There are numerous reasons to invest in an AR pistol, or an ARP. You might like the ergs and handling of a sporting rifle, but want it in a more compact footprint. You might want to reap the benefits of rifle-caliber firepower in a roughly handgun-sized package. Or you might just want to add something new to your safe.
Either way, the same reasons that impel you to buy (or in this case, build) an ARP with an AR15 pistol upper generally go along with compatible reasons to want to make the whole thing lighter and shorter.
Here are 6 suggestions that can help you do just that.
1. Shorten the barrel (start with a short AR upper)
One of the most obvious ways to shorten the overall build is to start the project with a micro ARP upper, such as a 5-inch AR upper.
Doing so will both make the platform lighter and shorter, and thereby easier to conceal and handle, but there are some things to note.
One is that many rifle caliber rounds like .223 and 5.56 don’t perform the best out of short barrels. There are some, however, like .300 BLK, that do.
Another is that a micro ARP will be very loud and probably produce a lot more fouling as a result of incomplete bore deflagration.
2. Shorten the buffer tube
A short buffer tube is another obvious and direct way to shorten the overall length of a micro ARP. We specifically carry short buffer tubes here for that purpose.
The shorter the buffer tube, the smaller the whole platform will be. Just be careful about tinkering with buffer weight, and action reliability is closely yoked to buffer weight, and AR pistols unfortunately tend to require fairly heavy weights in their buffer systems.
An alternative to a short buffer tube, by the way, is to go with an entirely bufferless upper, which will make the whole build even shorter.
3. Skip the muzzle device
The vast majority of ARP uppers don’t just come with threaded barrels, they also come with muzzle devices attached, and more often than not that device is a flash hider.
Some muzzle devices, like compensators and suppressors, actually provide meaningful performance enhancements by reducing recoil and noise or both.
Flash hiders hardly do any of that, but what they do add are weight and length, as if one were not bad enough.
If your main goal here is to shorten and lighten the whole micro ARP platform, they just remove the muzzle device altogether and install thread protectors.
4. Build with skeletonized AR 15 parts
There’s not a whole lot to lighten on a micro ARP as it is, but building with skeletonized AR 15 parts is one thing you can do.
While there aren’t a whole lot of skeletonized AR 15 parts you’ll want to focus on with your micro ARP, one big one is if you use a pistol brace.
AR pistol braces can potentially be large and heavy, but there are skeletonized braces that are lighter and therefore result in a more maneuverable platform that’s better in tight quarters. You can also skeletonize the grip and charging handle, among other parts.
For some inspiration on how to lighten your micro ARP with skeletonized AR 15 parts, check out our collection.
5. Use a lightweight bolt carrier group where possible
Another way to build a lighter micro ARP is to choose a lighter bolt carrier group. Obviously the main advantage here will be weight savings but that will not be the only one.
A lighter bolt carrier group will also lower the reciprocating mass, which will help cut down on recoil. And if that weren’t good enough, a lightweight BCG will also result in faster, snappier cycling, which can also add value.
6. Go with a pistol cartridge instead of a rifle cartridge
Lastly, one creative way to lighten an ARP build is to choose a pistol cartridge for the project rather than a rifle cartridge.
First, let’s just openly recognize that this comes with some concessions, one of the biggest ones being that you will sacrifice some firepower.
But, you will also gain back a lot of weight, as a fully-loaded rifle mag, such as .223 or .300 BLK or 7.62, is going to be considerably heavier (keeping all else equal), than a 9mm mag.
And, while you will sacrifice a little power, consider also that most rifle cartridges perform pretty poorly from a short barrel, whereas handgun cartridges don’t.
So that there is a strong advantage to a micro ARP in a handgun caliber, or to any pistol caliber carbine (PCC).
Explore AR15 Pistol Uppers Here
If you’re still thinking about building a micro ARP, check out our AR 15 pistol uppers here, which includes super-short 5 inch AR uppers as well as bufferless uppers. Get in touch with us if you have any questions before undertaking the project, such as about the compatibility of AR parts.