Stupid AR questions

lowcountry

lowcountry

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First off, I am not "fudding."

I have been lurking around this section trying to learn more about the AR platform and have a couple of questions about the AR platform. After getting to try a 300blk with a suppressor from a SIG rep, I was ready to purchase a rifle and get started obtaining a suppressor on the spot.

Are the lowers built specifically for certain types or categories of rounds? For instance, if I was to buy a complete rifle in 300blk, could I add other uppers in 223/5.56 wylde, 308, 6.5 creedmore, etc. later? A 9mm would be awesome.

AR's seem to be inherently loud and can be uncomfortable for those around you at indoor or outdoor range. Is this still true with subsonic 300blk? Most of my shooting is done indoors.

Accuracy. This has been hard for me to get a good feel for but here would be my scenario. If I was wanting to use an AR for deer hunting, occasional hog, here in the lowcountry where the longest shot might be a 100yds, maybe 150, would a 300blk be a good setup for this? It seems those that have mentioned lack of accuracy are talking about much longer shots.

I really like the idea of having one platform with so many options and upgrades. Not to mention it was plain fun to shoot.
 
Ar-15 uppers in 300 blk and 223 can be used on the same AR-15 lower, and with the same 30-cal suppressor. Mine is set up that way and it works very well.
308 and 6.5 come in AR-10 platforms which are a different rifle. some small parts are compatible but uppers and lowers do not mix and match AR-15<>AR-10
 
lowcountry said:
A 9mm would be awesome.
Click to expand...
You can build a AR-9 that uses a standard AR-15 lower. But if you went that route, you'd probably end up with a dedicated lower rather than sharing the lower with your other uppers because the 9mm lower will use a mag block so it can accept Colt-style mags, and you'll be using a different buffer than you'd use for your 5.56 or .300BO uppers. Swapping those parts out of the lower each time you swapped uppers would get old real quick, hence my point about a dedicated lower.

Another very popular option for AR-9 is to use a Glock mag lower (this is not a standard AR-15 lower) so you can use Glock mags.
 
With supersonic ammo a 300 blk would be good to 150yd IMO. Subsonic maby 100yds.

Calibers that work with a standard AR lower

https://www.carolinafirearmsforum.com/index.php?threads/available-calibers.15291/#post-267984

308, 6.5 creedmoor are for the AR10 platform.

Accuracy will depend on you, and your rifle/ammo. My 223s are stupid accurate with good ammo. I can get sub moa all day long with factory ammo.

I don't think ARs are louder than any other center fire rifle. But indoors any rifle will be loud :)
 
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Did ARs you mentioned have a muzzle brake? If so that is likely why they seemed so loud. I have a brake one one upper that is about to get swapped on for a plain jane A2 flash hider. It is miserable to shot while wearing both plugs and muffs. Look at getting a 6.8 SPC/6.5 Grendel upper for hunting. Every deer I have shot with my 6.8 has been DRT out to 250 ish yards. You will need to get different mags/bolt but IMHO both the 6.5/6.8 are better hunting cartridges than the .300 unless you want to hunt with a can. The .223/5.56 also makes a fine deer round with a ton of different factory loads offered.
 
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With the right parts, you can build a standard AR lower that will run a 9mm upper, as well as 556 and 300blk. The lower will need some additional parts added in order to run 9mm though.

I'm not well versed in 300blk, but my understanding is that in standard trim, its similar to 7.62x39, or perhaps 30-30. So shots out to 150 yards should work fine.

Loading it down to subsonic velocities does drop the power level considerably, but not to the levels you'd see in subsonic pistol rounds.

For 6.5creedmore and 308, you're going to need an AR-10 lower. They aren't standardized like AR15 lowers are, so you'll have to pay attention the brand you buy, and check compatibility with magazines and uppers. I'm personally a fan of the PSA AR10 lowers, since they're basically a sized-up version of the AR15 lower, and can use the same triggers, gas tubes, grips, etc.
 
I've been down some of these roads myself. When I built my first AR my only other centerfire rifles were pistol caliber leverguns. By comparison the AR seemed really loud. Then I should a Three Gun match where almost every rifle was equipped with a muzzle brake. Even louder. I drifted over to the Blackout which does not have that high pitched tone. To me it seems a little more pleasant, even unsuppressed with supersonic ammo.

I am not a deer hunter but a friend who hunts in the Pee Dee spent a couple of seasons using the Blackout with supersonic ammo. He found it adequate. It has since moved up to one of the 6.5 or 6.8 AR15 calibers.

I got interested in a 9mm conversion a year or so ago. The dedicated 9mm lowers are very popular but I wanted to use my "rifle" lower since it is a registered SBR. That meant using a magazine well conversion block. There are a few different choices; some are installed from the top of the lower receiver and require you to remove and reinstall the bolt catch which is not easily done with my standard forged lower. Many of the billet lowers use a screw instead of a roll pin to retain the bolt catch and would be more suitable for a top mounted mag block. I went with Hahn Presision's block that installs from the bottom of the magwell and is secured by an Allen screw. It works great but the block was about $200. I could almost have purchased a dedicated 9mm lower for that. Installing the 9mm upper is no trouble and the 9mm AR is fun to shoot.

I mentioned that I registered my lower as an SBR. I did this as my Blackout build because I wanted to run a suppressor and wanted to keep the overall length reasonable when the suppressor was attached. A friend of mine bought a Leonidas .300 upper which is an integral suppressed unit so it's one stamp instead of two. That's a pretty nice setup.

Good luck in your adventure.
 
Accuracy comes down to you
The AR/M4 is used in military and they often shoot at ranges 3-400+ yards with great accuracy. With iron sights.
 
These both fit in an AR15. ;)

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I have them in 9mm, 5.7x28, 5.56/.223, 6.8 SPC, 300BLK, and .50 Beowulf. I can swap uppers all around, except for the magwell adapter in the 9mm.
 
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