Let's talk PDW's

[Duces Tecum]

A 5.5" barrel in 5.56? Pass.

@Clustgerfrack, I understand. But it's only a barrel change away from .300 BLK. It's probably reasonable to expect a BLK shortly after the 5.56 is introduced.

[HeavyDuty]

A 5.5" barrel in 5.56? Pass.

The perfect is the enemy of good.

[WobblyPossum]

I was in the process of completing an 11.5” AR pistol with folding brace exactly for this use when the Coronapocalypse began. My state doesn’t restrict the carriage of loaded long guns in a vehicle so it might be time to break out the AUG until this all blows over. I’ll need a bag that’s less conspicuous than the ukulele case it currently lives in though because I have no way to secure the gun in my vehicle so I can’t leave it unattended.

[BobM]

I bought a lower last fall planning on building a 300 pistol. I put the project on the back burner but I think I’m going to bump it back up. I have a Ruger American Ranch so I have some ammo but not a lot. Once I assembled the lower I was considering simply buying a BCM upper to finish.

[Clusterfrack]

The perfect is the enemy of good.

I get this, but bear with me. I think there are two market sectors for "PDW" type guns: 1) people who want a cool looking gun and think 3' of flame and a giant muzzle blast is cool and don't care about terminal ballistics or reliability that much. 2) people like us who want a PDW for defensive purposes.

I'm ready to be convinced that a 5-8" 5.56, or 10" .308, is a good idea for any real world use. It would be awesome... but I don't think physics will work in our favor here. Companies like Springfield are primarily marketing for group 1 because the AR market is pretty well saturated.

[HeavyDuty]

I get this, but bear with me. I think there are two market sectors for "PDW" type guns: 1) people who want a cool looking gun and think 3' of flame and a giant muzzle blast is cool and don't care about terminal ballistics or reliability that much. 2) people like us who want a PDW for defensive purposes.

I'm ready to be convinced that a 5-8" 5.56, or 10" .308, is a good idea for any real world use. It would be awesome... but I don't think physics will work in our favor here. Companies like Springfield are primarily marketing for group 1 because the AR market is pretty well saturated.

I’ll be honest - when I built the 7.5” 5.56 above I wasn’t expecting much. But, reliability over 800 or so rounds has been 100% (I don’t think I’d want to run a class with it, though), it’s easy to hit with and I think the terminal ballistics are acceptable for what it is, especially when considering the size envelope. At the time I was trying to avoid putting another caliber into the personal inventory. If I were to do it again, I’ll probably go .300 BLK since it has really taken off in commercial availability since I built it, but I don’t feel ill served by it as is.

[StraitR]

I'm ready to be convinced that a 5-8" 5.56, or 10" .308, is a good idea for any real world use. It would be awesome... but I don't think physics will work in our favor here. Companies like Springfield are primarily marketing for group 1 because the AR market is pretty well saturated.

Exactly.

There are currently zero quality 5.56mm PD/HD/Duty ammunition offerings with a performance window that will reach down into the muzzle velocity of a 5-9" barrel, let alone 25 or more yards downrange. None. I've seen all the big LE duty ammo players tested (Hornady, Winchester, Speer) to FBI protocol, and not one will open up in bare gel, let alone show even marginal auto glass performance. FMJ relies on velocity to yaw and fragment, so same story there. Based on what I've seen, 5.56 users would be better off with >10.5" barrels, and a PDW stock or LAW folder to make things more compact.

Hornady makes a 75gr Interlock HD SBR for 10.5"-11.5" guns, for those who want to keep 5.56 short and potent.

ETA: Considerably more technical data on the 75gr Interlock can be found on the HornadyLE website, HERE.

[Clusterfrack]

Hornady makes a 75gr Interlock HD SBR for 10.5"-11.5" guns, for those who want to keep 5.56 short and potent.

Thumbs up. TAP SBR. That’s what’s in my house AR, a 11.5” BCM lightweight fluted.

[HeavyDuty]

Exactly.

There are currently zero quality 5.56mm PD/HD/Duty ammunition offerings with a performance window that will reach down into the muzzle velocity of a 5-9" barrel, let alone 25 or more yards downrange. None. I've seen all the big LE duty ammo players tested (Hornady, Winchester, Speer) to FBI protocol, and not one will open up in bare gel, let alone show even marginal auto glass performance. FMJ relies on velocity to yaw and fragment, so same story there. Based on what I've seen, 5.56 users would be better off with >10.5" barrels, and a PDW stock or LAW folder to make things more compact.

Hornady makes a 75gr Interlock HD SBR for 10.5"-11.5" guns, for those who want to keep 5.56 short and potent.

ETA: Considerably more technical data on the 75gr Interlock can be found on the HornadyLE website, HERE.

I built two 5.56 pistols at the same time - the little 7.5” above as a toy, and a 12.5” for more serious use. The only reason the 12.5” isn’t seeing car duty right now is that it has a Tailhook Mod 2 and no folder, and it won’t fit under the parcel deck. I’ll add a LAW folder, a Sabertube and a Tailhook Mod 1 (the same as what’s on the 7.5” right now) to it when I can afford it.

I have no doubt that I would be better defended with it compared to the 7.5”. But as a 50M weapon, I’m not losing sleep using the 7.5” right now... but I should probably start watching for a decent .300 BLK barrel to make it better.

[TGS]

Over the past few years, the 8 inch .300 BLK AR pistol, and small 9mm in the form of the SP5K and now APC9 Pro, have easily become the most useful “larger than carry pistol” firearms for my wife and me. Being able to easily stick them in a pack is a game changer.

I'm wondering why the larger 9mm PCCs get the nod these days.

The B&T TP9 gets almost no mention, anywhere, when people talk about PDWs. It seems like the perfect PDW to me, if you're jumping down to pistol calibers. If I can fit an APC9K, I can fit a Honey Badger, so I'd rather have the latter.

The TP9 will fit in much smaller bags, and weighs half as much as the other options. It's something that's been on my radar for a while with great interest.