shooting a carbine, but it’s definitely better than nothing, and even were that not the case, if you bump up to a carbine, you lose the advantage of the smaller footprint. So this is about tradeoffs. It just so happens that installing a pistol brace produces the best balance of reducing recoil without trading off too much.
All in all, installing a pistol brace on your AR pistol is one of the best things you can do to tame recoil a bit.
And the best part is you can make this upgrade in concert with one of the following two recommendations that will have a bigger impact on recoil reduction.
Install a Suppressor
Arguably the best upgrade you can make to an AR pistol in order to combat recoil is to install a suppressor.
If you’re not familiar, suppressors, also known as silencers, are muzzle devices that contain internal vanes and baffles and both trap and redirect gasses expanding at the muzzle.
The main effect of installing a suppressor, and the most important one, is that it can substantially reduce both the report of the gun as well as the muzzle pop. This makes the gun less loud and is beneficial for the user’s hearing - as well as the hearing of any bystanders at the range.
But this just scratches the surface of the benefits of installing a suppressor. Another big benefit is that installing a suppressor can seriously cut back on felt recoil and muzzle jump. In some instances, a suppressor can cut recoil by as much as 50% without adversely affecting shot power.
In fact, a suppressor will actually increase shot power because it will increase chamber pressure, resulting in a slight boost to FPS. So with a suppressor, you’re basically getting a short barrel extension that actually boosts firepower.
That is one small tradeoff of installing a suppressor, though - they tend to be pretty big so it will make the whole platform a bit larger. If you can handle that, though, it's a great upgrade.
There’s one more thing about suppressors. They are classified as NFA items, which means you will need to apply for each purpose and pay a tax stamp to the ATF.
The other great thing about a suppressor is that you can install both a suppressor (if you can get one) and a pistol brace on the same gun.
Install a Compensator
For most users, a compensator (or a muzzle brake) is a much easier muzzle device to get than a suppressor. Like a suppressor, a compensator is a muzzle device that redirects gasses at the muzzle with the main intent of reducing recoil.
Also like a suppressor, a compensator can reduce felt recoil without adversely affecting shot power. However, that is where the likenesses with a suppressor end.
Compensators, unlike suppressors, will actually make a gun considerably louder, which can be damaging to a shooter’s hearing. Also, a compensator will not do anything to increase shot power.
Compensators are usually shorter and lighter than suppressors, so they usually don’t affect the handling of a gun very much. And, on top of that, they are not considered NFA items, so you don’t need to jump through hoops to get one.
You can also pair this muzzle device with an AR pistol brace, although you will not be able to make all three upgrades. You’ll have to pair a brace with one of the two of these muzzle devices.
Either way, though, a brace and a recoil-reducing muzzle device can make a big impact.
AR15 Pistol Uppers and Parts
Here for AR15 pistol uppers, pistol braces, muzzle devices or other parts? Take a look through our collection (which also includes short barrel rifle kits) and get in touch with us at Sales@MCSGearup.com if you have any questions.